Glossary entry

Indonesian term or phrase:

dasar Arjuna

English translation:

what an arrogant person

Added to glossary by Catherine Muir
Mar 18, 2012 13:59
12 yrs ago
Indonesian term

dasar Arjuna

Indonesian to English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature early 20th Century Indonesian novel
Bemoaning the sudden unfair dismissal of a young man by a bankrupt boss, a foreman says "Eh lhadalah, dasar Arjuna!"

I understand, from a previous KudoZ response, that 'eh lhadalah' is an exclamation which can mean 'good grief', 'shit', 'goddammit', etc. but I don't understand the reference to Arjuna here.

Thanks for your help!

Proposed translations

+1
3 hrs
Selected

what an arbitrary person

Maybe the foreman thinks that Arjuna (a wayang figure) sometimes acts arbirarily like the bankrupt boss does.
Note from asker:
Yes, this makes sense. Thank you so much. I like David's suggestion as well.
Peer comment(s):

agree David Andersen : This sounds plausible to me, though not being a wayang fan, I'm no judge of Arjuna's character. But perhaps it could be made more forceful by saying something like "What damn arrogance!" or "What a highhanded autorcrat!"
2 hrs
Thank you, David Andersen
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "I combined your suggestion with David's. Many thanks."
9 hrs

what a casanova


Tthe idea is to have the same expression as the source: figure for figure,

The foreman summarized his description of the boss as Arjuna. It's a rather strange to describe an unfair man, since Arjuna is a playboy of the wayang. His disgusting trait is that when he falls in love with a woman, he must get her, potentially causing conflict with her parents/husband. Does the foreman refer to his boss as someone with strong will instead of authoritarian?!

Casanova may not have the same strong will as Arjuna. Anyway, I think there must be some other figures in the Western world that depict Arjuna. All human beings, East and West, are the same, except for the money in their pockets and bank accounts...
Note from asker:
Erich, in this case, I think not. A 'Casanova' is indeed a playboy, as Arjuna is, but that description doesn't fit in this context. Thank you for your suggestion.
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