FOLK TALES

Si Langgam at Si Tipaklong

Maganda ang panahon. Mainit ang sikat ng araw. Maaga pa lamang ay gising na gising na si Langgam Nagluto siya at kumain. Ilang sandali pa, lumakad na siya. Gaya ng dati, naghanap siya ng pagkain. Isang butil ng bigas ang nakita niya. Pinasan niya ito at dinala sa kanyang bahay. Nakita siya ni Tipaklong.


"Magandang umaga kaibigang Langgam," bati ni Tipaklong. "Kay bigat ng iyong dala. Bakit ba wala ka nang ginawa kundi maghanap at mag-ipon ng pagkain?"

"Oo nga, nag-iipon ako ngpagkain habang maganda ang panahon," sagot ni Langgam.

"Tumulad ka sa akin, kaibigang Langgam," wika ni Tipaklong. "Habang maganda ang panahon, tayo ay magsaya. Halika, tayo ay lumukso. Tayo ay kumanta."

"Ikaw na lang kaibigang Tipaklong," sagot ni Langgam. "Gaya ng sinabi ko sa iyo, habang maganda ang panahon ako ay naghahanap ng pagkain. Ito'y aking iipunin para ako ay may makain pag sumama ang panahon."

Lumipas pa ang maraming araw, dumating na ang tag-ulan. Ulan sa umaga, ulan sa hapon at sa gabi umuulan pa rin. At dumating ang panahong kumidlat, kumulog at lumakas ang hangin kasabay ang pagbuhos ng malakas na ulan. Ginaw na ginaw at gutom na gutom ang kaawa-awang Tipaklong. Naalala niyang puntahan ang kaibigang si Langgam.

Paglipas ng bagyo, pinilit ni Tipaklong na marating ang bahay ni Langgam. Bahagya na siyang makalukso. Wala na ang dating sigla ng masayahing si Tipaklong.

"Tok! Tok! Tok!" Nang buksan ni Langgam ang pinto nagulat siya.

"Aba! Ang aking kaibigan," wika ni Langgam. "Tuloy ka Tipaklong."

Binigyan ni Langgam ng tuyong damit si Tipaklong. Mabilis na naghanda siya ng pagkain.

Ilan pang sandali at magkasalong kumain ng mainit na pagkain ang magkaibigan.

"Salamat, kaibigang Langgam," wika ni Tipaklong. "Ngayon ako naniniwala sa iyo. Kailangan nga palang mag-ipon habang maganda ang panahon at nang may makain pagdating ng taggutom."

Mula noon, nagbago si Tipaklong. Pagdating ng tag-init at habang maganda ang panahon ay kasama na siya ng kanyang kaibigang si Langgam. Natuto siyang gumawa at higit sa lahat natuto siyang mag-impok.

Linkl: http://nigellus.multiply.com/journal/item/23

FOLK EPIC

IBALONG
(Bicol)

Ibalong, the sixty stanzas that remain of a full-length folk epic that is today little known even in Kabikolan itself, was presumably jotted down in its complete Bicol narrative by Fray Bernardino de Melendreras (1815-1867), a Franciscan missionary in Ginobatan, Albay, from a minstrel referred to in the epic as Kadungung and who could be the same wandering bard described years later by another Franciscan, Fray Jose Castaño (b. 1854), as “Homero de Ibalon.”

Put afterwards into Spanish by Melendreras in Ibal, a 400-page manuscript in verse on the ancient custom of the Indios of Albay, its sixty-stanza portion was later included in a treatise on the Bicol Region by Castaño in 1895 as un pequeño fragmento inedito en verso. But because no credit was given to Melendreras by Castaño in the work, students of the Ibalong have since presumed that it was recorded and translated by Castaño himself.

Until a copy of the Bicol original is found, it would seem that what is left of the Ibalong – at least its sixty stanzas – is only the text in Spanish.

Fragmentary that it is, but just like any epic, the Ibalong portrays deeds in heroic proportions. Its three culture heroes – Baltog, Handyong, and Bantong – share glory in freeing Old Bicol of predatory and foraging beasts, of the sarimao and other monsters.

Link: http://wowlegazpi.com/2009/09/24/ibalong-bicols-folk-epic-fragment/

MYTHS

Philippine Myth on Mango Fruits

Philippine succulent mangoes are among the well patronized products in the international market since early times. One of the Philippine myths on the mango fruit goes this way.

Long time ago, so this Philippine myth goes, in a wooden villa deep in the forest was a beautiful lady. An only daughter of an old, old couple, they wanted her married as soon as possible. They feared dying without seeing her married. This Philippine myth says Pangga was her name, meaning “object of love” in the vernacular. Aside from her arresting natural pulchritude, she was very industrious, kind, and smart with rustic wisdom. Moreover, Pangga knew a lot of trade skills that had earned her quite a bit of money. Thus, her parents wanted nothing but the best man for her.

But Pangga fell for a local poet, a professional dreamer. He was known in the village as a desperate writer whose works of poetry made meager money. This Philippine myth continues that Manong, the dreamer, lived in the fields and slept in mangers. He was the town’s vagrant. But one thing about him; he had a knack for speaking sweet nothings, a full-pledged sweet talker who could promise the sun, moon and stars to the one his eyes beheld. Girls in town went crazy for him (though they never bought his poems) but his eyes were only for Pangga.

His sweet nothings never fooled old folks, though. His own parents, when still alive, often remarked “Please cut out the sweet pleasantries!” when he was at his verbal talent again. In the vernacular the remark went “Manong magtigil ka nga!” So, as this Philippine myth goes, they gave him the nickname Manong.

Pangga’s parents never bought Manong’s promises of bringing down the sun and moon to shine on their forest-dimmed bungalow and other sweet nothings. “You’re always saying that sun-moon conversation of yours. That’s all you know!” Pangga’s parents mocked him. But Manong and Pangga sought to stubbornly keep their love vows till their dying day. Then, the Philippine myth says, one day they disappeared in the woods.

The Philippine myth ends with a discovery of a new kind of tree. Its fruit was a bit crescent-shaped like the moon, yellow like the sun, and sweet like Manong’s tongue. It was rich in nutrition as Pangga’s multi-faceted genius. In time it was called “Manga,” a mix of their names, and today’s vernacular for mango.

The Philippine myth on mango fruits is a local version of Romeo and Juliet but which went sweeter as to create a sweet offspring—the mango fruit.

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