Macapat is a genre of Javanese literature in a form of traditional songs or poetry. Commonly, macapat song contains meaning that delineates human life from conception to death. This research describes the meaning of macapat song as reflected in Kuntowijoyo’s novels: “Mantra Pejinak Ular” (MPU) and “Wasripin dan Satinah” (WdS).  The data is collected with the following methods: 1) Reading the data source; 2) Marking the data; 3) Selecting the relevant data related to the meaning of macapat;  4) Classifying the data; 5) Inferencing the research. This research is supported by the data analysis method of aesthetic response theory developed by Wolfgang Iser. Iserian theory on ‘repertoire’ adapted in this study focuses on the process of interaction between texts and readers that results in literary response. The result of this research shows several findings: 1) the macapat songs reflected in those novels are the manifestation of the author’s repertoire that becomes the basis of creating MPU and WdS; 2) Titles of macapat songs delineated in MPU and WdS are “Dhandhanggula”, “Asmaradhana”, and “Megatruh”; 3) The macapat songs in MPU and WdS tell the wisdom of human life such as human’s love story (Asmaradhana), human’s basic needs that cover food, residence, and clothes (Dhandhanggula), and human’s death (Megatruh).

Keyword : Kuntowijoyo, macapat, aesthetic response