In Your Heart
***Melchor F. Cichon
The red roses
I have been sending you
Will not wilt
If only you will keep their fragrance
In your heart.
When I return
Into your arms,
I shall untangle
The bitter memories
That entwine your heart.
Sunday, December 18, 2022
Saturday, December 10, 2022
Saeamat Gid Ginoo
Saeamat Gid Ginoo
***Melchor F. Cichon
Oct. 15, 2022
Saeamat gid Ginoo
Sa pagtao Mo't kahigayunan
Nga makaagi ako
Sa rayang kalibutan.
Makaagi ag makapamati
Sa mga huni't mga pispis
Sa kabukiran, sa kaeanasan.
Makaagi ag makakita
It buean, it adlaw
Maski kon amat
Hay ginatabuan ra't maitum nga gae-um.
Makaagi ag mabatyagan
Ko ro kaeamig ag ro kainit
Ku hangin, ku adlaw
Ag ro pagkupkop kang Nanay ag kang Tatay
Ag kang mga unga ag kang asawa.
Saeamat gid Ginoo
Ay ginpaagi Mo ako
Sa kalibutan ngara
Agod mabatyagan ko
Kon ano kasadya
Nga makabulig ako sa pagpatindog
Sa sangkatawong natumba,
Sa pagpaugwad ku literaturang Akeanon,
Agod mabatyagan ko ro katam-is it dugos
Ag ro kaap-eod it apdo't pangabuhi.
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
Araw ni Bonifacio
Adlaw ni Bonifacio-
ginkupkupan ni Andres Bonifacio
si Emilio Aguinaldo
***Melchor F. Cichon
Nov. 30, 2022
Araw ni Bonifacio--
niyakap ni Andres Bonifacio
si Emilio Aguinaldo
Sunday, November 20, 2022
Bagyo Paeng
Bagyo Paeng--
nagkagunit-gunit eon ro mga dahon it saging
sa siging pagbinayle
***Itsong, Nov. 20, 2022
Tuesday, October 25, 2022
The Boy Who Wanted to Swallow Santol Seeds
The Boy Who Wanted to Swallow Santol Seeds
By
Melchor F. Cichon
October 21, 2020
“Oh, Itsong, why did you come home only now?” inquired his father. “Isn’t it that your classes end at four in the afternoon? It’s already five thirty!”, his father added.
Before Itsong answered him, he first reached his father’s right hand to kiss it.
"God bless you, Anak."
“Tay, we passed by the house of our classmate, Ambeth,” Itsong answered. “They have a big santol tree in their backyard with too many ripe fruits. They are so sweet, Father. We even swallowed the seeds.”
“What! You swallowed the seeds? If these seeds will stock up in your throat, you will be gone forever!” his father warned him.
“Not really, Tay! They just slide down into my throat once I swallow them.”
“OK, go on swallowing more santol seeds! Don’t you know that santol seeds grow in the stomach? When that happens, you won’t be able to move. Santol will tear you into pieces!”
“Really, ‘Tay?”
“Yes! Now, go and change your clothes, then work on your assignments.”
“Yes, Tay.” And he proceeded to his room.
Itsong is Grade Three at Lezo Integrated School, in Lezo, Aklan, about a kilometer away from their house in Sta. Cruz, Lezo. He is the only child of Tatay Jose and Nanay Soriang. His father is a farmer and his mother, a weaver of abaca fiber. She turns these into mosquito nets. The wall of their house, which is along the highway, is made of bamboo and nipa leaves with nipa roofing and split bamboo for the flooring. It’s floor is about five feet above the ground. They use bamboo stairs to go up their house.
On school days, Itsong just walked back and forth to their school, although there were public jeepneys and tricycles in their area. He saved the money being given to him as his fare. He deposited this in his bamboo bank on their wall for his birthday celebration. While reading his science book, Itsong thought of what his father just told him. But he believed that swallowing sandol’s seeds while eating it’s pulp, especially the seeds of the native big santol, is very satisfying.
