Goodbye Sapardi, "Your Story In June" Will Always Be Eternal

Literary Sapardi Djoko Damono (special doc)

JAKARTA - The writer Sapardi Djoko Damono passed away on Sunday, July 19. As has been reported in the mass media universe, Sapardi breathed his last at Eka Hospital BSD, South Tangerang, Banten.

All connoisseurs of his work throughout the archipelago mourn the departure of a great figure for the development of literature in Indonesia. For death, we also tried to quote the words spoken by the writer, Goenawan Mohamad, when Sapardi celebrated his 77th birthday in 2017.

Goenawan said Sapardi had no birthday. "Sapardi (is) celebrating his rebirth."

Therefore, Sapardi may have died. However, Sapardi's departure makes works seem to be reborn. Call it his poem entitled Rain in June (1994). Since the day of his death the poem has frequently filled various social media timelines:

"Nothing could be wiser. From the rain in July. Wiped off the trail of hesitating feet on the road."

Sapardi rhymes

The fragment of the rhyme from the Rain for the Month of June proves that the simple lyrical-soulful poetry created by the maestro is truly reborn. Those who have fallen in love with these poems many times are captivated again by Sapardi's poetry. No wonder, the poet Joko Pinurbo once said that Sapardi was like "one of the main apostles in the world of Indonesian poetry."

"Sapardi's daily theme is his strength. His work on rain, falling flowers, gutter water, shadows, rocks, and star fruit trees shows how familiar he is with everyday situations that others often forget. "I consider people and things the same," said Sapardi. "Like a child, I consider an object as a friend," wrote Ninin Damayanti in her writing in Tempo Magazine entitled Penyair Hujan dari Baturono (2010).

Ninin added that Sapardi is not like the poet Chairil Anwar, who suddenly can be very surprising because he uses an unusual sentence structure or strange words. Sapardi is Sapardi with his simple poetry.

Cultural observer, Feby Triadi agreed with this. Sapardi, who has succeeded in perpetuating the tradition of lyricism which is characterized by his ability to present an atmosphere in rhymes, is considered a maestro who is able to grasp what it is.

Sapardi and Goenawan Mohamad (official Twitter Sapardi @sapardiDD)

Feby also invited people to remember Sapardi by enjoying his work again in the June Rain. In the work, said Feby, Sapardi really captures the rain process, and does not seem to understand what rain looks like. So, everyone who enjoys his work will know the charm of the jungle of his mind that is so wide, sometimes punctuated by several jokes.

"No wonder, Sapardi's contribution is so great for the world of Indonesian literature. In fact, he had written his name on the world literature. For these advantages, Sapardi shows that literature can be a 'way of life' for someone. Until the end of his life, Sapardi was consistent on that road, ”said Feby Triadi when contacted by VOI, July 20.

Getting to Know the Other Side of Sapardi

Most people know the figure of Sapardi Djoko Damono, who was born in Solo on March 20, 1940, only focuses on the world of taxation. In fact, behind dozens of literary books, some of which are collections of poetry, starting from the Blade (1974), Paper Boat (1983), Magic Rain (1984), Rain Bulan Juni (1994), Arloji (1998), Ayat-ayat Api (2000) ), Mata Jendela (2002) and others, Sapardi has many other hobbies.

Some of them are wandering around and playing music, especially playing the guitar. Bakdi Soemanto also recorded this description in the book Sapardi Djoko Damono: Work and His World (2006). According to him, Sapardi is a wandering person like his father, Sadjoko. Thus, Ngadijayan Village and its surroundings, which was the place where Sapardi spent his childhood, was endlessly explored by Sapardi.

It is in this wandering activity that Sapardi makes the book rental place the place he most often stops for for a moment to read. Later, his wandering activities are arranged in two layers of meaning. The first layer wanders in a physical sense, by walking from one area to another.

“The second layer of wandering is the exploration of the mind through reading. Wandering about with this thought also seems to be accompanied by 'by the way' reading material. Because, this is how it is: reading is a dialogue activity. Reading (Sapardi) does not only passively absorb what is seen by the eye. However, also with considerations, "added Bakdi.

Interestingly, since Sapardi received higher education at the Faculty of Letters, Gadjah Mada University (UGM) majoring in English, his creative instincts have been honed. Sapardii often appears in programs such as poetry and discussions. Nevertheless, Sapardi was known as a reliable guitarist.

His ability to play guitar is quite good. At the same time, Sapardi often plays with his band at campus events. Because of his hobby, Sapardi seems unable to escape with his favorite guitar. Because of his hobby of playing guitar, one of his friends who is also a writer, Umar Kayam, said that Sapardi often brought his guitar to the office when he was still the Dean of the Faculty of Literature, University of Indonesia.

Sapardi with Joko Pinurbo (official twitter of Sapardi @sapardiDD)

"Of the various artistic abilities that Sapardi possesses (dancing, beating the gamelan, playing guitar, leading a band, drawing, playing drama, and being a writer), it seems that only the field of literature stands out. He is not only known as a top poet in Indonesia, even abroad, ”added Bakdi.

Therefore, Sapardi is a complete package of literary forms that are actually recorded in the large historical dictionaries of the archipelago's famous poets. In the end, Sapardi's death indicated that his work was still immortal and resonates to this day. In closing the poem from Subagio Sastrowardoyo entitled At the Edge of the Bed, it will undoubtedly accompany the departure of a person whose full name is Sapardi Djoko Damono. Because, he called death in terms of a deeper sleep:

"At bedtime, nothing guarantees you can wake up again. Sleep is a preparation for sleeping more soundly. At the end of the bed keeps the angel from singing lullabies."

Subagio Sastrowardoyo rhymes