*Note this poem is in Tandaganon

“Gahanap pa gihapon ako sa iya

Sa kalasangan

Sa kapatagan

Ngadto sa langit

Tapad sa tumoy nan kalibutan

Sa mga kabatohan

Ug mga bulalakaw

Gahuna-huna ako

Kung hain na kaha siya kuman

Wara pa gihapon ako kasayod

Sa iya ngan

Pila ka mga panahon ang minlabay

Pero hibawo ako na yaon da siya

Mabati-an ko ang iya mga hunghung

Sa mga kapun-an ug mga suba

Mabati nako ang iya ginhawa

Sa baho nan mga buwak

Sa kadugay sa mga katuigan

Yaanad ako mabuhi

Na wara

Makita ko da siya pagbalik

Sa pagbuswak nan kalasangan

Sa hilak sa mga mananap

Ug mangayo

Nan iya kapasayloan”

=————————-=

“I still look for her

In the forests

In empty fields

Through the sky

Beside the horizon

On barren rocks

And falling stars

I wonder where

She could be now

I still don’t know

Her name

Time has passed

But I know she is there

I can hear her whisper

In the trees and the rivers

I can feel her breath

In the scent of flowers

For these long years

I have learned to live

Without

I will see her again

In the bloom of the forest

In the cries of beasts

And ask

For her forgiveness”

=————————————=

*Tandaganon (also called Tinandag, Naturalis, Tagon-on) is a closely related variety of Surigaonon spoken in the central Surigao del Sur municipalities of Tandag City, San Miguel, Tago, Bayabas, Cagwait, Marihatag, San Agustin, and most of Lianga. It can be classified as a separate language or alternatively as a southern variety of Surigaonon. There are about 100,000 speakers.

Written by Karl Gaverza
Tandaganon Translation by Mark Anthony Ramos
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Mark Anthony Ramos

Inspired by the Idlivun description in Philippine Folk Literature:The Epics. Eugenio. 2001.

Idlivun Illustration by Florence Alcantara
IG: https://www.instagram.com/cozdeam/

*Note this story is in Cebuano

Niabot siya sa gabie.

Kataw-anan, karon na akong gihuna-huna, siguro ang bintana na wa gisirad-an ang timailhan para siya musulod.

Nakahinumdom ko na guba akong aircon ug gusto nako musulod ang kabugnaw, ang init na ginalabas sa electric fan nagpabilin ug ang hinay na tingog niini, nagtulak sa ako na matulog nga malipayon.

Nakamata ko tungod sa iyang tingog nga nidakop ug balud sa akong panimuot padulong kaniya. Matag-paglihok ug pagdagayday nga pitik paadto sa halos dili mabati na tingog.

Kung unsa man ang naa didto, dili jud masabtan. Usa ka bangka na kaparehas kadako sa akong katri ang naglutaw sa taas nako. Sakay ato ang usa ka babae, bisan ako makaingon nga dili siya ordinaryo. Bugnaw iyang kamot sa akong paghikap. Gisinyasan ko niya nga muduol.

Ug dinha na nagsugod.

Among gisuroy ang kalibutan atong gabhiuna, gikan sa tin-aw na mga dagat hantod sa dagkong mga kabukiran sa usa lamang ka pagpamilok. Naay bahin sa akong huna-huna na nag-ingon nga mitabok mi sa tubuok kalibutan.Siguro tama ko.

Di nako makalimtan akong mga nakit-an. Niadto mi sa disyerto na gikalimtan na sa mga tao ug gihapuhap ang mga balas na nagpugong sa oras, ug ang mga busay! Ang mahalangdong kaputli niini nga gipasundayag sa bulan. Mahuna-hunaan pa gihapon nko tanan kung akong ipiyong akong mga mata.

Ako siyang gisulayan ug tan-aw latas aning tanan. Gusto sa akong hunahuna mahibal-an kung kinsa siya ug giunsiya niya pagbuhat aning mga butanga.

