Philippine Centre

The Poem

In Bikol

Hunyo

Shi Tao

An bilog kong buhay

dai na malihis sagkod “Hunyo”
Hunyo, kan an sakuyang puso nagadan
kan an sakuyang rawitdawit nautsan
kan an namomoot sako
nagadan sa madugong salog nin pagkamoot

Hunyo, an nagtutuya-tuyang saldang sinusulo an sakong kublit
pigpapahiling an tunay na lawog kan sakuyang lugad.
Hunyo, kan an sira naglangoy paluwas sa dagat na kakolor kan dugo
pasiring sa ibang lugar tanganing magtago
Hunyo, kan an kinaban nagbago, kan an salog uminuntok
natipon an mga surat na dai kayang darahon pasiring
sa mga gadan.

 Listen to the poem

Translated into Bikol by Kristian S. Cordero. Kristian Sendon Cordero has authored three collections of Bikol, Rinconada and Filipino poetry, Mga Tulang Tulala: Piling Tula sa Filipino, Bikol at Rinconada (published in 2004 and was reprinted in 2007), Santigwar: Mga Rawitdawit sa Bikol asin Filipino (2006) and Pusûánon: Mga Bersong Bikol with selected translations by Marne L. Kilates and H. Francisco V. Peñones Jr. (2007) all published by Goldprint Publishing House in Naga City. He has been published in various literary journals, magazines and anthologies and has won several local and national literary awards including the 2004 Premio Tomas Arejola Para sa Literaturang Bikolnon, Homelife Poetry Contest (Second Prize for the years 1999, 2005, 2007 and Grand Prize Winner for 2004), Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature (for short fiction) and the Madrigal-Gonzales Best First Book Award in 2006. He also received the Outstanding Alumni Award by the University of Saint Anthony, a special citation from the local government of Iriga City and the Melchor Villanueva Centennial Awards for Bikol Literature in 2007. He writes a regular column for Bicol Mail and teaches at Ateneo de Naga University.

Bikol is a macrolanguage composed of eight languages spoken on the Bicol Peninsula found in the southern end of Luzon Island in the Philippines, as well as parts of Catanduanes and Masbate.

In Cebuano

Hunyo

ni Shi Tao

Ang tibuok kong kinabuhi

Dili makalabang sa Hunyo
Hunyo, dihang namatay ang akong kasingkasing
Dihang namatay ang akong balak
Dihang ang akong hinigugma
Namatay sa romansang baganaw sa dugo

Hunyo, gibuka sa makapasong Adlaw ang akong panit
Nagbutyag sa tinuod nga kinaiya sa akong samad
Hunyo, misalom ang isda sa dugoong-pula nga dagat
Padulong sa laing dapit aron matulog
Hunyo, ang kalibotan miirog, mihilom ang mga sapa
Nagtipun-og nga mga sulat nga dili mahatod sa mga patay.

 Listen to the poem

Translated to Cebuano by Macario D.Tiu.

Macario D. Tiu writes in English and Cebuano. A fictionist with two Palanca golds, he has published a book of short stories (Sky Rose and Other Stories, 2003), and two books on Davao history, one of which, Davao: Reconstructing History from Text and Memory, was a winner of the National Book Award 2005.

Cebuano is the biggest language group in the Philippines, spoken by over 30 million people in Central Visayas and many areas in Mindanao.

In Hiligaynon

Hunyo

Shi Tao

Ang bug-os ko nga kabuhi

Indi gid makalikaw sa “Hunyo.”
Hunyo, sang napatay ang akon tagipusuon
Sang napatay ang akon binalaybay
Sang napatay ang akon hinigugma
Sa manogribuk nga nagbalahâ nga dugo

Hunyo, ang kainit sang adlaw ginapanitan ang akon kalag
Ginaubahan ang kamatuoran sang akon nga pilas
Hunyo, nagalangoy ang isda halin sa duguon nga dagat
Pakadto sa iban nga duog agud magpaligad
Hunyo, ang kalibutan nagaugayong, ang mga suba nagahilipos
Mga sulat nga naghinantal indi na madul-ong sa mga nagkalamatay

 Listen to the poem

Translated into Hiligaynon by Vicente Garcia Groyon, Philippine PEN. Vicente Garcia Groyon has published a novel, The Sky over Dimas (2003), and a collection of short stories, On Cursed Ground and Other Stories (2004), both of which were awarded the Manila Critics Circle National Book Award. He recently edited A Different Voice: Fiction by Young Filipino Writers (2007) for Philippine PEN.

