Traditional Malay poetic forms
Artist's impression of a scene from Syair Siti Zubaidah Perang Cina in which Siti Zubaidah (disguised as a man) attacked the Chinese navy by way of revenge for capturing her husband.
Traditional Malay poetic forms were used for a number of purposes in addition to entertainment, including prosaic matters such as the recording of history and laws. Only three of the numerous forms have proved to be of enduring importance: the mantera, the pantun and the syair. Of these, the pantun is the most versatile and continues to be widely used in a number of entertainment genres, including popular songs.
- Information in the full article includes
- Mantera and other free verse forms
- Pantun
- Syair