*Note this story is in Kapampangan
Apansin nang Anselmo a mangalgal la deng gamat na anyang binaldug ne ing mumunang bini. Balu na kasi na labag king lub na ning ari ning bunduk ing keyang gagawan at balu na din malyari yang miparusan. Oneng agyang makanita, balu na din na mas igit pa ing akwa nang kapalit.
Nung dakal mu sanang ortilanung maglakas lub a sumubuk, mas dakal pa sanang apatubung Tobacco king babo bunduk.
Megambul ne ing gabun, metanam na la deng bini.
Anyang benging ita, apaninap ne ing ari. Atiu la kanu king gubat kabang miarapan la. Timpa ne ning ari ing gabun maka-atlung besis at saka anti mong linwal a taung mangalati. Atin yang sinambit ing ari oneng ali na masiadung dimdam Anselmo saka la pinulayi deng tawu palwal kung gubat.
Melakwan ya i Anselmo ampo ing ari. Mangatakutan ne i Anselmo oneng mengaring ali ne aakit ning ari. Tinampa ne pa ning ari ing gabun maka-atlu pang besis at kalupa na ning milyari nandin, dakal na namang tawung sinibul keng gabun. Ngeni, migtaka ne i Anselmo kaya tikyan na na la deng tawung mangalati nung nokarin la mumunta.
Anyang mekaratang ne king dulu ning gubat, mengapasingap iya king ikit na. Asnang kalawak ing pananam a Tobacco mamangga king dulu ning panakit na ning mata. Kanita ya mu menakit kadakal a Tobacco. Detang taung malati pala deng mananam. Dina-dinalan (o baka libu!) a tawung mangalati ing mananam ampong manarul king asikan.
Dikma ne ing metung a taung malati saka ne kitnangan nung nanu ing gagawan na. “Para king ari ini. Siempre kailangan na ning ari ing Tobacco para atin iyang isindi.” Saka ne ginulut in taung malati saka ya mengapakaili king kutang nang Anselmo a balamu mulala yamu ing mangutang king kitang na.
Meyari ne ing paninap na anyang meyari no din menanam Tobacco. Dudugdug ya pusu i Anselmo. Aganaka na ing bining tenam na napun. Mipaisip ya nung nanung kaparusan na nita.
Eya mipaindatun pilang aldo. Mipapaisip ya nung bawian ne ba ing tenam nang bini. Angga king bulan na ing milabas a aiisip na ini.
Ala. Ala naman milyari. Milabas ing pilang aldo at bulan. Pilang tilauk na ing manuk ing milabas, tinubu la pa rin deng Tobacco king palibut ning Kanlaon kalupa ning dati.
Ali linwat, aulata da reng tau a lagpas ne king gulus ing tanam nang Anselmo. King inggit a atin kapalit a gintu ing panananam Tobacco, tinanam nala naman nung nokarin ya naman menanam i Anselmo.
Ikwa nang sinapak Tobacco ning Kanlaon oneng ala din namang milyari.
Atin din naman sinabi kareng ortilanu. “Tandanan yu nung nanu ing sinabi ning ari. Nung tanam tamu keni baka pang-uanan nala mu ning ari ing Tobacco saka no ngan isindi!”
Alang pinansin king sinabi da. Agyang ding simpleng tau, mabubulag murin karas king pera.
Patye bengi, magkumpulan la deng aliwa keng dapug saka magkwentu tungkul king ari ning bunduk. Sabi da, ing ari mu ing tune makapangyarian king yatu oneng mas pinili nang lumakad kayabe tamu kesa king sakupan naka tamu.
Aganaka da nung makananung e na buri ning ari a mananam lagpas king gulis a gewa da reng taung mangalati pabilug king babo bunduk. Melungkut la deng tawu king utus ning ari anyang meko ya.
