Local Poetry or Binalaybay Explained

These old corridos or kurido gave way to the “korridos modernos” which is known as the “komposo” or composition which has a theme taken from real life which cover from the topics of festivities until tragedy. The popularity of komposo reaches until the years of liberation, when the mass media like the radio and newspapers were not yet fully established. These composition were created according to the meters recommended in Spanish poetry. It is made of six syllables. There is a common beginning and common end. It starts with

Binalaybay In Hiligaynon              English Translation of Poems

O, mga Señores                               Oh gentlemen,

Pamati-I ninyo                                 Hear ye    

Ako naga-asoy                                 I am singing

Diotay nga composo                        Little composition

Banwa sang ______                        Town of ________

May natabu didto                            There took place

Apat ka mag-utod                            Four siblings

Puro gid mestizo                       All mestizo, Caucasian, or whites

Their endings is sometimes funny, sometimes impartial and sometimes judgmental in a Pilate-like method.

Pananglit may sayop               If all of a sudden there’s a mistake

Inyong dispensaron                Just understand

Bag-o lang mag-alam             Just learned

Sining verso nakon                 This verse of mine

Examples of satire and sarcasm which criticizes is the following verse

Ining pagtulon-an                     This teaching

Madamo ang gadayaw             A lot is praising

Lalaki, babaye                          Men, women

Nagakuyaw-kuyaw                  are shunning

Kon sila maghinambal             When they speak

Puro gid sing Ingles               Everything is in English language

Gali ko sayuron                       What I mean is

Kay enamores.                         To inamorata or lady love

“If I will go”                            “If I will go”

Sa hagdan makadto                 To the stairs will go

Gali kon sayuron                     Which only means

Si Inday malagyo                     Inday* will elope

*Inday is a local term which is affectionately called to a young lady

Along with modern composition, the couplet which is called kopla in vernacular emerged. The most popular in this kind is the series of Si Inday, descriptive verses that celebrates the native lady or the countryside maiden through the melodic singing commonly popular to the Ilonggos.

Si Inday nga maitum-itum               Inday who is dark skinned

Angay guid sa balay nga butong       Ideal to live in a small hut

Kon sia magyuhum – yuhum          When she is smiling

Daw bulak sang cachubong.    She looks like the thorn apple flower

Si Inday nga mapula-pula               Inday who is rosy or reddish

Angay guid sa balay nga tapi.        Ideal to live in a wooden house

Kon siya magliki-liki                      When she sways her hips

Daw bulak sang tapulanga.          She looks like the hibiscus

Si Inday nga maputi-puti               Inday who is white skinned

Angay guid sa balay nga tapi      Ideal to live in a wooden house

Kon sia magliki-liki                       When she sways her hips

Daw bulak sang camantigue.      She looks like rose balsam

The things that were noticeable in composo and couplets is the non-recognition or anonymity of its author. These were created by the people for their sheer entertainment and fun. This is just an aspect of Ilonggo or Hiligaynon poetry.

The importance of moro-moro, comedies and zarzuelas or plays in poetry is the presentation of the names and personalities which can be called today as pioneers in Hiligaynon poetry. This generation or period of dramatists and authors of verses include Angel Magahum, Eriberto Gumban, Antonio Ledesma Jayme and Valentin Cristobal. Recent noted Ilonggo poets include former Iloilo governor Conrado Norada, Ramon Muzones and award-winning author Peter Solis Nery.

Following these pioneers is the Golden Age of Ilonggo or Hiligaynon Poetry in the verses of Flavio Zaragoza Cano, Delfin Gumban, Magdalena Jalandoni and Serapion de la Torre. The poetry is an effective link for political education, lifestyle and culture of the masses. The poets in Hiligaynon were also the poets in Spanish and its bilingual form enriches the vernacular or local literature.

Flavio Zaragoza Cano is third to be crowned as the “Prince of the Ilonggo Poets”. A politician and leader of the American creators of the Empire. However his political and cultural ideas were much greater in Spanish language. He expressed the Hiligaynon lyricism while exposing in the fiery Spanish verses the showing of gratitude of the Filipino to Spain and the bad effects of the American occupation. His Hiligaynon verses is clothed with colorful Latin metaphors. The poetic stresses or meters of Zaragoza is completely Hiligaynon thus his poems is mostly music to the ears.

The “Halad Kay San Roque” (The Offering to Saint Roch) by Flavio Zaragoza is an example of a stress mark with eleven syllables that in Spanish poetry is classified as “verso de arte mayor”. The emphasis is usually at the sixth and tenth syllables if not at the top of fourth, eighth and tenth.

