Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Indonesian term or phrase:
dagang yang rawan
English translation:
a longing traveller
Added to glossary by
ErichEko ⟹⭐
Aug 27, 2010 12:28
13 yrs ago
1 viewer *
Indonesian term
dagang yang rawan
Indonesian to English
Art/Literary
Poetry & Literature
novel 'Sitti Nurbaya'
In the following context, please suggest translation of 'dagang yang rawan':
"Alangkah elok parasnya anak perawan ini, tatkala berdiri sedemikian! Seakan-akan dagang yang rawan, yang bercintakan sesuatu, yang tak mudah diperolehnya."
"Alangkah elok parasnya anak perawan ini, tatkala berdiri sedemikian! Seakan-akan dagang yang rawan, yang bercintakan sesuatu, yang tak mudah diperolehnya."
Proposed translations
(English)
| 1 | a longing traveller |
ErichEko ⟹⭐
|
| 3 | [as if] offering guilty pleasures |
Eddie R. Notowidigdo
|
Change log
Sep 27, 2010 07:37: ErichEko ⟹⭐ Created KOG entry
Proposed translations
2 hrs
ErichEko ⟹⭐
Indonesia
Indonesia
Native in Indonesian
Indonesia
Legal, Marketing, Biz, Software, Games
Native in: Indonesian (Variant: Standard-Indonesia) 
Works in: English to Indonesian, Indonesian to English
Related KudoZ points
:
48
Selected
a longing traveller
Saya pikir dagang di sini mengambil makna ke-2 di KBBI:
ber·da·gang (di·ri) v mengembara ke negeri orang
rawan pun, dalam hemat saya adalah merindu. Ini didukung kata-kata selanjutnya: bercintakan sesuatu => mendambakan sesuatu.
Terbayangkan 'kan seorang pengembara asing yang memelas. Orang akan tertarik menolongnya.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2010-08-27 14:49:41 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
That is to say, bearing in mind how sex was not to be talked openly in Indonesian society in the past - esp. in Minangkabau where Sitti came from - I don't think this is something to do with sexual attractiveness.
I cannot claim to be an avid reader of literary, but reference to sex is more to be found in Javanese literary which I suspect is influenced by Indian during Hindu era in Java.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2010-08-27 16:18:33 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Well, I can't imagine anything attractive with the eyes of "janda baru bangun tidur".
The clear difference between gadis perawan and janda in terms of eyes is the first may have "mata nyalang" (wild eyes, with *fire* when being looked upon). A widow has somewhat more restraint. The latter may be attractive to some men, but most men will be more gravitated/agitated by female with flirting, nyalang eyes.
So, that Sitti has a look of "janda baru bangun" is, IMVHO since I don't read the whole text, something to do with being attractive in maturity or attitude, not in sexual way. Again, this is a wild guessing.
ber·da·gang (di·ri) v mengembara ke negeri orang
rawan pun, dalam hemat saya adalah merindu. Ini didukung kata-kata selanjutnya: bercintakan sesuatu => mendambakan sesuatu.
Terbayangkan 'kan seorang pengembara asing yang memelas. Orang akan tertarik menolongnya.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2010-08-27 14:49:41 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
That is to say, bearing in mind how sex was not to be talked openly in Indonesian society in the past - esp. in Minangkabau where Sitti came from - I don't think this is something to do with sexual attractiveness.
I cannot claim to be an avid reader of literary, but reference to sex is more to be found in Javanese literary which I suspect is influenced by Indian during Hindu era in Java.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2010-08-27 16:18:33 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Well, I can't imagine anything attractive with the eyes of "janda baru bangun tidur".
The clear difference between gadis perawan and janda in terms of eyes is the first may have "mata nyalang" (wild eyes, with *fire* when being looked upon). A widow has somewhat more restraint. The latter may be attractive to some men, but most men will be more gravitated/agitated by female with flirting, nyalang eyes.
So, that Sitti has a look of "janda baru bangun" is, IMVHO since I don't read the whole text, something to do with being attractive in maturity or attitude, not in sexual way. Again, this is a wild guessing.
Note from asker:
| Thanks, Erich. I know this is the sense of the passage; I'm just trying to find the right words. If you read Sitti Nurbaya, you will see that, right from page 1, Sitti is described in sexual terms, for example "Pandangan matanya tenang dan lembut, sebagai janda baru bangun tidur." I just find it difficult to talk about a 15-year-old girl as a sex object! |
| Thanks for your male perspective, Erich. Much appreciated. Two authorities (Alan Stephens, personal correspondence) and 'A learner's comprehensive dictionary of Indonesian' by Sutanto Atmosumarto, p. 201, confirm that the term 'janda yang baru bangun tidur' is a reference to an attractive woman. Alan told me the idiom comes from the notion that a widow must always be beautiful, even in the extreme circumstance of just waking up, in order to attract a new husband, while Sutanto says it's 'a reference to a very attractive lady'. Unfortunately, Sitti Nurbaya is an example of how girls from an early age were little more than sexual and reproductive commodoties, required by duty to marry for family benefit and this is the theme of the novel. You answer is very helpful. |
| Dear Erich, I will choose you answer as most helpful. For the moment, I have decided to join the two sentences, translating them as follows: 'How lovely the young maiden looks, standing there like a homesick traveller, longing for something that is just beyond her reach. |
| Oops! Should be 'your' answer, not 'you' answer. |
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "I will use 'a homesick traveller'. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction, Erich."
30 mins
Eddie R. Notowidigdo
Indonesia
Indonesia
Native in Indonesian
Indonesia
For your Legal Translation needs!
Native in: Indonesian
Works in: English to Indonesian, Indonesian to English
Related KudoZ points
:
23
[as if] offering guilty pleasures
The original text is very poetic. I am not 100% sure whether I understand the phrase correctly, but from the two sentences I get the impression that what the author means by dagang yang rawan would be prostitution. If that's the case an alternative would be "offering the pleasures of the flesh'
Note from asker:
| Pak Eddie, it refers to Sitti Nurbaya, a 15-year-old schoolgirl. There are so many sexual overtones to the story, but might there be another, less suggestive, interpretation? |
Something went wrong...