Tuesday, June 01, 2010

Pacquiao vs. Clottey



Minapoon pa sana an boxing sa TV paturuyatoy na an mga taga-barangay ta makikidalan sa tuytuyan na linagan nin telon sa natad kan kapitan.  Mayo nin malaog ngonyan sa tinapayan—mayong linuto na tinapay kansubanggi. Pagkahapon na pinapabaralik an tumatawo sa bakery. Yaon palan si ilusyon ni Jonalyn hali pang detachment sa Maysalay. Sabi kan daraga duman daa padayonon an bisita sa panaderya. Daing sabi sabi an duwa nagsarado sa panaderya. Pagkalaog pa sana ninda sa tindahan pigpaparahadukan na kan Cafgu an daraga. Dai nakakapalag an babaye sa purusog na pamugol kan bisita. An irarom kan estante nagpaparayugyog, an mga hurmahan nagkakahurulog.


Speaking in Tongues


Basi wala man gid sing kaayuhan
dito sa balat ng lupa. Tibaad an
tanan nga mga bagay sa kalibutan
waay man sing kamanungdanan.

Baad dai mo man kinahanglan matultulan
an mga pulong sang kamatuoran, if at all.
Is it not that you must live the very words
na inspired ni Bro & not just read about him?

Kay you’d just tend to ask more questions
re this Prince of Peace —the way, truth, life—
than just easily tag a photo of him.

Basi simpli sana man an boot silingon
sang mga sugilanon sa ginatawag
nga salvation history: An aton kaluwasan
Daw nabal-an na man kahit noon pa
ng sabi nila’y isang bula-an na poeta:
“Have Come, Am Here,” sabi niya.

Okun basi sakto gid man si San Agustin—
“My soul is restless” kuno “until it rests
in thee...” or something to that effect.

Bakong sabi ta simpli man lang?
An hapot eu ni, in ur lyf, wer &
wen & how ds He take efkt?

Garo palan bulong, may taking effect;
garo ordinance, may effect ti vi ty.

Bakong an sabi daa sana man simpli? Uni.
1 message received: “Wer na u? here na He.”


Magayonon Gayod Pag Gadan Na


Magayonon gayod pag gadan na ako.
Dai ko na mahahangos an mabataon
na tambotso kan mga awtong maaragi
sa kamposanto. Dai ko na mababasa
an tarpaulin kan pulitiko na ipinantrapal
sa kabaong ko ta nagparauran nin makusog
paglubong sako. Dai ko na madadangog
an hibi kan mga aki na nagdadaragian,
nagpapastidyo sa magurang kan mga nakilubong.
Dai na ko mabisa sa mga tiyuon na puru’nguton.
Dai ko na kaipuhan ti’nuhon pa an mga pinsan
kong hambogon. Matangis man siguro an agom ko
pero dai ko na madadangog an saiyang dayuyu.


Awit ni Awel


Papatioson siguro Niya kami dahil amay na nailo.
Saraditon pa an mga tugang ko, balo na an ina ko.

Paparaoton gayod an buhay mi, uya kami solo-solo
Gadan na an ama na kuta na mapadangat man samo.

Papasakitan kaming entiro; pirming madulok sa lolo.
Dai bastante an hanap kan inang pirming nadidismayo.

Papahibion an ina kong solo-solo sa saiyang agi-agi
Siisay an mapaalo saiya na nagtatangis barabanggi?

Papasukuon man nanggad gayod an saiyang ispiritu.
Ako man gustong mag-iskusar mabuhay, pero pa’no?

Papatagason an boot ko pero sa Diyos gayod ako masarig
Ako man sana daing magiginibo kun mayo nin kabulig.

Papakusugon an maluya kong boot; kami ni Mama matabang.
Magian ta magian an mga bagay na dipisil ming masarangan.

Papatingkalagon niya ‘ko aga-aga, mahagad tabang sa Kaglalang
Sabihon sako an ama dai man nawara, kundi kinua lang.

Papangyarihon an mahuyong boot, pirming nagsasarig, nagtitiwala
Sa kusog asin kapas kan Kaglalang, kan Bathala Na Iyo An Bahala.



Manuel Cepe Manaog
[23 November 1943–01 June 1978] 

Awit ni Awel


Papatioson siguro niya kami dahil amay na nailo.
Saraditon pa an mga tugang ko, balo na an ina ko.

Paparaoton gayod an buhay mi, uya kami solo-solo
Gadan na an ama na kuta na mapadangat man samo.

Papasakitan kaming entiro; pirming madulok sa lolo.
Dai bastante an hanap kan inang pirming nadidismayo.

Papahibion an ina kong solo-solo sa saiyang agi-agi
Siisay an mapaalo saiya na nagtatangis barabanggi?