Ginpili ka sang Diwa nga baa-an

Mga mangin bulong sang amon kasakitan

Kay ikaw ang dalangpan nga dumaan

Sa balati-an nga labing dalitan.

O mahal nga San Roque,

Ang imo ngalan

Tima-an sang kalu-oy nga hamili

Kay bisan gani sa tunga sang dalan

Ang gugma nimo wala sing kapili. 

English Translation

You were chosen by the divine God
That will be the cure to our pains
Because you are the old refuge
From the illness that is so toxic or venomous
O beloved Saint Roch,
Your name
Is a sign of precious mercy
Because even in the middle of the road
Your love is unconditional

The difference of verses “arte mayor” and “arte manor” is in the number of syllables of the verses. All verses lower than nine syllables belongs to “arte manor”. The verses which consists of nine or more syllables belongs to the “versos de arte mayor”. Zaragoza is an expert in writing poems of “arte manor”.

Ang bulan sa Mayo            The month of May

Bulan sang sinadya            Month of merrymaking or merriment

Among pagsaulog              We celebrate

Kay Virgen Maria              To the Virgin Mary

May mga pagdayaw          There are praises and honor

nga labing toto-o               which are for real

sa ngalan sang Iloy            In the name of the mother

sang aton Guino-o             Of our God

Sa mata may luha,             In the eyes, there were tears,

May paghinulsol               There is a regret

asawang batan-on             Young wife / husband

Daw sa may pagbasol.      There is some blaming

Sa labing pagsunggod        In her great displeasure

na pilas ang dughan          The heart was wounded

nga hulat nga tamdan        waiting to be attended

kag ulo-ulohan                 and cajoled

Zaragoza is one of the famous “Trinidad Poetica Ilongga”. The two others were Serapion de la Torre and Delfin Gumban.

A delegate from Agusan in the 1934 Constitutional Convention, lawyer and former Justice, Delfin Gumban became a Spanish professor in a university in Iloilo City. His “Suba Ang Kinabuhi” (River is the Life) though marked or influenced with Spanish poet Jorge Manrique is featured as a classic in vernacular poetry.

Suba ang kinabuhi, Naga-ilig      River is the life, flowing

Wa-ay langan kag padayon        Non-stop and continuous

Sa lawod sang kamatayon          In the sea of death

Wala sa gahum kag manggad.    Not in power and wealth.

Mag-alangay ang binilog            Equality in mankind

Halangdon kag pinanambi,         Honorable and adjoining

bata, lampong kag tigulang       child, young and old

Wala sing kapin kag kulang        No more no less

Ang madalom kag manabaw,     The deep and the shallow,

  ang mainit kag masulog .           the hot and cold

Sa dagat tanan madulog.            In ocean all will stop

Ang gamhanan kag timawa        The powerful and the noblemen

  sa lulubngan magatulog.           In tomb will sleep

Diin ang mga tanda-an               Where art thy signs?

   sang kahimtangan napanas        of the condition faded

Katulad sang mga pangpang       Just like the banks

   sang suba nga nagalana!           of the river become greasy!

“Ang Gitara,” (The Guitar) by Magdalena Jalandoni is an ode of love and retrospect that according to Delfin Gumban is enough to enshrine Jalandoni as the first lyrical poet of the country. Doña Magdalena Jalandoni who is a famous Jareña, belongs to the period of time with Zaragoza and Gumban. She has a deep and profound learning and readings in Spanish and not just wrote in that language just like the poets of her time. Nevertheless, she possessed an extraordinary proficiency in Spanish meters. Let’s leave “Ang Gitara” speaks on behalf of the poetic Parnassus.

Ang baw-ing nga manga dalan      The desolated roads

 kon hadkan kag pasili-on              if kissed and polished

Sang bulan nga naga-ugsad           Of the full moon

 kag nangin angay sa sulu              which became like a lamp

Upod sa kulas sang hangin    Together with the rustling of the wind

  nga halus gani bati-on                which was barely heard

Ang guitara nagabuylog         The guitar is accompanying

  hinay nga hilibi-on                      gentle soft weeping

Sa pagsuguid sang kasakit            In telling the misery

  nga una niyang guinmulu.           which he lamented first

Halin sa patag kag bukid          From the fields and mountains

   nga sang bulan napawa-an         of the moon enlightened

Halin sa payag nga diotay             From the small hut

nga daw guinbuksan sing hungod  which seems like it was  
                                                         intentionally opened

