Clair Ching writes:

"I have written a paper on the tanaga and the haiku for one of
my comparative literature courses back in college and I have noticed that
there aren't so many tanaga out there. I am glad that this blog
encourage people to write tanaga."

Thanks to Ms. Clair Ching for these kind words. I really appreciate it. Encouraging words as these are more than enough payment to continue this endeavor. I have also been advised that there is some buzz about this site amongst some literary circles. While that is not my intention, it would surely help to make sure this art does not die. Modernizing an art revives traditionalists long slumbering in non-creativity. Hopefully this buzz will continue until the Tanaga is no longer a footnote of our history.

On that note, I'd like to post on of Ms. Clair Ching's Tanaga. Pardon me if I had to choose a sad one:

Hinabing mga tela
makukulay na hibla
binenta sa Maynila
ngunit pera’y nawala

- Clair Ching, Philippines

Her website features other Tanagas, too.
You can visit it here.

Here is one of many voices that speak of the motherland. It's a refreshing note that while in the past the Tanaga is used to speak of visions within a limited horizon of cultural ideas - now it can be used to talk about a more expansive set of views; views that include even the negative, the mundane, the hapless states, even a reflective concept on culture.

While I do not prefer to call upon negative cultural traits, as they may be all subject to historicity, there are many things that are often adjudged or misunderstood as negative traits of the Filipino Culture that cannot be discounted nor denied. Perhaps that sentiment is that which prompted Ruel Tan to write this piece:

I.

Sa dayuhang lupain
Lahat tayo’y magaling
Sa sariling sinaing
Halos walang makain

II.

Ga’no mo man kamahal
Ang lupaing tinamnan
Sa ibang lupang banal
Tingin duo’y putikan

III.

Ihambing mo sa hangin
Ang sipol mong mumunti
Lapatan man ng awit
Masahol pa sa pipit

IV.

Sa lupang pinagmulan
Masukal at magubat
Saan man ang hantungan
Dito ang tanging himlayan

- Ruel Tan, Philippines.

Some words from the Author:

Sa isang huntahan dito mahirap ipaglaban at ibahin ang tingin sa ating mga Pilipino ng mga dayuhan at mga kapatid natin sa SEA. Gaano man tayo kagaling sa ating trabaho, nakakapanghina ng loob kapag hindi mo maipaglaban ang sarili mong bayan. Minsan kasi totoo ang impressions nila.

In observance of the Holy week, I'd like to use this Tanaga of the Catholic Stations of the Cross. I thought the Tanagas 7777 structure will fit well with the Catholic tradition of mystical significance of the number 7. This work is thus Anagogic in that sense.

Apologies to the Non-Catholics or to people who are not into religious stuff. Please approach this work not as an evangelization tool, but as a literary work.

Pakinggan mo si Kristo

I. Sinakdal si Kristo

may tunog ang paratang
tibok sa bawat hakbang
bitay na dahang tangan
masakit kung pakinggan.

II. Pinasan Niya ang Krus

bulong nitong pagtanggap
sa krus inaaapuhap
tikom na labi'y agap
dito sa ambang hirap.

III. Unang Pagkarapa

sa unang bagsak ay kulog
kanino man kang lingkod
pasakit 'to sa tuhod
pasang mundo sa likod.

IV. Paglapit ni Maria

nguni mas may ulinig
sigaw ng tagong hapis
na 'di mapantig-pantig
ng inang nagtitiis.

V. Pagtulong ni Simon

ang bigla't kusang-loob
anak ng 'buting layon
walang ingay-daluyong
liban sa pagsang-ayon.

VI. Pagpunas ni Veronica

panaghoy ba ng pawis
mapunasan mang pilit
ito ba'y tatahimik
o manatiling sakit?

VII. Ikalawang Pagkarapa

madapa ka ngang minsan
halupasay nang tunay
mag-ulit pa nga kaya
dagundong sa pagdapa.

VIII. Paglapit ng mga Kababaihan

iyak na ulit-ulit
malupit na hagupit
lagitik ng hinagpis
alaalang mahigpit.

