Chairil Anwar

Chairil Anwar (26 July 1922 – 28 April 1949) was an Indonesian poet.

The Complete Poetry and Prose of Chairil Anwar (trans. Burton Raffel)

 * Unless otherwise noted, page numbers refer to The Complete Poetry and Prose of Chairil Anwar, ed. and trans. Burton Raffel (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1970).

Sudah itu mati.'' Then death
 * ''Sekali berarti
 * To mean something, once
 * "Dipo Negoro" (1943), p. 7

Mampus kau dikojak-kojak sepi.'' Break, you bastard, ripped by your loneliness!
 * ''Ah! hatiku jang tak mau memberi
 * But oh my heart that will not give itself
 * "Sia-Sia" ["In Vain"] (February 1943), p. 11


 * Aku mau hidup seribu tahun lagi.
 * I want to live another thousand years.
 * "Aku" ["Me"] (March 1943), p. 21

nasib adalah kesunjian masing-masing.'' Fate which is a universal loneliness.
 * ''Bukan maksudku mau berbagi nasib,
 * I don't intend to share fate,
 * "Pemberian Tahu" ["A Proclamation"] (1946), p. 184


 * Cinta adalah bahaya yang lekas jadi pudar.
 * Love's a danger that quickly fades.
 * "Tuti Artic" ["Tuti's Ice Cream"] (1947), p. 125

Quotations about Chairil Anwar

 * [Anwar was] a thin, pale youngster, careless of his appearance. His eyes were red, and very wild, but they always appeared thoughtful; his movements were slow, as if utterly indifferent. ... In his ideals, in his movements, and in his actions themselves, he stabbed, cut and smashed old notions, leading some of his friends to think him ignorant, unaware of custom, a kind of bandit, characterizations he himself thought an honor and necessary in order to influence his slower friends into revolutionary ways.
 * H. B. Jassin, as quoted in The Development of Modern Indonesian Poetry (1967) by Burton Raffel, p. 81