Papasukuon man nanggad gayod an saiyang ispiritu.
Ako man gustong mag-iskusar mabuhay, pero pa’no?

Papatagason an boot ko pero sa Diyos gayod ako masarig
Ako man sana daing magiginibo kun mayo nin kabulig.

Papakusugon an maluya kong boot; kami ni Mama matabang.
Magian ta magian an mga bagay na dipisil ming masarangan.

Papatingkalagon niya ‘ko aga-aga, mahagad tabang sa Kaglalang
Sabihon sako an ama dai man nawara, kundi kinua lang.

Papangyarihon an mahuyong boot, pirming nagsasarig, nagtitiwala
Sa kusog asin kapas kan Kaglalang, kan Bathala na Iyo An Bahala.



Manuel Cepe Manaog
[23 November 1943–01 June 1978]

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Do Not Judge the Book. Buy Each Cover


Ining mahibog na paperback 
obra kan babaying nakablusang puti—
“our ground time here will be brief”
an titulo niya, kaya gayod an author 
mismo an yaon sa enot na pahina.

Ini man saro enot daang collection 
kan hoben na author kaya siguro 
mahipis man sana. Tubig an yaon 
sa prantera—kun basahon mo garo 
an mga obra maestra, barasa-basa 
an papel kan gabos na tawo saiya, 
lamos-lamos kaanggutan an kada rima.

May sarong tinatakan na “discarded”—
tapos sabi sa likod, magayon daa 
an naenot niyang libro, poetry selection 
kan 1972. Dai mo tulos maburubuklat 
an cover, first name kan author peter.

Igwang saro na gibo daa nin poet lauriat—
baad may mga appetizer an tula niya, 
o igwang epigraphs kada chapter ninda—
dangan haralabaon an iba, o an pira 
pinangararan niya sa amiga; mas gwapa 
kun raging an mga tsismis sa iba—
dai ka mangalas, garo mahihinggustuhan ka.

Magayon ining saro ta garo kadakul 
pangyayari sa saro sanang tema—
an ama kan kag-obra. Tibaad nagkahilang 
si ama niya, tapos narahay. Tapos nagkahilang 
giraray, tapos narahay. Tapos nagadan. 
Sa huring pahina, nagpaparataram an ama 
sa irarom kan daga—kaya gayod an cover 
niya, garo dai matapostapos na lapida.

Sa blurb man kan saro, kan ginigibo daa 
kan author an mga obra, tinabangan siya 
kan sarong anghel. Haloy man siguro sindang 
nagdurog kan saiyang musa; kan dai na 
nagkauyon sa sarong metapora, tinuwadan siya 
kan nasabi nang kapareha; kaya mayo nin ibang 
yaon sa cover niya, kundi balukag na sana.


Monday, April 26, 2010

Speaking in Tongues


Basi wala man gid sing kaayuhan
dito sa balat ng lupa. Tibaad an 
tanan nga mga bagay sa kalibutan 
waay man sing kamanungdanan.

Baad dai ta man kinahanglan matultulan
an mga pulong sang kamatuoran, if at all.
Is it not that we must live the very words 
na inspired ni Bro & not just read about him?

Kay we’d just tend to ask more questions 
re this Prince of Peace —the way, truth, life—
than just easily tag a photo of him.

Basi simpli sana man an boot silingon 
sang mga sugilanon sa ginatawag 
nga salvation history: An aton kaluwasan 

Daw nabal-an na man kahit noon pa 
ng sabi nila’y isang bula-an na poeta:
“Have Come, Am Here,” sabi niya.

Okun basi sakto gid man si San Agustin—
“My soul is restless” kuno “until it rests 
in thee...” or something to that effect.

Bakong sabi ta simpli man lang?
An hapot eu ni, in ur lyf, wer &
wen & how ds he take efkt?

Garo palan bulong, may taking effect; 
garo ordinance, may effect ti vi ty.
Bakong an sabi daa sana man simpli? Uni.
1 message received: “Wer na u? here na he.”

Friday, April 23, 2010

Pig Latin

Pigpaparagiribo mo an mga bagay na ninonoynoy mo
na garo sinda mayo lamang nin kamanuelvillaran.

Pigpaparadelosreyes mo an mga tawong piniperlas
mo na garong dai mo sinda pagsasayasayan.

Pigbabayani mo an mga maerap sa banwaan
na roxas mo saimo hali an mga kabibinayan.





Sunday, March 28, 2010

Siling Ninda


Maurag ka, siling ninda.
Napalagda mo na sa Willprint
an bago mong mga rawitdawit.
Si mga tawong pinabarasa mo
nagkakabarangit; an iba nag-iirinit.
An lengwahe mo daa abang lanit.
Kaidto, bago ka’yan, sabi ninda
maartehon ka man lang daa.

