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pantun

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9 months ago bilby said:

A traditional Malay quatrain.

One which was recited to me by a funny old fish-seller called Wak James was as follows:
Kalau ada jarum patah
Jangan disimpan di dalam peti
Kalau saya salah sepatah
Jangan disimpan di dalam hati


Translation (though I am not a Winstedt):
If a needle should carelessly break
Pray, set the fragments safely apart
And if my tongue hath carelessly spake
Keep not the harshness within your heart.

A very concise discussion of pantuns is here.

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Papageno (4915 words)
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