Pamatii kay galanton ang          Listen it is humming a tune

  guitara nga duma-an                the guitar which is antiquated

Pamatii kay gatu-aw ang           Listen for the shout

    nahut niyang balaan                  of his sacred piece

Sang paghoy nga sa gugma       In the outburst that in love

    kag sa kamingaw natungod.     and in loneliness is referring to

Kag ayhan sa kasingkasing       And perhaps in the heart

    sang gakuskos nga tag-iya      of an owner who is brushing

May unay nga kasulub-on        There is an attachment of sadness

   nga dili didto makakas             that it will never be removed there

Kay samtang nagalanton          ‘Cos while humming

    ang tagsa ka nahut niya           each of his piece

Wala sing dili mawili     Nothing will never make you hooked up to

     sa pagpamati sa iya,                in listening to him

Wala sing dili bumatyag        No one will not feel or numbed

      sing kasulub-on nga lakas.     the sadness that is so strong

The Ilonggo poetry is, without a doubt, one of the richest treasure chest of our spiritual patrimony as a race. The poets of this language discusses all the angles of everyday living. Today, free stanzas are spreading.

The greatest poets in Hiligaynon today and in recent years were Santiago Alv. Mulato who is also known for his novels and chief editor in Ilonggo philology, Isidro Escarre Abeto, Joaquin Sola, Donato B. Flor de Liza, Conrado Norada, Ramon Muzones, Jerry V. Bionat and Peter Solis Nery. Just like their Spanish predecessors, they maintained without fading the measurement or size and form of poems, even the themes of patriotism and nationalism, history of glorious tradition of Ilonggo poetry.

The Confession Of The Ghost

An infamous criminal or bandit who could not have an eternal peace in another life after death because of the crimes committed in the world when he was alive is returning after his death. He appeared to the people and sometimes hitchhiking with the person riding a horse and sometimes revealing himself in the form of a coffin floating in the river until his meeting with a priest, his confession with the latter and the eventual pardon and forgiveness of the priest to him.

One night, a priest was awakened by a knock on the door. When he opened the door, he was shocked by what he saw. In the veranda is ghost peering through wearing a white dress. The priest asked guest what does he needs.  "I am Siam-Siam" (Nine-nine) he replied.

The priest made a sign of the cross and gather all his courage. He knows Siam-Siam.

"If so, why are you roaming around the land scaring people? Why don't you repent and confess for you and your neighbor and other people to find peace? "Father," answered Siam-Siam, "I am here to make a confession."

And Siam-Siam whose bones is spreading in the concrete floor knelt before the priest.

"This is what I want to confess."

When I was still alive, I killed 99 people and stolen 99 carabao or water buffalo and 99 cows, 99 pigs, 99 bananas and 99 guavas. Each sin was committed 99 times."

With this confession, every disturbance and horror brought by the ghost was stopped and since then, Siam-Siam was never seen again.

Siam Siam Ride On

A man riding a horse is going to the town that midnight. In his journey he needs to cross a river. He is currently crossing the river when a man greets him to ride on. He stopped by it and he allowed the man to get a ride with him. . They are in the middle of the river when the kindhearted man was shocked. He felt the hugging of a man he gets to ride with him, it is all bones and no flesh. His nervousness, terror, and fear became intense upon the mention of "Siam-siam" (Nine-nine). This is the name of the ghost known by everyone. The man scrambled so much in fear. He jumped from riding the horse and with all his quickness and fast traces the river in going to the town. He recounted his horrifying experience to the people and everyone were terrified. The people offered prayers and a holy mass was held for the eternal repose of the ghost.

The Night Of Terror

In barrio Cano-an, Estancia, there is a man who is pure evil who killed a lot of people. When he died, there are lots of stories emerges on how his ghost tried so hard to repent from the heinous crimes and offenses he committed. His ghost is referred to as Siam-Siam.

