Kantah Kristang: Kantiga di Mundu Rentu & Bersu di Kuartu

After five years and one crazy pandemic, Kantah Kristang is back, with two original compositions ja skribeh prumiru na nus sa linggu mai.

Ja bai na rentu? Have you gone within? Bida mutu tantu trabalu; life has been difficult for everyone around the world, and my journey has been no different, a struggle with my own mental health and the long-term effects of sexual, emotional and institutional abuse. But there has been hope as well, and these two songs are meant to duel with and connect to each other and all of the above, as one would expect in a normal Kristang Mata Kantiga within one song.

KANTIGA DI MUNDU RENTU

Bersu 1:

Kora yo krensa

Jenti impodih intindeh

Kifoi yo sa saiki

ja impoku diferenti kriseh

Tantempu yo nteh palabra

Nteh forsa gadrah onsong

Mistih brigah

Pra mostrah yo sa korsang teng bong

Korus:

Sertu teng midu

Sertu kaminyu lonzi

Sertu fila-filu di mundu tudu pun podih

Sertu teng bergonya

Sertu teng trabalu

Nang asih, fikah pesua

Sertu bai na rentu

Bersu 2:

Kora yo mestri

Studanti impodih kriseh

Kifoi olotu sa saiki

Ngka sabeh klai rakuleh

Prumiru yo nteh amostra

Ngka sabeh klai andah bong

Bagah prendeh

Klai bai buskah tudu sa song

Bersu 3: Kora teng naki

Yo impodih skundeh

Kifoi isti saiki

Ta mutu tantu diferenti kureh

Membes yo nteh speransa

Nadi olah seu

Aguentah!

Isti tudu jenti presizu

Kantiga di Mundu Rentu / Song of the Inner World is dedicated to the first and greatest of all Kodrah Kristang teachers, Mr Bernard Stephen Mesenas (1938-2021).

BERSU DI KUARTU

Kabesa di ila

Komprador bai na mar

Nusenti di lunga

Animu beng di strela

Saiki animu

Saiki birah mundu

Saiki alebah,

alegrah ardansa

Nubu ja chegah

Mistih trukah andasang:

mulera, korpu

saiki kung korasang

Armador gadrah

Beng konselu

Fitiseru kantah

Trukah-trukah diabu

Anju, rejidor

astrang, marineru

Desperadu, jaga

brigador, stranjeru

Mbai

Mbai lonzi

Ja beng

Ja beng berdadi

Saiki kaminyu

Saiki andah nubu

Saiki, impeh

Kriseh, bibeh

Sandeh fogu, ja kemah Mistih buskah fortidang

Mulera, korpu,

saiki kung korasang

Korasang animu

Korasang nubu

Bersu di Kuartu / Verse of the Four is dedicated to my great-grandfather, Mr Frederick Joseph Rowsing Martens (1888-1944), pianist and conductor of the Grand Hotel de l'Europe, Singapore, which formerly was located on the site of today's Singapore National Gallery.

Jardinggu Keninu: Trauma

Sigih The Online Etymology Dictionary, palabra trauma na Inggres beng di rais Proto Indo-Ropianu *tere:

*terə-, rais Proto-Indo-Ropianu teng signifiku di birah kung palabra krengkrensa teng signifiku di furah, fazeh buraku, chuchoh; pun teng signifiku di skuleh bagu pra tirah kaska. (...) Peskisador/a lembrah eli nasang di/podih figurah eli sa bida di: Sanskrit sa turah "danadu;" Gregu sa teirein "rusah;" Latin sa terere "rusah;" tornus "lathe ta birah;" Greza Belu sa Slavonic sa tiro "rusah;" Lithuanian sa trinu, trinti "rusah," Irish Belu sa tarathar "furador," Welsh sa taraw "abanah, bateh."

Na Kristang, nus teng palabra trumentah teng falamintu pertu di trauma, maski eli sa signifiku diferenti + eli sa rais yo lembrah ngka igual. Pra trauma (palnomi), yo lembrah podih ganchah suffix -eza, pra angkoza di tamanyu supergrandi, signifikah danah na saiki teng forsa logu fikah pra tantu tempu:

sibrih ganchah kung enkudah: trumenteza di Kristang sa trumentah kung suffix -eza

sibrih ganchah: trumentezah pra palaksang

sibrih ganchah: trumentezadu pra adjetibu

Na rentu di trumenteza pun podih olah palabra Kristang tezah, teng ligasang kung rais di palabra Inggres trauma.

Yo, pertu trumenteza prumiru na 1 Janeru 1997.

The Online Etymology Dictionary gives the hypothetical origin of the word trauma in English as follows:

*terə-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to rub, turn," with derivatives referring to twisting, also to boring, drilling, piercing; and to the rubbing of cereal grain to remove the husks, and thus to threshing. (...) It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit turah "wounded, hurt;" Greek teirein "to rub, rub away;" Latin terere "to rub, thresh, grind, wear away," tornus "turning lathe;" Old Church Slavonic tiro "to rub;" Lithuanian trinu, trinti "to rub," Old Irish tarathar "borer," Welsh taraw "to strike."

In Kristang, we already have the word trumentah that even has a similar sound as trauma, even though its present meaning and etymological origin may be different. For the noun trauma, we can therefore attach the suffix -eza, signifying enormous magnitude or scale, to highlight the level above normal pain and suffering that trauma inflicts:

using derivation and extension: trumenteza from Kristang trumentah with the magnifying suffix -eza

using derivation: trumentezah (verb)

using derivation: trumentezadu (adjective)

A final touch is that inside trumenteza one can now also find the word tezah, which has the same semantic meaning as the root inside trauma — to twist and tighten.