Mura ba ug nasabtan niya akong gihunahuna, iyang gipahimutang ang bangka sa usa ka lin-aw ug iya kong gitug-anan sa iyang mga sekreto.

Giplastar niya sa akong atubangan ang usa ka libro, nga mas dako pa sa biskan unsang libro nga akong nakita sauna ug giingnan ko niya sa gahom ato. Ana ang babae na ang libro gitawag ug libro de la combania ug ana siya nga dalaon ko ato miskan asa ko gusto. Ang himuon lang nako kay huna-hunaon ang lugar ug maabot nko didto og pinakalit.

Pagpangutana nako ngaanong iya kong giingnan ato, nikatawa ra siya. Ana siya nga nay usa ka butang sa ako na nagpainteresar kaniya, ug gipangutana ko niya unsay buhaton nako sa libro.

Wala dayon ko nakatubag sa iya,napuno akong utok ug mga ideya na nagsangka. Gamiton ba nako kini para makaadto sa banko ug manguha ug daghang kwarta nga gusto nako? Mas mayo ba na tan-awon ang kalibutan gikan sa ibabaw sa bukid? Maghunahuna ba ko sa akong pamilya ug mupauli na og balay?

Ang kahinam midagan sa akong hunahuna, apan usa ka bahin sa akong sarili ang mipugong kanako.

Mitan-aw ko sa iyang mga mata ug nay kuryente na midagayday sa akong taludtod.

Wala ko kabalo nganong hadllok kayo ko sa babae. Basin guro tungod sa gahum na iyang gihatag sa ako, apan sa akong pagduha-duha, nakamatikod siya.

Nangutana siya kong di ba ko mudawat sa iyang regalo.

Wala ko ni tubag.

Naglatay nga tunglo ang nikalap sa hangin, ang mga pulong na dapat dili iuban kay gitahi ug gilabay padulong kanako.

Gitawag ko niya og buang ug dili mapasalamaton.

Siguro tama siya, pero di jud ko mudawat sa mga regalo na iyang gihatag sa ako. Dili jud labi na pagkahuman nako nakita iyang mga mata.

Iya kong gipahawa sa banka ug akong nabati ang hangin na kusog padung kanako samtang nahulog ko sa langit. Giandam nako ang akong sarili nga mabati ang kabugnaw sa tubig gikan sa lin-aw sa baba.

Imbis na matagak sa tin-aw’ng tubig, nahulog ko sa akong higdaanan, sa akong kwarto nga murag walay nahitabo.

Nakaubo ko ug akong nalantaw na naa kini dugo, pasiuna sa akong umaabot na problema.

Ug ania ko nagpabilin, sa akong higdaanan nga naghunahuna sa kagahapon ug sa mga kadaot na nahimo ato sa ako.

Ang mga doktor wala kabalo unsay akong problema ug dili sad ko makasulti bahin sa babae. Akong gihangyo nga ibalik nalang ko sa balay para sa palliative care. Kay kung ang tanang dagom ug pagtusok kay dili makasulbad niini, dili ko gusto mamatay sa higdaanan sa ospital.

Ana akong lola nga mutawag siya ug faith healer. Nagpasalamat ko sa iyang gihimo pero murag ulahi na ang tanan para sa ako.

Akong gipiyong akong mga mata ug gihinumduman.

Ang iyang bangis na mga mata ug ang busay.

Ug unsa ang pamati kung mulupad.

==——————————-==
English Version

She came in the night.

It’s funny, looking back I think it was the window I left open that might have been a sign for her to enter.

I remember my aircon was broken and I wanted to let the cold in, the hot air being kept at bay by the electric fan and its gentle sound, nudging me to blissful sleep.

I woke up to the sound of her voice catching waves of my consciousness towards her. Each ebb and flow pulsing towards a barely audible sound.

What was there defied explanation. A boat as large as my bed floated above me. On it was a woman, though I could tell she wasn’t ordinary. Her hand felt cold to my touch. She beckoned I come closer.

