The idea is that the beauty of the bird is thrown away when exhibited in a lonely spot where there is none to admire it.
72. Seperti ponggok merindu bulan.
“As the owl sighs longingly to the moon.”
A figure often used by Malays in describing the longing of a lover for his mistress. It recalls a line in Gray’s “Elegy,” “The moping owl doth to the moon complain.” [As to the story connected with the ponggok, vide infra, p. 122. Cpt. Kelham, vide infra, supposes the ponggok to be Scops lempiji, Horsf.]
73. Seperti kuang mekik di-puchuk gunong.
“Like the argus pheasant calling on the mountain peak.”
Another poetical simile for a complaining lover. Here he is compared to a lonely bird sounding its note far from all companions.
93. Seperti tetegok di-rumah tinggal.
“Like the night-jar at a deserted house.”
The tegok or tetegok is a bird common in the Malay Peninsula, whose habits are nocturnal and solitary. It has a peculiar, liquid, monotonous call. The phrase is used to signify the solitude and loneliness of a stranger in a Malay kampong.