Sorry guys, this special blog is going provincial, specifically intended for my fellow "tagaBukidnon". Promise, my weekend blog would be intended for global reading.
The topic, the song "Bukidnon, My Home", is very close to my heart. It's the official song of my province in so. Philippines. It has been written and sung in both English and Binukid, my mother tongue; however, the Binukid lyric has been problematic. With my serious intention to include the song in my book project, BEDTIME-PASTIME (Kalanganan dun hu Ikam): Collections of Short Stories and Folktales, I decided to rewrite its Binukid chorus. So, mga sulled ku, mga migo ug miga, please give me your feedback.
Reasons behind this rewrite:
1) The Binukid lyric is too specific and it doesn't jibe (sorry for colloquialism)with the English lyric. Good translation needs to be idiomatic and must not be out of context. What we have now is purely a free, free, free translation.
2) One word in some online postings is so foreign to me. I have not heard such word since birth. Yes, my mother tongue is Binukid. It is my first language. Nevertheless, I am not too narrow-minded. I know pretty well that language is dynamic; thus, it changes over time. Maybe the word is archaic. It has not been used right after the song was put into music. I bald already...breathing more than half a century. Hence, Bukidnon, My Home, could have been written 20 years before I was born. Following Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, some linguist-anthropologists believe that 19 % of basic vocabulary changes every one thousand years. Maybe, such Binukid term was one of them, but it is too far-fetched.
3) Measures in the Binukid chorus is more than what we have in English. If we sing the Binukid counterpart without repeating it, the lyric is short of two measures.
4) In some postings, the orthography is problematic also.
So, here's my rewrite of the Binukid chorus. I tried my best to stay close to the English lyric. Also, I tried to relate it to the content of its first stanza.
"BUKIDNON, BANUWA KU"
Bisan pa hindu a
Lalag ku'g uli` a
Dini ta Bukidnon
Kanak ha banuwa
Buntod ha matangkaw,
Kalasan...makapal,
Patag ha malu-ag,
Na tungkay madagway.
Cho:
Bukidnon ha banuwa ku,
Imu man sa pusong ku.
Ga-id man ta madagway
Sa langit nu ko daloman.
Bukidnon ha banuwa ku,
Angati a; ag-uli` a."
Sa kalipay ha in-ila nu
Hadi ku agkalipatan.(Or "hadi iyan agkamatay.)
(English translation of chorus)
Bukidnon, my town,
My heart is yours.
Maybe because your sky
Is beautiful(even) at night.
Bukidnon, my town,
Wait for me; I am coming home.
The happiness you have given me
I (just) can't forget.(or It, indeed, will not die.)
(The current Binukid Chorus)
Bunturun, balalayan, basakan,
kapatagan, pastuhan, kapinyahan,
ba alan-alan ka-uyagan.
Langit din pig-aldawan,
piglambongan, pig-uranan,
ba alan-alan ka-uyagan.
(The English Chorus)
There my heart, yearns to be
In far away, Bukidnon land.
Under its blue starry sky,
Where love and joy never die.
(Repeat)
Please note that I have no problem keeping the original Binukid chorus, even if it's way off it's English counterpart. However, I wanted to sing it without humming a couple of measures before singing the last phrase. Any feedback is highly appreciated, so shoot it out. And please inform your family and friends in Bukidnon to check out this rewrite.
Thank you, guys.
NOTE:
Most of my readers have been sending me comments through facebook and email. You can do the same. Here's my email: edMindustan@gmail.com
Salamat tungkay.
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11 comments:
One feedback that was sent through my email is the question: "Inu man sa Binukid hu gugma daw kalipay?" (What's the Binukid terms for "love: and "joy"?)
Os, nalipay a gayod daw na-alimukawan a (Whew! I truly am happy and brought me downright to my senses)
I seriously cracked my head on the term "joy". It made me realize that kalipay, albeit has been used by Bukidnons since I can remember, may not be the original Binukid term for "joy". Rather, it is one of those 19% vocab. changes in the Binukid language. "Kalipay" could be a loan word from Binisaya, and I never thought of that before. Since birth, "kalipay" has been my Binukid term for "joy". Although, I sometimes use the word, "nabaya-baya`". The root word is "baya`". The closest English equivalent is "like". So, we have the sentence, "Agkabaya-an ku imu." (I like you.) However, "baya`" has deeper meaning. "Baya`" if use as a noun will mean "will" or "power of choosing". So, the Binukid for God is "Magbabaya`", which literally means "The-One-Who-Wills". Probably, this is the reasons why we, Bukidnons, feel very comfortable to use the word "kalipay" for "joy" and "baya-baya`" if we 'really like an object or person because it/he/she makes us happy'.
On "gugma". This is a loan word from Bisaya` which has been adopted by Bukidnons much later. I have not heard my mother and father,my uncles and aunties, and even those I considered my "grandparents" use this word. It was only in my elementary years (1960s) when my friends and I (the younger generation) started using it. However, I remember discussing this with my father, Rev. Nicomedes Industan, when I was already working with the Summer Institute of Linguistics and was assigned to do literacy and translation work among the Ata Manobo of Davao del Norte.
