Local Poetry or Binalaybay Part III

Agustin T. Misola was considered as a great poet in Hiligaynon. He is a retired second fiscal of Iloilo City. The poet is a member of the PEN International, Philippine Center. He is also one of the writers in English and in linguistics and also became the president of Sumakwelan, organization of writers in Hiligaynon.

INDI KO MALIMUTAN

ni Agustin T. Misola

Indi ko malimutan

Ang imu kalulu

Kon ikaw akon madumduman

Dughan ko masubu;

Ang aton kahapon 

Indi pa mapanas

Bisan mga tinuig na

Ang naglilipas;

Indi tana mapabalik 

Ang mga nagliligad

Kay ang panahon

Daw aso ang katulad;

Apang sa gihapon

Sa akon kabuhi

Handuman sang kahapon

Punu'y kasili.

English Translation

I CAN'T FORGET
By Agustin T. Misola

I can't forget
Your tenderness
If I remember you
My heart is sad;
Our yesterday
Cannot be faded yet
Even if its years
That passed by;
One could not bring back
The past
Cos time
is like the smoke;
But nonetheless
In my life
Memories of yesterday
Full of brightness

PALANGGA TA GIHAPON

ni Agustin T. Misola

Diin ka na karon, akon palangga

Daw kahapon lamang, ang aton pag-angga

Daw aso lamang ang kahalimbawa

Sa badlit sang palad, ikaw ang nadula;

Mga inadlaw, daw hablon nga nabadbad

Madamu na nga mga tinuig ang nagligad

Lamharon tang' lawas, sa wala'y balibad

Kurinot na ang panit, sa daku nga edad.

Apang ang aton handumanan, buhi pa gihapon

Lamharon pa ang gugma sa tagipusuon

Ang iya silak, di mas-a mapalung

Lab-as pa gihapon, ang aton kahapon. 

Sa imo ko ginapatuhoy ining binalaybay

Daw huyup sang dupoydupoy sa baybay

Sa bukid, sang punay, hulunihon

Gugma ko sa imo, lab-as pa gihapon.

English Translation

I LOVE YOU STILL
by Agustin T. Misola

Where are you now, my love
Seems like yesterday, our cajoling
Just like a smoke
By the lines of one's palm, you disappear;

Days just like untangled hablon (fabric) 
So many years had passed
Our young body, without any excuses
Wrinkled skin due to old age.

But our memory, still alive
Love is still young at heart
Its light could not be extinguished
Still fresh, our yesterday.

I refer or intend it to you this poem
Just like the ocean breeze
In the mountains, of the doves can be heard 
My love for you is still fresh

ULIPON AKO SANG LUHA

Ulipon
Ako sang luha
Sa kasakit
kag sa himaya
Tingug
nga labing mahipus
Sa dughan
Wala'y gakaubus;

Ang mamalaybay
Mahinangpanon
Madali
Makamutik, masinayasaton
Huyop sang kalipay
Dulot sang ungon
Sa mamalaybay
 Madali batyagon;

Ulipon
Ako sang luha
Lipud sa iban
Halus makita
Pagtubud
Sang akon mga luha
Hiyas
Sang Langit
Sa dughan gabaha... !


English Translation

I'M A SLAVE OF TEARS

Slave
me of tears
In pain
and in glory
Voice 
that is so quiet
At heart
never runs out:

The poet
is understanding
Easy
to detect or sense, investigating
Breeze of happiness
Caused by thorn
To the poet
quick to feel;

Slave
me of tears
Unknown or hidden to others
Almost visible
The falling
of my tears
Adornment
of Heaven
At heart is flooding... !

The following is stated about the author.

The poems has been loved much by the pioneer and present generations of Ilonggo writers. It could be understood because the poem is easy to write aside from being short. For the first time writers or beginners should think of a topic first and after that, put some rhythm in which resulted to the creation of a poem or binalaybay.

Ilonggo poetry has a diverse theme of different things.However most of the Hiligaynon poems is about offering or tribute to people, objects or nature. The Ilonggo poets is following a strict guidelines of the Spaniards, whose measure and rhyme are the main attributes.

The Ilonggo poems are all alike and can equal the poems of the Cebuanos, Ilocanos and Tagalog.

Most of the Ilonggo poets have skills, expertise and orientation in Spanish and they wrote any kinds of poems. The early pioneering Ilonggo poets who wrote high quality or high level poems were  Flaviano Zaragoza Cano, Delfin Gumban, Antonio Ledesma Jayme, Joaquin Sola, Santiago Mulato, Valente Cristobal, Angel Magahum, Magdalena Jalandoni and Isidro Escarre Abeto who got a medal of recognition because of his written poems in the International Congress of World Poet which organized their world conference in Manila in 1969.