By the grave, Sumantri felt death calling him to come soon. Facing the call, Sumantri suddenly took off all of his armor, leaving him in his simple coverings.
By
Sindhunata
·6 minutes read
Sumantri asked why only at the time of his death did he find Darmawati as a very precious pearl. In fact, he had been trying to find the pearl all his life, believing that one day he would find it. And indeed, he found it, even as many times as Darmawati offered her love with all her heart.
But he always refused the offer, even though there he found the treasure of pearls he was looking for. Only now was he really aware that the pearl was Darmawati. He felt remorse knowing that he had found the pearl he had been looking for all his life, only to lose it forever.
"Darmawati, why did you go and did not come with me back to Jatisrana?" Sumantri lamented in sorrow.
While staring at Darmawati's corpse, his memory flashed back. He remembered having left Maespati, and together with Darmawati, returning to Jatisrana. There he had hoped he and Darmawati would have lived in peace, with his younger brother, Sukrosono. He would hear the thumping of bamboo reeds in the wind, accompanying the tendrils of gadung that hugged the trees, welcoming the warm sun in the morning. Together with Darmawati, he would walk on the pathway between the green rice fields, watching the herons fly, feeling the joy of the wild birds indulging in their yearned-for rain. And wherever they walked, they could always pick fruit from the diverse trees.
When dusk came, together with Darmawati, he would bathe under a bamboo reed shower, drenching themselves in the spring.
It would be impossible for such a dream to come to him if he had turned to Dewi Citrawati. Such a delusion would be too simple to go down with Princess Magada, who would be all too noble. Only with Darmawati could he imagine the beauty in its simplicity. That beauty was within his reach because it was always there before his eyes. And he confessed that simple beauty could give him happiness. Had he been immersed in his dream of Dewi Citrawati, indeed he would have fallen to her charm, but that beauty would actually have not been available for him. He could have had it if he had forced himself, and this tortured him.
While remembering all these, Sumantri's eyes did not let go even a wink from Darmawati's dead body. Suddenly, the battlefield of Bengawan Gangga awoke him and Sumantri felt like returning to Jatisrana. For him, Jatisrana was not only a place of memories from his past but also the final destination of his life. He wanted to return to Jatisrana, where he would be back in his genuine self and regain what he had lost all this time.
"Raden ..." suddenly a weak voice greeted Sumantri. He turned his head, and saw Patih Suroto, a senior patih (nobility lower than raden) of the Maespati Kingdom, at his side.
"Uncle Patih, you are the one who accepted me for the first time when I left Jatisrana to serve in Maespati," said Sumantri.
"That's right, raden. But what’s the point of recollecting while the battle awaits in front of our eyes?” asked Patih Suroto, struggling to make out what Sumantri meant.
CAHYO HERYUNANTO
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"Remember Raden. Raden is the mahapatih of Maespati. On the shoulders of Raden lies the fate of the Maespati Kingdom in the face of this war."
Patih Suroto began to worry that Sumantri was about to desert the battlefield.
"No, uncle. I will be braving through this battlefield because this battlefield is the only way for me to return to Jatisrana," said Sumantri.
It was only he who knew what his words meant. For him, with Darmawati's death, Jatisrana was the only other word to make way for his longing to go to his true self. Patih Suroto certainly did not understand the meaning of his words. But at least he was relieved, knowing that Sumantri would not leave the battlefield.
“Uncle, I will immediately go to the battlefield and lead this battle. First, let us bury Darmawati, Putri Widarba, by giving her the honor of being a heroine who died on the battlefield," said Sumantri.
"It's true, raden, Darmawati was a brave princess who gave her life for the Maespati Kingdom. Putri Widarba deserves our respect as a heroine,” Patih Suroto responded to Sumantri's request.
And all the soldiers around him willingly accepted the bestowal. So, at that very moment, and at the place where she died, Darmawati was buried as a heroine of Maespati. No flowers were available. The flowers that were sprinkled on the grave were the teardrops of Sumantri and the Maespati soldiers who mourned the death of Putri Widarba on the battlefield.
While holding back his sadness, Sumantri did not stop staring at Darmawati's grave. He was relieved and proud because Darmawati was recognized as a heroine of Maespati. For soldiers, there was no other measure to call someone a hero, except for their death on the battlefield.
Suddenly this jolted Sumantri. Why should Darmawati, not him, die for Maespati, even though he was the prime knight and the mahapatih of Maespati? In front of Darmawati's grave, Sumantri was suddenly overwhelmed by shame of his chivalry. He became aware his chivalry was not as perfect as the people of Maespati thought. In carrying out his chivalry duties, he was aware he had been overcome by his own ambition and ego. It was not only ambition for honor and high rank, but also lust for Dewi Citrawati. His chivalry was mixed with impure intentions and passions. He felt ashamed to accept himself. He felt unforgivable for the death of his beloved brother at his own hands. Darmawati's death rebuked Sumantri to the depth of his heart. And from her grave, Putri Widarba seemed to remind him on only through death would he crown himself for his chivalry. Like Darmawati's death in front of the soldiers' eyes, only death can lead a warrior to become a hero.
By the grave, Sumantri felt death calling him to come soon. Facing the call, Sumantri suddenly took off all of his armor, leaving him in his simple coverings.
