IN November last year at Batu Patong Eco Village near Bario, an auntie, Sinah Eli, volunteered to sing for us a Kelabit traditional lakuh song at a gathering of the villagers to which we were invited. I have had not heard such a recitation in a long while so the occasion was a real treat and very welcomed. For me, it was a privilege and special occasion indeed, especially since not many who have mastered the art are still around.
I have always been fascinated by the power and beauty of words. I find poetry, songs and other forms of recitations, especially fascinating and attractive. Just like music which evokes powerful emotions, poetry and oral recitations could also do likewise. This is because the spoken language has this special quality of rhythms and resonance just like the beats in music which are made up of short phrases that combine to make longer phrases, thereby creating some form of rhythm as in a song or music.
Poetry is now mainly in written form, but it’s in the recitation or its oral form that the true power of the words in a poem can really come out alive. Poems and songs are a form of oral tradition, especially in traditional societies where the words or lyrics, beats and rhythms in a song or poem can be both powerful and enchanting when recited.
Similarly, being orally delivered, speeches that are artfully crafted and well thought through can give the same powerful effect, confirming the power of the words, in particular the elocution of words.
In general, traditional societies do not have their language in written forms as we know it today. Writing as a method to transmit ideas, values, knowledge and culture were non-existent. Therefore, they had to depend completely or partially on their oral tradition. Partially, because tradition, culture, values and ideas could also be transmitted through paintings, drawings, designs, patterns, art-crafts and musical instruments. That’s the reason why ancient peoples painted on cave walls and produce all kinds of artefacts some of which we can see to this day. We also know that many native cultures have their own unique art forms, designs and motifs. Sometimes, both oral and non-oral are combined to reinforce the impact and invoke a powerful connection, especially in presentations and for staged performances.
For the Kelabits, as in common to other tribes, oral tradition or oral lore is an important form of human communication where knowledge, norms, expectations of good behaviour, artistic renditions, ideas and cultural material is received, preserved, and transmitted from one generation to another by the spoken word. Traditionally, transmission is done through speech, in the form of songs and chants. These may include myths, folktales, ballads, chants, prayer songs, prose or verses. They go by various names such as ‘adih’, ‘lakuh’, ‘nuk’ ‘belaan’, ‘sedarir’ and ‘sekunuh’. These traditional stories, sayings and recitations are often grounded in stories, happenings and myths from the past, but the moral of the stories and their relevancy is to the present and for the future. They link lessons, folk wisdom, stories and insights across time-space and across generations. That’s where power and beauty can be seen or experienced.
The reciters and singers of the different forms of oral traditions are highly regarded individuals in the community, taking an elevated and special place of veneration. They are seen as the custodian and depository or conduits of the oral tradition that are deemed important to preserving the culture of the community or group of people.
Regarding poetry, it is recognised as a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meanings in addition to, or in place of, the prosaic, common or ostensible meaning of the words used. So, poems as literary compositions, written or composed by a poet, leverage the aesthetic and rhythmic qualities of language. When reading a poem, one can sense those qualities, the melodic and rhythmic aspects of language.
Poetry is a form of communication that is great at provoking questions and could make us wonder and thereby forcing us to look at things differently. It is as if we are given an array of different and diverse voices of how to think or look at things. Well, I think that is what poetry is for. It’s a very powerful medium for many voices to speak and for other people to then listen to those voices. So next time you come across a poem, think of poetry in that manner. Let it speak to you.
The untold thoughts and emotions expressed with words in such an aesthetic way make them so powerful and can touch the human heart in varied and often inexplicable ways. Take for example the poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert Frost. It is one of my favourites and is one the most well-known and popular poems ever written in the English language. It’s a beautiful and well-crafted poem. I remember reading and discussing it in literature class as a teenager. The road in the poem is the metaphor of life, while the fork on the road metaphorically represents the choices we make to determine the course of our lives.
