SITI MANGGOPOH: A WOMAN OF STEEL AND FLAME
Poem by Leni Marlina
(PPIPM Indonesia, PPIC, Satu Pena – West Sumatra, KEAI, Literacy Community, ASM, ACC SHILA, WPM-Indonesia)
History does not merely speak—
it sings your name,
Mother Siti Manggopoh,
among the sacred honored ranks of warrior women.
Born in May 1880, in Lubuk Basung, Agam,
from the revered womb of Minangkabau,
you rose—rooted, radiant, resolute.
When the land wailed beneath the yoke of chains,
you did not tremble.
You did not bow.
You became fire.
Not the fire of rage,
but of defiance—
tended in silence,
forged in love.
O Mother Siti Mangopoh, O Mother of flame and iron,
your gaze was calm,
your heart wascunyielding steel.
You stood, unshaken,
before the cruelty of colonial empires.
Your name—an ember of the people’s pride—
illuminated the Belasting War,
echoed through Kamang – Agam Regency,
through every breath that chose resistance.
Bayonets could not bend you.
Bullets could not break you.
You rose against the choke of taxes
that drained the breast of Mother Earth.
In the land of Manggopoh,
you stood firmly—
like the root of a storm,
daring the darkness
with only the light you bore within.
When women’s steps were bound
by the cords of custom and fear,
you tore through the veil
with the blade of unmatched courage.
In the shadow of colonial night,
you carved a path—
with a woman’s grace,
and a warrior’s will.
You pierced the enemy’s stronghold
in silence,
with the poise of perfect strategy.
Fifty-three soldiers fell—
not to cannon fire,
but to the invisible force
of your daring and mind.
With Dalima, your beloved daughter,
you crossed the forests
seventeen nights long,
each step a hymn of courage.
Though colonial bars seized your body,
they could not chain
the sovereign soul
of a freeborn woman.
Mother Siti Manggopoh—
in the hush of statues,
in the ticking pulse of time,
your name blooms—
ever fragrant, ever fierce—
an eternal song for the hearts
of your children, people and your nation.
With reverence,
we offer these verses—
a garland woven in remembrance,
a prayer beyond the reach of time.
Your name shall never fade.
You remain our enduring flame—
not only in Ranah Minang,
but across the vast expanse
of this motherland
you defended
without fear.
Padang, West Sumatra, Republic of Indonesia, 2024
——————————–
The translation was edited by the poet herself, Leni Marlina on August 6th, 2025
SITI MANGGOPOH, PEJUANG PEREMPUAN TANGGUH
Oleh: Leni Marlina
(PPIPM Indonesia, PPIC, Satu Pena – Sumbar, KEAI, PLS, ASM, ACC SHILA, WPM-Indonesia)
Sejarah melafazkan namamu,
Siti Manggopoh,
dalam gugusan pahlawan perempuan negeri,
lahir 1 Mei 1880,
di Lubuk Basung yang permai,
dari rahim Minangkabau, engkau tumbuh—teguh berdiri.
Saat dewasa,
engkau menjelma perisai,
melindungi rakyat yang terpasung dalam derita,
bukan tangis yang engkau bawa,
melainkan bara—perlawanan yang menyala.
Engkau perempuan bermata teduh,
berhati baja,
tak gentar pada kuasa yang semena-mena.
Engkau kebanggaan anak bangsa,
dalam Perang Belasting, Kamang, Kabupaten Agam—engkau hadir membela.
Tak gamang menghadapi bayonet dan peluru,
melawan cengkeraman pajak yang mencekik tubuh ibu pertiwi.
Di tanah Manggopoh, engkau berdiri tegak,
menantang ketidakadilan yang kejam dan pekat.
Saat ruang gerak perempuan masih dibatasi,
engkau robek batas itu dengan keberanian tak ternilai,
di tengah malam penjajahan yang kelam,
engkau pancarkan cahaya dari ketangkasan dan nyali perempuan.
Engkau tembus benteng pertahanan musuh,
dengan langkah senyap dan siasat jitu,
lima puluh tiga serdadu jatuh tanpa suara—
buah dari nyali dan strategi yang tak terbaca.
Bersama Dalima,
anak kecilmu tercinta,
engkau susuri hutan tujuh belas hari lamanya,
meski akhirnya dijerat penjara kolonial yang angkara,
engkau tetap tegar—menjaga harga diri perempuan merdeka.
Ibu Siti Manggopoh—
dalam sunyi monumen, dalam denting sejarah,
namamu mekar dan mewangi,
menjadi ilham bagi generasi negeri.
Dengan cinta dan hormat, kami persembahkan puisi ini,
sebagai penghargaan dan doa yang tak pernah basi.
Namamu takkan pudar,
engkau tetap bersinar—
bukan hanya di Ranah Minang,
tapi di seantero ibu pertiwi yang engkau bela tanpa gentar.
Padang, Sumatera Barat,
NKRI, 2024
Catatan Penulis:
Puisi ini diedit di Padang tanggal 6 Agustus 2025
Publikasi digital versi awal puisi ini dapat dilihat di link berikut ini:
Puisi Leni Marlina: Siti Manggopoh, Pejuang Perempuan Tangguh
