Are you still playing your flute?

Click here to follow the poem

Are You Still Playing Flute?

The Original Version of the Poem
Masihkah Kau Bermain Seruling oleh Zurinah Hassan
Masihkah kau bermain seruling
walau waktu telah terlewat untuk kita bercinta
aku semakin terasa bersalah
melayani godaan irama
lagu yang tersimpan pada lorong halus buluh
dikeluarkan oleh nafas seniman
diukir oleh bibir
diatur oleh jari
dilayangkan oleh alun angin
menolak ke dasar rasa.
Masihkah kau bermain seruling
ketika kampung semakin sunyi
sawah telah uzur
waktu jadi terlalu mahal
untuk memerhatikan hujan turun
merenung jalur senja
mengutip manik embun
menghidu harum bunga.
Masihkah kau bermain seruling
ketika aku terasa mata bersalah
untuk melayani rasa rindu padamu
di kota yang semakin kusut dan tenat
adik-adikku menganggur dan sakit jiwa
bangsaku dipecahkan oleh politik
saudara diserang bom-bom ganas
dunia sudah terlalu tua dan parah.
Di sinilah berakhirnya percintaan kita
kerana zaman sedang menuntut para seniman
hidup di luar dirinya.

BIODATA OF ZURINAH HASSAN

Date / Place of birth : 13 June 1949, Alor Setar Kedah.
Permanent address : No.2, Jalan Pinggir, 8/1L, Seksyen 8, 40000 Shah Alam since 1974.
Academic Qualifications : B.A.Hons (Universiti Sains Malaysia), M.A. (Universiti Putra Malaysia). Doktor Falsafah, Akademi Pengajian Melayu, Universiti Malaya.
Awards :

1. Anugerah Penulisan Asia Tenggara (S.E.A. Write Award) 2004
2. Book Category Award

i- Pujangga Tidak Bernama, Hadiah Sastera Perdana(1994/1995)
ii- Memoir Zurinah Hassan Menjejak Puisi, Hadiah Buku Perpustakaan Negara 2002/2004)
iii- Memoir Zurinah Hassan Menjejak Puisi , Hadiah Sastera Perdana 2002/2003.

Are You Still Playing Your Flute? by Zurinah Hassan


Are you still playing your flute?
When there is hardly time for our love
I am feeling guilty
To be longing for your song
The melody concealed in the slim hollow of the bamboo
Uncovered by the breath of an artist
Composed by his fingers
Blown by the wind
To the depth of my heart.


Are you still playing your flute?
In the village so quiet and deserted
Amidst the sick rice fields
While here it has become a luxury
To spend time watching the rain
Gazing at the evening rays
Collecting dew drops
Or enjoying the fragrance of flowers.


Are you still playing your flute?
The more it disturbs my conscience
to be thinking of you
in the hazard of you
my younger brothers unemployed and desperate
my people disunited by politics
my friend slaughtered mercilessly
this world is too old and bleeding.


Thanks toMalaysian Student, you can view the poet’s opinion regarding her own poem http://zurinahhassan.blogspot.com/2010/05/masihkah-kau-bermain-serulingare-you.html



SYNOPSIS
This poem his about a persona who reminisces the time he/she spends when in a village.The persona is thinking of someone she was close to and who plays the flute. She longs to hear the wonderful soothing music that had touched her heart a long time ago.

 She wonders if he is still playing his flute in their village that is now empty and quiet.The village is now unpopulated as many have moved to the city. She feels troubled that she should be thinking of him and her past while people around her are suffering and her world is changing.
.
There are many things that are now luxury to her such as listening to the melody of the flute itself, gazing at the evening rays, collecting dew drops, or enjoying the fragrance of flowers.

 Now that she has moved on with her life, she wonders whether the flutist is still playing the flute. This is because, there are many challenges in the world today such as the world is dying, the unemployment issue and the people are disunited because of different political views.

THEMES

• Values and traditions - Values and traditions have an important role in our life. They teach us to live correctly and to hold on to our principles in life. We learn to value life, family and friends. A society without values and traditions is colourless and loses its direction.
• Changes in life - Nothing stays the same forever and that includes life. Life changes over time. These changes affect every aspect of our lives and may have positive and negative consequences.
• Family commitments - Everyone has family commitments, whether it is to our immediate family members or extended family members. Be aware of these commitments as they bind a family together.
• Priorities in life - There are important and unimportant things in life. Learn to differentiate them and make plans accordingly.
• Enjoying the simple pleasure of life - Nature surrounds us and the beauty of nature offers us the simple pleasures of life. The rising sun, the moon and stars, the rainfall and dew are some of the pleasures that nature offers. Enjoy them and enjoy life.
• Passionate about one's interest - When we are really interested in a hobby, we will become passionate about it. It helps us to mature as this passion helps us to stay focused. We learn to be creative too. But, we should not let this passion become an obsession.

