ninotaziz's Blog, page 7

Dewi Tara

a princessof ancient srivijayapalembang
fell in love
 



with the builder
of borobodur, king samaratungga
let other kings
build a thousand temples
in one night

she longed for eternity

and sailed to sailendrafrom their union, new conquerorsruled nusantara
for a millennia
by ninotaziz. all rights reserved

At Borobodur, Java
___________________________________
For Brian. And the G-Man.Inspired by dVersepoets

Dewi Tara was a princess of Srivijaya in Sumatera, Indonesia. She married the Sailendran king Sumaratungga, who in the ninth century completed the largest Bhuddist temple on earth, today known as Borobodur. The bas-relief above adorns the Borobodur temple. Generally they illustrate the Jataka tales and other literature. However, on the third tier, if I am not mistaken, they depict actual scenes from the Sailendran court life.

I visited Borobodur in June this year with my daughter Inas. Without a guide, I despaired at ever finding the actual illustrations (miles of them all around the temple) I was interested in, i.e. the above scenes. But I did! Just about the time I was to give up, I turned the corner and found, first the ship! Then the court life illustrations. The pot above, is proof that centuries later, and we still love the same beautiful things in life. I have such terra-cotta pots in my garden and the house.


Inas, at the site of Prambanan
where 1000 temples were built in a night
(I'll tell you about it one day, Brian)

The Nusantara Princess : Tengku Mariam of Pahang

she played 
the gamelan. itsmagic carried across the paddy fieldstakes us to another time
of ancient ways. nature's gifts that subtly change the landscapethe river. the mountains. left behind.
a princess. on an amazing ship with white sailscutting the waves. embracing the wind
she traveled to unknown shores. new ways.a stranger. a husband
people to rule. a kingdomto enchant. to love. a queen nowthey worshiped her.
her legacy




___________________________________

Sailendra. Campa. Majapahit. Patani. Inderapura.
The Nusantara princesses were key to many peaceful treaties. It would be shocking today, but in reality, these marriages still exist throughout royal houses from the east and the west.

Tengku Mariam of Pahang married Sultan Sulaiman of Terengganu in 1913 and brought a full gamelan set with her. The Sultan loved his queen deeply and did everything he could to give the gamelan the exposure and support to become popular and revered. The Tengku Ampuan recorded the dances and her principal dancers taught other palace performers this graceful art form and orchestra music.

Once again I find the story of how the late Mubin Sheppard saved a piece of our heritage. Years later he found Tengku Ampuan Mariam's gamelan set in Istana Kolam, set about finding the old masters to revive the art.

It is said that this song, the Lambang Sari was written by Tengku Ampuan Mariam herself.

I am human

photo by Elena Kalis

I am the sea dragonthat guards the deep blue depthsfrom sorrow
I am the angelthat keeps your faith in checkfor time is borrowed
I am temptationthat makes you believeforever is tomorrow
Je suis le dragon de mer, l'ange, la tentationqui maintient votre foi en échecparce que le temps est emprunté, et toujours est un mythe


by ninotaziz

___________________________________

For Magpietales

The song of Nusantara

I walk the edgeof heaven when the lilting music of gamelan lifts me
to freedom
by ninotaziz

_________________________________

My dear friends from the poetry blogosphere

I would like to invite you to the beauty of the Nusantara, encapsulated in this song. We believe this is the true eden on earth. Our music beguiles, our people charms you with genuine friendship, our stories are ancient.
You will not find an older forest or a newer beach. In each shell you find upon our shores, there is an old song of the sea, and a new dawn promising another day in paradise.

There is suffering and grief too. Still it is pain that allows us to appreciate the beauty of life.

Welcome to the Nusantara.

(And to my friends in the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore and Thailand, you already know what I mean. Peace - Ninot)

The important letter

March 2013

For a while
 tradition of letter writing and greeting cards died
My friend Yumiko used to send me lovely letters from Japan.
And my mother, sent words of love and advice
which made its way above the Atlantic
or the Pacific
Either way it made its way to me.


Ikesha recently sent a letter to her grandma
with a lovely drawing of her in the park
pink hearts on the envelope
and a single line,
Ikesha loves Tok Wan.

A beautiful letter indeed.

Interview on TV1 : Selamat Pagi Malaysia

I have been invited to speak on National TV this morning onHikayat - From The Ancient Malay Kingdoms.
Wish me luck everyone.

dVerse Form for All : Mathematical Series

passion
firesbuilding blocksto my lifeit defines everything I doreligion, love, daughters, poetry, legends, friendship, work, playalas, do I define everythingtouched in lifeblocks building
uppassion
________________________________

In response to Tony's challenge over at dVerse to put mathematics in poetry
Tried the Fibonaci numbers and in reverse too but not too happy - well, here it is.

Ocean

Are you the ocean, ever evolving, all the more the same?  Whose tides of change depend on the moon? What mysteries deep within, colder as you get to the core. Are you the one that ensnares ships passing in the night? No.
velvety surfacechanging tides, unknown depthsas seasons change
ancient


Like a siren that calls, the winds, your locks of midnight raven reach out. When the winds die, they wrap around your figurative body - sensual and sinewy. Enveloping like the indigo sky above. The tip of a bursting horizon. Ecstasy. 
lost within the wavesthe wind calls and I returnto your lair of love

This is me drowning in you. Floating on cloud nine above the Indian ocean. Where the succulent smells of mango and dreams of the pomergranate permeate my dreams. Shared tea overflows, and rejuvenates. Forever.

_____________________

My haiku Ocean for Leo at Haiku Heights
Morphed into a haibun The Sensual Ocean, for Grace at  dversepoets oln
Edited to elevate for a tighter read for Kim at Poets United

 Copyright © 2013 ninotaziz. All Rights Reserved.

A Haibun : The sensual ocean

velvety surfacechanging tides, unknown depthsas seasons change
ancient


Are you the ocean, ever changing, all the more the same?  Whose tides of change depend on the moon? What mysteries lay within your currents, colder as you get closer to the core. Are you the oceans to the north that ensnare ships in the night? Like a siren that calls, the winds, your locks of raven that reach out to the world.  And when the winds die, they wrap around your figurative body - sensual and sinewy. Enveloping like the deep blue sky above. The tip of a bursting horizon. The lure of ecstasy. The caress of the ocean. 
lost within the wavesthe wind calls and I returnto your lair of love

_____________________

My haibun for Haiku Heights
and dversepoets oln

 Copyright © 2013 ninotaziz. All Rights Reserved.

Oceans

velvety surfacechanging tides, unknown depthsas seasons change
ancient

_____________________

for Haiku Heights