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 Album

Composer:   Ed Hooke

Date of Composition:   December 2008

Date of Recording/Copyright:    2008

Diterjemahkan dari Bahasa Inggris ke Bahasa Indonesia:
  Hani Handayani., Januari 2009

Commentary
"Eastward from Krakatoa (Parahyangan)" is an autobiographical and almost archaeological love song with a difference or 3.
The basic plot is:  boy meets train; girl meets train; boy meets giraffe; boy & girl meet volcano; boy meets train again; giraffe & volcano live happily ever after.

The title is a play on the old and geographically inaccurate film title "Krakatoa: East of Java".  Java is in fact east(ward) from Krakatoa (i.e. Krakatoa is west of Java) and 'Parahyangan' is the local, Sundanese name for the western part of Java, where the 'action' took place between 1999 & 2000 - as well as being the name of the express train between Jakarta & Bandung which features heavily in the plot.

By night
a stranger
tumbled I into your land,
eastward from Krakatoa,
speaking your language like a baby
and scrambling for a train.

Cautious
curious
stumbled your eyes into mine,
stoking unseen volcanoes,
secret whirlpools
visions new
of forest mountain temples

At the zoo
a giraffe wanted to kiss me.
Did you know
that I was your giraffe?
You taught me "elephant"
and "peacock"
and "big" and "little"
the wrong way round.
We walked through the forest
up to the crater
and its brimstone clouds.
We didn't want to have to turn around.
We turned around.

Suns rise.
Time flies.
Glass lies
inbetween us.
Home calls from a distant ocean.
What we share unites and parts us,
stops and starts us.

Once more
the train jerks forwards
a few metres
and then halts.

I watch you
on the platform,
through the window
mute in pain.

Shall I report here again?

Di suatu malam
seorang asing
datang ke negerimu
di timur gunung Krakatau
berbicara dalam bahasamu
laksana seorang bayi
yang bergegas mengejar kereta

Hati-hati
penuh tanya
matamu menatapku
menyulut gunung api di antara kita
kolam air panas yang penuh rahasia
khayal tentang kuil
di dalam hutan di atas gunung

Di kebun binatang itu
seekor jerapah ingin menciumku.
Apakah kamu tahu
bahwa akulah jerapahmu?
Kamu mengajariku “gajah”
dan “merak”
dan “besar” dan “kecil”
dengan kata-kata yang salah.

Kita berjalan melalui hutan
sampai ke kawah
dan awan belerang.
Kita tidak ingin pulang
tapi.....  kita harus pulang.

Matahari terbit.
Waktu berlalu.
Kaca memisahkan jarak
antara kita.
Panggilan pulang
dari seberang samudera.
Apa yang telah kita lalui
menyatukan dan memisahkan kita,
menghentikan dan juga memulai.

Sekali lagi
gerbong kereta
hanya beberapa meter
lalu berhenti

Aku memandangmu
yang berdiri di peron
melalui jendela
dalam keheningan yang terasa sakit

Haruskah aku kembali lagi.....?