Alikas nën Anselmo ya manggiwgiw so lima to nën intanëm to so pilimiron bukël. Amta to ya ag labay na hari na palandëy so gagawaën to, natataktakot mët diad nagawad sikato. Balët, balëg so nagamoran ëd saman. No makpël labat iray managtanëm, sarag dan nisabi ëd tagëy na palandëy so tabakon itatanëm da.
Binukay so dalin insan inkotkot so bukël.
Aman a labi, akogip nën Anselmo so hari. Wala rad katakëlan, mankaarapan. Amitlon tinapik na hari so dalin, insan taloran mëlanting a too so pinmaway diman. Inmësaës so hari balët ag to narëngël nën Anselmo, kasumpal to, binmatik iray mëlanting papaway na katakëlan.
Atilak si Anselmo tan imay hari, balët singa ag nanënëngnëng na hari so lakin natatakot. Tinapik lalamët na hari so dalin na amitlo tan mas amayamay so pinmaway iran mëlanting. Mankëlaw si Anselmo katon tinumbok to iramay mëlanting pian nëngnëngën no antoy gagawaën da.
Nën asabi to so sampot na katakëlan, inmangës sikato ëd samay apatnagan to, adasig so tanëm a tabako anggad nasabi na pakanëngnëng to. Natan labat akanëngnëng sikato na unman a karakël a tabako. Okupadon mantatanëm na mas amayamay nin tabako iramay mëlanting. Binilang nën Anselmo so nilasos a mëlanting a mankikimëy ëd saman a dalin.
Inëmbënan to may sakëy ya mëlanting insan to tinëpët no antoy gagawaën da. “Siyempre, para ya ëd hari,” balikas to may mëlanting, “kaukulaan na hari so tabako pian makasigarilyo.” Binmëneg may mëlanting ëd si Alselmo tan man-ëlëk ëd kaambagëlan na tëpët to.
Diman tinmunda so pankokogip to, ëd samay mëlanting tan samay tanëm a tabako. Manparok so puso nën Anselmo, karuman to labat intanëm imay pilimiron bukël, balët nononotën to la no antoy nagawan dusa ëd sikato.
Pigan agëw ya nan-gonigon sikato, nodnonotën ton ëkalën la may bukël a intanëm to. Ag makarëën so kanonotan to diad dusan onsabid sikato.
Siansia ni, anggapoy nagagawa. Onsasabi ni agëw tan nababalang ni so bulan kaibad labi. Mankukukaok ni so lalong ëd parehon oras inagëw-agëw, tan unbubuna nin siansia iray tabako diad Kanlaon.
Ag binmayag, naimano na arom ya linmampas lad golis so pantatanëman nën Anselmo. Binmalëg so maagom dan mata ëd naalan yaman, katon inawit da mët iray gawa dan bukël na tabako insan nantanëm diad pantatanëman nën Anselmo.
Balët, anggapo nin siansia so agawa. Apanoy tabako so entiron Kanlaon.
Wala ray arom a nampasakbay ëd saray managtanëm. “Nonot yo no antoy imbaga na hari! No dia tayo nantanëm, alaën to so entiron tabako insan to sigarilyoën ya amin!”
Balët anggapoy undëdëngël ëd panangasi da. Anggad maong a too ët napëpërëng ëd yaman.
Diad labi, wala ray nandaragop palibër ëd sakëy ya pool tan man-iistorya nipaakar ëd hari na palandëy. Ta no akin ët walay pakapanyari to ëd mundo balët pinili to so man-ayam kaiba ray totoo nën say man-olëy ëd sikara.
Ninonot da may nën binilin ira na hari ya ag ira mantatanëm diad lampas na linyan impagolis to ëd saray mëlanting palibër tan asinggër ëd tapëw na palandëy. Pantotongtongan da may agëw ya tinmaynan so hari. No panonto may akis na saray totoo nën impaamta man na hari.