Like the Ata Manobo, the Bukidnons has no exact equivalent for "Gugma" (love). Maybe because one trait of the Bukidnons is that we tend not to express our feelings in words. Rather, we express it in action. Bukidnons are a 'doer', not a 'blabber', although just like in any society,there are exceptions. If one is a 'tell-tale',Bukidnon will make fun of him like the character of "Juan Pusung", which my (and also Dr. Genoveva Ablanque's) book, BEDTIME-PASTIME(Kalanganan dun hu Ikam): Collection of Short Stories and Folktales, have included two Juan Pusung stories. Old Bukidnons express their love through protection (i.e. they walk behind the spouse with the spear ready to attack and we give something tangible rather than wooing somebody through words.) We can trace the reason behind this with the way our forefathers get their brides. Men do not visit and talk to the girl. The parents visit and talk to the girl's parents. Further, boy's parents oftentimes don't talk to the girl's parents. Rather, they would just take a chicken to the house of the girl and leave that chicken by the door. The girl's parents, once they saw that chicken that somebody would be coming to ask the hand of their girl for marriage.
So, the closest Binukid term for "gugma" is the phrase "Adagi sa gohinawa ku" or "dakel sa gohinawa ku imu." (I have a big breath for you.)
To all of you, who sent me comments through my email, thank you very much. Keep them coming. You have been stirring my mind. Through your comments, I am encourage to do some linguistic and anthropological analysis of my own culture, the Bukidnon culture. I hope my fellow "tagaBukidnons", especially the non-member of the Bukidnon tribe will find this discussion enlightening.
One request was emailed for me to translate the Binukid lyric into English. Since he is not a Bukidnon, he probably would like to know if the Binukid is close enough to the English counterpart; hence, the original could be left alone.
Here's the English back translation of the original Binukid song.
Wherever I am...
My thought/desire is to come home
Here in Bukidnon
My town.
High mountain,
Dense forest
Wide plains
That are very beautiful.
Cho:
Mountainous,hilly,
rice paddies, plains,
grassy-that-is-good-for livestock,
pineapple farm,
but all are properties (possessions)-for-survival.
It's sky (is) sun-drenched,
laid-with-overcast, rained-on
but all are properties-for-survival.
I should be honest with you. The chorus has been an issue among the Bukidnons long time ago. In fact, I remembered my friends and I discussed it, while we were going to Sawaga for a swim. That was when we were still in high school (and Sawaga was still considered, at least by our layman's standard, clean.) You could see in the English back translation the reason why such discussion took place.
Salamat kaayo, Bay.
Another email sent to supply the missing words for the two measures. The words supplied were "sirungan", and "uranan".
Since I already have pig-uranan, I have to check other Binukid lyric posted online. Voila! some other postings,like that of Gali of Bukidnon My Home has the word "kalamagan". "Kalamag" means wind. "Kalamagan" means "to-fan-on". The ideal word should be "makalamag" (windy), if the lyric is trying to describe Bukidnon.
With these two words, the Binukid lyric has no more missing words; however, I still am bothered with the term, "sirungan". Is this another archaic word that fell on the wayside few years before I was born? I tried to make a sense of it. Maybe the word is "silungan" from the word "silung" (shade); hence, "silungan" means "a-place-to-shelter-on". I don't know how long has this word been used by the Bukidnons, because it definitely has been borrowed from the Bisaya`. "Lambongan" (to-shelter-on) is the Binukid word. That is where the word, Impalambong (an-object-used-to-shelter-on) is from.
Also, the phrase "ba alan-alan kauyagan" can be translated as "But all are (something) to live on). The root word is "uyag" (to live)
Another question sent through my email: How come you have written two concluding sentences to the song?
Reason is, I don't know if the sentence, "Hadi iyan agkamatay." is a natural idiomatic expression in Binukid. I always heard the sentence, "Hadi agkapogongan sa kalipay." (Happiness can't be controlled.) or "Hadi agkaporongan sa kalipay." (Happiness can't be extinguished.) If somebody from Bukidnon could do a little research about this sentence, whether or not it is a natural expression for most of the Bukidnons, I would appreciate it very much. I love the sentence and I would prefer to retain it if the findings would be positive. However, the question is, "Is it natural? or just a literal translation of the English lyric?"
Please be reminded that this rewrite is just a suggestion; hence, I am brainstorming it with you all. I know that it would be difficult to do major changes to an official song, which has been sung for more than 50 years. But it is better to try to introduce change than to stay mum at something that you know is problematic. There has been a point in my life when I have to pause, while singing the Binukid lyric, and have to tell myself, "Wait a minute, am I singing this on covered ears and deadened mind? I thought I am an educated Bukidnon and I know my mother tongue. How come I'm singing it like a parrot?"
For all of you who sent me email to help research if "Hadi or Hari'g kamatoy sa kalipay" is a natural Binukid idiom, thank you very much.
