jules nora yati » Pantun Melayu (Malay Rhymes)

Tepuk Amai-Amai by yati

yati — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 10:43:40 +0000

I’ve said it so many times on how Nora just loves to check her vocal chords. Sometimes it helps to sing to her… as sometimes she does stop crying and starts humming along.

However, one song that she seems frustrated with because she can’t follow the gesture is the above title… so, it doesn’t really work at the moment but will just have to wait until she could clap her little hands.

Tepuk amai-amai
Belalang, kupu-kupu
Tepuk Nora pandai
Nanti malam minum susu

Susu lemak manis
Santan kelapa muda
Nora jangan nangis
Mama banyak kerja

Translated to

Clap amai-amai (not sure what it is)
Grasshopper, butterfly
Clap clever Nora
Later in the evening you’ll drink some milk

Rich milk
Young coconut milk
Don’t cry Nora
Mama has a lot of work

Buai Laju-Laju by yati

yati — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 07:06:38 +0000

We bought a baby hammock for Nora before her birth. In Malaysia it’s the norm for babies to have a hammock rather than a cot.

It was a surprise for me when Nora totally rejected it! I’ve never experienced a baby who doesn’t like being swayed in a hammock before. So after weeks of sleeping on the daybed or with us in bed (yes, I know the danger warnings of having you baby in the same bed as you) we bought her a moses basket so she can sleep separate from me but still wake me up several times a night! She does prefer to sleep on my tummy…

To my surprise, yesterday Nora was sleeping for hours in the hammock! It took me ages to wake her up for her evening feed! Since I did wake her up for feed and change, she woke me up at 2am, 4am and 6am…

Oh well… she’s in the hammock again. Grumbling… but hopefully she’ll be in deep sleep again and give me a couple of hours to do stuff around the house.

As for the title… buai is what we call the hammock in Malaysia. It also means the swings you find in playgrounds and under trees or where ever. And this is the song/rhyme you recite when you’re playing on the swing or swaying the hammock to get the baby to sleep.

Buai laju-laju
Sampai pucuk sena
Apa dalam baju?
Sekuntum bunga cina

Directly translated to

Swing really fast
Until you reach the top of the sena tree
What’s in your top?
A Chinese flower

Tanya Pada Pokok by yati

yati — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:45:20 +0000

I’ve been singing Malay pantun (rhymes) to Nora. I want her to grow up knowing both Malay and English. As I am the only Malay speaking person in her vicinity, I’m speaking Malay to her as much as I can.

Starting with this song that I heard mom singing to my little sister over and over again when she was a baby.

Tanya pada pokok
Apa sebab goyang?
Nanti jawab pokok
Angin yang goncang

Tanya pada langit
Apa sebab hujan?
Nanti jawab langit
Tanyalah awan

Awan nanti kata
Aku kandung air
Sampai tempat sejuk
Aku pun cair

Lihat dalam air
Nampak bayang-bayang
Campak satu batu
Bayang pun hilang

The direct translation to the song:

Ask the tree
Why do you sway?
The tree will answer
The wind is shaking me

Ask the sky
Why does it rain?
The sky will answer
You should ask the cloud

The cloud will say
I’m filled with water
When I reach the cold
I melt

Look in the water
See your image
Throw a stone
The image disappears

Very educational don’t you think?