Reading the Signs

By Taufiq Ismal Translated by Amin Sweeney

It felt there was something coming loose from the hand and slipping through our fingers. There was something that at first was not quite definite but now we start to miss it. We witness the air graying in color. We witness the lake waters ever more receding. […] We have witnessed a thousand signs. Can we learn to read the signs?

Excerpts from the poem, “Reading the Signs,” in prose form

Born in 1935, Taufiq Ismail began to write and make his name as a poet in the mid 1950s. Over the course of the the next decade, he became an important voice in Indonesian literature—and in the country’s social history as well. Both at that time and in the decades ahead, he successfully captured, through his poetry, the natural world with a unique measure of sensitivity. He also stirred up public awareness of pressing socio-political issues, especially social inequality. Almost no socio-political issue escapted the sight of his poetic camera. His poems were turned into songs and sung throughout the nation. His poems are a testimony of the times, exuding intense social commitment with a sophisitication of words rarely matched in the history of Indonesian protest poetry.

Reading the Signs contains 100 of the poet’s work dating from a period of more than 50 years. In their reading, from the first to the last, one is able to trace the thematic development of this poet’s work: from worship of nature, to testimony to human suffering, changing political regimes, sojourns in foreign lands, religiosity in modern life, and life-changing catastrophes.

Dimension: 14 x 21.5 cm
Pages:
Publisher: The Lontar Foundation
Year: 2025
Category: Poetry