MORAL VALUES

• We should learn to appreciate the values and traditions of society and family. They give us balance in life and help us to differentiate between the good and the bad.
• We face changes in life every day. Learn to accept changes but only if they are for the good of society. If they are beneficial, work around them for the general good.
• Our family is the most important thing in our life. We should put their interest and safety first before anything else. Show consideration for one's duties within the home and carry out family commitments responsibly.
• We should know our priorities in life and be aware of them at all times. Don't get so taken in by our interests that we forget our priorities.
• Passion for interests should should not be at expense of family happiness. There is a time for work and a time for play.

POINT OF VIEW

• The poem is the first point of view - the persona uses the pronoun 'I' and 'my'
• The persona is reflecting on her past and feeling uneasy about the present.

LANGUAGE AND STLYE

• Language - simple and easy to understand
• Play of words to add interest
• Style - clear, descriptive and inquiring

TONE, MOOD AND ATMOSPHERE

• Sombre - talks about her longing for something she cannot have anymore
• Appreciative and regretful for loss of simple pleasures of life
• Mood of hopelesness and loss - does not like her present situation

POETIC DEVICES

• Imagery – e.g. ‘blown by the wind’, ‘depth of my heart’
• Alliteration – e.g. ‘fragrance of flowers’' dew drops'
• Symbol – e.g. ‘flute’, ‘song’
• Repetition – e.g. ‘Are you still playing your flute?’
• Assonance - 'sick rice filed'
• Figurative Language – Metaphor e.g. ‘The melody concealed in the slime hollow of bamboo – Personification e.g. ‘sick rice field’

LITERARY DEVICES

Personification:

- sick rice filed - the rice field is personified as a human who is not feeling well                                       

- this world is ...bleeding - earth is personified as being wounded

Symbol:
- flute - symbolises a thing of the past, something tradition                                                                    

- song - symbolises the simple pleasure of life

Repetition:                                                                                                                                       

- 'Are you still playing your flute?' - repeated at the beginning of all three stanzas to reinforce the emotion behind the question and to create a dramatic effect.
Rhetorical question:                                                                                                                         

- Are you still playing your flute? - the persona asks a question to which she does not expect a reply.

Metaphor:                                                                                                                                            

- 'the melody concealed in the slim hollow of the bamboo' : The song seems to be hidden in the bamboo when it is actually coming out from the playing of the flute.                                                      

- 'the world is too old and bleeding': The world seems to have aged due to war and the sufferings caused by it.

Imagery:                                                                                                                                         

a) imagery of sight:                                                                                                                                         - 'so quiet and deserted': This gives a clear picture of a lonely village with hardly anyone around.           

- 'slaughtered mercilessly': Many lives were lost in the war.                                                                 

b) imagery of feelings:                                                                                                                         

- 'depth of my heart': The persona feels deeply and wants to hear the song played by the flautist.          

- 'longing for your song': The persona has a deep desire to hear songs.                                                      

c) imagery of touch:                                                                                                                            

- 'collecting dew drops' - someone is putting their hands together to collect dew drops to feel the water 

d) imagery of smell:                                                                                                                             

- 'enjoying the fragrance of flowers': The flowers are emitting fragrant scent.                                        

e) imagery of sound:                                                                                                                             

- 'playing your flute' - The music comes from the flute.                                                                                

- 'blown by the wind' - The sound of wind and music

1. Who is the persona in the poem?

………………………………………………………………………….
2. Write one line from the poem that depicts that people are jobless.
………………………………………………………………………….
3. Provide three phrases that depict the message of cruel realities of a nation in uncertainty of its future.

……………………………………………………………………………….

……………………………………………………………………………….
 4.In your own words describe why the poet used the word “sick” to describe the rice fields.
………………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………….
5.    What did the persona mean when she said ‘deserted’?

………………………………………………………………………….
6.   Why is the persona feeling guilty?

…………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………
7.  Why is the question “Are you still playing your flute’ repeated as the starting line of all the stanzas?