Uragon ka, siling ninda.
Pagkatapos kan si palabas mo
'urupakan si mga nakadaralan. Yaon
si Nathan Sergio pati si Mayor Robredo.
Kaidto, bago ka’yan, hulit kan migo mo
maghanap ka na lang ibang magiginibo.

Mauragon ka, siling ninda.
Nasurat mo na an haloy na kutang nobela.
Garo daa ki Gamalinda.
Tapos si Isagani Cruz pa an mabasa.
Kaidto, bago ka’yan, siling ninda
may delusions of grandeur ka daa.


Monday, March 22, 2010

Babayi ginkawatan sa simbahan



“Babayi ginkawatan sa simbahan”—thus read the headline in Hublas several months ago. I was traveling to Roxas City at the time when I caught glance of this banner printed in big boldface. Just as I was about to make out something further on the paper, the Ceres bus had already wheeled away from the Tagbak terminal.

I thought it was fine. I did not need to read the news story anymore. The headline in Hiligaynon was enough for me, a Bikolano, to assume what it was about. I smiled.

I knew what the Hublas headline meant in Hiligaynon—a woman must have been pick-pocketed or stolen of her property while she was inside the church. Yet, if I found roughly the same headline on a Bikol newspaper, the headline would rather mean something more sinister than petty theft.

There were at least three words in the headline which I readily understood. In Bikol, “babayi” also means woman, and “simbahan,” obviously one coined from Tagalog, means church.

The third word—kawat—is also a Bikol word. The anomaly lies in the word “kawat” which is the content word in the headline, even as it determines the “what” of the news story. Minus the Hiligaynon prefix gin- (the Bikol parallel prefix is pig-), the word “kawat” in Bikol means “to play.”

Depending on the context given, the word “kawat” in Bikol means “leisure,” but can even be used to infer sexual connotation, as in “sexual play,” or like someone “played with something or someone and took for leisure,” as in “kinawatan” or “pigkawatan.”

It thrills me to know and understand these two amazing languages—Bikol and Hiligaynon. While there are countless words in both Bikol and Hiligaynon which have the same meanings or interpretations, there are instances wherein the meaning of one word means two different things, or extremely the opposite.

Take the case of the word “daog.” In Hiligaynon, daog is an adjective meaning “winning, or ruling over.” In Bikol, however, the same concept of competition is indicated by the word daog, only that it means the opposite—“daog” means someone who has lost, ironically not the one who won. Furthermore, the counterpart of Hiligaynon’s “daog” is Bikol’s “gana” or “nanggana;” while Hiligaynon’s loser, “perde,” is also “loser” in Bikol.

Bikol and Hiligaynon are two distinct languages perhaps born of the same parent. Or is it safe to say they are two peas in a pod? Sometimes, words in both languages mean the same thing; but in many other instances, they do not.

And as it turned out in this example of a newspaper headline so well phrased to capture the short-attention span of the street reader, the Bikol language turns out to be the more sinister, only if we consider the word “kawat.”

Reading it normally as a Bikolano, I found the story behind the Hublas headline rather tragic—a woman was sexually abused, or worse, raped in the church.

If at all permitted, the full Bikol headline would now read—Babayi pigkawatan sa simbahan” or “babayi pigkarawan sa simbahan,” which extends the meaning further away. Here, the use of the word “karaw” subjects the woman to all possible forms of abuse, superstitious, real, imagined or otherwise.

If we think a bit further, perhaps the woman who was stolen of her belongings in the church—if at all that was the story in the Hublas issue—was nothing but the Hiligaynon language itself being raped by the Bikol sensibility.

The expression is innocently accurate and truthful in Hiligaynon, but the Bikol’s understanding departs from its original sense.

It thrills me to know two languages—Bikol and Hiligaynon. Given a certain expression containing words that are actively used in both languages, I am flung open to endless possibilities of meaning.



Thursday, March 18, 2010

Tender Is The Night


Pundo na an tugtog sa baylihan;

Huna' ko kansubago bisperas lang;
Si Jun sagkod si Donna 'uruli na man.

Nagbubura an botbot, garo sa Iraya.
Hinaharana ako kan duros sa bintana.
Ta'no an palibot ko igwang pakima'no?
Mayong sindang kamanungdanan kadto.

Pirang banggi na an sakong nabibilang
An ba'na ko mapuli na kun haling oma lang.
Nuarin mauli an sinasabi kong agom?
Siisay an kukuguson ko sa diklom?

Mayo nang tawo pag banggi, iyo.
Dawa sisay gayod madayuyo
Sa ngilo kan pagsosolosolo.


Songs of Ourselves

If music is wine for the soul, I suppose I have had my satisfying share of this liquor of life, one that has sustained me all these years. A...