Rasüur

Rasüur (Bercakap-cabaran) is one of the most obscure forms of traditional Malay poetry.

Rasüur, or in the Malay tongue, Bercakap-cabaran (b’eh-cha-cup kah-b’eh-run) are a 7-line poem that, as a form of poetry is older than haiku and tanka. Like the Japanese tanka, Rasüur evoke a moment or mark an occasion with concision and musicality.

When writing Rasüur, one is to choose the most aesthetically pleasing paper, ink and symbolic attachment, such as a branch or a flower to go with it.

In Malay, [Behasa Malaysia (b’eh-hah-sah myr-lay-see-ah) an Austronesian language spoken by the Malay people native to the peninsula], Rasüur is often written as one straight line. In the English, and other languages, it has been thought better to divide the poem into seven lines.

Rasüur are thought to have originated and developed from an early spoken-form of song by the Duetro-Malays, who replaced the Proto-Malays. This occurred before the Indians arrived in Malaysia before 140 AD, and introduced Buddhism and Hinduism to the peninsula. It is estimated that this poetry was first inspired based off the ancient spoke-song of the Deutro-Malays around the year 520 AD.

Rasüur were traditionally written about a tenacious, elastic, gummy substance obtained from the milky sap of several tropical plants in the Americas, Asia and Africa. It was first introduced to the Malaysians by the Indians, when they arrived on the peninsula. As it is often known in the modern language, "India Rubber" or "Caoutchouc" (cow-sheik) was usually the subject of Rasüur.

In contemporary English, a typical Rasüur consist of 7 lines, and is written about an eraser (or something of eraser-like substance), which is impermeable to liquids and gases, and not readily affected by exposure to air, acids and alkalis.

Rules which govern the strict form of the Rasüur are as follows:

• It must incorporate elements of either India or Malaysia, and refer to at least one of the countries and/or their national associations.
• Any English used must be the King’s British, as both India and Malaysia were once colonized by Britain. Other languages must have appropriate syntactical correctness.
• The length of the Rasüur must be confined to the seven line parameter.
• It must be written about erasers, however vague the descriptions may be.
• The poem may be an extended metaphor, or a metaphysical description.