A Reflection on the Merapi-Merbabu Manuscripts

This paper presents the results of reflections on the Merapi-Merbabu manuscript collection which has been the focus of the author's studies so far. This reflection is directed at exploring sources of Old Javanese literary texts from outside Bali. Since the discourse on “chacography” spread at the beginning of the 20th century, sources of Old Javanese texts from outside Bali have been almost neglected, especially sources from Java. Through this exploration, it can be seen that sources from outside Bali have their own versions and are different from the Balinese version. This has consequences for the study of philology. The question that may arise is: which is more authoritative, texts from Bali or Java? This problem needs to be addressed carefully. At this step, textual variation needs to be understood as a reality that enriches the spectrum of literary texts. Textual variations are the result of active interpretation from readers who ennoble literary works.

Makalah ini menyajikan hasil refleksi atas koleksi naskah Merapi-Merbabu yang menjadi konsentrasi studi penulis selama ini. Refleksi tersebut diarahkan kepada eksplorasi sumber-sumber teks sastra Jawa Kuno dari luar Bali. Semenjak berhembus wacana “kakografi” di awal abad ke-20, sumber-sumber teks Jawa Kuno dari luar Bali nyaris terabaikan, terutama sumber-sumber dari Jawa. Melalui eksplorasi tersebut dapat diketahui bahwa sumber-sumber dari luar Bali memiliki versi tersendiri serta berbeda dari versi Bali. Hal itu membawa konsekuensi bagi studi filologi. Pernyataan yang mungkin muncul adalah: manakah yang lebih autoritatif, teks dari Bali atau Jawa? Permasalahan tersebut perlu disikapi secara hati-hati. Pada tahap ini, variasi tekstual perlu dipahami sebagai kenyataan yang memperkaya spektrum teks karya sastra. Variasi tekstual merupakan hasil interpretasi aktif dari pembaca yang memuliakan karya sastra.