And that’s when it began.

We traveled the world that night, going from crystal clear beaches to gigantic mountains in the blink of an eye. Part of me thought that we crossed the whole globe then. Maybe I was right.

I will never forget what I saw then. We went to deserts forgotten by man and fondled the sands that kept time at bay, and the waterfalls! Such pristine majesty amplified by the moonlight. I still think of them when I close my eyes.

I tried to look at her throughout all of this. My mind wanted to know who she was and how she did these things.

As if she sensed my thoughts, she set the flying ship down by a lagoon and told me her secrets.

She set before me a book, larger than any book I had seen before and told me of its power. The woman said it was called the libro de la combania and she said that it could take me anywhere I wished. All I needed to do was think of a location and I would be there in an instant.

When I asked why she was telling me this, she laughed. She said there was something in me that interested her and she asked me what I would do with the book.

I didn’t answer her right away, my mind was filled with ideas clashing to the forefront. Would I use it to go in a bank and take as much money as I’d like? Would it be better to see the world from atop mountains? Would I think of my family and return home?

Excitement raced through my thoughts, but a part of me held back.

I looked into her eyes and electricity raced through my spine.

I didn’t know why the woman scared me so much. It might have been because she was offering me so much power, but I hesitated just long enough that she noticed.

She asked me if I would reject her gift.

I didn’t reply.

A string of profanities filled the air, words that should never be put together were strung as curses directed my way.

She called me a fool and an ingrate.

Maybe I was, but I would not accept the gifts she was giving me. Not after I saw her eyes.

She kicked me out of the boat and I could feel the wind rushing past me as I fell from the sky. I prepared myself to feel the cold water from the lagoon below.

Instead of the plunging into the clear waters, I fell on my bed, in my room as if nothing had happened.

I coughed then and I noticed there was blood, a prelude to my future troubles.

And here I stay, in my bed thinking of the past and the damage that it had dealt to me.

The doctors don’t know what’s wrong with me and I won’t tell them about the woman. I asked to be returned home for palliative care. If all the needles and prodding couldn’t solve it, I didn’t want to die in a hospital bed.

My lola said she would call a faith healer. I thanked her for the gesture but I think it’s too late for me.

I close my eyes and I remember.

Her cruel eyes and the waterfalls.

And what it was like to fly.

=——————————–=

*The Cebuano language, alternatively called Cebuan and also often colloquially albeit informally referred to by most of its speakers simply as Bisaya (“Visayan”, not to be confused with other Visayan languages nor Brunei Bisaya language), is an Austronesian regional language spoken in the Philippines by about 21 million people, mostly in Central Visayas, western parts of Eastern Visayas and most parts of Mindanao, most of whom belong to various Visayan ethnolingusitic groups, mainly the Cebuanos. It is the by far the most widely spoken of the Visayan languages, which are in turn part of wider the Philippine languages. The reference to the language as Bisaya is not encouraged anymore by linguists due to the many languages within the Visayan language group that may be confused with the term.

Written by Karl Gaverza
Cebuano Translation by Cristine Jane Orias
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Cristine Jane Orias

Inspired by The Sangkabagi description in El folklore Filipino . Isabelo delos Reyes, trans. Dizon and Peralta-Imson. 1994. (Original Spanish Manuscript printed 1889)

Sangkabagi Illustration by Florence Alcantara

*Note this story is in Ilocano

Rabiin idi, idi immay isu na.

Ammom sika, tatta ngay nga malgip ko, kuna nan sa nga gapo ta inbatik nga nakalukat adiay tawa’k ket mabalin isu na nga umuneg.

Iti malaglagip ko ket dadael adiay aircon ko idi, ket baraen akon, isu nga nilukatak adiay tawa. Naka-electric fan ak, yepyepen nak metten ah adiay uni na, aginggana nairidep ko met laengen.