IX. Huling Pagkarapa

sala'y aalingawngaw
tono ng pagbagsalimbay
ipit sa paghandusay
sugatan mong katawan.

X. Pagtanggal ng Kanyang Damit

hapdi ng biglang punit
dugo'y s'yang hinahasik
mahubda'y di panagip
nguni kailangang dalit.

XI. Pagpako kay Kristo

katok siya sa simula
pako ang panukala
bigat ng bawat sala
lagapak huling dala.

XII. Pagkamatay ni Kristo

hatid ng huling hapo
hingasing ng dibdib mo
sa buong sansinukob
huling alak na handog.

XIII. Pagbababa sa Krus

templong pinatahimik
pagbaba'y may habilin
lakas na laging kipkip
'di man lamang inangkin.

XIV. Paglilibing

Ugong ng nitsong bato
pananda ng pagsuyo
sa huling sakripisyo
pinatawad ang tao.

- Jardine Davies.

Here is a more serious Tanaga in the Holy week theme. It talks about the salvific of sacrifice power according to the Catholic tradition. Just in time for Holy Monday:

Ilang beses si Hesus
ipinapako sa krus?
Dugo nyang umaaagos
upang tayo'y matubos.

- Angelo Ancheta, Philippines.

A Tanaga that is not well known to be one is the Revelation of the Mystery of faith by the Catholics. Just in time as the above work, let me quote what is said:

Si Kristo ay namatay,
Si Kristo ay nabuhay;
Si Kristo ay babalik,
Sa wakas ng Panahon.

"Christ died, Christ has risen,
Christ will come again."

Author Unknown.

Perhaps It was not willed to be a Tanaga, but this poses a question on the nature our collective cultural memory. Is the mystery of seven syllables here an artifact of the Catholic faith and its preoccupation with the mystery of the number seven? Or more of a relic of the Filipino poem naturally coming out of the translator?

Nothing is certain, but either way, the Tanaga itself died with the Colonization, the Tanaga lived again in the time of Abadilla and Ildefonso Santos, and perhaps, when given enough world exposure the Tanaga will come again in a salvific form.

Hit me if I'm dreaming.

Here's a little something to tickle some Filipino poets fancies on criticism. I'm certain the Holy Week will be a little different with this in mind:

Penitensiya

ako ay nauulol
sa paghanap ng bulbol
pakibigyan ng hatol
ang ulo kong mapurol

- Medel, Philippines.

The next Tanagas below I will not bother to explain:

English Tanaga

dam dee dam dee dam dee dam
deem dah dim duh deem di dam
pam pa ram pa ram dee dam
deem da-deem da-dim dee-dam

Tanagang Kolonyal

1 2 1 2 1 2 1
1 2 1 2 1 2 1
1 2 1 2 1 2 1
1 2 1 2 1 2 9

1 3 1 1 3 3 1
1 2 3 5 8 1 3
1 3 1 1 3 3 1
1 3 1 1 3 3 1

1 0 1 0 1 0 1
1 0 1 0 1 0 1
1 0 1 0 1 0 1
1 0 1 0 1 0 1

- Jardine Davies.

The Catholic Holy week is coming in the Philippines by next week. Let me thus post the following to build on the contrast:

BIYERNES SANTO

Sa masuyong pagdampi
Puting panyo sa pisngi
Pasakit at pighati
Ay kakayaning pilit.

Rhodge F. Fernandez, Philippines.

-----

Tanaga sa Kahalayan

Romansa

Nanaginip nang gising
Na ikaw ang kapiling
Nang gisingin ng hangin
Niroromansa’y matsing.

Labanan

Lubog na ang higaan
Madalas ang labanan
Girian at salpukan
Daig pa ang digmaan.

French Kiss

Labi’y huwag kagatin
Dila lang ang lasapin
Lalamuna’y sungkalin
Hanggang mata’y maduling.

Makatang Kiko, Philippines.
-----

Motel

silid ng mga silid
ang ating tutunguhin
problema'y lilimutin
langit ay mararating.

