Are you still playing your Flute?

Are you still playing your flute?

When there is hardly time for our love

I am feeling guilty

To be longing for your song

The melody concealed in the slim hollow of the bamboo

Uncovered by the breath of an artist

Composed by his fingers

Blown by the wind

To the depth of my heart.

 

Are you still playing your flute?

In the village so quiet and deserted

Amidst the sick rice field

While here it has become a luxury

To spend time watching the rain

Gazing at the evening rays

Collecting dew drops

Or enjoying the fragrance of flowers.

Are you still playing your flute?

The more it disturbs my conscience

to be thinking of you

in the hazard of you

my younger brothers unemployed and desperate

my people disunited by politics

my friend slaughtered mercilessly

this world is too old and bleeding

By Zurinah Hassan

Meaning
Verse 1

The persona asks her partner if he is still playing the flute when he has no time for her. She feels torn by the fact that she longs to her hear him playing the flute.

Verse 2

She continues to ask if he is still playing the flute when the village has been abandoned. This is due to the rice fields not doing well at all. In addition, leisurely activities have become a luxury and therefore irrelevant in the midst of hard times.

Verse 3

The persona regrets that she is still thinking of him when there are many problems around her. Her brothers are unemployed, the people are divided by politics, her friend has been killed and the whole world seems to be torn by troubles. 

Elements of the Poem

Persona

The persona is probably the poet herself or a woman who is in live with a flautist

Themes

• Adopting to change
• Longing for a lost love
• Family and social commitments
• Neglect of responsibilities

Message

• Be responsible
• Do not neglect what is important

Moral values

• Be responsible 
• Be aware of what is happening around you  
• Have a sense of balance in your life