*Note this story is in Pangasinan
Manlapu ed eges na dalin binmaleg ak
Onsinag a singa agew ed kabuasan
Diad limam et sasamalen ko iray kamarerwa
Tan mangitonton ed amin a totoo ed kadederal
Anto ak?
“Bangon ka.”
“Anto..? Antoy nagagawa?”
“Mansasalita ka lalamet ed ugip mo.”
Oh, pasensia la. Nayarin alabas lay panaon ko.
“Tinmunda lay uran.”
“Kasin ontan? Maong tan ta pian sa wakas makapanpicture tayo’y masasanting.”
“Iparaan ko la so amin. Iparaan moy sarilim, wala ni pigaran oras na liwawa na agew.”
“Okay la. Abuloyan yo ak a manpales. Komon ta nasumpal tayo la iyan panag-shoot ya aga sagabal so panaon.”
“Oh wow.”
“Anto?”
“Walay rainbow ed beneg mo.”
“Nayarin aliwan ontan lan mauges so panaon.”
Ambetel ya benbenan
Anggapoy peteg a liwawak
Balet agkon balot nabalang
Anto ak?
Binmangon ya ambetebetel so inget to. Satan lamet so kugip to, saray sinag na liwawa, saray otot ya taew ed uma tan say makapataktakot a karutakan a tinmumbok. Impanonot to ed inkasikato a diad apalabas et wala ni ray mas importantin bengatla a kaukolan ton asikasoen.
Sikatoy atagey a manalalagey, a say saklor to et mankirlap ed ambilunget a ungib a panaayaman to. Wala so kayamanan a naromog ed sarayan palandey, tan alaen to so amin a nayarian ton sakbaten.
Anggaman ontan, siansia nin sankanonot to iray agawad apalabas. Nanonotan to so datin ngaran to tan say paraan na panamabli na karakpan to ed sankamakapanyarian a dios. Insamba to so ngaran na Burigadang Pada Sinaklang Bulawan tan nilukdaan to so dalin. No aliwan lapud sikato et wala ni so dakep to.
No naala to la so kayamanan to, onaligwas la so amin, tan sikatoy magmaliw lan sigpot lamet. Anggapo lay panaon ya onlabas ed kabilungetan na sayan ungib. Agla la kaukolan ya alagaren so uran pian makapan-anup. Anggapo lay onnengneng ed itsura to tan onnengneng ed ayep a nagmaliw lan sikato.
Diad kaarawi et nanengneng to iray sinag na liwawa. Kayamanan? Say puso to so ngalngali agmakapansiansia. Tinmunda lay uran, balet agto la aalagaren so miasawa ed sikato. Panaon la pian man anap.
Onagos ak ed karakel na danum
Diad Interon Mundo
Agak ni arawi ed pakayari
Ta say pakayari so inkasiak
Anto ak?
Say masnag a dios so onnengneng manlapud katawenan tan oneeyag. Tinmaynan lamet ya agto kaibay. Sikatoy akayurong ed saray lurem na Skyworld tan nanonotan to iray daan a pisusumpa tan saray maimon a dirios.
Ampetang so ngarem ed tiagew sanen agawa itan, say masnag a dios so angiter ed bii na regalo to a masnag a liwawa tan inusar to itan pian magmaliw a singa saray dirios so itsura to. Say mairap-bilay a bii, a mas mabambanday nen say makabat, et lapud inkamapaatagey to et ninonot ton labanan so sakey a diosa. Sikatoy masiswerte, diad sakey a paraan,. No asakitan to la si Ynaguinid et agla mabilay pian apigeren so aderal a bilay to.
Balet ag-itan agawa ed anggan iner.
Siempre, ginawa toy anggad nayarian to. Impawil to ed sikato so kabaleg a nayarian to. Balet ag-itan nalabanan na pakayari na pasakitan to. Say diosa na inkaagum so mapaatagey a singa say pakapanyari to.
Inkamapaatagey. Andi-kakanaan. Inkamapaatagey. Ompan mas dakel so pamparehoan na saray dirios ed saray totoo nen say labay dan aminen.
Komon ta say bii et aglinmasur ed sagradon kiew na diosa.
