Mourning in the Month of July

KOMPAS/WAWAN H PRABOWO

Sapardi Djoko Damono

I wrote this note about 30 minutes after receiving the sad news: "Prof. SDD has left us".

This time, the meaning of "leaving us" does not only serve as a piece of information, but gives an extraordinary feeling of abandonment, such as a sudden feeling of emptiness that makes the body experience the effect of losing weight.

Imagine, the presence of Mas (brother) Sapardi, as I called him, always offered a sense of calm, guaranteeing that everything can be handled in the best way. He was always a reliable person who answered every question asked to him based on his vast experience.

However, I knew him not only as a colleague at the Postgraduate School of the Jakarta Institute of Arts (IKJ). When I was a student, Sapardi Djoko Damono ,who was often called by his initials SDD, was a lecturer and supervisor of my dissertation at the Cultural Sciences School (FIB) of the University of Indonesia (UI).

Without becoming a direct student, Ekalaya can defeat Arjuna. Although of course this does not apply to me.

Furthermore, as a person who has been writing since high school, I studied his work Ekalaya (Ekalavya) with enthusiasm while learning archery in front of the statue of guru Dorna. Without becoming a direct student, Ekalaya can defeat Arjuna. Although of course this does not apply to me.

Juggling objects

I used to refer SDD’s devotion to the poem titled “Mata Pisau” (Blade)

“mata pisau itu tak berkejap menatapmu;

kau yang baru saja mengasahnya berpikir: ia tajam untuk mengiris apel

yang tersedia di atas meja sehabis makan malam;

ia berkilat ketika terbayang olehnya urat lehermu”

(the blade doesn\'t blink at you;

You who just sharpened it think: it is sharp to slice an apple available on the table after dinner; it glinted when it imagined your jugular vein)

What kind of devotion? SDD wrote poetry without relying on "outpouring of feelings", which only produced juvenile melancholy, clichéd spiritualism, as well as the clamor of seductive language. His poetry can bring life to inanimate objects.

SDD used vocabulary without the need to flip through dictionaries. He used just those in the newspapers and the streets. So was the way of his writing. He did not try to make his writing look like literature. He used words that even elementary school students can understand.

It glinted when it imagined your jugular vein”. It is a concrete statement, which does not look like a rhyme.

So, if the term "literature" is still considered necessary, how can it be literature? Of course the way of looking at him can be made through the line of his rhyme. Everyone knows that the knife on the table can, for example, be used to slice an apple or to slit your throat. However, SDD tried to bring life to the knife as stated in the line of his rhyme that says: “It glinted when it imagined your jugular vein”. It is a concrete statement, which does not look like a rhyme.

With this way, SDD seemed to try to free literature from the burden of the "scary" meaning such as noble, great, beautiful, "aesthetic" and the like. Consider this poem "Tuan" (Lord).

Tuan,Tuhan, bukan? Tunggu sebentar, saya sedang ke luar (Lord God, right? Wait a minute, I\'m still out.)

The closeness to God means that God can also be asked to make a joke and indeed only those who are close are able to do it.

Simple character

Once, SDD said: "The people know that I only wrote one poem, ‘Hujan Bulan Juni’ [Rain in June] even though I actually wrote a lot."

While the way of writing poetry developed in all directions, including through a conventional method with strict discipline, SDD also wrote prose such as novels, short stories and very short stories as well as essays, drama and translations. As a lecturer, he also wrote textbooks, working papers or research reports.

As a poet, he was very prolific. This does not mean that his other work of different genres are inferior to his poems. The stories in “Membunuh Orang Gila” (Killing Mad People) turned around all the myths. His translation “Puisi Cina Klasik” (Classical Chinese Poetry ), although from English, was considered brilliant, while his play “Ditunggu Dogot” (Waited by Dogot) was called by noted playwright N Riantiarno as a serious challenge for an actor.

His doctoral dissertation, "Priayi Abangan: Dunia Novel Jawa Tahun 1950-an” was a breakthrough in the academic world that has not been repeated.

It is important to note, in criticism, essay, or academic treatise, SDD’s language never "pretends to be smart". The language is always clear without the pretense of complicating matters. Yes, simple is a key word for SDD’s characters.

The poet conjures up the world of fantasy, which he composes with artistic equipment that is able to make the world of his creation an incomparable magic.

Perhaps, one of his works that could be called literature could be found in the essay ”Sihir Rendra” (Rendra\'s Magic). A poet is a magician. The life that poets contemplate in poetry is also magic. The poet conjures up the world of fantasy, which he composes with artistic equipment that is able to make the world of his creation an incomparable magic. Isn\'t "reviving inanimate objects" also a trick?

Memories of a man with a stick

SDD remained very productive in his old age, like a locomotive. He still produced quality writing. As a "boss" in a publishing company, he composed the cover of publications himself. It can be used as an example for the elderly and it should give a better meaning to the term "retired mentality".

Kompas/Hendra A Setyawan

Seno Gumira Ajidarma

With a feeling of loss, I now remember: an elderly man in a flat hat walking with his cane, which would become my lasting memory of Mas Sapardi. Goodbye Mas, see you later!

(The writer is a journalist)