BLACK MAGIC RAIN SAPARDI DJOKO DAMONO No2 Academic Session 1994/95 ISBN 9971-62-353-6 Department of Malay Studies National University of Singapore iSapardi Djoko Damono BLACK MAGIC RAIN Translated by Harry AvelingFOREWARD T.am delighted to write this short foreward to introduce the poems of Sapardi Djoko Damono, one of Indonesia’s leading modern poets. This is the second volume of poems produced under the Department's Literature Series started in 1993 - the first being a collection of poems by Sutardji Calzoum Bachri. ‘The Literature Series serves to make available literary works written in Malay and Indonesian to a much wider audience than hitherto possible. ‘The production of this volume, it is hoped, will further inform Singaporeans of the Indonesian literary scene. In this connection, the Department is deeply appreciative of the efforts put in by Mr Harry Aveling for translating and arranging the poems found in this volume. Finally, as in the case of the Department's Seminar/Occasional Papers Series, the views expressed in this volume are those of the author(s). July 1994 Tham Seong Chee Professor & Head Department of Malay Studies