No agto komon anengneng iray dwende ya akasulong na saray sako na kayamanan.
Komon ta agto la imbaga a sikato so sankaabigan.
Say puso to et naermenan nin siansia. Anggaman ontan, siansia nin agnibales so panangaro to. Iilaloan to a no natulongan ton ompawil ed peteg a kipapasen to et nanengneng to lanlamang a sarag da lay mankakasakey.
Balet agto itan inilaloan. Say masnag a dios so naningongot tan imbulos to so liwawa to diad dalin. Ompan naromog to lanlamang so aanapen to.
Say sipan ko et sakey a kugip
Saray napnapno na eges
Tan kawayangan
Paneknek na maong a linawa
Anto ak?
“Anengneng mo itan?!”
“Inisip ko ya atagtagey itayo la parad saray kabayo?!”
“Sika tayo, Agko amta no antoy gagawaen na satan a bengatla dia.”
“Kasin anengneng mon maong itan?”
“Napaliisan ko, ompan aka-record ak la.”
“Nepeg tayon onalis la, ta agko labay so ompawil no onsabi. Aliwan maong ak ed saray ayayep.”
“Okay, prinsesa. Iisipen ko a wala lay magenap a litrato parad saray editor a pilien da. Mansalat ka la pian makapanakar-akar tayo. Ompan makasabi tayo la antis ya onseselek so agew.”
“Okay, magano ak labat.”
Wala so kayamanan a naromog, balet aliwan satan so aanapen to. Anggapo ed saya so patas. Akin a sikato so nisamba pian mansiansia ed sayan makapataktakot a nengneng to? Say diosa et abebbeba tan mapaatagey. Onagus iray lua ed datin marakdakep a lupa to legan ya oneepas so uran ed dalin.
Amta na masnag a dios so sakey ya aspekto na ayew ya ag-amta na bii. Say diosa na inkaagum so angibulos na balitok ed mata na bii ta pian naynay ton anapen so kayamanan ya agto naromog. Satan so unor a panaginsulto pian lalon onloor so sakit to. Gawaen to so anggaay nayarian to, lapud diad puso to et labalabay ton nakaiba.
“Kasin maong ka?”
“On, balet iisipen kon kaukolan tayon alagaren ya ontunda lay uran.”
“Agko la iilaloan so mapitek a biahe.”
“Tundaan mo lay manreklamo, ta diad sayan biahe et wala ray balibalin litrato tayo.”
“Nengnengen ta pa…. Maong, duga ka, anggan panon et balibali itsurak. Alagar ka, agko nanonotan iyan sakey.”
“Iisipen ko a satan so kabayo. Makapalek, say buek to et singa met la buek mo.”
“Tinawag mo ak ya kabayo?”
“Manrelaks ka. Alagaren tayo ni labat ya onarawi iray lurem pian makaalis tayo la.”
Say pitek so tinmerak ed palandey sanen pinmawil so marikit ed ungib to. Sakey ya agew et nipawil ed sikato so marakdakep ya itsura to insan to ipanengneng ed amin a dirios no anto so peteg a kanepegan to.
=——————-=
English Version
Out of earth’s womb I grow
Glistening like the morning sun
In your hands I poison souls
And lead all men to ruin
What am I?
“Wake up.”
“Wha..? What’s happening?”
“You’re talking in your sleep again.”
“Oh, sorry. Must have been up too late.”
“It stopped raining.”
“Did it? That’s good we can finally take some nice pictures.”
“I’ll get everything set up. Get yourself ready, we still have a few more hours of sunlight.”
“All right. Let me get dressed. Hopefully we can finish this shoot without the weather getting in the way.”
“Oh wow.”
“What?”
“There’s a rainbow behind you.”
“Maybe the weather’s not so bad after all.”
Cold to the touch
I have no true light
Yet I will never be lost
What am I?
She wakes up with a cold sweat. It was that dream again, the flashes of light, the yellow field mice and the wretched ugliness that followed. She reminded herself that it was in the past, there were more important things that needed her attention.
She stood tall, her ivory horn shining bright in the dark cave that housed her. There was treasure to be found in these mountains, and she would take all that she could carry.
