Lupa Daratan, rekindled

A joyful night it is, thick with rain and blood, brightly lit beneath a sky full of stars.

Whiskey and brandy stand ready, the tables piled high, as young and old alike abandon all sense of decorum. They dance and sing to the rhythm of the tune, hearts light and spirits rising, searching for company as the night stretches on.

As the hours grow late, joy swells into excess; you forget yourself under the pull of whiskey and brandy. Last night in Alostar, hearts raced as a friend lay drunk, unwilling to be coaxed home. The night still gleams beneath the starry sky, but he reels, sunk in drink; forgetting himself.

If you would be interested in my personal note, feel free to read them past the lyrics.

Original (Indonesian)		Translated (English)
Malam riang gembira		Oh, what a joyful night
Ramai hujan dan darah		Thick with rain and blood
Malam terang benderang		A night brightly lit
Di langit penuh berbintang		Beneath a sky full of stars
◆◆◆		◆◆◆
Whiskey brandy sedia		Whiskey and brandy at the ready
Penuh diatas meja		The table piled high
Duhai tua dan muda		Oh, young and old alike
Sopan santun sudah terlupa		Good manners left behind
◆◆◆		◆◆◆
Mencari pasangan		Looking for a partner
Berjoget sambil menyanyi		Dancing and singing
Dendang berirama		To the rhythm of the tune
Girang hati tua muda		Joyful, young and old alike
◆◆◆		◆◆◆
Sampai larut malam		Until late at night
Gembira menjadi-jadi		Joy grew ever wilder
Kau lupa daratan		You forget yourself
Pengaruh whiskey dan brandy		By whiskey and brandy
◆◆◆		◆◆◆
Semalam di Alostar		Last night at Alostar
Hati sudah berdebar		Hearts pounding fast
Kawan mabuk kepayang		A friend lies intoxicated
Tak mau diajak pulang		and won’t be coaxed home
◆◆◆		◆◆◆
Malam terang benderang		A night brightly lit
Langit penuh berbintang		In a starry sky
Kawan lupa daratan		The friend forgets himself
Oleng karam dalam minuman		Reeling, sunk in drink
◆◆◆		◆◆◆
Mencari pasangan		Looking for a partner
Berjoget sambil menyanyi		Dancing and singing
Dendang berirama		To the rhythm of the tune
Girang hati tua muda		Joyful, young and old alike
◆◆◆		◆◆◆
Sampai larut malam		Until late at night
Gembira menjadi-jadi		Joy grew ever wilder
Kau lupa daratan		You forget yourself
Pengaruh whiskey dan brandy		By whiskey and brandy

---

You can listen to the great Semalam Di Malaya album on Irama Nusantara. The album is the first Stereo Vinyl in Indonesia, released in 1961.

The tracklist are excellent, Pergi Tanpa Pamit (sung by Nina Kirana) would later be covered decades later as Pergi Tanpa Pesan (sung by Sore). Butet is a Bataknese lullaby, sung from mothers to their daughters of their fathers’ guerrila far away in exile. Puspa Djelita was part of the soundtrack in Asrama Dara, filmed beautifully in Bogor in 1958.

And last but not least, Semalam di Malaya sings of a silent return of someone who has spent years outside of Malaya, coming home as nothing but a voyager, looking for a long lost lover.

Coming back to the song itself, I listened to this album many times while I was away. By the government’s blessing, I was sent to a place near the Waal River and a pack of friends was sent to the Baltics. We met somewhere in the Middle in Amsterdam, looking for Krontjong records and looking for small collectibles.

It was late at night, after spending the day boarding a small canal cruise in Amsterdam, getting food, and even one of us bought Montblanc pens. Walking then, I hummed a tune by accident, malam riang gembira, penuh hujan dan darah and one of the friend sang back malam terang benderang….

Apparently, it was quite a famous song back at his design college in Jogja. I was caught by surprise. It also inspired me to start this rekindled series, to know somewhere out there someone Indonesian or not would read this blog and be glad to know the lyrics, and to know other people cared for it as well in the modern day.