So on the next day, he and his classmates again passed by the house of Ambeth and they again ate santol. Of course, Itsong again swallowed its seeds. Unfortunately, the last seed that he swallowed stocked up at his throat. He kept on coughing, but the seed would not get out. He got nervous. Ambeth noticed the situation of Itsong. Immediately, Ambeth came to his rescue. He told Itsong to bend his neck, and in just one pound with his fist on Itsong’s nape, the seed came out. Itsong breathed deeply and thanked Ambeth for his help. But Itsong said that if Ambeth will again invite him and his classmates to pass by their house to eat santol, he would still come and eat santol and swallow its seeds.
Five minutes after that, Itsong went home. But before he left, Ambeth jokingly said that they would still eat santol the following day.
“Of course, I will!” Itsong said as he walked on his way home, “And swallow its seeds!”
When Itsong reached home, his father was standing in front of their house.
“Oh, you came home late again, Itsong. Perhaps, you again passed by the house of your friend, Ambeth. And perhaps, they still have some more santol there.”
As usual, Itsong would first kiss his father’s hand before he would say anything to him.
“Yes, Father. Our classmates and I passed by the house of Ambeth and we again ate some santol there. I really love to eat santol. I am just taking this opportunity because we can only eat santol once a year,” Itsong said. He remembered what happened to him earlier.
“OK. Continue eating santol and swallowing its seeds. If that seed will grow in your stomach, that’s the time when you will obey me.”
“That’s not true, Tay!”
“It’s up to you if you will not believe in me. But I have warned you. OK. Go inside now and change your clothes and then work on your assignments.”
“Thank you, Tay.” And he proceeded into his room.
After eating their supper, Itsong felt that something was moving inside his stomach. But he did not mind this. He went back to his room and went to sleep.
Usually, he would wake up at around six thirty in the morning. But this time, he woke up at five in the morning. He felt that something was moving inside his stomach. A few minutes after, he noticed that something was getting out of his right ear. He went in front of his mirror on the wall of his room to see what was coming out of his ear. And he saw that a fresh santol leaf was getting out of his ear. He wanted to call his mother, but another santol leaf was blocking his mouth so he could not say any word. He wanted to cry, but then fresh santol leaves simultaneously came out through his two eyes. Then two other santol leaves sprouted out of his two noses. He wanted to run out of his room, but some hardy roots came out of his anus and penetrated through the floor of his room and penetrated to the ground. He was helpless, so he had to stand still as he felt his body being split out as the tree was steadily growing bigger. He lost his consciousness.
At that time, Itsong’s mother was preparing their breakfast. And since she was through with her cooking, she went out of the kitchen to check Itsong in his room. She was shocked when she noticed that a santol tree was rapidly growing inside Itsong’s room and parts of Itsong’s body had been sliced into pieces. Her mother rapidly ran to her husband who was sleeping in the other room, and nervously informed him of what happened to Itsong. Immediately, Itsong’s father woke up and walked hurriedly at Itsong’s room and found the growing santol tree with some flesh of Itsong on its branches, hanging. By this time, the branches of the santol had penetrated through their rooftop. Itsong’s father just held his own forehead. And said, “I told him so! But he was hard headed!”
Tuesday, October 18, 2022
Monday, October 17, 2022
Sunday, October 16, 2022
Saeamat Gid Ginoo
Saeamat Gid Ginoo
***Melchor F. Cichon
Oct. 15, 2022
Saeamat gid Ginoo
Sa pagtao Mo't kahigayunan
Nga makaagi ako
Sa rayang kalibutan.
Makaagi ag makapamati
Sa mga huni't mga pispis
Sa kabukiran, sa kaeanasan.
Makaagi ag makakita
It buean, it adlaw
Maski kon amat
Hay ginatabuan ra't maitum nga gae-um.
Makaagi ag mabatyagan
Ko ro kaeamig ag ro kainit
Ku hangin, ku adlaw
Ag ro pagkupkop kang Nanay ag kang Tatay
Ag kang mga unga ag kang asawa.
