Skip to main content

The Woman who Daydreamed (Ang Babaeng Nangarap nang Gising)

By Anonymous
The Woman who Daydreamed
(Ang Babaeng Nangarap Nang Gising)
by Rio Alma (Virgilio Almario)
translated by J.A. Del Prado


She was embracing a broken ladle
When she woke up from a dream,
As the dried fish and rice
she was frying, whizzed and hissed.
From the corner of her eyes, still sparkling
Were the planets and stars,
Though her beloved prince,
Jasmines, and palanquins had vanished.

When she was young, she vowed
That she would rise
From the stench and the damp field
Of her secluded village.
Owned by the City’s temptation
And by her noble purpose,
She carried her dreams in a trunk
And never looked back.

Like the tale of the lost chick,
Tired and withered,
She lived her life in
An old apartment.
Someone told her that today
Her stray spouse would come home soon.
So she prepared and cleaned early.
Later, she dressed herself.

When the door opened, she closed her eyes
In the hymn of a violin
And drenched herself in jasmine and the caress
Of her drunken husband.

In the original language (Filipino):

Ang Babaeng Nangarap Nang Gising
ni Rio Alma

Nakayakap siya sa sandok na bali
Nang muling magising
Habang nagtatalo ang subo’t sagitsit
Ng tuyo’t sinaing.
Kumukutitap pa sa sulok ng mata
Ang planeta’t bitwin
Bagama’t naglaho ang sintang prinsipe,
Hasmin at palangkin.

Naisumpa niya noong dalagita
Na siya’y aahon
Mula sa malansa at bukid na basa
Ng liblib na nayon;
Kipkip ang pangarap sa isang tampipi,
Hindi lumilingong
Napaangkin siya sa tukso ng lungsod
At bughaw na layon.

Tulad sa istorya ng ligaw na sisiw,
Pagod na at lanta
Nang kanyang kagatin ang buhay sa isang
Lumang aksesorya.
May nakapagsabing darating nga ngayon
Ang galang asawa
Kaya’t maaga pa’y naghanda’t naglinis
Saka nagpaganda.

Sa pagbukas ng pinto, siya ay pipikit
Sa saliw ng b’yolin
At magpapalunod sa hasmin at himas
Ng asawang lasing.

Note: This has been published in the Issue 4, 2013 of K1N Journal of Literary Translation (University of Ottawa)
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Because You Are a Man (Pagka't Lalaki Ka)

By
Because You are a Man by Michael Coroza translated by J.A. Del Prado I. Because you are a man, Son, Learn how to cry. It hurts when tears wash your mind Or the new wound of your last stumble But tears are clean and Can remove microbes In the mind, the heart and the whole being. Because you are a man, Learn to regret. Confession may shake your pride But no one can dominate reason. Let them judge and persecute you, Because you will find the right ingredient To realize your being. II You have inherited, Son, The ten thousand privileges That satiated Those who built the tower of Babel, The pyramids, coliseums, Ziggurats, temples, And empires. Yours is the glory They grasped In the muscular Pages of history. But, Son, their brutal Logic and names That violated, assaulted, Detained your mother And all mothers and women in the world flow in your nature. Cry out, Son, Their past. Regret, Son, Their mis...
Post a Comment
Read more

You're a Woman (Babae Ka)

By Anonymous
You’re a Woman by Inang Laya translated by J.A. Del Prado You’re a woman, desired, adored protected, but you have no freedom. Your world is always in a house. Your beauty is the only asset; unaware of life. You have proven that you can fight for your right and complete freedom. The door of success for you is constantly closed. Face it, open it, lift your being. You’re a woman. You’re the other half of life. If you do not exist, how can life begin? You have proven that you can be oppressed but you can also rule a country. The door of success Is now in front of you. Face it, open it, lift your being You’re a woman, thought to be weak; your value, ignored. Though you lack physical strength your mind is blessed, so your voice shall decide, so you can be free Fight, woman, it’s your duty to free this country, our origin. In the original language (Filipino): ...
5 comments
Read more