walau dirajuk berlian sebatu

English translation: even if bribed by a diamond

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Malay term or phrase:walau dirajuk berlian sebatu
English translation:even if bribed by a diamond
Entered by: yam2u

08:13 Jul 24, 2011
Malay to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / Malay lingua franca of early 1900s
Malay term or phrase: walau dirajuk berlian sebatu
In a love poem written in the early 1900s in Malay lingua franca, the writer protests that no matter what enticements are offered, he will not give up his love for a poor village girl. He says that even if he's beaten until scarified as though tattooed and "walau dirajuk berlian sebatu", he will remain true to his one love.

I understand the cultural significance of 'merajuk' but don't quite know how to translate the clause. Thanks in advance for your help.
Catherine Muir
Australia
Local time: 23:09
even "coaxed" with a mile of diamonds
Explanation:
catherine, my suggestion is just based on an intuitive understanding of the sense, along the following lines:

- rajuk meaning sulking to show unhappiness/displeasure is often understood culturally as a sort of emotional blackmail to get one's way. in other words, it is one of the means of persuasion.

- with the above connotation in mind, rajuk can then be stretched to mean coaxing i.e. rayu/pujuk/bujuk in malay.



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Note added at 1 day4 hrs (2011-07-25 13:01:19 GMT)
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in light of your note and naim's comment, i guess my suggestion should be changed to: even if "coaxed" with a rock of a diamond / diamond the size of a rock / rock-sized diamond. : )
Selected response from:

yam2u
United States
Grading comment
I actually translated it as 'even if bribed with diamonds', taking a bit of poetic license.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3even "coaxed" with a mile of diamonds
yam2u


  

Answers


5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
even "coaxed" with a mile of diamonds


Explanation:
catherine, my suggestion is just based on an intuitive understanding of the sense, along the following lines:

- rajuk meaning sulking to show unhappiness/displeasure is often understood culturally as a sort of emotional blackmail to get one's way. in other words, it is one of the means of persuasion.

- with the above connotation in mind, rajuk can then be stretched to mean coaxing i.e. rayu/pujuk/bujuk in malay.



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day4 hrs (2011-07-25 13:01:19 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

in light of your note and naim's comment, i guess my suggestion should be changed to: even if "coaxed" with a rock of a diamond / diamond the size of a rock / rock-sized diamond. : )

yam2u
United States
Native speaker of: Native in MalayMalay, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8
Grading comment
I actually translated it as 'even if bribed with diamonds', taking a bit of poetic license.
Notes to answerer
Asker: 'sebatu' here is 'one rock' i.e., one (diamond). What is unusual is that it is a man who speaking of not giving in to persuasion by the offer of a diamond. Strange!


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Naim Jalil: what if sebatu is not a mile, but to show the size of the diamond... e.g. a boulder of diamond.
13 hrs
  -> naim, you're right! catherine sent me this note: 'sebatu' here is 'one rock' i.e., one (diamond). What is unusual is that it is a man who speaking of not giving in to persuasion by the offer of a diamond. Strange!. : )
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