Saeamat gid Ginoo
Ay ginpaagi Mo ako
Sa kalibutan ngara
Agod mabatyagan ko
Kon ano kasadya
Nga makabulig ako sa pagpatindog
Sa sangkatawong natumba,
Sa pagpaugwad ku literaturang Akeanon,
Agod mabatyagan ko ro katam-is it dugos
Ag ro kaap-eod it apdo't pangabuhi.
Sunday, October 09, 2022
Kon Tan-awon Ko si Ambeth
Kon Tan-awon Ko si Ambeth*
***Melchor F. Cichon
September 9, 1995
Kon tan-awon ko si Ambeth nga naga-arado
Sa gina-agsahan nga eanas,
Ginapanumdom ko ra Nanay sa katre
Nga gahueat it grasya sa eangit.
Gatueok sa bubungan
Kon siin makita ro pilambato nga bituon
Sa magae-umon nga kaeangitan.
Apang ra uyahon ka anang Nanay
Hay masiga paris it daho't saging
Kon silakan sa agahon.
***
This is my other old poem which I discovered in my old notebook.
Galitik Eon Rang Eanas
Galitik Eon Rang Eanas*
Melchor F. Cichon
May 30, 1994
Galitik eon rang eanas.
Owa eon man gapaeapit
Ro mga taeabong
Sa ang eangbon--
Inubos eon sanda't baril ni Juan ag ni Uncle Sam.
Mga onga eon lang
Nanday Tay Omeng ag ni Nong Ulding
Ro gaestorya kakon
Kon kapoy eon sanda
Sa andang pagpaeupad it bulador.
Maski rang apo nga ginbutiti ko
Hasta makatapos sa kolehiyo
Hay owa eon man ngani nakapadaea kakon
It maski putos it sigarilyo.
Ro mais nga gintanum ko
Hay owa eon man mapusli
Ay tag-aeanyon eon ra bunga
Hay ginpanungan man it mga maputing buhok nga eanggam.
Gusto ko man kunta magtanum it paeay
Ugaling owa ako't inugbakae
It krudo ag inugsuhoe sa manug-arado.
Ag ro insektisaid man
Nga owa't eabot nga gapang-uk-ok it kuko
Hay ginpang-ubos man nana ro kuhoe ag ro mga puyo ag pantat
Sa kaeanasan ag sa kasubaan.
Peru indi bale
Mangayo eon lang ako't bulig
Sa teknisyan it gobyerno
Kon ano ro mayad sa problema ko.
Ugaling basi pangayuan man nana ako't eana
Agod makadaeagan ro anang trisikad
Ag owa eon ako't kueouton
Nga ninoy sa akong buesa.
***
*I accidentally discovered this poem in one of my old notebooks. This is dated May 30, 1994.
Friday, October 07, 2022
Pagtunod it ugsad
pagtunod it ugsad--
ro katam-is king bibig kabii
malasahan ko pa gihapon
***Melchor F. Cichon
Oct. 4, 2020
Haiku
long night has begun
her embrace lasts forever
displayed Christmas trees
***Melchor F. Cichon
October 7, 2022
My Reaction To The Proposed Ordinance for the Creation of the Provincial Council for Culture and the Arts in Aklan
My Reaction To The Proposed Ordinance for the Creation of the
Provincial Council for Culture and the Arts in Aklan
by
Melchor F. Cichon
September 28, 2014
September 28, 2014
UMPIL Awardee
From the recent diggings found in Tigayon Cave, in Tigayon, Kalibo, we can bravely say that Aklan is indeed one of the oldest civilized places in the Philippines.
The presence of the Ati in Aklan and their songs as mentioned by Mr. Alexander De Juan in his write-up will certainly prove that indeed Aklan is one of the oldest civilized places in the Philippines.
The early alphabet that was noted by Fiorella I. Nabor in one of the poems, Hambae Inakeanon, will likewise prove that early civilization had taken place in Aklan. The copy of this poem in its original text is reprinted in my book, The 32 Best Aklanon Poets, 2009.