Inot-inot nak nga nga nariing idi, ta makanggeg ak metten iti kasla agsasao ngay nga diyak maawatan, adiay uni na ket kasla ngay umasideg-umadayo, umasideg-umadayo.

Haan ko maibaga kitdi nu inya’t adiay nagparang. Adda metten iti bilog nga tumtumpaw idiay batog ko, iti kadakkel na ket kasla adiay pagil-iladak, santo adda iti nakaparang nga babai nga ammok lattan ah nga sabali isu, ta idi inted na adiay ima na tapno ibangon nak ket nakalam-lamiis met lakitdin.

Idiay met ket iti rugi na iti amin.

Tila’t nap-napanan mi, napasyar mi iti amin nga suli iti lubong idi nga rabii, adda adiay adda kami iti baybay nga nakaranranyag iti danom na, santo adda kami metten iti tep-ang iti nakangatngato a bantay, nga haan ko pay nga ammo nu kasatno kami nga naka-apan. Iti ritnak ket amin nga suli iti lubong ket napanan mi idi. Mabalin sa pay nga agpayso iti napanunot ko.

Saan ko a malipatan dagidiay nakitak idi nga rabii. Napan kami iti ilang nga nalipatanen iti tao, naiggamake pay adiay darat ken tapok na nga haan nga marun-runot, ken agidiay dissuor! Adiay kinatan-oc na adiay nga danom, nga nasilawan pay iti bulan, malagip ko pay laeng nu agkidem nak.

Nangrugin iti damdamag ken pnnakaawan iti talek ko kinyana, sinno ngata isu, ken kasatno na nga naamwan dagitoy amin nga inpakita na kinyak tatta a rabii. Kasla ammo na met iti panpanunotek, ta indissaag na met adiay bilog, sa na inbaskaag iti amin nga iduldulin na.

Nangidisu isu iti libro a dakkel iti sangok, sa na inbaga no inya iti nailemmeng a bileg na daytoy. Kuna na nga napanaganan isu iti libro de combania , nga iti nu usarek daytoy, makapan ak uray ayan na iti kayat ko nga papanan, nu laeng panunotek a naimbag.

Sinaludsod ko isu na nu apay na ibagbagak amin nga sansanikwa na kinyak, ket kinatawaan nak laeng. Adda kano iti nakita na kinyak nga gapo na, sa nak dinamag nu kano anya’t pagusarak daytoy a libro.

Saan ko nga masungbatan a dagos iti saludsod na. napanunot ko, pangusarak ngata agpayso? Innak ngata umuneg iti banko, tapno agtakaw? Wenno saan aya nga maymayat nga mapan iti rabaw iti kangatuan a banbantay? Panunotek pay ngata iti pamilya’k, sa nak agawid?

Ngem uray inya’t ragsak ko, haan ko maikkat adiay maritritnak nga sabali.

Kimmita ak kinyana, nagsabat iti mata mi, sa nak nakaritna iti kasla kuryente idiay bukot ko.

Maddik man makuna nu pay ak mabuteng kinyana. Saan ngata ta uray adda iti it-itde na kinyak a bileg, ket pinag-uray ko isu na kasangwanan ak nga simmungbat?

Ðinamag nak nu saan ko aya nga awaten iti it-ited na?

Haan ak nga nakasungbat.

Ado a dakes a sao iti nanggeg ko, agkakadakes nga ammo nga maipanggep kinyak.

Tabbed. Ingrato.

Nu man agpayso, ket agpayso, ngem saan ko nga awaten iti it-ited na kinyak. Saanen, malpas nga nagsabat iti mata mi.

Kinugtaran nak, natnag ak adiay bilog na, napigsa nga angin iti nangngeg ko habang matmatnag ak. Insaganak iti bagik para it ammok nga nalamiiis nga danom iti baybay.

Imbes nga lami-is nga danom, natnag ak iti pagidaak, idiay uneg iti kwarto, nga kasla awan latta iti napasamak.

