The Prince of Nusa Penida Redeems His Vow1 a Prèmbon (Arja – Balinese Sung Dance-Drama with Some Characters Masked)
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The Prince of Nusa Penida redeems his vow1 A Prèmbon (Arja – Balinese sung dance-drama with some characters masked) The Balinese originals of the words in bold were considered by the commentators to be wayah, ‘old’ or ‘mature,’ and to require particular skill in the use of language.i Often this was Old, or Middle, Javanese, or kawi.ii Underlined words were regarded as being Indonesian; and double-underlined words as Balinese, but in the special vocabulary of actors (basa pragina) and not in ordinary use. Where, in the commentators’ view, what is said is elliptical, I have added their evaluation of what is needed to make sense in parentheses. Where an utterance has been cut short by an interruption (nungkak, work not finished), it is indicated as ‘...’ with their estimation of roughly what should have been said in parentheses. Relevant information and actions on the stage are in italics, as are words in the original Balinese. The Cast Ngakan Déwa Madé Sayang Panasar I Madé Sura Wijil and the minor roles Ni Murdi Mantri I Midep Liku The characters in order of appearance: Panasar Punta, a servant at the court of Nusa Penida Wijil Kartala, also a servant at the court and the younger brother of the Panasar Mantri Sri Aji Palaka, the prince of Nusa Penida Liku Luh Wedani, the wife of Sri Aji Palaka and the daughter of a Bendésa, a village head, in Nusa Penida Bendésa A village head and father of Luh Wedani Banjar Tua An old villager on his last legs Klian Nusa A ward elder from Nusa Penida 1 Revised March 2008. Translation of The Prince of Nusa’s Vow 2 The PANASAR comes on stage and performs his opening dance (Panglembar). The first part is delivered from behind the curtain. He comes on stage and sweeps around it as he sings. PANASAR: (He sings) His bearing is calm and soft, His radiance when he comes out, Removes a dark cloud from the palace. I shall not be content until I become one with him And am safely shielded. (Until then) I shall feel thrown away and deserted. The source of my fulfilment is as far away to me As if it were the great market in Betawi, I feel hopelessly confused 10 At (the thought of) meeting him in a moment.iii (He suddenly notices the audience.) Oh! Good Heavens!2 Please may I offer my apologies to all of you who have been kind enough to come.iv I trust that you will all enjoy good health and happiness. As a Hindu community, we should always pray that we shall all find peace.3v How are we to achieve this on the occasion of a religious ceremony like this?4 Come, let us offer our faithful devotion together in order to ask for the grace of God.5 All of us living on this island cherish our artistic and cultural life. Oh! I implore you all to share in taking care that what’s needed is done when it is time for Barong processions,6vi so that we can ensure that our artistic life continues to flourish. How do we do it?7 What’s the way to bring it about? (For instance) it’s kind of you to put on this play.vii Also, Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s good of you to come and watch, because if we ourselves 2 His expression of astonishment is at finding himself in front of the audience. The sudden exclamation (ngabiahang) is to fix the spectators’ attention (ngampigang/ngedetin pikayun), which tends to stray during the opening song as the words are in kawi and inaudible anyway. It also helps to focus his own concentration on making his rôle of servant seem realistic (lit: ‘live’, urip). 3 In the last part of the sentence, he makes his words sound like kawi and so ‘old’ (wayah), mature and wise. The way he subsequently specifies the audience and the nature of the occasion is important. 4 According to the commentators, this utterance has two purposes (tetujon), which hinge on the word jalaran which here connotes ‘strategy, the means of achieving something, an instrument to’. First temple festivals should provide the occasion for performing theatre. Second the Panasar is using the performance as an occasion to retell part of the history of Nusa Penida and as a means to instructing the audience in various matters. Karya is the broad term for most kinds of work for a religious ceremony, here a temple festival. It has connotations of what should be done, public duty. 5 The designation of Divinity as ‘most excellent’ paramawiśeùa is a common way of referring to the supreme deity, Ida Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa (Divinity as the power of fate, widhiwaśa). On the notion of service and its rewards, see the footnote below. 6 This is a panglèmèk. He is warning against the trend of villagers not bothering properly to carry out unèn-unèn, the processions and dances of giant puppet-like figures, Barong, which take place in the month of 35 days after the festival of Galungan in the Balinese-Javanese calendar (see Goris 1960: 124-26; on Barong Belo 1949). This temple festival took place during Galungan. Ngulatiang connotes ‘to look for, watch, need, do’. It is agentive: it indicates watching out for what one needs or should need and the steps one should take to fulfil that need. 7 In the commentators’ view this was clearly intended to be ‘What should one use as an opportunity?’ Pokok may be ‘capital’, ‘basis’, but also ‘opportunity, reason’. Translation of The Prince of Nusa’s Vow 3 aren’t going to appreciate and look after the arts, who else are we to tell to do so?8 That’s the reason that guests now come here; that tourists come from all over the world.9 What is it they are really looking for? Is it not solely because of your arts, your skill at crafts, your wisdom and knowledge of all sorts of art objects? That’s the reason then that tourists come – what’s this? Two of them have turned up. (He then says in English.) ‘Welcome, good afternoon, thank you. I hope you glad see here.’ I know a couple of words to use to start up a conversation. Well, now people from overseas enjoy watching, but we’ve all grown indifferent. Don’t let it be like that. If we can make it as it is here this evening, I shall feel happy and proud to address you. Isn’t that as it should be? I hope that we can manage to treasure our arts for ever and make them even better than they are now.viii (He starts singing a nonsense song, playing on words which end in ‘èk’.) 35 Pffart, Pffart. A cricket falls down. A second-born child turns up riding a bicycle. He steals a duck, gets put in chains, And chokes to death.ix (The Panasar then switches from addressing the audience to outlining the state of affairs in the story which is about to be re-enacted. At the same time he switches from High Balinese to Low, except when referring to the prince of Nusa Penida, an island off the coast of South East Bali referred to throughout what follows simply as ‘Nusa’.) The realm of Nusa has been different ever since the reign of His Royal Majesty, who was crowned Sri Aji Palaka – and may I be pardoned for my effrontery in mentioning his name.x Well, the land of Nusa is famous. It’s famous for being dry, but ever since He came, it’s changed and the country is different. Before you couldn’t get anything to grow. Now the landscape in Nusa is green.10 8 There was said to be a difference here between the purpose, tetujon, and the point, tetuwek, of what was said. The purpose is to show the actors’ appreciation at people paying to put on a play, and also to point out that if the audience do not treasure their arts, who will? The point contains a panglèmèk. If the audience wish to put on such a play, they should also be prepared to ensure the future of Balinese theatre. Ida Dané is the polite form of address when the audience may consist of people from different castes. Ida is singgih and dané is madya or Middle Balinese. Perhaps ‘Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen’ would be more precise, but the expression is used so widely that it would be inappropriate here. Correspondingly the Panasar refers to himself when addressing the audience as titiang, the self-abasing (ngasor) term for ‘I’ appropriate to speaking to high castes, meetings and other public occasions, sometimes whether high castes are present or not. 9 The Panasar uses my presence at the play as a means (talenan) to make his point. As will become obvious, he assumes that I do not speak Balinese. 10 The original referred to ‘trees’, but the commentators corrected me when I supposed that this was so and said that it referred to everything which grows, plants and trees alike here. Ketut Sutatemaja added that one could plant, but it just didn’t grow. They also stated that this was clearly indirect praise, pangajum, of the then President, Suharto, who has laid great emphasis upon technological development. In Bali village society, this is reflected in improvements in agriculture and irrigation. Again there was said to be a difference of purpose and the point in saying this.