IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP

In the Midst of Hardship by Latiff Mohidin

At dawn they returned home

their soaky clothes torn

and approached the stove

their limbs marked by scratches

their legs full of wounds

but on their brows

there was not a sign of despair


The whole day and night just passed

they had to brave the horrendous flood

in the water all the time

between bloated carcasses

and tiny chips of tree barks

desperately looking for their son’s

albino buffalo that was never found


They were born amidst hardship

and grew up without a sigh or a complaint

now they are in the kitchen, making

jokes while rolling their cigarette leaves


Paraphrase:



The villagers returned home early in the morning. Their clothes were torn and wet as they walked into their kitchen. Their arms and legs had cuts all over but they were not depressed.

They had spent one whole day and night searching for their son's albino buffalo, wading through the floodwaters, surrounded by broken twigs, pieces of tree barks and animal carcasses. However, they did not find the buffalo.

The villagers had been born into a life of hardships but they never grumbled. Even after all they had been through, they could still crack jokes and relax in the kitchen.