Anapaya ning ari, “Makisabi kung mayap kekayu, ekayu tatanam lagpas king gulis. Nung gawan yu yan, kunan ku ngan ing Tobacco at alang tumubu metung man anggat ali ku ngan agigisan isindi ing egana-gana.” Mibuklat ya ing gabun kaybat neng tinampa ning ari saka ne meko.
Tinupad no man deng tau… angga king depat nang Anselmo.
Kapabibatan na nita, menanam ya pa din Tobacco i Anselmo. Aganaka ne ing apaninap na… sana kasingdakal na nitang apaninap na ing tanam na king keyang asikan.
Pilang banua na ing milabas, akalingwan de rin deng tau ing ari ning bunduk kayabe ning pangaku da kaya.
Sinapak ya ing Kanlaon Tobacco. Deng tawu naman mikwalta la keng karelang pupul.
Dakal taung mekyabe king karelang fiesta. Ala napin sigurung makapigil king karelang pamagsaya ampong keng karelang pamikwalta.
Angga king binuklat ya ing gabun at mibalik ya ing ari ning bunduk.
Minuna neng pinulayi i Anselmo. Mangatug ya butul uling balu na ini na ing aldo ning pamag-atul. Ali ne linawe pagulut king pamamulayi na king lalam ning bunduk.
At milyari na pin ing katatakutan na. Ing dating sapak Tobacco, ngeni, ala neng laman ing Kanlaon. Ali la makapaniwala deng ortilanu na mewala lang bigla deng tanam da. Akalingwan da na tune makapangyarian ya pin ing ari.
Menaimik ngan ing egana-gana uling balu da na ing malyari. Disuldit, sinabug ya ing bunduk at mekulkul ya iti saka sinapak api ampong asuk.
Agyang deng pekamatapang, mengatakutan. Misalbag la deng tau king takut da king mua na ning ari.
Pangabenging ita, meninap ya I Anselmo… ating makapal a asuk a linto king arap na. Menguku ya anggang ikit ne ing ari sisinding Tobacco.
Siniklod ya ampong menyad tawad.
Pasibayu, ali na ne na naman apasin ning ari i Anselmo. Tinampa ne ing gabun maka-atlung besis saka la linto deng mangalating tau.
Mamagdala lang Tobacco deng mangalating tau para isindi ning ari.
Sinapak yang asuk ing bunduk. King sobrang kapal, balamu makbung ne salu i Anselmo.
Anggang mipagising ya.
Milabas ing pilang banwa, atin memagbalik king bunduk. Menalakad lang baryu king gilid bunduk oneng ala nang sinubuk mananam Tobacco.
Alang mikabalu nung nanung milyari kang Anselmo. Atin sasabi, dinukut ne ning ari. Ing aliwa naman sasabyan da, tinakas ya kanu.
Nanu pa man, balu da reng tawu a kasabwat la king depat na. King makabang panaun, alang makatanam king Kanlaon.
Anggat sisindi ya pang Tobacco ing ari.
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English Version
Anselmo felt his hands quiver as he planted the first seed. He knew what he was doing was against the wishes of the king of the mountain, and he was fearful of the price. Yet, there was so much to gain. Tobacco plants could stretch until the mountaintop if only the farmers had enough backbone to take the leap.
The earth was parted and the seed buried.
That night he dreamt of the king. They were in a forest facing each other. The king tapped the ground three times and small men sprang from the earth. The king said something Anselmo couldn’t hear and the small men ran towards the edges of the forest.
Anselmo and the king were left alone, but it seemed that the king couldn’t see the scared man. The king tapped the ground three more times and even more small men appeared. Alfonso was curious so this time he followed the small men to see what they were doing.
As he reached the end of the forest he gasped at the sight, rows of tobacco plants that extended towards the horizon. He had never seen so many tobacco plants. The small men were busy planting even more tobacco. Anselmo counted hundreds, no thousands of small men toiling in the fields.
He grabbed one of the small men and asked what they were doing. “Why this is for the king, of course,” said the small man, “the king needs his tobacco to smoke.” The small man then turned his back on Anselmo snickering at such a stupid question.
