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{{short description|Malay poetic form}}
{{Infobox performing art
| name = ''Pantun''
| image = 
| caption = 
| medium = Oral poetry
| types =
| culture = [[Malayic]]
| era = 
}}
{{Infobox intangible heritage
| ICH = Pantun
| Countries = [[Indonesia]] and [[Malaysia]]
| ID = 01613
| Region = APA
| Year = 2020
| Session = 15th
| List = Representative
}}

{{Italic title}}

'''''Pantun''''' ([[Jawi script|Jawi]]: {{lang|ms|italic=no|{{Script/Arabic|ڤنتون}}}}) is a [[Malayic]] oral [[poetic form]] used to express intricate ideas and emotions.<ref>{{harvnb|Wilkinson|1908|p=28}}</ref> It generally consists of an even number of lines<ref>{{harvnb|Daillie|1988|p=38}}</ref> and is based on <math>\mathrm{ABAB}</math> [[rhyming scheme]]s.<ref>{{harvnb|Hirsch|2014|p=440}}</ref> The shortest {{lang|ms|pantun|italic=no}} consists of two lines, known as the {{lang|ms|pantun dua kerat|italic=yes}} in Malay, while the longest, the {{lang|ms|pantun enam belas kerat|italic=yes}}, can have 16 lines.<ref>{{harvnb|Daillie|1988|p=38}}</ref> {{lang|ms|Pantun|italic=no}} is a disjunctive form of poetry that always comes in two parts: the first part is a prefatory statement called {{lang|ms|pembayang|italic=yes}} or {{lang|ms|sampiran|italic=yes}} which has no immediate logical or narrative connection with the second or closing statement called {{lang|ms|maksud|italic=yes}} or {{lang|ms|isi|italic=yes}}.<ref>{{harvnb|Wright|1908|p=230}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Hirsch|2014|p=440}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/pantun-01613 |title= Pantun |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= 2020 |website= ich.unesco.org |publisher= United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)|access-date= 20 January 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= Milyartini |first=Rita |title=Proceedings of the International Conference on Arts and Design Education (ICADE 2018) |chapter=Singing Keroncong and the Values Behind it |date=2018 |url= https://www.atlantis-press.com/proceedings/icade-18/55913535 |volume= 255 |issue= 2018|pages= 137–138 |doi= 10.2991/icade-18.2019.31 |isbn=978-94-6252-671-6 |access-date= 21 January 2021|doi-access= free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last= Chadwick |first= R.J. |date= 1994 |title= Unconsummated metaphor in the Minangkabau pantun |url= https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03062849408729808?journalCode=cimw19 |journal= School of Oriental & African Studies |volume= 22 |issue= 1994 |pages= 83–113 |doi= 10.1080/03062849408729808 |access-date= 21 January 2021 |url-access= subscription }}</ref> However, they are always connected by rhyme and other verbal associations, such as puns and repeating sounds.<ref>{{harvnb|Hirsch|2014|p=440}}</ref> There is also an oblique but necessary relationship, and the first statement often serves as a metaphor for the second.<ref>{{harvnb|Hirsch|2014|p=440}}</ref> The most popular forms of {{lang|ms|pantun|italic=no}} are the quatrain (four lines)<ref>{{harvnb|Hirsch|2014|p=440}}</ref> and the couplet (two lines),<ref>{{harvnb|Muhammad Haji Salleh|2018|p=46}}</ref> which both feature prominently in literature and modern popular culture.<ref>{{harvnb|Ding|2008|p=13}}</ref>

The earliest literary records of {{lang|ms|pantun|italic=no}} date back to the 15th century Malacca Sultanate,<ref>{{harvnb|Hirsch|2014|p=440}}</ref> although some historians believe that {{lang|ms|pantun|italic=no}} may be as old as, or even precede, the Classical Malay language itself, having grown and spread during the [[Srivijaya]] era, from which the founder of Malacca originated. {{lang|ms|Pantun|italic=no}} during the Malacca era was featured in the most important Malay literary text, the [[Malay Annals]],<ref>{{harvnb|Winstedt|1969|p=137}}</ref> and is regarded as a high art integral to [[classical Malay literature]]. It also thrived naturally in the daily communication of traditional Malay society and served as an important expressive tool in Malay songs,<ref>{{harvnb|Liaw|2013|p=442}}</ref> rituals, performing arts, and all forms of storytelling.<ref>{{harvnb|Ding|2008|p=6,7 & 13}}</ref>