This email is brilliant. It's coming from a fellow Bukidnon, who is currently on a book launching tour for his first novel, BATBAT HI UDAN. I have to post the email in its entirety. I wrote the English back translation where the Binukid text appeared.
Manoy Ed,(Older-brother Ed)
Ba kud imo agmanoya ta agkaamin un su buhok na siak na daw pa agkagalasi su tangad ko. haha.
(I'll just go ahead to call you (my) older-brother),because you are almost losing your hair completely. I also have started having receding lines (starting-to-clear) on my forehead.)
1. Amin ko atiyo ha agkatun-an ha Binukid hu gugma daw kalipay. Ba maayad ku makapanginginsa a una hu laas. Bisan siak na hari ku ayuwa agkalam-ed su Binukid hu Bukidnon My Home ta ba su hari anuba iyan bagad ha kag-ikagi su agkailing taena. Ku makauhang a asem na basi ku masulayan ko sa kag-translate taini.
(I know a little about the Binukid of "gugma" (love) and "kalipay" (joy/happiness). However, it would be better for me to ask the old Bukidnon folks first. I,myself, have a hard time agreeing on (swallow)the Binukid lyric of "Bukidnon, My Home". Reason is, it indeed not the proper way of speaking Binukid. If I have time tomorrow, I probably would try to translate it.)
2. "Hadi iyan agkama tay" is surely not a natural idiomatic expression. "iyan" and "agkamatay" appears to be in the context of Tagalog and Cebuano respectively.
3. I believe "sirungan" is an archaic word and is borrowed not from Bisaya but from the Maguindanaoans. And the meaning of this word I think remains to be unearthed. There was once a datu of the Maguindanaoans named Datu Sirungan who led the group which killed the Spanish Captain Figueroa. Being neighbors, I think it's more probable that this word was shared between Maguindanaoans and Higaonons. But there's also a possiblity that this is shared between Mindanao and Visayas before since there was a point in history when the Visayan datus owe their allegiance to Mindanao datus. Well, I hope research will be able to clarify this. hehe. I even have a hard time finding out if I am the first novelist from Bukidnon.
4. In my knowledge of how the word kauyagan was being used by my elders, it does not only stand for something to live on but it refers to food (anything eaten) in general.
Ku mabaloy su plano ko na tag-research a taini ha tuig diya ta Bukidnon. Amin ko diay booklaunching diya ta BSU asema Pebrero 27, 2009, 1pm. Ku amin nu mga amigo daw kadumahan ha diya ta ubay na maayad ku makadiya siran.
(If my plan work out well, I would be doing some reseach in Bukidnon this year. By the way, I have book launching at Bukidnon State Univ tomorrow, Feb. 27, 2009 at 1pm. If you have friends and relatives in the neighborhood, it would be really good if they could attend.)
Anijun
P>S
Guys, you have to check out BATBAT HI UDAN. The synopsis is pretty good. Based on the author's chapter series, which he posted online,(just enter the book title to read it) it's in Pilipino with some Binukid text thrown in throughout the book.
For us Bukidnons, we tend to suppress ourselves from verbalizing our feeling, because we don't want to hurt somebody, especially our spouses. We leave vebalization to our "datus" (chieftains). Nevertheless, we are gifted in verbalization. We can write in down for others to read. BATBAT HI UDAN of T.S. Sungkit and my book, KOILAWAN: Letters and Poems of a Jungle Dad-Mom are proof to this. Hope you'll support us, the Bukidnon creative writers.
Sir, this is Neiko Binayao, "bata hi Aida/Boy Binayao". I was searching the web for this year's Kaamulan schedule and I spotted this blog entry. Anyway, just wanted to say hi to you guys. Mama and Papa are all doing well and they send their regards.My email address is n_binayao79@yahoo.com
Thank you for leaving me a note, Neiko. Certainly, I remember you. Your Manang Angie and I were just talking about your family couple of day ago. If you could extend my greetings to your Boy and Aida, it would be great. Daghan salamat.
Here's another comment. I received it yesterday, April 19.
I really appreciate your blog on Bukidnon culture.
It is so interesting...
I also prefer your Binukid version of Bukidnon, My Home.
I want to quote or copy it...
May I have your permission?
By the way, you look so familiar to me.
I was in Malaybalay before and finished
my course in San Isidro College in 1976.
Thank you so much...
To all of you, who consider my adaptation better and dynamic, please feel free to adopt it. Share it to your friends, students, and colleagues. That is my purpose of posting it here. Hopefully, before my book, BEDTIME-PASTIME..., which is co-authored by Dr. Bebang Ablanque of Bukidnon State University, goes off the press, some organizations or town functions will be singing this new adaptation of "Bukidnon, My Home".
To the sender, Gliceria, thank you very much for your comment.
Hi, well be sensible, well-all described
Greetings sir, I'm also a bukidnon blood, I really appreciate your blog. Indeed its so warming to read such effort of preserving our cultural and oral values and traditions. Can you also post short stories sir aside from songs and phrases? I'll be using it for my major studies if you had the time. Your response will be so much appreciated. Thank you sir. i'm currently studying at Bukidnon State university.Godbless sir and good day.
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