All these cultural heritage have to be taken care of. Not only taken care of, but have to be preserved and developed so that our future generations will have something to look into. And be a proud Aklanon.
Even before the founding of Akeanon Literary Circle in the early 1980s, our early writers like Roman dela Cruz, Manuel Laserna, Dominador Ilio, etc. have been writing poetry, short stories, essays, dramas.
A literary renaissance took place in the early 1980s when a group of young Aklanon writers like Alexander De Juan, Joeffrey Ricafuente, Pett Candido, Arwena Tamayo, John Barrios, Mila de la Rosa-Ibanez, Edna Romulo Faral, Melchor F. Cichon, and others started writing poetry, short stories, essays, and drama in Aklanon. Some of their works have been published in local, national, and international publications.
Some of them have also won both local and national poetry contests and awards. Mr. Melchor F. Cichon, for example, is the only Aklanon Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (UMPIL) awardee. Dr. John Barrios and Mr. Cichon are both Cultural Center of the Philippines awardees in short story and poetry writing, respectively.
Among the published books that feature the works of Aklanon writers are Ani Aklanon,1993; 32 Best Aklanon Poets,2009; and Matimgas nga Paeanoblion, edited by Melchor F. Cichon and others.
Mr. Roman dela Cruz published the Five-Language Dictionary, so far the most comprehensive Aklanon dictionary and Mr. Belisarius dela Cruz, translated the first Aklanon translation of the New Testaments.
With the establishment of Akeanon Literary Circle, some poetry workshops have been conducted to help develop the creative writing skills of our young Aklanons. And hundreds of young Aklanons have availed of these workshops.
Many other things can still be done by Aklanons to preserve and develop our cultural heritage.
One of this is the creation of Aklanon Archives and Museum wherein Aklaniana print and non-print materials should be stored, preserved, managed and served to all interested students, researchers, and scholars.
One of the major problems being encountered by the Aklanon writers is the financial support from our government. If only our local government can financially support the holding of more creative writing workshops and poetry contests in Kalibo and in the different towns of Aklan, more and more Aklanons will be encouraged to write poetry and other literary pieces. Soon we will have Aklanon Palanca awardees. And more Aklanon literary works will be included in Philippine literary anthologies.
Another problem that are being encountered by Aklanon writers is the non-standardization of Aklanon spelling especially in the use of u and o, and in the proper use of Aklanon prefixes like nag, mag, etc. The Summer Institute of Linguistics-Philippine Language has proposed a spelling guideline, but this has not been adopted by Aklanon language experts. Part One of The Study of the Aklanon Dialect by Vicente Salas Reyes et al, 1969, also presents guidelines on Aklanon language. On this regards, it’s high time that Aklanon language experts should work together to standardize Aklanon spelling. This also needs government supports.
It is therefore commendable that Mr. Alexander de Juan has proposed the creation of an ordinance creating a Provincial Council for Culture and the Arts in Aklan. I am certain that with the establishment of this Council, our cultural heritage will be given more attention, and it will help boast our tourism industry.
Sunday, September 25, 2022
Friday, September 23, 2022
Friday, September 16, 2022
Children Poetry
Children Poetry
This is a collection of children poetry which I translated into Aklanon. Some of the original poems are in English with unknown authors.
I See the Moon
I see the moon,
And the moon sees me;
God bless the moon,
And God bless me.
**Unknown author
Makita ko ro Buean
Makita ko ro buean,
Ag makita man ako't buean;
Ginbendisyonan it Ginuo ro buean,
Ag ginbendisyonan man ako't Ginuo.
**Translated into Aklanon by Melchor F. Cichon
Sept. 16, 2022
Thursday, September 15, 2022
Monday, August 29, 2022
Wednesday, July 20, 2022
Tuesday, July 05, 2022
tea time
tea time--
pouring our heartaches and headaches
in our cups of tea
***Melchor F. Cichon
July 5, 2022
Ro Belen Kakon ni Nanay
Ro belen kakon ni Nanay,
Kon ako mangasawa,
Pilion ko ro Akeanon.
Owa't eabot nga gwapa, mabinuligon pa.