==Etymology==
According to [[Zainal Abidin Ahmad (writer)|Za'aba]], the word {{lang|ms|pantun|italic=yes}} is thought to have evolved from the Malay word {{lang|ms|sepantun|italic=yes}} ([[jawi alphabet|Jawi]]: سڤنتون), meaning 'same as'.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://prpm.dbp.gov.my/Cari1?keyword=sepantun|title=sepantun|access-date=17 January 2021|publisher=Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu}}</ref> This word is used to signify a proverbial metaphor or [[simile]],<ref>{{harvnb|Wright|1908|p=230}}</ref> a type of [[figure of speech]] commonly found in traditional {{lang|ms|pantun|italic=no}} or [[proverb]]s from [[classical Malay literature]].<ref>{{harvnb|Za'aba|1962|p=219}}</ref> The archaic meaning of *pantun* in Malay also refers to a form of [[proverb]] used for indirect references,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://prpm.dbp.gov.my/Cari1?keyword=pantun|title=pantun|access-date=17 January 2021|publisher=Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu}}</ref> which has a similar role to {{lang|ms|pantun|italic=no}} as poetry, still generally created in styles portraying {{lang|ms|sindir|italic=yes}} (indirect references) and {{lang|ms|kias|italic=yes}} (analogies).<ref>{{harvnb|Daillie|1988|p=79 & 149}}</ref>

Another theory suggests that {{lang|ms|pantun|italic=no}} originated from the word {{lang|ms|penuntun|italic=yes}} ('guider'),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://prpm.dbp.gov.my/Cari1?keyword=penuntun|title=penuntun|access-date=17 January 2021|publisher=Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu}}</ref> from the noun-building prefix {{lang|ms|pe(n)|italic=yes}} and the verb {{lang|ms|tuntun|italic=yes}} ([[jawi alphabet|Jawi]]: تونتون) or 'to guide'.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://prpm.dbp.gov.my/Cari1?keyword=tuntun|title=tuntun|access-date=17 January 2021|publisher=Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu}}</ref> Alternatively, [[Renward Brandstetter|Brandstetter]] suggested that the word originates from {{lang|ms|tun|italic=yes}} and its similar sounding variants in [[Austronesian languages]], with multiple meanings: [[Kapampangan language|Kapampangan]] {{lang|pam|tuntun|italic=yes}} ('well organized'), [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]] {{lang|tl|tonton|italic=yes}} ('skillful arrangement'), [[Kawi language|Old Javanese]] {{lang|kaw|tuntun|italic=yes}} ('thread'), {{lang|kaw|atuntun|italic=yes}} ('well arranged'), {{lang|kaw|matuntun|italic=yes}} ('to lead'), and [[Toba Batak language|Toba Batak]] {{lang|bbc|pantun|italic=yes}} ('polite' or 'worthy of respect'). [[Richard Olaf Winstedt|Winstedt]] supported this opinion, noting that in many Austronesian languages, words suggesting 'something set out in rows' gradually acquired the new meaning of 'well-arranged words', in prose or in poetry.<ref>{{harvnb|Liaw|2013|p=442}}</ref> Ari Welianto suggested that {{lang|ms|pantun|italic=no}} originated from the [[Minangkabau language|Minangkabau]] word {{lang|min|patuntun|italic=yes}}, which means "guide".<ref name="Pantun">{{Cite news|url= https://www.kompas.com/skola/read/2020/03/03/183000169/struktur-dan-jenis-pantun?page=all |title= Struktur dan Jenis Pantun|last= Ari Welianto|date=2020-03-03|website=Kompas.com|language=id|access-date=2020-09-19}}</ref>

== History ==
Some scholars believe that {{lang|ms|pantuns|italic=yes}} predates literacy and may be as old as the Malay language itself.<ref>{{harvnb|Daillie|1988|p=3}}</ref> Muhammad Haji Salleh believes that the {{lang|ms|pantuns|italic=yes}} form grew and spread from [[Srivijaya]], most probably from around the cities of [[Palembang]] or the [[Melayu Kingdom|Malayu]]. As [[Palembang]] became more dominant, the {{lang|ms|pantuns|italic=yes}} of the two cities would have been known to each other's populations, despite their political rivalry, as they used the same language.<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Haji Salleh |first1= Muhammad |date= 2011 |title= Sailing the Archipelago in a boat of rhymes: Pantun in the Malay World |url= https://www.researchgate.net/publication/277636554|journal= Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia|volume= 13|issue= 1 |page= 83 |doi= 10.17510/wjhi.v13i1.10 |access-date= 19 January 2021|doi-access= free }}</ref> Nevertheless, the tradition is known to have reached its refined form with the flowering of classical Malay literature from the 15th century.<ref>{{harvnb|Hirsch|2014|p=440}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Winstedt|1969|p=137}}</ref> Notable literary works like the [[Malay Annals]] and [[Hikayat Hang Tuah]] contain the earliest written examples of {{lang|ms|pantun|italic=yes}}.<ref>{{harvnb|Winstedt|1969|p=137}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Kassim Ahmad|1966|pp= 1–3}}</ref>

