Brunei

On 23 February 1984, after nearly a hundred years as a British protectorate, Brunei gained its independence from the United Kingdom. Before the colonial era, Brunei was an important sultanate in the Indonesian region.

Brunei is located on the north coast of the island of Borneo; in prior centuries the sultanate covered the entire island. Now Borneo is divided between Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia, after Brunei lost much of its territory in the 19th century. There are still contested regions both on the island of Borneo and in the surrounding islands—many of these regions are internationally recognised as part of Malaysia.

Finding a Bruneian poem translated into English was difficult, though there are many poets in Brunei, and Bruneians appear to be proud of their literary traditions, which includes the epic poem Sya’ir Awang Simawn. As part of the celebrations prior to Brunei’s Independence Day, Bruneian poets held a reading which was reported widely in Brunei’s press.

While I was searching both online and in anthologies for a poem from Brunei, I came across an article that lamented the paucity of Bruneian literature available in translation.

The poem I found was written by Adi Rumi, apparently a respected elder poet of Brunei. This was written in response to the tsunami of 2004, expressing solidarity with other nations of the region. It’s been interesting to see the number of poems I’ve found that express a similar focus on region and commonalities within those regions.



Brothers, your cries
are ours too.
Together we taste sadness.
We know,
you are steel-strong nation
not a flower-nation that easily droops.
Even in sorrow,
you never surrender.



—by Adi Rumi