The central message in that poem is that, in life, we are often presented with choices. When making a choice, one is required to make a decision. Viewing a choice as a fork in a path, it becomes clear that we must choose one direction or another, but not both. Of course, this famous point has been interpreted and discussed extensively and will continue to be so. Such is the power and attraction of words.
I also love the poem ‘Ozymandias’ by Percy Bysshe Shelley, for its powerful message on the transient nature of power. The poem is reputed as one of his most famous. The subject of the poem is an ancient king who was very powerful and caused a statue of himself to be built and emblazoned with a boastful inscription about his power and might. But the irony of the whole situation, as depicted by the poem is the contrast between the king’s boastfulness about his powers and stature, and the broken and debased reality of his statue somewhere in the desert.
The poem ‘Ozymandias’ pokes fun at the fascination with power through its suggestion that both great rulers and their kingdoms will eventually and inevitably fall to the sands of time. How many ‘Ozymandias’ have we seen across history and are even witnessing in this very day and age? The poem is a powerful reminder that nothing will last, even the powers of the greatest of powers in the world today.
Talking about the power of words and recitations, for those who saw it live on TV, the powerful recitation of poetry by Amanda Gorman at Biden’s Inauguration, which elicited acclaim and worldwide recognition, was, in reality, the true highlight of the event. To me, Amanda Gorman stole the fire from the Mount Olympus of the inauguration. Her words and powerful recitation resonated loud and persistently, across space and time like the poems ‘The Road Not Taken’ and ‘Ozymandias’ discussed above.
To read ‘Two Paths’, a poem composed by Maya Green and published in his publication of poems in his book entitled ‘Poems from the Jungle Boy’, rings a bell about the famous poem by Robert Frost entitled ‘The Road Not Taken’. In fact, the poem is reputed to be one of the most popular poems ever written and one which was included in our English literature readings in school. For me, it definitely precedes, in terms of impact and beauty, over ‘Mending Wall’ my other favourite poem by Robert Frost.
In his poem ‘Two Paths’ Maya Green draws on his ‘Jungle Boy’ experience of charting paths in the rainforests with his father on their hunting trips or their forays to look for jungle produce deep in the rainforests of Central Borneo. He also recalls the experience of having to evacuate on very short notice from his village in Pa Mein to hide and take shelter in the forests and behind the mountain range near his village, from impending attacks by enemy forces during the Confrontation days in the early 1960s. Everyone in the village would have to leave for a safe and secure location leaving only the soldiers – Commonwealth forces and local soldiers left to defend the village from possible attacks.
With his early immersion as a boy and familiarity with the realities of the rainforests, Maya Green draws rich inspiration and insight to colour his poems and writings, including the perspective taken in the words contained in ‘Two Paths’. The perspective leads to some interesting insights into the choices that we may need to make at the various crossroads that we encounter in life. It makes a strong case for the need to have a paradigm shift or thinking outside the given box when encountering difficult decisions and choices.
‘The Path Not Taken’ suggested taking the path less taken over that which is well-trodden, that which is taken by the majority. The poem portrays a situation where the choice to be made is between two given options or where the options seem obvious. Whereas, Maya Green in his ‘Two Paths’ recommends or suggests taking neither of the given paths, well-trodden or otherwise, but to carve up a totally new one. Sometimes, the obvious options may not be the only options or choices. Maya Green alluded to the need for a paradigm shift that will unlock better solutions. In his own words in the poem, he says that true pathfinding will unlock new discoveries and open up a passage to new destinations. In fact, many of the major and profound discoveries were made because the inventors or discoverers went beyond what had been defined as the given field, approaches or options to do something. When that happens, the wisdom can be very profound and the discovery even more pronounced.
The power of words, and especially perspectives as contained in the two poems — ‘The Road Not Taken’ and ‘Two Paths’ — make a case for an inspiring perspective about the choices that we may need to make when at the crossroads of life. Indeed, the power of words and especially spoken words cannot be denied.
Note: Maya Green is the pen name for the writer of this article who describes the poem ‘Two Paths’ by Maya Green in the third person.