Hiligaynon is spoken in the Visayas region, found in the central area of the Philippines, particularly in the cities of Iloilo on Panay Island, and in Negros Occidental.

In Kinaray-a

Hunyo

ni Shi Tao

Ang bilog ko nga pangabuhi—

Indi makalapaw sa “Hunyo.”
Hunyo kang napatay ang akün kasingkasing,
Kang napatay ang akün binalaybay,
Kang ang akün pinalangga
Nalümüs sa gadanaw nga dugo kang paghigugma.

Hunyo, ang gasingkal nga adlaw gin-ubahan ang akün panit,
Nakita kang tanan ang matuod-tuod nga laragway kang akün pilas.
Hunyo, nagralangoy ang mga isda paguwa sa düag-dugo nga dagat
Paagto sa sangka lugar agüd magturog it mahamüük.
Hunyo, nagmasakit ang kalibutan, nautdan it dila ang mga suba.
Nagsararampaw ang mga sulat sa akün lamesa,
Wara napadara sa mga nagtaliwan.

 Listen to the poem

Translated from the English into Kinaray-a by J.I.E. Teodoro, Philippine PEN. J.I.E. Teodoro is a writer, university professor, and freelance journalist. He has written poems, short stories, essays, and plays, and is one of the Philippines’ pioneers in gay literature. He is the most-published author in the Kinaray-a language to date.

The accompanying music was improvised and performed by Ray Gibraltar, a filmmaker and artist.

Kinaray-a is spoken mainly in Antique province on Panay Island in the Visayas region of the Philippines. It is also spoken in the upland regions of the provinces Iloilo and Capiz, both of which are also part of Panay Island.

In Matigsalog

Hunyo

ni Shi Tao

Kas kod-din natim-man no goynawa

Konog pakalapas to Hunyo
Hunyo sikas namatoy ka pusong ku
Sikas namatoy kas kod-din pogpanangansangan
Sikas igkaalihan ku
Namatoy to romansa’t balan-ow no langosa

Hunyo, sikas oglayab-layab no aldow nog pakatutung to kod-din laplap
Impalopow ka malohot no batasanon to kod-din pali
Hunyo, onlumbuk kas ngalap to langosang-malalab no dahat
Paandiyo to duman ingod ko-ondii sikandan og-ulop
Hunyo, kas ingod onwoil-woil, poonong-onong kas bo-uhon
Nalibliburung kaso mongo suwat no konog pakaatod
Diyo to mongo minatoy.

 Listen to the poem

Translated to Matigsalog (Philippine language) translation by Dadong A. Gumatao. Dadong A. Gumatao is a fourth year student taking up a BSEd major in History at the Ateneo de Davao University. A scholar of Mindanawon Initiative for Cultural Dialogue, Dadong comes from the Matigsalog community, an indigenous group found in Davao and Bukidnon. Their population is estimated at around 15,000. This translation is a rare example of a Matigsalog text.

In Tagalog

Hunyo

Shi Tao

Buo kong buhay
Lalaging bahagi ng “Hunyo”
Hunyo, nang pumanaw ang aking puso
Nang pumanaw ang aking tula
Nang ang aking talisuyo
Ay pumanaw sa pakikipagtalik sa paliguang dugo

Hunyo, nang ang silab ng araw
Ay buksan ang aking balat
Ibilad ang kalikasang ganap ng aking sugat
Hunyo, nang ang isda ay pumalaot
Sa dagat ng pulang dugo
Patugpa sa ibang lugal para magbanyuhay
Hunyo, nang ang lupa ay yumanig,
Ang mga ilog ay tumahimik
Nagtimbon ng mga pahina
Na hindi maihatid sa mga pumanaw

 Listen to the poem

Translated into Tagalog by Domingo G. Landicho, Philippine PEN. Domingo G. Landicho is a prominent Philippine writer and academic. He has written over 35 books, mostly in Tagalog, and was accorded Professor Emeritus stature by the University of the Philippines in 2005.

