VisionsofEcoapocalypseinSelectedMalaysianPoetryinEnglishCecilRajendraandMuhammadHaji

VisionsofEco-apocalypseinSelectedMalaysianPoetryinEnglishCecilRajendraandMuhammadHajiAbstract:ThisessayexaminestheapocalypticvisionsoftwoMalaysianpoetsQwritinginEnglish,CecilRajendraandMuhammadHajiSalleh,withspecialemphasisonecologicalcatastropheandenvironmentalwastelands.RajendraQsvisionhighlightshumanaccountabilityandtheethicalaspectsofenvironmentaldestructionwhileunderlyingMuhammadsvisionofafragmentedearthisthegraduallossoftheMalaysuniqueecologicalconsciousnessandinheritance.Clearly,althougheachpoetmayapproachthenotionofworldsendfromdifferentperspectives,bothexpressgraveconcernsabouttheenvironmentalandculturalimpactofarapidlychangingMalaysianlandscape.Keywords:apocalypsewastelandresponsibilityMalaynatureAuthor:AgnesS.K.YeowisseniorlecturerinEnglishDepartment,FacultyofArtsandSocialSciences,UniversityofMalaya(KualaLumpur,50603,Malaysia).Shespecializesintwentieth-centuryliterature.Email:HYPERLINK"mailto:agnesyw@um.edu.my"agnesyw@um.edu.myDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD•哈日德拉和穆罕姆德•哈吉•萨勒DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD赛西尔•DDDDDDDDD•哈吉•萨勒的英文诗歌中DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD荒原责任DD自然DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD20DDDDDAnoverviewofMalaysianpoetrywritteninEnglishrevealsthatalthoughpoetsaregenerallymorepreoccupiedwithmetaphoricalratherthanmaterialnature,theenvironmentalsubtextunderscoresanimplicitconcernforthelandandtheshiftingrelationbetweenpeopleandtheland.hisgreenconcernmanifestsitselfinwaysrangingfromforthrightprotestagainsttheenvironmentalimpactofrapidurbanizationandindustrializationtomythicalexpressionsoftheindividualssenseofplaceintherealworld.Foronething,theconceptofasecularapocalypsehasbeenandcontinuestobeapowerfultropeforMalaysianpoetsintheircontemplationofallmannerofcrisesinboththelocalandglobalcontexts.Intheirengagementwiththeecologicalcrisis,Malaysianpoetsevokeapocalypticwastelandsintheirworkstocommunicateapalpablesenseofimminentecologicalcataclysm.Underlyingtherhetoricofdestructionanddesolationareawarningagainstanunqualified,unenlightenedanthropocentrismandtheclarioncall,directorimplied,forenvironmentaljustice,sustainabilityandenhancedstewardshipoftheland.Furthermore,itcanbeinferredthat,inovertlyorcovertlychallengingthedominantmasternarrativeofdevelopment,thesethird-worldpoetstaketheradicalviewofpoliticaldissentbecauseenvironmentalissuesarepoliticalissues,evenmoresoinadevelopingnation.Inthisessay,Iwilldiscusstheapocalypticvisionsoftwopoets,namely,CecilRajendraandMuhammadajialleh.hileMuhammadajiallekiorsvandtacitwarningoftheendaretiedupwithhisconcernforthealayserodingsenseofplaceinnature,ecilRajendrasbarrenandruinedlandscapesregisterhumanityserodingsenseofresponsibilitytowardsboththehumanandnonhuman.ThefirstpoemIwishtoconsiderisRajendraQs“ArtforArtQsSake”fromthevolume??Bones&Feathers??,whichisahard-hittingindictmentoftheself-indulgentpursuitofartforartQssakeasthetitlesuggests.LawyerandsocialactivistRajendrahasoftenbeencriticizedforproducingartlessversethathasnootherintentapartfromprotest??①againsthunger,poverty,exploitationandenvironmentaldegradation,allofwhichareinterrelatedandareoftenconsequencesofinjustice,corruptionandmyopicpoliticalandeconomicagendas.Hispoemsonecologicalruinareadirect,unambiguousdiatribeagainsttheprocesseswhichareprecipitatingthisdisaster.Inthisparticularpoemandinadefiantmood,thespeakermakesnobonesaboutthefutileaestheticpreoccupationsofpoetrywhenallisdestroyedandadevastatednatureistheonlythingleftstanding.Inthefirsthalfofthepoem,thespeaker,inanironictone,exhortsthesavingofpoetryfrombecomingameretoolinthehandsofactivistsandpropagandistsLetusrescuepoetry/fromthebarbarians/Thosewhowouldreduce/ittoaflag,aslogan/avehicleforpropaganda??Bones??.However,thesecondhalfdestabilizestheproposalwithitsdoomsdayimageryandconscience-prickingchallengeintheformofarhetoricalquestion:Yes,letusgiveQpoetryQbackitsnoblestatureandenshrineitinitsrightfulsanctumsanctorumofcultureButwhenthelastleafquiverstothehotearthfromthelastchemical-riddledtreeandthelastgrasshopperlimpsawayintothesunandthelastbeleagueredant-eaterturnshaltinglytowardstheseaandthelastsongbirdplummetsfromitsash-glovedperchandthelastsoldiertwitchesinhisditchandthelastoil-slickmovesi