***Maeara, July 5, 2022
Sunday, July 03, 2022
Ro belen kakon ni Tatay
Ro belen kakon ni Tatay...
Kon ako mangasawa
Magbakae ako't air-phone
Agod kon magwinakaea rang asawa
Ro limog ni Céline Dion rang mabatian.
***Maeara
July 3, 2022
Saturday, July 02, 2022
THE RENAISSANCE OF THE AKLANON LITERATURE: FOCUSING ON AKLANON POETRY
Reprint ko eang ra:
THE RENAISSANCE OF THE AKLANON LITERATURE: FOCUSING ON AKLANON POETRY*
MELCHOR F. CICHON
March 16, 2001
Hiligaynon and Kinaray-a speakers would always joke Aklanons as pihit. It started when Datu Bangkaya could not pronounce letter l . Because his followers loved him so much, they followed the way their leader spoke. Later, his method of speaking became the correct way. So the letter l became the letter e. We therefore have baeay instead of balay; baeo instead of balo. But not all L in Aklan is changed to e. We therefore have balot, Kalibo, Balete. There is no rule how to change l to e. It is only the Aklanon natives who know when to use e instead of l. But I have a theory, that Aklanon words that existed before the coming of the Spaniards had no letter l. But words that were introduced after the arrival of the Spaniards carried letter l. . So we have bala, and bilding, lugar.
Another idiosyncrasy the Aklanon language has is its vowels. I think the only language in the Philippines that has seven continuous vowels in one word is Aklanon. For example we have nagaueo-ueo, (cajoling), and nagakaeaeaeam, (itching all).
This is one reason why Aklanons wanted to become independent province from Capiz. This dream came true when Pres. Ramon Magsaysay signed into law R.A. 1414 on April 26 1956. But this separation was just a confirmation that Aklan was once a separate province. We can recall that when the Ten Bornean Datus came to Panay, they separated this island into three sakup: Irong-Irong, Hamtik, and Aklan. Take note there was no Capiz. So I think that Capiz was once a part of Aklan. Capiz became the seat of the Spanish government in that part of Panay when they noticed that Capiz was more progressive than Aklan.
Aklanon poetry writing in Aklan is still a toddler, but very much alive. It started with Dr. Leoncio P. Deriada.
Since the first writing workshop held in Kalibo in 1991 conducted by Dr. Deriada of the U.P. in the Visayas, many Aklanon poets wrote poems in Aklanon and Filipino.
This is historical because for many years, Aklanon poets have been writing in English and in Tagalog. As far as I know, it was Manuel Laserna who started writing poems in Aklanon. Whether his Aklanon poems were published or not, I do not know. Two of his poems were translated from Aklanon to English in the book Texts and Contexts of Lucilla Hosellos.
Some of those contemporary works were anthologized in Patubas and in Ani 21 (Aklanon issue). Both publications were edited by Dr. Deriada. Some of the active Aklanon poets are the following: John Barrios, Alexander de Juan, Pett Candido, Joeffrey Ricafuente, Am I. Roselo, Roman de la Cruz, Rowena Tamayo, Sumra I. De la Cruz, Velleyzarius I. De la Cruz, Monalisa Tabernilla, Greg Ibesate, Dominador Ilio, Ronnie Inventor, Abou Ben Dianco, Allan Corro, Benny Tirazona and myself. Except for Dominador Ilio, all of them were nurtured by Dr. Deriada.
Consequently, some of them have won awards. Alex de Juan won first prize in the 1994 NCCA All-Visayan Poetry Contest (Aklanon Division). He was also chosen as an Outstanding Student of the Year 1995 by the College of Arts and Sciences, U.P. in the Visayas on Literature. John Barrios is the 1995 Cultural Center of the Philippine grantee for Short Story in Aklanon and was chosen Outstanding Student of the Year 1995 by the CAS-UPV on Theater Arts. Roman de la Cruz, known as the Patriach of Aklanon writers won first prize during the 1994 Creative Writing Workshop held in Mt. Makiling.