Jheric Saracho, Philippines.

I've been receiving alot of submissions of Tanaga, but not much yet in the foreign tongue. So far, I have got just got one Tanaga from France. While I wait for a surge or even a slight interest from a foreign national who cares enough about this cause, allow me to post the following works from several authors.

There is no intention here to connect one from the other. Please take each Tanaga as its own.

Ako'y Naubusan

Ang hita mong hugis banak,
Isigang at kamitisan.
Pag ako'y di nakatikim,
Ay tiyak na naubusan.

Author's Note:

- Ang "banak" ay isang uri ng malinamnam na isda na mahuhuli sa baybayin
ng dagat ng batangas.
- Ang "kamatisan" naman ay lagyan ng kamatis.

Aldrin Cantos, Philippines.
-----

ako'y kibit-balikat,
sa pag-abang ng dyipni,
mga mata'y imulat,
hay! ako'y tinanghali!

Leya Opinaldo, Philippines.
-----

Payo sa Bagong Gradweyt

sa iyong pagtatapos
'wag na' wag kalimutan
ang magsilbi sa bukid
ay karangalang lubos

Roh Mih, Philippines

-----

This next piece is intentionally longer. By using one syllable words, Jojo Ballo creates an illusion of a longer poem, that goes around the limits of the few words that can be sandwiched in a Tanaga. In a haiku, tanka or tanaga, words can can only get you so far. Syllable count had always been the harder part in writing poems with measure. However, four lines would net a writer more space for words when utilizing this device, as in this example:

The sky in its grace rained tears
The wind in its haste left years
In my mind they wear the forms
That silence the dance of storms

- Jojo Ballo, Philippines.

This Tanaga uses imagery that is not static. Reading it will make you move with the author's suggestion:

Ilapat mo sa awit,
damdaming bitbit-bitbit.
Tulad ng mandaragit,
gumala ka sa langit.

- Angelo Ancheta, Philippines.

There is life here in this piece. An invitation that reaches out in an oddly real and tangible way. As I blog and read the many submissions for new Tanagas, I can't help but relate well to this piece. That life that I talk about in this piece is something that I discover with every new Tanaga that is submitted to this site. As I am yet learning the intricacies of the craft and the many different ways that it can be most beautiful, I expect more of this magic to be revealed to me in time.

You should discover it too; it's a sweet experience of having so much said with so little. If you can write a Tanaga in your language it will be something of a similar experience - that I can bet. As the above poem says (Apologies to Angelo A for the rough translation): Place your emotion in songs. Like a bird of prey soaring - venture into the heavens.

On closet lives klet goes on to critique:

Hari-hariang bading
Pag-asta ay mahinhin
Sukol na nga ang lihim
'Di pa rin umaamin

- Klet Makulit, Lucena City,
Philippines.

Incidentally, she makes it a point that it is mentioned that she's not gay, whatever her intention is. Interestingly, The makabagong tanaga, had become a more open form, and no longer a limiting art. It has come of of its closet so to speak.

While the Haiku, and the Japanese Tanka have been admittedly more popular, the same can be said of the Tanaga: Until it is used more in a non-ethnocentric form by the use of foreign languages and thus appreciated as an art form, it will not be as popular.

There is always something that history leaves in its tiptoeing passage; the Tanaga's charm is one such legacy. We can look back in its past as a moral tool of our Filipino ancestors - yet even more beautifully as a modern man's tool for critique and communication. The art will remain; remnants will stay. How the moderns use the tanaga or view it will define its significance, and recover its meaning. Posts in this website have created many lives out of the Tanaga. Unlike what is said in the poem above, the real Tanaga does not dread coming out. It finally has said, "Yes, I am an Art - worth all the Praise."