Nag-uyek ak, dara iti intuprak. Isu gayamen iti rugi na iti aminen.

Tatta adda ak ditoy, nakailad, laglagipek iti napalabas, ken iti amin nga kamadi-an nga in-gapo na.

Haan nga makuna ken maawaten iti doctor nu inya iti rit-ritnaek, ken haan ko met nga maibaga kinyada adiay istorya adiay babae. Dinawat ko laengen nga pagawiden dak, ken nu laeng kuma mabalin ket palliative care laengen iti aramiden da. No haan da nga maikuna, uray mamin-ano dak nga duyuken iti hiringgilya, ket kay-kayat ko pay nga matay ak idiay balay.

Kuna na nu apong ko ket mang-ayab kano iso iti adda iti laing-laing nan ga mang-kita kinyak, ta bareng maagsan ak kano pay. Wen lattan, lola, agyaman ak, kunak, ngem haan ak nga agnam-naman nga umimbag ak pay.

Nagkidem ak, ken limmagip.

Adiay natangsit nga mat ana, ken adiay dissuor.

ken inya’t ritna na iti tumayab.

=———————————–=

English Version

She came in the night.

It’s funny, looking back I think it was the window I left open that might have been a sign for her to enter.

I remember my aircon was broken and I wanted to let the cold in, the hot air being kept at bay by the electric fan and its gentle sound, nudging me to blissful sleep.

I woke up to the sound of her voice catching waves of my consciousness towards her. Each ebb and flow pulsing towards a barely audible sound.

What was there defied explanation. A boat as large as my bed floated above me. On it was a woman, though I could tell she wasn’t ordinary. Her hand felt cold to my touch. She beckoned I come closer.

And that’s when it began.

We traveled the world that night, going from crystal clear beaches to gigantic mountains in the blink of an eye. Part of me thought that we crossed the whole globe then. Maybe I was right.

I will never forget what I saw then. We went to deserts forgotten by man and fondled the sands that kept time at bay, and the waterfalls! Such pristine majesty amplified by the moonlight. I still think of them when I close my eyes.
I tried to look at her throughout all of this. My mind wanted to know who she was and how she did these things.

As if she sensed my thoughts, she set the flying ship down by a lagoon and told me her secrets.

She set before me a book, larger than any book I had seen before and told me of its power. The woman said it was called the libro de la combania and she said that it could take me anywhere I wished. All I needed to do was think of a location and I would be there in an instant.

When I asked why she was telling me this, she laughed. She said there was something in me that interested her and she asked me what I would do with the book.

I didn’t answer her right away, my mind was filled with ideas clashing to the forefront. Would I use it to go in a bank and take as much money as I’d like? Would it be better to see the world from atop mountains? Would I think of my family and return home?

Excitement raced through my thoughts, but a part of me held back.

I looked into her eyes and electricity raced through my spine.

I didn’t know why the woman scared me so much. It might have been because she was offering me so much power, but I hesitated just long enough that she noticed.

She asked me if I would reject her gift.

I didn’t reply.

A string of profanities filled the air, words that should never be put together were strung as curses directed my way.

She called me a fool and an ingrate.

Maybe I was, but I would not accept the gifts she was giving me. Not after I saw her eyes.

She kicked me out of the boat and I could feel the wind rushing past me as I fell from the sky. I prepared myself to feel the cold water from the lagoon below.

Instead of the plunging into the clear waters, I fell on my bed, in my room as if nothing had happened.

I coughed then and I noticed there was blood, a prelude to my future troubles.

And here I stay, in my bed thinking of the past and the damage that it had dealt to me.

The doctors don’t know what’s wrong with me and I won’t tell them about the woman. I asked to be returned home for palliative care. If all the needles and prodding couldn’t solve it, I didn’t want to die in a hospital bed.

My lola said she would call a faith healer. I thanked her for the gesture but I think it’s too late for me.

I close my eyes and I remember.

Her cruel eyes and the waterfalls.

