Hasif Amini, translated by Marjie Suanda
Published as a part of Myth and History: Writing from Indonesia, Aug 01, 2015
Originally published in Kompas, Oct 01, 2003 as Ceritanya.
In the fading night sky there are points of light, countless in number, vast in distance—who knows their size, their age? Yet, at one time, people drew imaginary lines between those stars and imagined them as beings: a scorpion, crab, goat, fish, twins, the Virgin . . . And attached names: Aldebaran, Cassiopeia, Danu, Hamal, Orion, Southern Cross, the Plow . . . The silent twinkling lights may have enthralled them, but not enough. Eyes need shapes, ears crave names, the brain arranges patterns. Since the beginning, it seems we could not avoid this thrilling “curiosity”: that behind every phenomenon there is a story (or more than one).
Read the full story here.