Anavs departs from tradition in this piece. Instead of using the Tanaga separately, she constructs a poem with 3 Tanagas serving as any regular stanza would. While each of her Tanaga can behave on its own, the continuity she created is something new in this work about a Dog's Bark:

Kahol ng Aso

Di ka maintindihan
Bulabog buong bayan
Ang Pighati mong tangan
Hindi ko kailangan

Dapat bang maging aso
Upang ako'y mapaso
Sa dinulot mong kaso
Bingi na aking puso

Ngunit aking naisip
Ano ba ang kalakip
Nitong dusa mong kipkip
Ako ba ang sasagip

- Anavs, France.

The ABBA rhyme scheme for a modern tanaga can perform wonders when used effectively. For a short poem, such as the Tanaga, rhymes can be exploited to pair word associations where there will be most impact.

In this socially relevant depiction of Manila's streetkids, Jheric Saracho used 1 full near rhyme in the form AAAA, to associate 4 words: pulubi, labi, natuli, rugby (beggar, lips, circumcised, rugby - an addictive solvent street kids use to ward off hunger pangs). The same set of words rhymes strictly as ABBA to create words pairs pulubi-rugby, labi-tuli, which alternatively becomes an ironic word relation on pulubi-natuli, and labi-rugby; the rugby thus becoming the street kids' source of nourishment:

Rugby

Mga batang pulubi,
may gatas pa sa labi,
hindi pa nga natuli,
nalulong na sa rugby.

- Jheric A. Saracho,
Philippines.

Like the Japanese Haiku, the Tanaga is a difficult poem to make due to its targetted brevity, and limiting measure. What makes this a harder art is how to settle the the problem of utilizing the rhymes to their best effect.

This time with words stronger and pegged in a well-known talinhaga, 'Pag maigsi ang kumot, matutong mamaluktot." (Should the blanket be short, fold yourself to fit into it, or literally, Learn to fold yourself in). He follows with what to do if the blanket is non-existent.

With that, the Tanaga had become a social commentary:

Tanaga Sa Bayan

Sakripisyo

Matutong mamaluktot
‘Pag maikli ang kumot
Pa’no pag walang kumot
Siksik na lang sa sulok.

Krisis

Bayan kang iniinis
Ng pulitikong ganid
Taumbaya’y binitbit
Sa hirap at panangis.

Huwad

Itubog man ang tanso
Sa karagatang ginto
‘Pag naiwan sa ulan
babalik sa kawalan.

Paglaya

Kalagin mo ang gapos
Malay na binusabos
Huwag sanang maubos
Kalayaa’y matapos.

- Makatang Kiko, Philippines.

Leya contributes with this lyrical piece. Makes me wonder how sweet it is to make a tanaga for a special person!

The difficulty in Tanaga as Mark Angeles says is rooted on the concept of gansal (odd) and pares (even). The Tanaga being in the gansal form, is harder ... Seven syllables can only take you so far. The comfort of adding an eighth syllable is too tempting, but such is the challenge. that is why to come up with a Tanaga for a lover is no mean feat:

I'm no poetic lover,
No wishful thinking either,
But when my eyes locked with yours,
My lonely life swayed its course.

- Leya Opinaldo, Philippines.

The title when translated means, "even if parents disapprove (of me/of a lover)". Aldrin Cantos posts these two Tanagas. They are separate poems, by the way. The quality of a Tanaga can be judged outside its form as these two moral 'treatises' show. When the proverbial intent outweighs adherrence to spelling, Filipino's form of poetic license via pagdadaglat, (contraction) is invoked.

Shown in this piece via ako + ay, reduced to a monosyllable Ako'y; 'Di (from Hindi) and 'Wag, the contracted form of "Huwag".

Irog ko'y aakayin,
patungo sa simbahan.
Magulang man ay tutol,
bilang ako'y manugang.

*****

Harangan man ng sibat,
granada at masinggan.
'Di ako mamamatay,
'Wag lamang tatamaan.

- Aldrin Cantos, Philippines.

Now every Filipino should be familiar with this song Magtanim ay 'di biro, in English - "Planting Is Not Easy" as the band the Dawn translates it, or literally "Planting is not a Joke" -

Magtanim ay 'di biro
maghapong nakayuko;
'Di naman makatayo,
'Di naman makaupo.

