Muhammad Haji Salleh and the <i>Malay Annals</i>

Abstract

The  Malay  Annals  (Sejarah  Melayu or  Sulalatus  Sulatin)  is the most respected of  Malay classical literary texts. In 1981, Muhammad Haji Salleh published a volume of poems based on the chapters of the Sejarah Melayu, called Sajak-Sajak Sejarah Melayu.   He has translated  twelve  of  these  poems  into  English  and  they  appear  regularly  in  English language  collections of his poetry.  This  article  analyses  the major themes underlying Muhammad’s whole text: the role of the poet as a moral and philosophical guide; the principles of characterisation employed; and the moral principles that sustain personal virtue and the state.