Years back, Aklanon poets and fictionists have been clamoring for a magazine that could publish their literary outputs, they be in English or in Aklanon. That dream has not been fulfilled.
What has been fulfilled so far is a space for poems in Aklanon and in English in the Aklan Reporter, a weekly newspaper edited and published by Roman de la Cruz.
In answer to that, the Akean Literary Circle through my encouragement founded a one-page monthly poetry journal. Entitled Bueabod, its first issue came out in January 1994. This journal has featured, among others, the works of Roman de la Cruz, Dominador Ilio, Tomas Talledo, Felino Garcia, and Edel Cruz, a Palanca awardee. Since then, it came out irregularly. Today it is hibernating. The good point in this journal is that many of the poems in this journal were anthologized in Patubas and in Ani (Aklanon issue). Also Isagani Cruz had selected some of the poems here as the best poems in his monthly selection. This journal is edited by John Barrios, Alex de Juan and myself.
The editors of Bueabod hope to continue publishing this journal despite financial constraints. One of their missions is to erase the idea among Flipino writers that there is only one literature in Panay and that is Hiligaynon literature. The truth of the matter is that, we Aklanon writers do not want to be included in the Hiligaynon literature. We want our literature to be called Aklanon literature, nothing else. The move of Dr. Deriada to call the literatures in Panay and Negros as Western Visayas Literature is a better term, rather than Hiligaynon Literature. To us that is Hiligaynon colonialism.
It is true that there are not so many creative writers in Aklan. But Aklanons have produced poems, short stories in Aklanon and in English. Novels in Tagalog have been written by Joi Barrios of the U.P. in Diliman. N.V.M. Gonzales, by the way is an Aklanon by blood. His father is from Aklan. Jose Dalisay, Jr., that multi-awardee playwright, also from U.P. Diliman, is also an Aklanon. His father is from Ibajay, Aklan. Dominador Ilio, one of the pillars in Philippine Literature is also from Malinao, Aklan.
If those writers who want to label us Aklanon writers as Hiligaynon writers, I suggest that they first read these two simple lines:
Ro kaeamay gaeapuyot sa kaeaha.
Ro anwang gaeugaeog sa euganeogan. If they can read them without twisting their tongues and understand each word, without getting help from an Aklanon, then probably they have the right to claim that Aklanon poems, riddles, and short stories should be part of Hiligaynon literature.
Otherwise, they should think thrice.
SA MGA NAGKAEABALI NGA SILAK
Ni
Melchor F. Cichon
Inay, puwede eon baea kita magpamisa?
Total naga-asaw-asaw eon lang man ag ro baha hay owa eon sa karsada.
Ro linti nga anay nagsiad it eangit hay napaeong eon man.
Ro daeogdog nga anay gabayo kang dughan hay haumpawan eon gid man
Ag ro baybay nga nagwenaeas anay hay nagahueagok eon lang man.
Ro baeangaw nga nagpanago sa kilat ag sa nagahagunos nga hangin
Hay nagahiyumhiyom eon sa sidlangan.
Pagkatapos it misa, Inay,
(Pila eon ngani makaron ro baeayran sa misa rikyem?
Si Padre Salve baea gademanda pa gihapon it down payment
Bag-o imaw magsuksok ka anang sutana?)
Sueoron dayon naton sa karsada, sa kaeanasan, sa kagueangan
Ratong mga silak nga nagkaeabali, nagkaeataktak
Sa pag-eusot sa madamoe ag maitum nga gaeom
Masabwagan eang kita it kahayag.
Kon aton sandang hikit-an
Aton sandang haearan it eab-as ag bag-ong buskad nga sampaguita.
Kon may matipon eon kita nga kuwarta,
Patindugan naton sanda’t graniting rebolto sa plasa.
Toto, indi eang kita anay magpamisa
Ay ro kaagahon hay gaeagiik pa
Ag ro kaeangitan sa bibi’t tueondan,
Sa pageunip it adlaw, hay mapueapuea pa.
Owa’t eabot kara, gabaha pa ro dagsa sa karsada ag sa plasa.
