TANAH, TANAH, RUMAH  ·  تنها، تنها، رو ماه
Land, Land, Home — Alone, Alone, Upon the Moon
one stream of sound, two poems: read the middle column aloud — an Indonesian ear hears the left-hand poem, a Persian ear the right
Englisha village day
Indonesian 
Shared Sound (IPA) 
Persian 
Englishalone, toward the moon
prayer becomes a blurred village
doa jadi desa buram
[do.(ʔ)aː.dʒaː.di.de.sa.bu.ram]
دعا جا دیده، صبورم
do'â jâ dide, sabur-am
the prayer has found its place; I am patient
the village day and the chickens
hari desa dan ayam
[ha.ri.de.sa.daː.na.jam]
هر عیدِ صدا نی‌ام
har 'id-e sadâ nay-am
at every feast of sound, I am the reed-flute
mother's matter is the foundation of the house
hal ibu dasar rumah
[haː.li.bu.da.sar.ru.mah]
حالی بود، اثر رو مه
hâli bud, 'asar ru mah
there was a feeling — a trace upon the moon
mother's land inside an oyster
tanah ibu dalam tiram
[ta.naː.hi.bu.da.lam.ti.ram]
تن آهی بود، علم، تیرم
tan 'âhi bud, 'alam, tir-am
the body was a sigh; O banner, I am the arrow
a moment ago, within kindness
tadi dalam budi
[taː.di.da.lam.bu.di]
تا دید، علم بودی
tâ did, 'alam budi
the moment he looked, you were the banner
we are here; the night is a womb
kita ada malam rahim
[ki.taː.ʔa.da.ma.lam.ra.him]
که تا عدم، علم، رهیم
ki tâ 'adam, 'alam, rah-im
for until nothingness, banner aloft, we are the road
the deer and the ash are in the house
rusa dan abu di rumah
[rʊ.sa.daː.na.bu.di.ru.mah]
رو، صدا نبودی رو مه
ro, sadâ nabudi ru mah
go — you were not even a sound upon the moon
the house has already become a womb
rumah sudah rahim
[ru.ma̤.su.da̤.raː.him]
روم حسود، هر آهیم
rum hasud, har 'âh-im
Rome is envious; we are every sigh
the land from before, and the fog
tanah tadi dan kabut
[ta.na̤ː.taː.di.dan.ka.but]
تنها تا دید عنکبوت
tanhâ tâ did 'ankabut
alone, until the spider saw
land, land, home
tanah tanah rumah
[ta.na̤ː.ta.na̤ː.ru.maːh]
تنها، تنها، رو ماه
tanhâ, tanhâ, ru mâh
alone, alone, upon the moon