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~ Tagalog (Filipino) Translations of Poetry from English and Vice Versa. Run Out of Love and Passion, Never Out of Words.

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Tag Archives: death

Notes from Leyte (found poem from the news)

11 Monday Nov 2013

Posted by DiwaPH in Filipino, poem, Poetry Translation, Tagalog

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Tags

death, Filipino, Filipino translation, Haiyan, letters, life, notes, Philippines, poem, Poetry, storm, super typhoon, superstorm, Tagalog translation, typhoon, Yolanda, YolandaPH

Image
photo: flickr/Patrick Hoesly


Copyright on TEXT/POETRY © 2013 Su Layug. All Rights Reserved.*

Notes from Leyte

(found poem from the news) http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/334829/news/nation/buhi-kami-tanan-yolanda-survivors-send-messages-to-loved-ones

On the rippled edge
of a half-moon paper plate —
perhaps kept dry in a bag
for a wedge of a birthday cake —
the scribbling says,
“Buhi Kami Tanan.”
(We’re All Alive)

On a narrow-ruled page,
ripped from a spiral
that used to bind school notes,
in curly manuscript:
“We’re fine. No house, no food.
Nothing.
Still looking
for Big Diding.
Don’t worry.”

A piece of brown bag,
kept neat, perhaps, to wrap
kan-on, sinugba or a sandwich
that mother or father would have made:
in bold, block letters, says,
“Ate, mom and dad are dead. Please
tell everyone.
No connection.”

I wish the world to write them back:

Mga Sulat Mula sa Leyte

(natuklasang tula, mula sa balita)

Sa alun-along gilid ng hating-buwan
na papel na pinggan —
na maaaring itinabi
para sa isang hiwa ng birthday cake —
nakasulat ito:
“Buhi Kami Tanan.”
(Buhay Kaming Lahat)

Sa makikitid na linya ng isang pahina
na pinunit mula sa alambre
na dati’y nagkukupkop ng mga tala
sa eskwela,
sa mapalabok na panulat:
“Ligtas kami. Walang bahay, walang pagkain.
Waray.
Hinahanap pa rin
si Diding Laki.
Ayaw la kabalaka.”

Sa pirasong paper bag
na masinop ang tiklop, siguro’y pagbabalutan
Ng kan-on, sugba o sandwich
na gagawin sana ni nanay o tatay:
Sa malalaki’t makakapal na letra,
“Ate, patay na si mommy at daddy. Pakisabi
sa lahat.
Walang koneksiyon.”

Pagnanasa ko ang balik-sulat ng mundo:

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Why I love the Dead Red Leaf by Su Layug (a prose-poem translated to Filipino)

02 Saturday Nov 2013

Posted by DiwaPH in Poetry Translation

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Tags

arugula, aspen, Autumn, death, English to Filipino, English to Tagalog, Filipino prose poem, Filipino translation, leaves, life, red oak leaf, seasons, Tagalog prose poem

Image

Copyright © 2013 Su Layug. All Rights Reserved.*

Kung Bakit Gusto Ko ang Patay na Dahong Pula (pagsasalin ng hango) ~ ni Su Layug

Ang Aspen, gamit ang pulido nitong tangkay,  ay ang prima donna ng sayaw na ito. Kahit na bago pa dumating ang pagwawalis ng bagyo, itinatago nito ang kaniyang mukha, tumatalikod upang ihantad ang pinilakang gulugod, na wari’y nagsasabi kay Kamatayan: wala akong nalalabing maibibigay sa iyo,.  Simutin mo man ang buhay kong maputla, kakapit at kakapit pa rin ako bilang kalansay sa aking Puno, sa aking Tadhana.  Sa kalaunang pagkahulog, minumulto ng Aspen ang mga yapakan ng kagubatan. Hindi lang ito basta nakatingala mula sa lupa. Makanti lamang ng hangin, umiiling ito na parang nagsasabi: “Hindi, hindi, hindi!” Wari’y hindi nito matanto o matanggap ang pagkawalang-saysay ng kaniyang tunggali. Ang Don Quixote ng kaharian ng mga dahon, sinasabak ng dahon ng Aspen ang apat na patalim ng windmill ng pagpapalit ng panahon. Ang dahon ng Aspen ay isang kaluluwang pampurgatoryo.

Why I Love the Dead Red Leaf (excerpt) ~ by Su Layug

The Aspen, with its dexterous petiole is the prima donna of this dance. Even before the purge by thunderstorms, it hides its face, shows its silvery back, as though to say to Death: I have nothing left for you to take. Scrape me of my pallid life, I will still cling as skeleton to my Tree, my Destiny. The Aspen leaf, eventually fallen, haunts the forest footpaths. It doesn’t just lie there. At the slightest touch of wind, its body quivers so, “No, no, no!” It doesn’t seem to realize nor accept the futility of its struggle. The Don Quixote of the foliage kingdom,the Aspen leaf fights the four-bladed windmill that is the turning of the season. The Aspen leaf is a purgatory soul.

The whole prose-poem can be read here: https://medium.com/no-category-for-this/bad76a37eb71

*reblogging/linking, as usual practice, is encouraged and permitted. If you have questions, you’re welcome to email or comment right below the title of the post. Thank you.

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Tula ng Agila (Eagle Poem) by Joy Harjo, translated to Filipino by Su Layug

27 Saturday Apr 2013

Posted by DiwaPH in Poetry Translation

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Tags

birth, blessedness, connectivity, death, eagle, Filipino translation, Joy Harjo, life cycle, nature, poem, Poetry, prayer, sacred, stewardship, Tagalog translation

800px-Philippine_Eagle_in_Captivity

The Philippine Eagle in captivity, photo courtesy of scorpious18 on flickr via wikimedia.org under creative commons license

Sa pagsamba, binubuksan mo ang buong sarili
Sa langit, sa lupa, sa araw, sa buwan
Sa kabuuuan ng tinig na ikaw.
At batid pa rin na mayroon pang
Hindi mo nakikita, naririnig;
Hindi mo mababatid maliban sa mga sandaling
Lumalago, at sa mga wikang
Maaaring hindi tunog, kundi ibang
Ikot ng galaw.
Gaya ng agila nitong Linggong umaga
Sa Ilog ng Asin. Umikot sa langit na bughaw
Sa hangin, winalis-linis ang ating mga puso
ng kanyang mga sagradong pakpak.
Nakikita ka namin, nakikita namin ang sarili at nababatid naming
Kailangang pangalagaan nang puspusan
At pagbaitan ang lahat ng bagay.
Huminga nang malalim, sa kaalamang tayo ay binubuo ng
Lahat ng ito, at huminga, sa kaalamang
Tayo ay tunay na pinagpala sapagkat tayo’y
Ipinanganak, at tayo’y lilisan din sa loob ng
Tunay na pag-ikot,
Gaya ng agilang nililibot ang umaga
Ng ating kalooban.
Pinapanalangin natin na maisagawa ito
Sa kagandahan,
Sa kagandahan.

Original poem in English can be read here: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/175881

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

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