{"product_id":"pantun-baba-chan-the-art-and-beauty-of-traditional-baba-malay-poetry-bilingual-text-and-online-audio-recordings-in-english-and-baba-malay-hardcover","title":"Pantun Baba Chan: The Art and Beauty of Traditional Baba Malay Poetry (Bilingual Text and Online Audio Recordings in English and Baba Malay) - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eThai\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eG. T. Lye\u003c\/b\u003e (Foreword by)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003ePisang mas di-atas peti, \u003cbr\u003eAda dua biji bekembar;\u003cbr\u003eCakap menulis kita mesti, \u003cbr\u003eBaru Hidop Bahasa Baba\u003cbr\u003e * * * * *\u003cbr\u003eA comb of golden bananas, \u003cbr\u003eBear two ripening twins;\u003cbr\u003eAs we strive to speak and write, \u003cbr\u003eBaba Malay will thrive anew.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003ePantun Baba Chan\u003c\/i\u003e is a collection of 100 original pantun poems written in Baba Malay over a period of 15 years by Baba Chan Eng Thai, a prominent member of Singapore's vibrant Peranakan community. Chan's poetry celebrates the traditions of his community and a nostalgia for the old ways--ranging from favorite foods to rites of passage to commemorations of famous people. The book also includes a hilarious pantun \"duel\" between the author and G.T. Lye over WhatsApp. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe pantun is an oral poetic form with a rich tradition dating back many centuries. Written in Baba Malay, a Creole tongue merging Malay with Hokkien Chinese, these poems express complex emotions in quatrains with an ABAB rhyming scheme. They were extremely popular in prewar Singapore but are now considered a dying art, although a revival is currently underway. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eMakan Sampay Mabok [a pantun on Life]\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSedap enak makanan Embok, \u003cbr\u003eKuah lada masak ikan pari;\u003cbr\u003eBila Baba makan itu laok, \u003cbr\u003eSampay mabok tak perduli.\u003cbr\u003e * * * * *\u003cbr\u003eExquisite food of the ancestors, \u003cbr\u003eStingrays stewed in spicy pepper;\u003cbr\u003eA Baba will eat till he's dizzy, \u003cbr\u003eAnd carry on fully unbothered. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003ePantun Bukit Brown [a pantun on Death]\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKopek kachang buang kulit, \u003cbr\u003eBaru boleh makan biji, \u003cbr\u003eHidopan dunia mata kelek, \u003cbr\u003eBeranak mati nasib janji; \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eEmpat penjuru suma manusia, \u003cbr\u003ePutus jiwa tak balik dunia, \u003cbr\u003ePerkara ini bukan rusia, \u003cbr\u003eDi-sini Bukit Brown akibat-nya.\u003cbr\u003e * * * * *\u003cbr\u003ePeel a peanut to find its seed, \u003cbr\u003eDiscarding skin and shell, \u003cbr\u003eLife ends in the blink of an eye, \u003cbr\u003eBirth and Death meet us all; \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAll beings from all lands, \u003cbr\u003eCease to be when life ends, \u003cbr\u003eNot at all a secret, \u003cbr\u003eWe meet this truth at Bukit Brown. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis book is a labor of love--the first collection of Baba Malay pantuns published since the early 1900s and the first to present parallel English translations of the poems. Baba Chan hopes that putting his words to paper will inspire others to follow suit and preserve the language and traditions of the Peranakan Chinese community.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eChan Eng Thai\u003c\/b\u003e speaks Baba Malay as his mother tongue. Born and raised in Geylang in Singapore, he shares his deep knowledge of Peranakan Chinese culture through programs at the Peranakan Museum, the NUS Baba House and Singapore's Peranakan Association. His favorite kuehs are pulut inti, kueh ku and apom bokkuah. He is a practicing lawyer, known by some to dish out a decent nasi ulam. This is his first book. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eG.T. Lye\u003c\/b\u003e is a Wayang Peranakan actor\/playwright and pantun composer\/performer. He started his career in Felix Chia's Pileh Menantu, staged at the 1984 Singapore Arts Festival. The play was a landmark in Wayang Peranakan which sparked a revival of Chinese Peranakan theatre in Singapore. He is established as a household name for his performance of the cross-dressing Peranakan matriarch role across stage and screen. In 2020, G.T. was recognized as a Steward of Singapore's Intangible Cultural Heritage by the National Heritage Board for his mastery in the art forms of Wayang Peranakan and Dondang Sayang. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eCrop.sg\u003c\/b\u003e is an independent multidisciplinary design studio based in Singapore, specializing in a broad range of creative work, from campaign strategies and visual identities to printed materials and digital media. Recent publication projects include \u003ci\u003eBecoming Lim Tze Peng\u003c\/i\u003e for the National Gallery Singapore, \u003ci\u003eChinese Pagodas on the World Stage\u003c\/i\u003e for the Asian Civilizations Museum, and \u003ci\u003eOlafur Eliasson: Your Curious Journey\u003c\/i\u003e for the Singapore Art Museum.\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 144\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.8 x 7.5 x 4.9 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 12, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45030109577318,"sku":"9780804858373","price":22.59,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0599\/7255\/0758\/files\/3bJfCoR5pi9780804858373.webp?v=1773190039","url":"https:\/\/infinitylightwa.com\/products\/pantun-baba-chan-the-art-and-beauty-of-traditional-baba-malay-poetry-bilingual-text-and-online-audio-recordings-in-english-and-baba-malay-hardcover","provider":"Infinity Light","version":"1.0","type":"link"}