Pantun is a traditional Malay oral verse with quatrains and an abab rhyme scheme. Victor Hugo introduced it to the Western world as “pantoum”. The second and fourth lines of each verse are transformed into the first and third lines of the next verse. It is an art form for the masses and has been adapted by French and British writers.
A pantun is a traditional form of Malay oral verse. It is believed to have evolved into its present form in the 15th century as evidenced by Malay manuscripts. It has been adapted by French and British writers since the late 19th century. Victor Hugo is sometimes credited with introducing it to the Western world, where it is called a “pantoum”.
Of course, it takes a certain amount of study to truly understand the intricacies of this unique poetic form. For our purposes, therefore, we will simply attempt to define it in its most basic state. Simplistically, a pantun is characterized by a series of quatrains that follow an abab rhyme scheme. His most unique trait has something to do with his somewhat repetitive nature. This is part of the pantun rules: the lines from each verse must be brought to life in the next verse.
In a traditional pantun, for example, the second and fourth lines of each verse are transformed into the first and third lines of the next verse. The first and third lines of the first verse, meanwhile, are placed in reverse order before becoming the first and fourth lines of the last verse. The first and last lines of the poem are usually the same.
Since pantun is actually the result of oral tradition, many composers of Malaysia’s best-known pantun are unknown. For most enthusiasts, the name of a pantun’s creator is far less important than the pantun itself. Interestingly, since pantun is an expression of young and old, rich and poor alike, it has a tendency to cut across socio-economic strata and can truly boast of being an art form for the masses.
Western examples include Parent’s Pantoum by Carolyn Kizer and Baby’s Pantoum by Ann Waldman.
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