For at least 500 years, {{lang|ms|pantun|italic=no}} spread through [[malayisation|spread from Malay language]] via trade routes, ports, and migrations, becoming the most dynamic single literary form.<ref>{{harvnb|Muhammad Haji Salleh|2011|p=78}}</ref> Today, it is known in at least 40 dialects of Malay and 35 non-Malay languages in the [[Malay Peninsula]] and many islands of [[Maritime Southeast Asia]].<ref>{{harvnb|Muhammad Haji Salleh|2011|p=78}}</ref> The popularity of {{lang|ms|pantun|italic=no}} among hybrid communities like the [[Peranakans]], [[Chitty]], and [[Kristang people]], signifies its prominent position as a cultural symbol in the [[Malay world]].<ref>{{harvnb|Ding|2008|pp=6–7}}</ref> A type of {{lang|ms|pantun|italic=no}} called {{lang|ms|pantun berkait|italic=yes}}, consisting of interwoven quatrains, was introduced to Western poetry in the 19th century by [[Ernest Fouinet]] and later popularised by [[Victor Hugo]], forming the basis of the modern [[pantoum]].<ref>{{harvnb|Hirsch|2014|p=441}}</ref>

== Tradition ==
The {{lang|ms|pantun|italic=yes}} originated as a traditional oral form of expression, manifesting the traditional [[Malay people|Malay]]'s views of life and their surroundings, and utilized to express a wide range of emotions and ideas. As a symbol of [[Malay people|Malay]] identity, {{lang|ms|pantuns|italic=yes}} are seen as reflections of ''[[adat]]'' ('customs') and ''[[Adab (Islam)|adab]]'' ('manners'). As Malay culture emphasizes polite and indirect expressions, {{lang|ms|pantun|italic=yes}} are generally created using various forms of figurative language.<ref>{{harvnb|Daillie|1988|p=79 & 149}}</ref> Elements of metaphors, similes, symbols, personifications, eponyms, allusions, idioms, and proverbs are abundant in the elegantly compacted Malay {{lang|ms|pantuns|italic=yes}}.<ref>{{harvnb|Muhammad Haji Salleh|2011|p=80}}</ref>

In Malay culture, {{lang|ms|pantun|italic=yes}} is an important instrument of communication in various social, cultural, and economic activities. It is used traditionally to express feelings, give advice, exchange quizzes, and sweeten conversations. For example, {{lang|ms|pantuns|italic=yes}} are used in the customary verbal exchange in a Malay wedding (or engagement) ceremony, especially as part of the culturally sanctioned greetings between representatives of the bridegroom and bride upon arrival at the bride's house.<ref>{{harvnb|Muhammad Haji Salleh|2018|p=2}}</ref> As an expressive tool, {{lang|ms|pantuns|italic=no}} are also used extensively in the lyrics of traditional Malay songs<ref>{{harvnb|Ding|2008|p=13}}</ref> tuned to popular rhythms like [[Zapin]],<ref>{{harvnb|Abels|2011|p=81}}</ref> [[Mak Inang|Inang]], and [[Joget]].<ref>{{harvnb|Tengku Ritawati|2018|pp=105–106}}</ref> Other notable applications of {{lang|ms|pantuns|italic=yes}} can be found as a structural support for art performances like [[Dondang sayang]], [[Bangsawan]], [[Mak yong]], [[Mek Mulung]], and [[Dikir barat]].<ref>{{harvnb|Muhammad Haji Salleh|2011|p=92}}</ref> The skill in performing these poems lies in reciting them in a way that suggests singing while simultaneously demonstrating the ability to engage in quick, witty, and subtle dialogue.

