Personalities in Contemporary Perak-Johor Royal Malay Poetry

Abstract

In the 16th century to the end of the 19th century, syair (a type of Malay poetry) was one of the literary ideas of the palace writers. The pattern of authorship that praised and narrated the sultan in his time. After the Western colonization that brought together authorship patterns of various forms and genres, the king was no longer an idea in writing. Syair was no longer an option as a medium of creation. Such a pattern of authorship began to weaken with the development of modern literature. The Poem of the History of Her Highness Tengku Ampuan Besar Pahang (Syair Riwayat Yang Amat Mulia Tengku Ampuan Besar Pahang, 1953) was the last recording of the history of the Royal Family. However, in this contemporary era, two such works appeared, The Poem of The Humble Sultan Azlan Shah (Syair Sultan Azlan Shah Berjiwa Rakyat, 2009) by Mohd Ibrahim bin Said and The Poem of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar (Syair DYMM Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar (2018) by Maskiah binti Masrom. Both Royal poetry texts were used as the study samples. The result found both writers make the king the writing subject. The comparative study was applied to examine their authorship in presenting contemporary Royal history. Intrinsic research methods on the study sample were also used. The study found a similarity in authorship by displaying their state king’s personality. The results proved royal poetry remains relevant in elevating and glorifying a king even in the modern era. The position of modern authors outside the court does not prevent them from producing royal poems.