…………………………………………………………………………

 8.In your opinion, is this a romantic poem? Provide reasons for your answer.
…………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………

Answers

1. a very perceptive and reflective woman.
2.  my younger brothers unemployed and desperate
3. my people disunited by politics

my friend slaughtered mercilessly
this world is too old and bleeding.
4.Perhaps the yield is not rewarding/ the harvest is destroyed due to bad weather.
5. the villagers have left/migrated.
6. Feeling guilty as she is enjoying the music when the nation is plagued with problems
7. This is to stress on the activity as something that should not be done when the nation is facing so much trouble.
8. No, it is not a romantic poem. It is poem that shows the irony between a leisure activity and problems faced by the nation at the same time.


Structured questions

1)      In stanza 1 line 7, to whom does the word his refer to ?

It refers to the artist/ flutist/flautist.

2)      In stanza 2 line 3, what does the phrase ‘the sick rice field’ mean?

Rice fields that are barren and no longer fertile.

3)      Which lines in stanza 2 shows that the poet feels she has very little time for leisure/trivialities?

While here it has become luxury/To spend time watching the rain.

4)      In your own words, explain the problems that the poet mentions in these lines.

The problems mentioned in the lines are; rising unemployment, people and families separated by politics, and people being killed in numerous wars.

5)      In stanza 1, why does ‘I’ feel guilty?

‘I’ feel guilty because she longs to listen to her lover’s flute despite the fact that she has more important things to do.

6)      From stanza 2, explain what these words refer to:

i)                    here: in town

ii)                  luxury: being able to enjoy the simple things in life

7)      Without using examples from the poem, give two problems that concern the society presently.

i)                    poverty

ii)                  conflict

8)      How is the rice field?

The rice field is not producing much

9)      State two activities that ‘I’ consider luxuries.

i)                    To spend time watching the rain/Gazing at the evening rays/Collecting dew drops/enjoying the fragrance of flowers.

ii)                  To spend time watching the rain/Gazing at the evening rays/Collecting dew drops/enjoying the fragrance of flowers.

10)  Why do you think the poet’s conscience is disturbed? Give reasons for your answer.

I think the poet’s conscience is disturbed because instead of focusing more serious issue, she thinking of things that she consider trivial.

11)  In stanza 1,

i)                    The musical instrument in the poem is a

flute.

ii)                  The flute is made of

bamboo.

iii)                Which phrase shows that the flute is a wind instrument?

Uncovered by the breath of artist.

12)  In stanza 2,

i)                    Why is the rice field described as ‘sick’?

It is empty and unplanted.

ii)                  Where is the persona

In the city.

iii)                The persona wishes she has time to do what?

Watch the rain.

13)  In stanza 3,

i)                    What is disturbing the conscience of the persona?

She thinks constantly of her lover.

ii)                  What is the problem her younger brothers are facing?

They are unemployed.

iii)                The persona compares the world to?

An old man who is sick and suffering.

14)  In stanza 1,

i)                    Where is the setting for the first stanza of the poem?

The setting for the first stanza is the village where the persona’s lover lives.

ii)                  Why does persona feel guilty to be longing for his song?

She feels guilty to be thinking of his song when there are more pressing problems in the world to worry about.

iii)                What would be ‘uncovered by the breath of an artist’?

The melody or music of the flute would be uncovered by the artist’s breath.

15)  In stanza 2,

i)                    The village is deserted. Give a reason for it.

Most of the villagers have left the village. They have most probably moved to the towns or cities in search of jobs.

ii)                  ‘While here it has become a luxury’. Give the place setting for this line.

The place setting is most probably a city where life is fast and hectic.

iii)                ‘Gazing at the evening rays’ refers to a certain time of the day. What do you think the persona is looking at?

She is enjoying the scene of a beautiful sunset in the evening.

16)  In stanza 3,

i)                    The third repetition of ‘Are you still playing your flute’?’ shows the persona’s mood. Describe her mood and explain why she feels that way.

The persona becomes increasingly agitated and annoyed. She cannot understand how her lover can continue to play his flute and show no concern for the problems of the world.

ii)                  The line ‘in the hazard of you’ displays the persona’s feeling towards her lover. Explain her feelings.

She thinks it is risky for her to love him too much as she would most probably be hurt by his indifference and total lack of interest in everything around him.

iii)                She compares the world to a sick old man in the line ‘this world is too old and bleeding’. Why does she use this comparison?

She is gravely concerned about the world and the problems that it faces, like the sickness that plagues an old man. Without changes made to save this ‘bleeding’ world, there would be no hope for the future.