Gugur Bunga

"Gugur Bunga di Taman Bakti" (The Fallen Flower in the Garden of Devotion), better known as "Gugur Bunga", is an Indonesian patriotic song written by Ismail Marzuki in 1945. Written to honor the Indonesian soldiers killed during the Indonesian National Revolution, it tells of the death of a soldier, and the singer's feelings. It has since become a common song for protests and funerals. The song's line gugur satu, tumbuh seribu (one falls, a thousand arise) has entered common Indonesian vernacular.

"Gugur Bunga"
Single by Ismail Marzuki (writer)
Released	1945 (1945)
Genre	Anthem
Songwriter(s)	Ismail Marzuki

Writing

"Gugur Bunga" was written by Ismail Marzuki in 1945 at the beginning of the Indonesian National Revolution.^[1] It was written in honour of the Indonesian soldiers who died fighting the Dutch colonial army.^[2] During the war, an estimated 45,000 to 100,000 Indonesians died in combat, with civilian casualties exceeding 25,000, possibly as many as 100,000.^[3]

Lyrics and structure

Original

Translation

Betapa hatiku takkan pilu Telah gugur pahlawanku Betapa hatiku takkan sedih Hamba ditinggal sendiri Siapakah kini plipur lara Nan setia dan perwira Siapakah kini pahlawan hati Pembela bangsa sejati Reff : Telah gugur pahlawanku Tunai sudah janji bakti Gugur satu tumbuh seribu Tanah air jaya sakti Gugur bungaku di taman bakti[4] Di haribaan pertiwi Harum semerbak menambahkan sari Tanah air jaya sakti[5]

How can I not feel sorrow My hero has passed How can I not feel sad I am left all alone Who can be my solace Loyal and brave Who can be my heart's hero A true defender of the people Reff : My hero has passed His service is done One falls, a thousand arise For our great and sacred homeland My flower has fallen in the garden of devotion On the lap of our Motherland The fragrance pervades the essence Of our great and sacred homeland

"Gugur Bunga" is performed andante moderato^[4] in ⁴
₄ time.^[5]

Reception

"Gugur Bunga" is seen as a mournful, patriotic song about the death of a soldier fighting his enemy.^[2] As such, it has become a well-known nationalistic song in Indonesia, being covered by numerous artists.^[6] It is also considered a compulsory song for students to learn, along with "Indonesia Raya, "Satu Nusa Satu Bangsa", and "Bagimu Negeri".^[7]

"Gugur Bunga" has also become the government's funeral anthem: they are almost always, if not always, played during state funerals, such as during the state funerals of former Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid,^[8] former President Suharto,^[9] former President B. J. Habibie, former First Lady Siti Hartinah, former First Lady Ainun Habibie, former First Lady Ani Yudhoyono, and veteran reporter Rosihan Anwar.^[10]

After the death of four students in the 1998 Trisakti shootings, the media used the lyrics gugur satu, tumbuh seribu as a slogan for the reformation movement and to indicate that the students had not died in vain. Today the line gugur satu, tumbuh seribu has entered common usage, with the meaning of "One falls, a thousand arise".^[2]

References

1. Ismail 2007, p. 174
2. Torchia 2007, pp. 109–110
3. Friend, Bill personal comment 22 April 2004; Friend, Theodore (1988). Blue Eyed Enemy. Princeton University Press. pp. 228 & 237. ISBN 978-0-691-05524-4.; Nyoman S. Pendit, Bali Berjuang (2nd edn Jakarta:Gunung Agung, 1979 [original edn 1954]); Reid (1973), page 58,n.25, page 119,n.7, page 120,n.17, page 148,n.25 and n.37; Pramoedya Anwar Toer, Koesalah Soebagyo Toer and Ediati Kamil Kronik Revolusi Indonesia [Jakarta: Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia, vol. I (1945); vol. II (1946) 1999; vol. III (1947); vol. IV (1948) 2003]; Ann Stoler, Capitalism and Confrontation in Sumatra's Plantation Belt, 1870–1979 (New Haven:Yale University Press, 1985), p103.; all cited in Vickers (2005), page 100
4. Muchlis & Azmy 1992, p. 117
5. Ismail 2007, p. 47
6. "Remembering patriotic tunes in peace time". The Jakarta Post. 15 August 2010. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
7. G. & Yanti 2006, p. Table of contents
8. Sidik, Jafar (31 December 2010). "Tokoh Lintas Agama Peringati Wafatnya Gus Dur" [Multiple Religious Figures Memoralize Gus Dur's Death] (in Indonesian). ANTARA. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
9. "Soeharto Dimakamkan di Astana Giribangun" [Suharto is Buried in Giribangun Palace] (in Indonesian). Gatra. 28 January 2008. Retrieved 11 July 2011.^{[permanent dead link]}
10. Suryanto (14 April 2011). "Rosihan Anwar Dimakamkan Secara Militer" [Rosihan Anwar is Given a Military Burial] (in Indonesian). ANTARA. Retrieved 11 July 2011.

Bibliography

• Friend, Theodore (2003). Indonesian Destinies. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-01834-6.
• G., William; Yanti, Lay K. (2006). Kumpulan Lagu Wajib [A Collection of Compulsory Songs] (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Kawan Pustaka. ISBN 979-757-120-3. OCLC 298399164.
• Ismail, Gunawan (2007). Kumpulan Lagu Nasional: Persembahan untuk Indonesiaku [A Collection of Nationalistic Songs: A Dedication to My Indonesia] (in Indonesian). Depok, Indonesia: Puspa Swara. ISBN 978-979-1133-71-5. OCLC 213362031.
• Muchlis, BA; Azmy, BA (1992). Lagu-Lagu untuk Sekolah Dasar dan Lanjutan I: Lagu Wajib [Songs for Primary and High Schools I: Compulsory Songs] (in Indonesian). Depok, Indonesia: Musika.
• Torchia, Christopher (2007). Indonesian Idioms and Expressions: Colloquial Indonesian at Work. Singapore: Tuttle. ISBN 978-0-8048-3873-3.