Maligayang Pasko!

W.A.M. wishes all readers and bloggers the world over a very Merry Christmas! Maligayang Pasko sa inyong lahat (or, so says this greeting posted on the doors of the Centro de Idiomas of the Universidad de Valladolid).

Soneto XX

Literature, like love, knows no bounds. In an age where poetry seems trivial and love, fleeting, my own translation of the Soneto XX of Pablo Neruda to Filipino aspires to be a reminder of how powerful words are in chronicling the triumphs and failures of love, especially when our very actions fail to grasp its immensity. (Tanto la literatura como el amor no tienen límites. En una época cuando la poesía parece trivial y el amor, pasajero, mi propia traducción del Soneto XX de Pablo Neruda al filipino aspira a ser un recuerdo del poderío de la palabra para recordar los triunfos y las derrotas del amor, sobre todo cuando nuestras mismísimas acciones ya no logran captar su inmensidad.)



Maaari kong tulain ang mga pinakamalulungkot na kataga ngayong gabi.

Tulain, halimbawa, “Maningning ang gabi at kumikislap ang mga bughaw na bituin sa kalayuan.”

Umiihip at umaawit ang hangin sa kalangitan.

Maaari kong tulain ang mga pinakamalulungkot na kataga ngayong gabi.
Minahal ko siya at minsa’y minahal din niya ako.

Sa mga gabing tulad nito hawak ko siya sa aking mga bisig.
Hinahagkan ko siyang makailang ulit sa ilalim ng gabing marikit.

Minahal niya ako, minahal ko rin siya.
Papaanong hindi mo mamahalin ang gayong mga matang mapupungay at makahulugan?

Maaari kong tulain ang mga pinakamalulungkot na kataga ngayong gabi.
Isiping hindi na siya akin. Damhing wala na siya.

Pakinggan ang di masukat na gabi, higit na di masukat ngayong wala na siya.
Sa ganito’y nananaog ang kataga sa kaluluwa tulad ng hamog sa damuhan.

Anong silbi ng pag-ibig kung hindi ko siya maangkin?
Maningning ang gabi at wala siya sa aking piling.

Ito nang lahat. Sa kalayuan ay may umaawit. Sa kalayuan.
Hindi mapayapa ang aking kaluluwa nang siya ay mawalay.

Hinahanap siya ng aking tingin nang sa gayo’y mailapit siya.
Hinahanap siya ng aking puso, ngunit wala na siya sa akin.

Ang dating gabing nagpapakinang sa mga dating puno.
Kami, kaming dating naroon, ay di na katulad ng dati.

Totoong hindi ko na siya mahal, subalit minahal ko siya nang labis!
Hinanap ng aking tinig ang hangin upang marating ang kanyang pandinig.

Sa iba. Siya'y sa iba na. Tulad noong siya’y dati sa aking mga halik. Ang kanyang tinig, ang kanyang katawang mahalina. Ang kanyang mga matang makahulugan.

Totoong hindi ko na siya mahal, ngunit siguro’y mahal ko pa rin siya.
Lubhang napaikli ng pag-ibig, at lubhang napakahaba ng paglimot.

Sapagkat sa mga gabing tulad nito, hawak ko siya sa aking mga bisig.
Hindi pa rin mapalagay ang aking kaluluwa nang siya ay mawalay.

Maging ito man ang huling sakit na idudulot niya sa akin, at maging ito man ang mga huling katagang tutulain ko sa kanya.

Chavacano pop

Chavacano, the Spanish creole language in the Philippines spoken extensively in Zamboanga and Cavite, now enjoys a fair share of mainstream media exposure. I previously wrote about a band called Comic Relief who do their own compositions in the language.

Now, the girl group Mocha is making waves with the dance hit Patcha (kick in English, patada en Español).



El estribillo está escrito en chabacano, mientras que el resto de la canción, en filipino. Hay que decir, sin embargo, que incluso en la propia lengua filipina (tagala), se puede oír muchas palabras españolas.

Kapantay ay langit (As vast as the heavens)

If everything goes according to plan, the Spanish language may be declared co-official in the Philippines come January 2008. As of the moment, the official languages of this Southeast Asian nation is Filipino (based on Tagalog) and English, a legacy of its American colonial past, the regime that came after the fall of the Spanish Empire in 1898.

As gifted polyglots, Filipinos over the years have been able to combine their rich linguistic and cultural patrimony, a proof of which is the following music video of the song Kapantay ay langit (As vast as the heavens). Originally written as a contemporary form of kundiman, it was recently revived as a duet with hints of R&B by singer Janno Gibbs and Asia's Queen of Songs, Pilita Corrales, a speaker of Spanish herself. Listen now to this wonderful and brilliant blend of Filipino, English and Spanish!


My love for you is as vast as the heavens
And I pray always that you be forever happy.
Even though you are in love with someone else,
I shall never ever take offense.

But, love, when the time comes that you are made to cry
Come back to me
For I am waiting for you with all my heart and soul.
My love for you is as vast as the heavens.
It will forever remain the same.

