*Note this story is in Bicol-Naga

“Dati man akong magayon.”

May kinua an tawo saiya urog pa sa gabos na bulawan sa kinaban. Asin uya siya nahuhulid, hinahalat an aldaw kun nuarin siya makakabalos.

An sakuyang tugang na babayi.”

An saiyang tugang na babayi sarong baoó (sea turtle), an saiyang nilalakadan sinususog man kan mga balúd (waves). Nangatakot an mga tawo na baka an saindang mga harong mawara sa ibabaw kan kadagatan. An mga tawo dai man kaipuhan maghadit. Duman nagsusugok an sakuyang tugang kun sain an saiyang mga aki nakakanuod magkamang sa daga. Dai niya nanggad tinugutan na may mangyari sa isla.

Alagad an mga tawo sarong nilalang na tarakuton asin maluya an buot, binunó ninda an baoó tangarig “isalbar” an saindang sadiring lahi siring man kan saindang pagkahayop.

“An mga bulan.”

Kaya kinua niya kun ano an urog na pinakamahalaga sainda. An saindang mga kaingat-ingating Liwanag sa pagkabanggi. An saindang mga bulan namit abo(ashes) sa saiyang nguso. An pagbalos dai na nanggad maibabalik pa an buhay kan saiyang tugang alagad matao ining adal sa katawohan na nanggad dai matatawadan an pakikilaban sa drágon.

“An daguldol.”

Hinalon niya ini saro-saro. Kan hahalunon niya na an ikapito, luminutaw an sarong nakamaskarang diwáta an nakiaram tangarig isalbar an saiyang mahalagang liwanag. An mga tawo man may giniribo. Nagpadaguldol asin nagriribok, ini an habo kan Bakunawa asin ini an dai niya kinamumuyahang madangog puon pa kaidto. Iniluwa niya an ikapitong bulan asin nagbalik pasiring sa kairaruman.

‘Asin uya ako mahalat kun sain ako magigin magayon giraray.”

Saysay ninda na makakabalik  giraray an saiyang totoong anyo kun punduhan niya na an pagtuyo sa ikapitong bulan, alagad sa puso kan mga tawo midbid ninda na dai ini mangyayari. Kinua kan tawo an sarong urog na mahalagang bagay saiya, na dai na mariribayan.

“Dai ako mauntok hanggang dai ninda naaaraman an totoong kahulugan kan kawaran.”

=—————-=

English Version

“I was beautiful once. “

The humans took something from her more precious than all the gold in the world. And here she lies, waiting for the day she can fulfill her revenge.

“My sister.”

Her sister was the sea turtle, whose path was followed by the waves. The humans feared that their home would be lost beneath the sea. The humans needn’t have worried. That was where her sister laid her eggs, where her children would learn to walk on the land. She would never have let anything happen to the island.

But humanity is a scared and frail creature, they butchered her to ‘save’ their own skins like the animals that they were.

“The moons.”

She took from them what they cherished the most. Each of their precious lights in the night. Their moons tasted like ashes in her mouth. Revenge would not bring her sister back but it would teach the humans the price was high when dealing with the dragon.

“The thunder.”

She swallowed them one by one. When she reached the seventh the masked goddess intervened to save her precious light.  Then the humans did something. They let loose thunder and noise, the likes of which the Bakunawa had never heard before. She spat up the seventh moon and retreated beneath the depths.

“And here I wait, until I am beautiful again. “

They say that she will once again regain her true form when she stops hunting the seventh moon, but in the hearts of man they know that will never come to pass. The humans took something precious from her, something irreplaceable.

“I will not stop until they know the true meaning of loss. “

=——————-=

*Central Bicol, commonly called Bicol  Naga, is the most-spoken language in the Bicol Region of southern Luzon, Philippines. It is spoken in the northern and western part of Camarines Sur, second congressional district of Camarines Norte, eastern part of Albay, northeastern part of Sorsogon, San Pascual town in Masbate, and southwestern part of Catanduanes. Central Bicol speakers can be found in all provinces of Bicol and it is a majority language in Camarines Sur.

Written by Karl Gaverza
Bicol Translation by Adrian Bulalacao
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Adrian Bulalacao

Inspired by the Bakunawa myths

Bakunawa Illustration by Ku Rei

“I was beautiful once. “

The humans took something from her more precious than all the gold in the world. And here she lies, waiting for the day she can fulfill her revenge.

“My sister.”

Her sister was the sea turtle, whose path was followed by the waves. The humans feared that their home would be lost beneath the sea. The humans needn’t have worried. That was where her sister laid her eggs, where her children would learn to walk on the land. She would never have let anything happen to the island.

But humanity is a scared and frail creature, they butchered her to ‘save’ their own skins like the animals that they were.

“The moons.”

She took from them what they cherished the most. Each of their precious lights in the night. Their moons tasted like ashes in her mouth. Revenge would not bring her sister back but it would teach the humans the price was high when dealing with the dragon.

“The thunder.”

She swallowed them one by one. When she reached the seventh the masked goddess intervened to save her precious light.Then the humans did something. They let loose thunder and noise, the likes of which the Bakunawa had never heard before. She spat up the seventh moon and retreated beneath the depths.

“And here I wait, until I am beautiful again.“

They say that she will once again regain her true form when she stops hunting the seventh moon, but in the hearts of man they know that will never come to pass. The humans took something precious from her, something irreplaceable.

“I will not stop until they know the true meaning of loss. “

————————–————————–————————–—-

Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Inspired by the Bakunawa myths

Bakunawa Illustration by Ku Rei