The night is deep when a man is returning home from a gathering occasion. He needs to traverse or pass through a remote area where there is a bridge that has several huge trees intertwined with each other. Deep darkness engulfs the area and he almost visualize the surroundings. He pushed through with his plan of going through the bridge. However, in around the middle there is an object obstructing his way. Walking closer into the object, he was terrified before his very eyes a coffin with a white object inside it. He discovered an individual lying it with one of his feet raising up. The traveler went to the other side and attempted to pass through this block however the person lying in raised his both hands. The traveler doesn't know what to do. There is a rainfall that night and the people is in deep slumber. He is hesitant to return to where he came from. He stayed a little bit backward, and thinking carefully about what he should do. Finally, he made a decision. It seems like he was dictated and carried through to run hastily and when he is nearing the coffin he closed his eyes jumping over the object which obstructs his way. When he passed through in the bridge, he looked back and he saw with his very eyes a zombie already standing with his hands outstretched or outspread. He run as fast as he could until he reached his home is the victim of the ghost's prank or mischief. 

The Halted Testament

In a barrio in Mandurriao, Iloilo there lived happily a couple named Soloy and Tonia. They have three children. They have a convenient easy life because their father is a wise spender. However grief struck the family upon their father's sudden sickness and death. The family greatly mourned his loss. In this dire situation, they were still disturbed by some hair raising visions seen inside the house. When the night falls, there is an appearance of a headless man or a man wearing a black robe or a coffin - things that greatly terrified them. In their great terror, they abandon their house and since then no one dares to sleep in that place.

A traveler passed by the haunted place but he never slept. Teryo who just returned from Negros dared to spend the night in this place. He drinks the tuba first. The darkness is spreading and enveloping the surroundings however it formed in his vision a hair raising omen but due to his insobriety he just ignored it. Finally, the ghost revealed to Teryo the wealth he was unable to tell his wife before he died. This is about the six jars of gold. Half of it went to Teryo and the other half to the family of the deceased.

There’s Anting-Anting or Amulet

There are some strange things which cannot be explained by people. For this reason, others were just living in the mysteries of life.

One afternoon, when the fishermen is preparing to go to the sea, their boats was caught up by the ebb tide. Whatever they do they can’t leave the area. It’s by chance that Geronimo owns the fish fence there. He just pushed the vessels and everything went fine and smooth when the group of divers can’t do anything in this situation.

Geronimo owns seven hectares of land. He only has one carabao or water buffalo and he’s the only one working in the farm while others have only a hectare of land to work with, plow or till. It was also told that if there’s an object stolen or taken which was owned by Geronimo, the person who committed it could not go far away or leave the place but just roam around in that area. Another unbelievable ability was shown by Geronimo. He can push a hundred pieces of bamboo in an instance. Many believed that Geronimo possesses an amulet which became the key for him to have an unusual attributes. 

In Calinog it also became popular in about 1901, there is a man named Ato who was said to have an amulet. He is always under the protection and custody of a group of soldiers. He will just throw fire matches and it will become his soldiers when needed. Ato also possesses the ability of invisibility. 

It was also believed that General Capadocia also has an amulet. It was during the 1950s. The General is almost cornered by the troops in a cave. It was certain that the General went inside the cave so those who followed him in the place gather around and attempts to corner him. However, when they went inside the cave they could not find what they are looking for despite of their stringent or thorough scrutiny and search. The people assumed that General Capadocia has the power of invisibility.

Became the Dwarf Friends

This story took place several decades ago. There is a couple who just moved to their rented house.

In the few weeks of their living were strange events happening in the house. This was told by the woman to the nephew of the deceased owner of the house. He responded that it was also the same complaint of the former residents or boarders of the house. They believed that the ghosts of the dead caused the disturbing noise above the room. They thought that the ghost is probably seeking for their help.  What they did was to pray the novena for the soul. However every full moon the same thing is happening. Thus, they never pay attention to the bizarre events. The following month during the full moon some footsteps can be heard again along with thumping sound and noise of a ball that seems like a child is playing. In that room is where their young son's toys were kept and stored. 

One day, their son got sick. They brought him to the doctor to be cured. He was given a medicine but the fever never cools down. Someone told them to bring the child to an albularyo. They called for the albularyo in the house and checked out the condition of the sick child. He told them that the child stepped on the dwarf's feet while he was playing. He further added that these dwarves are dwelling in a mound which is found inside the very room of the child. They checked on it and they found out its true that there is a growing mass of earth or mound there. The siruhano (Hiligaynon term for albularyo or traditional folk healer) also said that those dwarves living there are not bad or evil but it was hurt so the dwarf took a revenge. The couple asked for an apology. The albularyo did something so the child got cured or healed. Since then, they treated the place as the house or dwellings of their friends and each time they eat, they also share their food with them. They put it in a plate and put it on top of the mound locally called bungyod or punso. Since then, the children never got sick and their business prospered. They believed that they were helped and assisted by their dwarf friends.