O Lord, let me be a wayang in Thy hands
(Noto Suroto - 1920's)
O Lord, let me be a wayang in Thy hands.
Whether I be a hero or demon, king or commoner, animal, plan or tree,
let me be still a wayang in Thy hands..
Then shall I speak your tongue, whether I be valiant in the turmoil of battle,
or small as a child at play amongst the waringins.
This life of mine on earth is filled with toil and strife,
and my enemies, who are many, mock me.
Their ridicule flies to its target swifter than plumed arrow;
their words strike deeper than krisses.
My struggled is not yet at an end.
And soon Thou wilst take me,
and I shall lie amongst the others whose plays are over.
I shall be amongst the thousands in darkness.
And my struggle was not yet at an end: still my enemies dance.
Lord, let me be a wayang in Thy hands.
Then after a hundred or thousand year Thy hand will bestow upon me life and movement once more.
Then, one day when my time has come for Thy eternity,
Thou wilst call me to Thee again, and I shall speak and content anew.
And one day my enemies will be silenced,
and the demon will be lie prostrate on the ground.
O Lord, let me be a wayang in Thy hands.