[[Indonesia]] possesses a wealth of verbal art. A largely non-written tradition of reciting expressive, often witty quatrains called {{lang|ms|pantun|italic=yes}} is common in most Malay areas throughout the archipelago. Some {{lang|ms|pantun|italic=yes}} performances are narrative; the {{lang|jv|kentrung|italic=yes}} traditions of central and eastern [[Java]], for instance, use a structure similar to {{lang|ms|pantun|italic=yes}} (called {{lang|jv|parikan|italic=yes}}) to recount religious or local historical tales to the accompaniment of a drum.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Puisi Jawa struktur dan estetika|author=Saputra, Karsono H.|date=2001|publisher=Wedatama Widya Sastra|isbn=9799653010|edition=Cet. 1|location=Jakarta|oclc=48100094}}</ref> However, this appears to be a modern adaptation, as writers from the early 20th century like H. Overbeck and J.J. De Hollander noted that a tradition similar to {{lang|ms|pantun|italic=no}} did not exist in Javanese at that time.<ref>{{harvnb|Overbeck|1922|p=4}}</ref> Indeed, much of [[Indonesia]]'s traditional literature forms the foundation of complex mixed-genre performances, such as the [[Randai]] of the [[Minangkabau people|Minangkabau]] of [[West Sumatra|western Sumatra]], which blends instrumental music, dance, drama, and martial arts in ceremonial settings.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/art/pantun |title=Pantun |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=Britannica.com |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=19 December 2020 }}</ref>

==Description==
In its most basic form, the {{lang|ms|pantun}} consists of a quatrain employing an ABAB [[rhyme scheme]]. A {{lang|ms|pantun}} is traditionally recited according to a fixed rhythm; as a rule of thumb, to maintain the rhythm, every line should contain between eight and 12 syllables. According to Katharine Sim, "The {{lang|ms|pantun}} is a four-lined verse consisting of alternating, roughly rhyming lines. The first and second lines sometimes appear completely disconnected in meaning from the third and fourth, but there is almost invariably a link of some sort. Whether it be a mere association of ideas, or of feeling, expressed through [[assonance]] or through the faintest nuance of thought, it is nearly always traceable" (Sim, page 12). The {{lang|ms|pantun}} is highly allusive, and to understand it, readers generally need to know the traditional meaning of the symbols the poem employs. An example (followed by a translation by Katharine Sim):{{sfnp|Sim|1987}}

{{blockquote|<poem>{{lang|ms|2=
Tanam selasih di tengah padang,
 Sudah bertangkai diurung semut,
Kita kasih orang tak sayang,
 Halai-balai tempurung hanyut.}}

I planted sweet-basil in mid-field
 Grown, it swarmed with ants,
I loved but am not loved,
 I am all confused and helpless.</poem>}}

According to Sim, {{lang|ms|halai-Balai tempurung hanyut}} literally means 'a floating coconut shell at sixes and sevens'. {{lang|ms|Selasih}} ('[[sweet basil]]') implies 'lover' because it rhymes with the word for that, {{lang|ms|kekasih}}. Other frequently recurring symbols are the flower and the bee, indicating a girl and her lover, the squirrel ({{lang|ms|tupai}}) implying a seducer, and the [[water hyacinth]] ({{lang|ms|bunga kiambang}}) meaning love that will not take root. The {{lang|ms|pantun}} often makes use of proverbs as well as geographical and historical allusions, for example, the following poem by [[Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir|Munshi Abdullah]]:{{sfnp|Sim|1987|p=40}}

{{blockquote|<poem>{{lang|ms|2=Singapura negeri baharu,
 Tuan Raffles menjadi raja,
Bunga melur, cempaka biru,
 Kembang sekuntum di mulut naga.}}

Singapore is a new country,
 Tuan Raffles has become its lord,
Chinese jasmine, purple magnolia,
 A burgeon of flower in the dragon's mouth.</poem>}}

This alludes to the foundation of [[Singapore]] in 1819 by [[Sir Stamford Raffles]]. The last line means a girl who is protected by a powerful man, and Sim suggests this may refer to Raffles's wife, Olivia.

Sometimes a {{lang|ms|pantun}} may consist of a series of interwoven quatrains, in which case it is known as a {{lang|ms|pantun berkait}}. This follows the <math>\mathrm{ABAB}</math> rhyme scheme, with the second and fourth lines of each [[stanza]] becoming the first and third lines of the following stanza. Finally, the first and third lines of the first stanza become the second and fourth lines of the last stanza, usually in reverse order, so that the first and last lines of the poem are identical. This form of {{lang|ms|pantun}} has exercised the most influence on Western literature, where it is known as the ''[[pantoum]]''.

