Oral and Written Literature
Persuratan means the literary tradition of the Malay World. It has two branches: oral literature (sastera lisan), passed down by word of mouth, and written literature (sastera tulisan), which grew especially after the Jawi script and Islam arrived.
Oral literature includes folk tales, legends, myths, proverbs (peribahasa), pantun (traditional four-line poems), gurindam and mantera (chants). These were recited and sung at gatherings, weddings and festivals, teaching values and entertaining the people. Because few people could read, storytellers played an important role in keeping these tales alive and passing them from parents to children.
Famous Written Works
Written literature includes the hikayat, long prose tales such as Hikayat Hang Tuah and Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa, which mix history, adventure and heroism. The most famous history is the Sejarah Melayu (Sulalatus Salatin), which records the story of the Melaka royal line and the deeds of its rulers and warriors. The Malay World also produced legal texts such as the Hukum Kanun Melaka and the Undang-Undang Laut Melaka (Maritime Laws of Melaka), used to govern the land and the sea. Together these works entertained readers, preserved the memory of the past and guided people on how to behave and rule justly.
Key idea
Persuratan has two branches — oral and written — and served to entertain, teach good values, and record history and law.
Remember
- Pantun is a traditional Malay poem.
- Sejarah Melayu records Melaka's history.
- Hukum Kanun Melaka was a written law code.