Indi kuno ra malempiyuhan it Metro Aides
Ay sinipa eon sanda
Bangud ro gintagana nga inugsweldo kanda
Hay ginsueod sa ibang buesa.
Toto, mayad pa hay mangamuyo eang anay kita
Nga ro nakaeusot nga silak
Sa maitum ag madamoe nga gaeom
Hay indi nagtiurok sa atong tagipusuon.
*This is the original title of The Re-emergence of Aklanon Literature.
Tuesday, June 28, 2022
Sunday, June 26, 2022
Sige Eang, Paayawi!
Sige Eang, Paayawi!
Ni Maeara
June 26, 2021
Tanan nga pispis gahuni
Hasta magpaeaeos ro andang limog
O hasta maubusan it hangin ro andang mga baga.
Ro busay owa’t pahuway ra pagtinubod
Maski owa’t may gasag-ob
O owa’t eanas nga gahigop
Agod ro paeay, mais o baeatong makapabug-at it buesa
Ni Tatay ag ni Nanay.
Ro adlaw owa’t pahuway sa anang pagsinilak
Maski may galipod pa nga gae-um
Katuead sa pagsiniga ku mga bituon ag ku buean
Maski sige ro paghinapay-hapay ku niyog bangod sa bagyyo.
Pareho king pagdinuyan ku atong eabsag
Hasta ra makatueog.
Ag kon tueog eon
Owa man gihapon ro untat king pagpalibog
Kon ano ro ieamhay sa tinuea mo nga tangkong.
Samtang ring Beloved hay sige man ra anang
Pag-inung-ong it Tanduay
Sa binit it karsada kaibahan ka anang mga barkada.
Pero sige eang
Mauntat gid ron
Kon dueaw eon ra kalimutaw;
Kon indi eon imaw kadaea
Ku baso nga andang ginapalibot-libot
Hasta imaw magdupas-dupas
Sa anang pag-uli sa inyong baeay
Monday, June 20, 2022
Luwa in Aklan
Luwa in Aklan
Ni
Melchor F. Cichon
When I was young, I used to go with my elder sisters and brothers to wakes in Sta. Cruz, Lezo, not only because there were pamahaw after the prayer, but because there were many games.
One of these games was burdon. This game was played by about five or more boys and girls. Of course, the elders would sometimes join them.
How is this played?
A group of boys and girls would form a circle and someone would stay at the middle as the "It". The participants would join their hands. One of them would hold a "singsing" or ring and pass this ring from one hand to another. The "It" would as much as possible would catch the "singsing". While this is being done, the players would sing. I can recall part of this song: "Singsing papanawa hasta makaabot sa Hari ag Reyna". Whoever is caught holding the singsing would be penalized by reciting a luwa.
A luwa is a form of poetry that is usually written in four lines. It used to be the first stanza of corrido, that kind of poetry that relates the exploits of kings and princess. There are also luwa that are longer ones. There are also luwa that are used to get the hands of a lady. This is known as enamoracion.
It is said that it is not advisable to recite luwa if one is not in the wake, because it is believed that a member of the family will die if this is done not in its proper place.
Because luwa were recited in wakes as part of a punishment to whoever is the loser in a game like konggit, truth or consequence, bordon, it is very much appreciated if the lines have rhymes, rhythms, and humor. This is one reason why there are nonsense luwa. The rhythms are not consistent though, but there are a lot of luwa that have rhymes. These include luwa with aaaa, aabb, abab patterns.
There are also some luwa that have abcd endings.
Here are examples:
Example of a luwa with an aaaa rhyme:
Pag-agto ko sa Ibajay,
May hakita ako nga patay;
Ginbagting ko ra eagay,
Mas mabaskog pa sa lingganay.
Here you will notice that the endings of all lines are in ay.
For the aabb example:
Pag-agto ko sa bukid
Nakakita ako it ibid;
Paglingot ko sa waea
Gatueok kakon rang nobya.—Melchor F. Cichon (MFC)
Here the first and second lines end in id, while the third and fourth lines end in a.