==See also==
*[[Pantoum]]
*[[Gurindam]]
*[[Hainteny]]
*[[Sisindiran]]
*[[Syair]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
*{{cite book |first=Francois-Rene|last=Daillie |title=Alam Pantun Melayu: Studies on the Malay pantun|publisher=[[Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka]]|date=1988|isbn=978-9836203106}}
*{{cite journal |first=Choo Ming|last=Ding|date=2008|title=The Role of Pantun as Cultural Identity for Nusantara in 21st Century and Beyond|url=https://www.academia.edu/30226694|journal=Southeast Asia Journal |volume=18|issue=2}}
*{{cite book |author=Harun Mat Piah|title=Pantun Melayu : bingkisan permata|publisher=Yayasan Karyawan|date=2007|isbn=978-9814459884}}
*{{cite book |first=Edward |last=Hirsch |title=A Poet's Glossary |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|date=2014|isbn=978-0151011957}}
*{{Cite book|author=Kassim Ahmad|title=Characterisation in Hikayat Hang Tuah: A General Survey of Methods of Character-portrayal and Analysis and Interpretation of the Characters of Hang Tuah and Hang Jebat|publisher=Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia|year=1966|location=Kuala Lumpur}}
*{{cite book |first=Yock Fang|last=Liaw|title=A History of Classical Malay Literature|publisher=ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute|date=2013|isbn=978-9814459884}}
*{{citation | last1 = Matusky | first1 = Patricia | last2 = Tan | first2 = Sooi Beng | title = The Music of Malaysia: The Classical, Folk and Syncretic Traditions | publisher = Routledge | year = 2004| isbn = 978-0754608318}}
*{{cite book |first=Birgit|last=Abels|title=Austronesian soundscapes : performing arts in Oceania and Southeast Asia|publisher=Amsterdam University Press|date=2011|isbn=978-9089640857}}
*{{cite journal |author=Muhammad Haji Salleh|date=2011|title=Sailing the Archipelago in a boat of rhymes: Pantun in the Malay world|journal=Wacana |volume=13|issue=1}}
*{{cite book |author=Muhammad Haji Salleh|date=2018|title=Pantun: The poetry of passion|publisher=University of Malaya Press|isbn=9789831009765}}
*{{cite journal |first=Hans Friedrich|last=Overbeck|date=1922|title=The Malay Pantun|journal=Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society|volume=85|publisher=Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society}}
*{{cite book |first=Katharine |last=Sim |title=More than a Pantun: Understanding Malay Verse |publisher=Times Publishing International |location=Singapore |date=1987}}
*{{Cite book|last=Wilkinson|first=R. J.|url=https://eservice.nlb.gov.sg/data2/BookSG/publish/c/cbae6616-f86a-4d1b-a8aa-9550fdcc980b/web/html5/index.html?opf=tablet/BOOKSG.xml&launchlogo=tablet/BOOKSG_BrandingLogo_.png&pn=28|title=Papers on Malay subjects : Life and Customs|publisher=F.M.S. Govt. Press|year=1908|series=1|location=Kuala Lumpur|archive-date=2022-05-27|access-date=2020-12-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220527100611/https://eservice.nlb.gov.sg/data2/BookSG/publish/c/cbae6616-f86a-4d1b-a8aa-9550fdcc980b/web/html5/index.html?opf=tablet/BOOKSG.xml&launchlogo=tablet/BOOKSG_BrandingLogo_.png&pn=28|url-status=dead}}
*{{cite book |first=Richard Olaf |last=Winstedt|title=A history of classical Malay literature|publisher=Oxford University Press|date=1969|asin= B0006CJ8PU}}
*{{cite book |first=Arnold|last=Wright |title=Twentieth Century Impressions of British Malaya: Its History, People, Commerce, Industries, and Resources|publisher=Lloyd's Greater Britain Publishing Company|date=1908|url=https://seasiavisions.library.cornell.edu/catalog/seapage:233_236}}
*{{cite book |author=Za'aba|title=Ilmu Mengarang Melayu (Malay Writing Skills)|publisher=Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka|date=1962}}
*{{cite journal |author=Tengku Ritawati|date=2018|title=Pantun in The Text of Nyanyian Lagu Melayu Asli |journal=Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education|volume=18|issue=1|publisher=Department of Education Drama, Dance and Music, Universitas Islam Riau, Indonesia}}

==External links==
* {{cite EB1911|wstitle=Pantun |volume=20 |page=686}}
* {{cite web |url= http://faculty.washington.edu/heer/apantun.pdf |title=A Famous Pantun from Marsden's Malayan Grammar |first=Nicholas |last=Heer |publisher=Washington University |date=6 August 2008 |ref=none}}
* [http://www.pantun.com/ Pantun.com]

{{Indonesia UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage}}
{{Minangkabau}}

[[Category:Poems in Malay]]
[[Category:Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity]]