Apa Itu Penglipur Lara? - Shorts

"Kau nak apa? Cakap je, aku mampulah," dia kata.

Aku ketawa kecil sebelum menjawap, "Apa yang aku nak, money can't buy..."

"What is it?" dia tanya.

"Aku nak jadi penglipur lara hidup kau," jawap aku lagi.

"Penglipur lara tu apa?"

Aku hela nafas panjang kerana apa yang aku nak terangkan tak boleh dibentangkan dengan sepotong dua ayat.

In the most basic sense, penglipur lara tu is a storyteller. Zaman raja-raja dulu, penglipur lara ni had an important role dalam istana. Bila raja tengah murung, tengah bosan, dia panggillah penglipur lara ni to tell him tales. Dulu mana ada TV. That is also how stories of myths and legends came to be.

Peranan penglipur lara ni was especially crucial bila negeri dilanda masalah. Istana nanti upah a few penglipur lara to go from one village to another to tell uplifting stories to the villagers, to keep their spirits high, to make them feel everything's gonna be OK. Penglipur lara ni pon was put in high regards because tak semua orang dapat belajar dan kuasai bahasa, lagi-lagi bahasa yang indah-indah. Even back then, language was a powerful thing. Kau dah boleh karang pantun dua kerat dah kira bagus, ni kan pulak karang cerita.

Of course, over time, dah tak ada penglipur lara in that zaman raja-raja sense, but the term has been romanticized. Penglipur lara now means someone who can put your heart at ease with the things he or she tells you. Who always find the right words. Someone you go to, to tell you everything's gonna be OK.

"Is that what you wanna be?" dia tanya macam dia masih tak pasti.

"Untuk kau? Sampai bila-bila..."

Fazleena Latiff
18 November 2016