Still, flashes of the past crept into her thoughts. She remembered her old name and the way her beauty would inspire love in even the mightiest god. She cursed the name of Burigadang Pada Sinaklang Bulawan and spat at the floor. If it wasn’t for her she would still have her beauty.
Once she had her treasure all would be well, she would finally be whole again. No more passing time in the darkness of this cave. No more having to wait after the raindrops for her chance to hunt. No more looking at her reflection and staring into the monster that she had become.
In the distance she could see flashes of light. Treasure? Her heart could barely contain itself. The rain had stopped, but she would not wait for her suitor. It was time to hunt.
I flow in a current
Throughout the world
I am never far from power
For power is what I am
What am I?
The bright god looks down from the heavens and sighs. She has gone without him again. He sits among the clouds of the Skyworld and reminisces about old rivalries and jealous gods.
It had been a warm summer afternoon when it happened, the bright god had given the girl the gift of his prismatic light and she used it to make her beauty rival the gods’. The poor girl, more vain than wise, it was in her hubris that she thought to challenge a goddess. She was lucky, in a way. Had she offended Ynaguinid she would not be alive to pick up the pieces of her broken life.
But that was neither here nor there.
He did his best, of course. He gave her back what beauty he could. But there was no fighting the power of her curse. The goddess of greed was as prideful as she was powerful.
Pride. Vanity. Hubris. Maybe the gods had more in common with mortals than they would like to admit.
If only the girl had not passed by the goddess’ sacred grove.
If only she had not seen the dwarves carrying the sacks of treasure.
If only she had not claimed that she was the fairest.
His heart would still be broken. In the midst of everything his love was still unrequited. He hoped that if he could help her return to her true form she would finally see that they could be together.
But he would not hold out hope for that. The bright god sighed and set loose his light towards the earth. Maybe she would finally find what she was looking for.
My promise is a dream
Of full stomachs
And freedom
A testimony to good faith
What am I?
“Did you see that?!”
“I thought we were too high up for horses?!”
“We are, I don’t know what that thing is doing here.”
“Did you get a good look at it?”
“It was too fast, I think I got it on camera.”
“We should go, I don’t want to be here when it gets back. I’m not good around animals.”
“Alright, princess. I think we have enough shots for the editors to choose from anyway. Get changed and we can start hiking. I think we can make it down before sunset.”
“Fine, I’ll be fast.”
There was treasure to be had, but not what she had been looking for. None of this was fair. Why was she the one that was cursed to stay in this horrible form? The goddess was petty and despicable. Tears flowed from her once-beautiful face as the raindrops pattered on the ground.
The bright god knew one aspect of the curse that the girl did not. The goddess of greed blew gold into the girl’s eyes so that she would forever chase treasure that she could not find. It was a final insult to add to her injury. He would do what he could, for in his heart he longed to have her near.
“Are you good?”
“Yeah, but I think we have to wait for the rain to stop.”
“I’m not looking forward to the muddy trek.”
“Stop complaining, at least we got some good shots out of this trip.”
“Let me see…. Fine, you’re right, at least I look good. Wait, I don’t remember this one.”
“I think that was the horse. Funny, its mane almost looks like your hair.”
“Did you just call me a horse?”
“Relax. Let’s just wait for the clouds to clear and we can get out of here.”
Mud splashed though the mountain as the girl returned to her cave. Someday she would have her beauty back and then she would show all the gods what she truly deserved.
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*Pangasinan (Salitan Pangasinan) – sometimes called Pangasinense is one of the major languages of the Philippines. It is the language spoken in the province of Pangasinan, on the west-central seaboard of the island of Luzon along the Lingayen Gulf, the northern portion of Tarlac and southwestern La Union, most of whom belong to the Pangasinan ethnic group. Pangasinan is also understood in some municipalities in Benguet, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, and by the Aeta or Aeta of Zambales.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Translation by Nelmar A. Mallari, MDC
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Nelmar A. Mallari, MDC
Inspired by the myth of the Anggitay and the Visayan goddess of greed, Burigadang Pada Sinaklang Bulawan.
Anggitay Illustration by Abe Joncel Guevarra Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joncel/