And what it was like to fly.

=——————————=

*Ilocano is the third most-spoken local language of the Philippines.An Austronesian language, it is related to such languages as Malay (Indonesian and Malaysian), Tetum, Chamorro, Fijian, Maori, Hawaiian, Samoan, Tahitian, Paiwan and Malagasy. It is closely related to some of the other Austronesian languages of Northern Luzon, and has slight mutual intelligibility with the Balangao language and the eastern dialects of the Bontoc language.

Written by Karl Gaverza
Ilocano translation by Ronan Espinueva
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Ronan Espinueva

Inspired by The Sangkabagi description in El folklore Filipino . Isabelo delos Reyes, trans. Dizon and Peralta-Imson. 1994. (Original Spanish Manuscript printed 1889)

Sangkabagi Illustration by Florence Alcantara

She came in the night.

It’s funny, looking back I think it was the window I left open that might have been a sign for her to enter.

I remember my aircon was broken and I wanted to let the cold in, the hot air being kept at bay by the electric fan and its gentle sound, nudging me to blissful sleep.

I woke up to the sound of her voice catching waves of my consciousness towards her. Each ebb and flow pulsing towards a barely audible sound.

What was there defied explanation. A boat as large as my bed floated above me. On it was a woman, though I could tell she wasn’t ordinary. Her hand felt cold to my touch. She beckoned I come closer.

And that’s when it began.

We traveled the world that night, going from crystal clear beaches to gigantic mountains in the blink of an eye. Part of me thought that we crossed the whole globe then. Maybe I was right.

I will never forget what I saw then. We went to deserts forgotten by man and fondled the sands that kept time at bay, and the waterfalls! Such pristine majesty amplified by the moonlight. I still think of them when I close my eyes.
I tried to look at her throughout all of this. My mind wanted to know who she was and how she did these things.

As if she sensed my thoughts, she set the flying ship down by a lagoon and told me her secrets.

She set before me a book, larger than any book I had seen before and told me of its power. The woman said it was called the libro de la combania and she said that it could take me anywhere I wished. All I needed to do was think of a location and I would be there in an instant.

When I asked why she was telling me this, she laughed. She said there was something in me that interested her and she asked me what I would do with the book.

I didn’t answer her right away, my mind was filled with ideas clashing to the forefront. Would I use it to go in a bank and take as much money as I’d like? Would it be better to see the world from atop mountains? Would I think of my family and return home?

Excitement raced through my thoughts, but a part of me held back.

I looked into her eyes and electricity raced through my spine.

I didn’t know why the woman scared me so much. It might have been because she was offering me so much power, but I hesitated just long enough that she noticed.

She asked me if I would reject her gift.

I didn’t reply.

A string of profanities filled the air, words that should never be put together were strung as curses directed my way.

She called me a fool and an ingrate.

Maybe I was, but I would not accept the gifts she was giving me. Not after I saw her eyes.

She kicked me out of the boat and I could feel the wind rushing past me as I fell from the sky. I prepared myself to feel the cold water from the lagoon below.

Instead of the plunging into the clear waters, I fell on my bed, in my room as if nothing had happened.

I coughed then and I noticed there was blood, a prelude to my future troubles.

And here I stay, in my bed thinking of the past and the damage that it had dealt to me.

The doctors don’t know what’s wrong with me and I won’t tell them about the woman. I asked to be returned home for palliative care. If all the needles and prodding couldn’t solve it, I didn’t want to die in a hospital bed.

My lola said she would call a faith healer. I thanked her for the gesture but I think it’s too late for me.

I close my eyes and I remember.

Her cruel eyes and the waterfalls.

And what it was like to fly.

Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Inspired by The Sangkabagi description in El folklore Filipino . Isabelo delos Reyes, trans. Dizon and Peralta-Imson. 1994. (Original Spanish Manuscript printed 1889)

Sangkabagi Illustration by Florence Alcantara

“I still look for her

In the forests

In empty fields