(Pilita: My sweet love,
Even since you left,
My life has been very sad.
I ask you to come back to me.
Please come back here by my side.)

My love for you is as vast as the heavens.
It will forever remain the same.

Columnist Malu Fernandez has finally resigned

Alas! Malu Fernandez has finally resigned due to the mounting pressure from Flips all over the world.

If you've been reading the news over the Internet or the newspapers, you probably know that travel columnist Malu Fernandez had previously written an article called "From Boracay to Greece" for the magazine People Asia. It's about how she wanted to slash her wrist because she had to take a plane with Filipino contract workers in Dubai and they smelled of cheap cologne. The very nouveau riche piece reeks of sanctimoniousness and it makes me wonder to no end how the same writer had the chutzpah to say in a subsequent column that people around the world just didn't get her joke.

So, dear Pinoy readers, whoever and wherever you are, please know that The World According to Marlon is OFW-friendly. ALAVYAH!

Pakiusap

Mag-Filipino naman tayo...

Naiblog ko na rito dati ang tungkol sa kundiman. Isang mambabasa, si Lou S, ay humiling na maglagay daw ako ng halimbawa ng kundiman sa susunod na post. Kaya heto, isa sa mga pinaka-imortal na kundimang kinatha ni Francisco Santiago na pinamagatang Pakiusap. Dahil karaoke, makikita ninyo ang lyrics sa malalim na Tagalog sa mismong video. Kasunod nito ang salin ko sa Ingles. Mabuhay ang wikang Filipino!

(I have written about kundiman in this blog before. A reader, Lou S, asked if I could put a sample of kundiman in my next post. So here it is, one of the immortal masterpieces penned by Francisco Santiago called Pakiusap "Supplication". Since it's in karaoke, you can see the lyrics in classical Tagalog in the video itself. My translation to English is written below. Love live the Filipino language!)

Even if thou art sleeping, my sweet love,
I beg thee to look upon he who bids thee farewell.
Slowly open thy window, my dear,
Gaze upon him and have mercy
For he hath loved thee so much.

Though I lack wealth and ambition,
I offer thee my solemn vow
And my unending affection.

I beg thee: have mercy on me.
For even until death, I hath only loved once.
I hath only loved thee and forever shall it be.

Funny signs for Flips abroad

August is, of course, the month of the Philippine National Language, in recognition of President Manuel Luis Quezon's efforts in consolidating a Filipino lingua franca based on Tagalog. Tomorrow, August 19, is the birthday of Quezon (and my Mom's, hence her name Maria Luisa) and the zenith of the celebrations of the National Language Month.

As I was flipping through my files, I came across two very interesting pictures of signs I've seen abroad. While among non-Filipino speakers the signs may mean nothing more than what they're intended to mean, a true-blue Flip might get the shock of his life when he sees them.

In Bruges, Belgium, in a bar near the main square, a sign reads "Chimay," a popular Trappist beer among Belgians. For Flips, however, the word means "househelp" in its snootiest and most colloquial form.


Elsewhere, in Pamplona, Spain, a restaurant advertises a special dish called "Katamaran," a salad made of lettuce, endives, corn, pineapple and anchovy. In Filipino, the word means "laziness" but preparing the salad seems anything but being lazy.

UP Naming Mahal (UP Beloved)

Finally, a music video of the Alma Mater song of the University of the Philippines, UP Naming Mahal (English: UP Beloved), sung by the UP Concert Chorus. The song was composed by Philippine National Artist for Music and Professor of the UP College of Music, the late Nicanor Abelardo.

Cheers to UP! We eagerly await your 100th birthday next year! Mabuhay ang pag-asa ng bayan!

Filipino lessons in Russia

This is extremely inspiring! It turns out that in the University of Moscow in Russia, Filipino (Tagalog) is taught as a foreign language. See how one of the professors, Ekaterina Baklanova, speaks it very fluently. Book me a flight to Moscow, quick!

The universality of Filipino music

While most people in the Philippines prefer listening to foreign (Read: American) tunes, Filipino music has reached far-flung places and is enjoyed by people as diverse as Czechs and Venezuelans. It's a wakeup call for Flips everywhere to cherish their own musicality and be proud that they are Pinoys! Mabuhay ang musikang Pilipino!

Waray-waray ("Natives of the Leyte Region"), sung by DeConcierto of Venezuela. This song had been previously recorded by the legendary Eartha Kitt.


Ikaw ("You"), sung by the University Choir of Pardubice of the Czech Republic

Does anyone want the translation to English or Spanish? Lemme know...

Chavacano

Chavacano, a word derived from the Spanish chabacano "vulgar", is also the name of a creole language spoken in some parts of the Philippines, notably in Zamboanga and a few other places in Cavite. The vocabulary is largely Spanish, but the grammar follows that of the Philippine languages.

Como lengua y legado del pasado hispano de Filipinas, el chavacano está ya a punto de desaparecerse, a pesar de que cuenta con su propia literatura e incluso su música contemporánea. A continuación tengo el orgullo de colgaros dos temazos de un nuevo descubrimiento, el grupo musical Cómic Relief, los integrantes del cual son naturales de Zamboanga.