Tagalog is the most-spoken language in the Philippines and is the basis for the national language, Filipino. It originated from the central to southern parts of Luzon Island in the northern part of the Philippines, and is the lingua franca for Filipinos all over the Philippines and the world.

In Chavacano

Junio

por Shin Tao

El total del mio bida

Hende gat puede abantia
Lampas del aquel “Junio”
Junio, cuando ya muri mi corazon
Cuando ya muri mi poesia
Cuando el con quien yo quiere
Ya muri na polla del sangre del romansa

Junio, ta parti na ardor del sol di mi pellejo
Ta dale mira si cosa clase mi herida
Pescao ta nada paapuera del mar que color de sangre
Para na otro lugar donde man julao
Junio, ta cambia el posicion del tierra
Ta calla el maga rio
Tambak-tambak el maga carta
Hende puede imbia na maga muerto

 Listen to the poem

Translated into Chavacano by Francis C. Macansantos, Philippine PEN. Francis C. Macansantos holds a Master’s degree in Creative Writing and has taught in Mindanao State University in Marawi City, Silliman University in Dumaguete City, the University of the Philippines-Baguio, and the Baguio Colleges Foundation in Baguio City. His poetry is collected in The Words & Other Poems (1997).

Chavacano is the common name for the several varieties of Philippine Creole Spanish spoken in the Philippines. Its name is derived from the Spanish word for “vulgar,” “common,” or “in poor taste.” Chavacano speakers are concentrated mainly in the Mindanao area in the southern part of the Philippine archipelago, specifically Zamboanga City and the provinces of Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Norte, and Basilan, as well as parts of Davao and Cotabato.

In Iloko

Hunio

Shi Tao

Ti sibubukel a biagko

Dinanto maballasiw ti “Hunio”
Hunio, idi matay ti pusok
Idi matay ti daniwko
Idi ti kaayan-ayatko
Matay iti pilaw a dara ni ayat.

Hunio, bettaken ti makasinit nga init ti kudilko
Ipakitana ti pudno a kasasaad ti sugatko
Hunio, tumpaw ti ikan iti maris-dara a baybay
Agkamang iti sabali a disso nga aginana
Hunio, aglikig ti lubong, agulimek dagiti karayan
Mabuntuon ti sursurat a di maitulod kadagiti natay

Translated into Iloko by Reynaldo A. Duque, Philippine Pen. Reynaldo A. Duque writes in Iloko, Filipino, and English. He is the former editor of the magazine Liwayway, the leading Tagalog weekly magazine in the Philippines. He is a fiction writer, poet, playwright, editor, translator, and scriptwriter for radio, television, and film.

Iloko is the third most-spoken language in the Philippines, spoken primarily in the northwestern provinces of Luzon Island—Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Abra, Pangasinan, Cagayan, and the Mountain Province.

In Tausug

Bulan June

Shi Tao

In katibuukan sin kabuhih ko

dih na limiyu daing ha bulan June
Ha bulan June bang in pangatayan ko manaykod na
bang in daman-tarasul ko manaykod na
bang in makasi kakuh
mawapat ha lawm sin lumpangan dugo sin pagbaltammo

Ha bulan June maukab in gimpaisan ko sin parat-suga
magrisala sin sabunnal kaawnan sin palih ko
Ha bulan June in ista lumangoy guwah daing ha tawid pula sapantun dugo
sung pa takut kandi, maksud magpahantang sin tug-malugay
Ha bulan June Guminsil in gumi, in manga subah way na bahingaw
manga kasulatan nababangkat way pa kiyatukbal pa mga wapat

Translated to Tausug by Tianzo L. Ong.

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