PAPER BOAT

When you were a child you made a paper boat and sailed it
           on the river shore; the stream flowed gently, and
           your boat swayed its way towards the ocean.
“It will stop at every big port,” an old man told you.
           Feeling happy, you went home with vibrant pictures
           in your head. Since then you kept expecting to hear
           by chance any news about the boat that was
           always on your mind.
At long last the message reached you from that old man, Noah. He said,
           “I used it in a big flood and your boat
           is now stranded on a hill somewhere.”

Perahu Kertas

Perahu Kertas

Waktu masih kanak-kanak kau membuat perahu kertas dan
           kaulayarkan di tepi kali; alirnya sangat tenang, dan
           perahumu bergoyang menuju lautan.
“Ia akan singgah di bandar-bandar besar,” kata seorang lelaki
           tua. Kau sangat gembira, pulang dengan berbagai
           gambar warna-warni di kepala. Sejak itu kau pun
           menunggu kalau-kalau ada kabar dari perahu yang tak
           pernah lepas dari rindumu itu.
Akhirnya kaudengar juga pesan dari Si Tua itu, Nuh, katanya,
           “Telah kupergunakan perahumu itu dalam sebuah banjir
           besar dan kini terdampar di sebuah bukit.”