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*Yu Dafu: in the Cradle of Distant Lands*
By Leni Marlina*
In Zhejiang’s cradle, where the rivers sigh,
Yu Dafu’s spirit reached for the sky,
With silken threads of wisdom spun,
He ventured forth from dawn to dusk.
Shanghai’s streets, a labyrinth of dreams,
Where lanterns cast their flickering beams,
He danced with Western words and lore,
In shadowed realms, his soul would soar.
*“Sinking”* revealed the deep despair,
A canvas dark, where sorrows flare,
And *“A Lonely Woman”* in her plight,
Spoke volumes through the silent night.
Yet fate’s cruel wind, with icy breath,
Swept him beyond the realm of death,
To Payakumbuh’s emerald shore,
Where tropical palms and rivers roar.
In Sumatra’s arms, where the jungle hums,
And evening’s hush to silence comes,
He wandered through the lush expanse,
Where orchids bloom and moonlight dances.
Here, amid the mist and leafy veil,
He penned his thoughts, his heart’s travail,
Through monsoon rains and star-lit nights,
He wove his tales of endless flights.
The cool, damp earth beneath his feet,
Where shadowed paths and silence meet,
He cast his words like fragrant seeds,
In fertile lands where exile bleeds.
The expatriate whispers in the air,
Became a symphony rare and fair,
His voice a lantern, softly lit,
Guiding through the darkness bit by bit.
In the village’s tranquil hum,
Where cicadas sing and palm trees drum,
He found a refuge, not of gold,
But in the stories that he told.
His ink, like rain on thirsty ground,
In every line, a truth was found,
In Payakumbuh’s hidden grace,
He carved his mark, a sacred space.
As twilight draped its violet shawl,
In Singapore, where shadows fall,
His life’s last chapter softly penned,
In every word, his spirit’s blend.
Yu Dafu, in the realm of dreams,
Where moonlight casts its silver beams,
Your legacy in whispers lives,
In every land your heart forgives.
Your stories flow like rivers wide,
In every dusk, your stars abide,
From Payakumbuh to distant shore,
Your pen remains forevermore.
In lush, green realms and distant skies,
Your words are stars that never die,
A bridge of thought from East to West,
In every heart, you find your rest.
Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia, 2024
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This poem, originally penned in Indonesian languange as part of Leni Marlina’s personal collection on August 2024, was later refined, translated, and first published in digital format by the author on September in the same year. The first original published version of this poem is available on
https://satupenasumbar.id/in-the-cradle-of-distant-lands/
Since 2006, Leni Marlina has devoted her career to teaching at the Faculty of Languages and Arts, Universitas Negeri Padang. She is also the founder and chair of the World Children's Literature Community (WCLC). Furthermore, she has been an active member of the Satu Pena Writers' Association of West Sumatra since 2022, has been associated with the Victoria Writers' Association in Australia since 2012, and joined the Hong Kong ACC International Writers Community in 2024.