“Say bilin ko labat ët ag kayo mantatanëm diad lampas to may golis ëd tagëy, no ag yo ya inonor, alaën kon amin so tabako insan anggapo mët la so balon unboyag diad gilig a palandëy anggad ag ko nasusumpal ya sigarilyoën man ya amin.” Tinapik tan inlukas na hari so dalin, insan abalang sikatod palandëy.
Intoor na totoo imay sipan da balët, siyempre, tinmunda ëd si Anselmo.
Anggano nid amin lan agawa, nantanëm nin siansia sikato na amayamay ya tabako. Anonotan to may kogip to, imay panlabay to na say pasol to ët singa may unman mët ëd hari, onsasabi anggad sampot a pakanengneng.
Kayari na pigan taon ët alingwanan lay totoo so hari na palandëy anggad samay sipan da ëd sikato.
Atanëman lay tabako so entiron palandëy na Kanlaon insan yinmaman la ray totoo lapod saray naaani da.
Anggad saray simplin too ët mikakasakëy ëd saray magarbon pistan gagawaën da. Singa anggapo so makapampatunda ëd panagselebra na totoo diad nala dan balon yaman.
Balët, tinmunda nën linmukas so dalin insan amawil imay hari na palandëy.
Unaan ya tinmaynan si Anselmo. Nalilikna toy giwgiw anggad pukë-pukël to, amta to ya sinmabi la so agëw na pambayaran ton amin so ginawa to. Ag mët la linmingaw sikato nën maplës a binmatik palëksab na palandëy.
Makapaërmen ya nëngnëngen so sinmublay. Nën saman a napnoy tabako, natan ët anggapo la so tanëm a nanëngnëng ëd Kanlaon. Ag makapanisia iray managtanëm ya unman labat kapëlës a nabalang iray tanëm da, alingwanan da lay tuan pakapanyari na hari.
Marëndëën so totoo, singa amta da lay nagawa. Kabëbëkta, sinmabog ëd dagëm so tapëw na palandëy ya nan-gaway abot a napnoy pool tan asëwëk.
Alabas lan maong so nagagawa ya ag mët la nanyarian na anggad say sangkamakpëlan ëd sikara. Nanlumbaan iray totoo ëd amin na direksiyon, natatakot ëd sanok na hari.
Aman a labi, nankogip si Anselmo.
Makapal ya asëwëk so pinmatnag ëd arap nën Anselmo. Inmukok sikato anggad anëngnëng to may hari ya masisisgarilyo na tabako. Tinmalimukor sikato san kinmërëw na perdona.
Balët ag lalamët naimano na hari si Anselmo. Amitlon tinapik na hari so dalin insan pinmaway iray mëlanting. Nan-awit iramay mëlanting na tabakon iyarom dimad samay sigarilyoën na hari.
Apaliberay asëwëk so palandëy na unsësëlëk anggad saray lëtak. Singa puwersan manpapairap. Alikas nën Anselmo ya singa natëtërak so pagëw to lapod samay amayamay ya nasusungap ton asëwëk.
Insan abangon sikato.
Linmipas iray taon tan wala la ray totoon pinmawil ëd palandëy. Nanlëtnëg iray purok dia rad diking to, balët anggapo lay masibëg odino siopan ambagël a mantanëm na tabako diad palandëy.
Anggapoy makaamta no anto lay nanmaliwa ëd Anselmo, ibabaga na arom ya inawit na hari sikato pian naitdan na niduduman dusa. Ibabaga da ray arom balët ya linmad arawi sikato ta babatikan toy sanok na hari.
Balët ag la bali, amta da ray totoo ya kapila mët iran nan-gaway aliwa. Anggapo so naitanëm ëd Kanlaon diad saray onsublay na henerasyon.
Anggapo anggad ag naupot na hari imay tabako to.
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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.
*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 Dean Alfred Narra
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright ©Dean Alfred Narra
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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