Gurindam

Gurindam is a form of Malay poetry characterized by two-line stanzas that convey a complete thought. Each stanza presents a proposition or condition in the first line and a corresponding consequence, admonition, or lesson in the second. The lines usually end with the same rhyme, giving the couplet an aa rhyme. The content is traditionally didactic, focusing on morality, piety, virtue, and social behavior.

Historically, gurindam is part of the traditional Malay literary repertoire alongside pantun and syair. It spread across the Malay world, including the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian archipelago, and was used in religious and educational contexts to teach values. The best-known example is Gurindam Dua Belas, a collection attributed to Raja Ali Haji, a 19th-century Malay scholar from the Riau-Lingga area. Gurindam has influenced later Malay poetry and is studied as an example of concise, aphoristic verse.

In contrast to pantun, which relies on imagery and symbolism in quatrains, or syair, which often tells a longer narrative, gurindam emphasizes a direct moral statement in compact form. In modern times, gurindam is examined in academic settings and occasionally revived by contemporary poets who seek to preserve traditional didactic voice while adapting language to present-day contexts.