✕
Translation
Cindai
How is embroided silk not flowery
With its incricately linked stitches
How am I supposed to adorn myself
With the mirror cracked into a tousand pieces
Begrudge (the flight of) wild jungle birds
For the final road may be tortuous
Mattress of gold and bedsheet of diamond
Yet I sleep with my arm as my pillow
Adorn memory's edge with gardenia
The blossoming bud dreams of a bee
I took great care of my prized flower
But it fell off before it could bloom
I do, do, do want to experience
conquering the top of the mountain
But I don't, don't, don't have the will
Its height too much (for me) to fight
I don't, don't, don't want to feel sorrow
or to dwell on my heart's sufferings
I did not, did not, did not request
for this prolonged broody feelings
The endless roots of the banyan tree
Its tendrils crisscross at the side
With my boat made of wax and paper sail
How do I cross an ocean of fire
Poetic songs echo like religious callings
But it's just the mynah on a branch, singing
I plant sugarcanes at the edge of my lips
But bamboo shoots spike my heart
A breeze darts into vacant ground
Stringy clouds adorn the blue sky
I'm not pleading for someone to listen
I'm just waiting for the light to return
lynn1970✕
Siti Nurhaliza: Top 3
| 1. | Bukan Cinta Biasa |
| 2. | Cindai |
| 3. | Cintamu |
Comments
About translator
Some people believe this to be a 'haunted' song because 'cindai' has two meanings, 1. Embroided silk, 2. A female ghost; as well as having some ghostly urban legends associated with it. Others feel the song is about a heavenly immortal princess longing for her mortal lover/husband. But at its heart, the song is about the sorrow of longing for something unattainable.
This song is difficult to translate because it is in pantun form (rhyming verses) and uses old Malay words, phrases and expressions. I did the best I could but someone with a better grasp of old Malay language would probably do a much better job.