The dream ended there, with the small man and the tobacco plant. Anselmo’s heart was pounding, it was yesterday when he planted the first seed and he wondered what his punishment would be.
He agonized for days, wondering if he should take back the seed he planted. His mind raced for months about what his punishment would be.
Still, nothing happened. The sun still rose and the moon faded into the night. The roosters crowed at the same time every day and the tobacco plants grew around Kanlaon as they always have.
Soon, others noticed that Anselmo was planting above the line. Their eyes grew greedy with the promise of gold and they too took tobacco seeds and planted where Anselmo did.
And again, nothing happened. Kanlaon was filled to the brim with tobacco.
There were those that tried to warn the farmers. “Remember what the king said! If we plant here then he would carry all the tobacco away and smoke it all!”
Their cries fell on deaf ears. Money blinds even the most humble of men.
In the night there would be those that huddled around campfires and told the story of the king of the mountain. How he had absolute power over the earth, but sought to live alongside humans rather than rule over them.
They recounted how he had asked the people not to plant above a certain line that he had ordered his small men to draw around the mountain near the top. They told of the day when the king left. How the people shed tears at the kings pronouncement.
“I only ask that you will not plant above the line, if you do I will take all the tobacco away and no more shall grow along the mountainside until I have smoked it all.” The king tapped the ground and opened the earth, disappearing into the mountain.
The people kept their promise until Anselmo, of course.
Throughout all this he planted more tobacco. He remembered the dream, how he wished that his fields would look like the king’s, stretching until the horizon.
Years passed and the people forgot about the king of the mountain and their promise to him.
The mountain of Kanlaon was covered entirely by tobacco plants and the people grew rich and fat from their harvests.
Even the most humble of the people joined in the lavish fiestas that were held. It seemed like nothing could stop their celebrations of the people’s newfound wealth.
That is, until the earth opened and the king of the mountain returned.
Anselmo was the first to flee. He could feel the rumble in his bones and he knew the day of reckoning had come. He didn’t even look back as made a dash for the foot of the mountain.
It was a terrible sight to behold. Once filled with tobacco, Kanlaon was now bare. The farmers could not believe that their crops had disappeared so easily, but they had forgotten the true power of the king.
There was silence among the people, as if they knew what was about to happen. Suddenly the mountaintop exploded into the air, creating a crater filled with smoke and fire.
This was too much for even the bravest of them. The people fled in all directions, fearful of the king’s wrath.
That night Anselmo dreamed.
A thick cloud of smoke appeared before Anselmo. He coughed until he saw the king smoking tobacco. He went down on his knees and asked for forgiveness.
Again, the king did not notice his presence. He tapped the ground three times and small men appeared. The small men then brought more tobacco for the king to smoke.
Smoke filled the mountain, filling each crevice. It was an oppressive force. Anselmo felt his chest about to explode from inhaling so much smoke.
Then he awoke.
Years passed by and there were those that returned to the mountain. They set up their villages along the sides, but no one was brave or foolish enough to grow tobacco on the mountain.
No one knows what became of Anselmo, some say the king stole him away for special punishment. Others say that he moved far away, trying to escape the king’s wrath.
It does not matter, for the people know they are complicit in his crime. Nothing will be planted on Kanlaon for generations.
Not until the king is done smoking his tobacco.
* Kapampangan, Pampango, or the Pampangan language is a major Philippine language. It is primarily spoken in the province of Pampanga, southern Tarlac, and northeastern Bataan. Kapampangan is also spoken in some municipalities of Bulacan and Nueva Ecija, by various Aeta groups of Central Luzon, and in scattered communities within the SOCCSKSARGEN region in Mindanao. The language is known honorifically as Amánung Sísuan (“breastfed, or nurtured, language”)
Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Keith Nicson Fajardo
Story adapted from THE TOBACCO OF HARISABOQUED http://www.sacred-texts.com/asia/pfs/pfs03.htm
Hari sa Bukid Illustration by Camille Chua
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