Here is another ending. The abab:
Igto sa bukid,
May busay nga naga-ilig;
Kon magpaligos igto si Ismid,
May daeang butong nga binulig. --MFC
There are luwa with Spanish and English words.
Paris it navagante
Sa tunga it travisya
Kinueabos rang suwerte
Hay gulpi nga nagisgrasya.
***
Igto sa bukid
May kwarta nga nagaligid
Nagaligid-naga roll
Dumiretso sa waterfall.
There are other luwa that are bawdy, but full of imagery. Here is an example:
Pag-agto ni Inday sa Boracay
Napusa ro anang tuway;
Pagkasayod ka anang nanay,
Ana imaw nga ginminueay.-- MFC
For a nonsense luwa here is a classic example:
Secut erat en principio
Bisan libat basta gwapo;
En principio secut erat
Gwapo pero libat.
Secut erat is a Latin word that means Glory be, a Catholic prayer.
Here are other nonsense luwas:
Nag-agto ako sa Navas
May hakita ako nga bayawas;
Akon nga ginpaeas,
May nahueog nga sibuyas.
There are luwa that have double meanings. These are the luwa that belong to the adults, if they can decipher the meaning. Here is an example:
Maligos ako kunta
Sa maisot mo nga sapa
Ugaling ro kinasaea
May guardia civil sa tunga.--MFC
There are luwas that are really metaphysical. Here is one:
Ako mangunguma nga taga-Lezo
Maagto sa eanas agod mag-arado
Rang saeaburan puno’t bungot-bungot
Rang mabuot nga arado, indi magdueot kon indi magtindog.-- MFC
***
Ako si Haring Marikudo
Manugtanum it amamakoe
Pero ro gusto-gusto gid ni Inday kuno
Amamakoe nga sukoe.-- MFC
***
Kon gusto mo gid man ako
Nga mangin nobya mo;
Ro adlaw imo nga tukuran
Agud indi kita madueman.
Some of the topics being touched in luwa are love, death, courtship, sorrows, happiness, desires. disasters, anything and everything under and above the sun.
What is the difference between the old and the new luwa? In terms of subject matter, number of lines, number of syllables per line, the same.
Perhaps, until proven otherwise, the contemporary luwa have wider scopes like tsunami, and politics, and snows since some of the poets are college trained and have gone to different countries like Canada, America, Switzerland and Germany.
From the luwa that I heard and gathered, I noticed that politics is not given so much importance.
This is one aspect of luwa that should be looked into. I know that luwa like any other poetry can be used to dissect our society, including our politics.
Luwa is dying in Aklan. In fact many of our martial law babies have not heard of luwa.
But luwa is not only confined in Aklan. This was also common in Iloilo, Capiz, Antique, and Guimaras.
Because of this, I wrote luwa. These can now be read in my website: http://aklanonlitarchive.blogspot.com/.../mga-luwa-ni-tay....
Luwa writing is easy. Just remember this:
Focus on one subject.
If possible, inject humor in your luwa.
Try to use rhyme and meter if possible.
Maximize the use of the various figures of speech. But avoid using mixed metaphor.
Be careful with your spelling. Prefixes should be attached to the root words, like pagbakae, ginsueat, etc. Remember the rule on the use ko and ku.
Read and write luwa. There is no other way to learn how to write luwa but to write it yourself.
aklanonlitarchive.blogspot.com
Aklanon Literature Archive: Mga Luwa ni Tay Itsong
Sunday, June 12, 2022
Iwagayway Ro Bandera
Iwagayway Ro Bandera
Ni Melchor F. Cichon
June 12, 2019
Iwagayway
Ro atong bandera
Maski may gaeum
O gabunok ro uean.
Mas eabi pa gid kon gasilak.
Iwagayway
Ro atong bandera
Maski mabug-at
Sa tagipusuon mo.
Nadumduman mo
Si Andres Bonifacio,
Si Emilio Aguinaldo
Ag si Catriona Gray
Nga naghambae nga "Raise your flag"?
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