Written piece
Santunan Keteguhan / Rite Tenacity
Rozmanshah Abdullah
Malaysia
About this piece
A bilingual poem pair in Malay and English. Beginning in Malay and returning as an English reimagination, it explores steadfastness, surrender, hope and peace through inner resilience, where the self is tested, dissolved and renewed.
Santunan keteguhan
bertapak teguh
dalam pencarian
memberi perhatian
kepada niat
kekal berkekalan.
sayap ditebar luas
dilabuhkan merentas alam
menyeliputi seluruh keberadaan
ruang dan masa,
hingga segenap wujud
menjadi penyerahan—
hilangnya diri
demi bertemu diri.
tatapan teguh
teguh berniat
pada kekalan bersatah,
lahir terungkap
dari kemandirian yang terhapus
dari diri yang menghilang,
menunggu
untuk ditemukan semula.
diseru, dilafaz
berulangan tanpa putus
bagai detikan jam
yang tak kenal henti
dengan niat pasti.
meski gangguan datang
dari segala petala
atau bisikan yang terbit
dari bayang keraguan.
namun harapan tetap menyala
dalam memilih
jalan ketenangan,
meraih kebahagiaan.
biarkan terus mengalir
sungai-sungai takjub
di bawah tapak kaki
yang berdiri dalam redha.
bertapak teguh
menunduk dalam tenang
melutut yakin
bersujud penuh pasrah.
A reimagination in English
Rite tenacity
standing still,
with resolute intent,
giving full attention
to intention—
to endure.
wings unfurled wide,
encapsulating
across the realms,
stretching through existence—
through space and time,
until every fragment
is offered
in surrender—
the self dissolved,
per chance to be
found again.
gazing still,
with unwavering intent
on the permanence
beneath the surface.
what is born
from the undoing of solitude,
from the self
that once vanished,
now waiting
to be discovered anew.
called, recited,
spoken again—
like the ticking of a clock
that knows no pause,
driven by a will
unshaken.
when the tremors come,
from every layer of the heavens,
or whispers that rise
out of doubt—
they do not tire.
yet still,
hope burns—
guiding the choice
toward quiet peace.
let the rivers
of awe and wonder
continue to run swift,
flowing beneath the soles
of feet planted
in divine acceptance.
standing firm,
bowing in calm,
kneeling in conviction,
prostrating in complete surrender.