Nuay Etu, Nuay Manyana


Mi Estrella

Pangalagaan po natin ang ating mga wika. Ang pagpapahalaga sa mga ito ay pagpapahalaga rin sa ating sarili.

Tara na, biyahe tayo! (Com'on, let's travel!)

Some years back, a group of Filipino singers recorded a song called Biyahe tayo (Com'on, let's travel). The song was a hit and the video, a showcase of the sights and sounds of the Philippines. Since I've been blogging about traveling here, I think it's but fitting to promote the the sights and sounds (all 7,107 of them!) of the country, the Philippines. TARA NA, BIYAHE TAYO!

A todos los visitantes de habla española, os recomiendo consultar también esta página web del diario español El País en la que se relatan las experiencias de uno de sus corresponsales durante sus vacaciones en las Filipinas.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Ikaw ba'y nalulungkot, naiinip, nababagot? Ikaw ba'y napapagod, araw gabi'y puro kayod? (Do you feel sad, bored and anxious? Do you feel tired after many hours of work?)

Buhay mo ba'y walang saysay, walang sigla, walang kulay? Bawa't araw ba'y pareho, parang walang pagbabago? (Is your life meaningless, unfulfilling, unexciting? Every day is the same, as if nothing new is happening)

Tara na, biyahe tayo, kasama ang pamilya, barkada at buong grupo para mag-enjoy nang todo. (Com'on, let's travel with family and friends, with the entire gang even, to enjoy it to the fullest!) Halika, biyahe tayo, nang ating makita ang ganda ng Pilipinas, ang galing ng Pilipino. (Com'on, let's travel, so that we could see the beauty of the Philippines and the excellence of the Filipino.)

Napasyal ka na ba sa Intramuros at Luneta, Palawan, Vigan at Batanes, Subic, Baguio at Rice Terraces? (Have to been to Intramuros and Luneta? Palawan, Vigan and Batanes? Subic, Baguio and the Rice Terraces?)

Namasdan mo na ba ang mga vinta ng Zamboanga, Bulkang Taal, Bulkang Mayon, Beach ng Boracay at La Union? (Have to seen the vintas of Zamboanga, the Taal Volcano, the Mayon Volcano, the beaches of Boracay and La Union?)

Tara na, biyahe tayo mula Basco hanggang Jolo nang makilala ng husto ang ating kapwa-Pilipino. (Com'on, let's travel from Basco to Jolo to get to know more about the Filipinos.) Halika, biyahe tayo, nang ating makita ang ganda ng Pilipinas, ang galing ng Pilipino.(Com'on, let's travel, so that we could see the beauty of the Philippines and the excellence of the Filipino.)

From city to city, seven thousand and a hundred plus islas sa mahal kong Pilipinas. Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao ating puntahan. Huwag maging dayuhan sa sariling bayan!
(From city to city, seven thousand and a hundred plus islands of my beloved Philippines. Let's visit Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Let's not be foreigners in our own native land.)

Nasubukan mo na bang mag-rapids sa Pagsanjan? Mag-diving sa Anilao? Mag-surfing sa Siargao? (Have you tried shooting the rapids in Pagsanjan? Or have you tried diving in Anilao? How about surfing in Siargao?)

Natikman mo na ba ang Sisig ng Pampanga, Duriang Davao, Bangus Dagupan, Bicol Express at Lechong Balayan? (Have you savored the sisig of Pampanga, the durian of Davao, the milkfish of Dagupan, Bicol Express and the roasted pig of Balayan?)

Tara na, biyahe tayo nang makatulong kahit pa'no Sa pag-unlad ng kabuhayan ng ating mga kababayan. (Com'on, let's travel to help in promoting progress to our countrymen.) Halika, biyahe tayo, nang ating makita ang ganda ng Pilipinas, ang galing ng Pilipino.(Com'on, let's travel, so that we could see the beauty of the Philippines and the excellence of the Filipino.)

Nakisaya ka na ba sa Pahiyas at Masskara, Moriones at Ati-Atihan, Sinulog at Kadayawan? (Have you already partied in the Pahiyas and Masskara Festivals, Moriones and Ati-Atiham, Sinulog and Kadayawan?)

Namiesta ka na ba sa Peñafrancia sa Naga, umakyat sa Antipolo, nagsayaw sa Obando? (Have to gone to the fiesta of the Virgin of Peñafrancia in Naga, or to the pilgrimage for the Virgin of Antipolo, or to the fertility rites in Obando?)

Tara na, biyahe tayo upang ating matamo ligaya at pagkakaibigan, kaunlaran at kapayapaan (Com'on, let's travel to gain happiness, frienship, progress and peace.) Halika, biyahe tayo, nang ating makita ang ganda ng Pilipinas, ang galing ng Pilipino. (Com'on, let's travel, so that we could see the beauty of the Philippines and the excellence of the Filipino.)

(Photos courtesy of Wow Philippines!)