She, the Radiance of the Archipelago

Ilustration 2 for Leni Marlina's Poem "She, the Radiance of the Archipelago". Pic. source: Starcom Indonesia's Painting Collection No. 24 by AI.

Ilustration 3 for Leni Marlina's Poem "She, the Radience of the Archipelago". Pic. Source: Starcom Indonesia's Painting Collection No. 25 by AI

She, the Radiance of the Archipelago

By: Leni Marlina

In the souls of the people, her name is an eternal flame,
Not merely a voice that resounds across the heavens,
But she, like the tender blush of dawn upon the horizon,
Dispelling the night, stirring dreams long nestled in slumber.

She did not claim dominion with an iron hand,
But with a heart expansive, as vast as the ocean's embrace,
Like the breeze that gently kisses emerald fields,
Nurturing the land, cultivating hope in every hidden root.

She is the ever-present shadow, close yet unseen,
In the quiet steps of the people, threading through the streets,
Like rain on arid soil, she descends with grace,
Saturating the earth with the promise of prosperity made real.

The people whisper her name in reverent prayers,
Like the songbirds that serenade the soft light of morning,
She is not the thunder that cracks the sky,
But the dew at dawn, quietly slipping into the heart's deepest recesses.

Like a great tree whose boughs offer refuge,
She shields every weary soul beneath her care,
A steadfast haven amidst the storm's fury,
Binding the covenant of freedom with threads of unyielding love.

She is the vigilant sentinel of this sacred land,
Unmoved by the seductions of power,
Not a queen ensconced on a gilded throne,
But a sower, planting seeds of justice with a hand tender yet firm.

There is no need for the people to call her name aloud,
For she is the wind, knowing instinctively where to turn,
Filling the corners of the archipelago with her radiant light,
Safeguarding the nation's trust, until time beckons her gently home.

Padang, West Sumatra, 2024

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This poem was originally written in Indonesian languange as a personal poetry collection by Leni Marlina in 2015. It was  edited, translated, and published for the first time on digital media in 2024. Its Indonesian original title  is  "Dia, Sang Cahaya Nusantara" which is available on:

https://forumsumbar.com/sastra/45528/puisi-leni-marlina-dia-sang-cahaya-nusantara/
 https://www.kompasiana.com/lenimarlina_fbsunppadang6936/66df8f68c925c44b3342b135/dia-sang-cahaya-nusantara?utm_source=Whatsapp&utm_medium=Refferal&utm_campaign=Sharing_Mobile

The author is the active member of the Indonesian writers association of SATU PENA West Sumatra; the lecturer at FBS Universitas Negeri Padang;  the Founder and Head of the World Children's Literature Community (WCLC) and POETRY-PEN International Community; the member of Victorian Writers; and the member of Hongkong ACC International Writers Community.