Roh Mih noticed it first and told me about it. It's a perfect Tanaga. Interesting, huh? Makes ione think what more treasures we have kept in our collective ethnic memory? Any out there who can still remember other folk songs, in the Tanaga form? Calling... Calling all...

John Torraba used the Tanaga in this greeting sent to mark the occassion of Women's Day.
The other layers of meaning to it, I'll leave for you to discover:

ISANG MALIGAYA AT MAPAGPALAYANG ARAW NG MGA KABABAIHAN SA INYONG LAHAT, MGA KASAMA!!!

INANG LUPA: BABAE

Sabi nila'y madugo
Ang pagsilang ng mundo
Ngunit nababatid mo,
Ito'y mula sa puso.

- John Torraba, Philippines.

The CA t creates a tanaga as a birthday gift for Tito Rolly's kiddo. This is one of the unique things about our culture. As far as I know the practice of creating poems, singing of songs or reciting of old tales had been a cultural practice for some tribes in the Philippines. I have reason to think this is similar for other Filipinos, hence the concept of pasalubong, etc.

I will leave you a notable stanza just to tickle your fancy, but leave the rest for you to discover in her webiste at cathcath.com. Do check it out:

panggigil, di napigil,
isang gabing walang b’wan,
Saksi ay ang tikatik
ng bumuhos na ulan.

- The CA t, cathcath.com

This link points to her complete version.

Modernizing the Tanaga not only bridges the past with the present, or the future for that matter, but resurrects lovers of the pure form to fight back and reclaim a claimed 'old soul' lost when an old form is modernized. In this set here, Roh Mih decides to do away with single line cuts of thought and instead procede with the next line - yet still using the form and rhyme and proverbial content respectfully.

While Tanagas can stand on their own, pairing proved most successful:

Dalawang Tanaga ng Wagas na Pag-ibig
Alaala ng Isang Kawal

magiting na sundalo
ang tatay ko. S'ya mismo
ang nagsabi: di punglo
ang katapat ng tao


Hapunan

katawan ko'y tinapay
ang dugo ko ay alak
ako'y inyong ihain
sa hapag ng pag-ibig

- Roh Mih, Philippines.

Ergoe delivers yet another movie review. This time popular culture is held captive yet again in dark humor:

I am Ani Skywalker,
With one-handed lightsaber.
Yes Luke, I am your father.
Billie Jean's not my lover.

- Ergoe Tinio, Philippines.

While the Tanaga is best without a title, adding one is not a bad idea. It becomes a bridge of Western and Eastern traditions, and this creates a hybrid that is not disrespecting either.

This one is a little difficult to grasp because it is abstract, but after awhile it manifests itself and becomes a question on the nature of the Tanaga itself: Why is there a need for a title? Here goes:

The Fifth Corner of the Square,
otherwise known as god of the Tanaga

To You who breathe Congruence
Wherefore the Deliverance
Outside Non-Interference
Within segment Countenance

- Jardine Davies

This next one is a collaborative Tanaga. One author wrote the first two lines, and another author tried to complete the last 2 lines of the piece. It's a very creative and fulfilling exercise. Interestingly, since this next Tanaga talks about a supersition about the bad luck of sex inside the car, the paired words like hapi-hapi, leche-leche, and sabi-sabi worked to become not just syllable placeholders but as visual methapor of the act itself:

Bawal daw 'pag sa kotse,
Doon mag hapi-hapi.
Baka magleche-leche,
Yaon ang sabi-sabi.


- Jardine Davies and a poetess

Why can Tanagas be very powerful? This always goes back to the character of good poetry - that delivate balance between the said and the unsaid - the poem's story, and the history of the persona.

In this Tanaga so much had been said with so little:

Boladas

Ano ba ang nakita?
Ako ay nagayuma
Sa kislap ng ‘yong mata
Puso ko’y nahalina.

Jheric A. Saracho, Philippines.

From a tabulas 'blogger' comes a first attempt on the tanaga. In this piece, the light of a star takes on a metaphysical sense, and explodes from mere a sparkle, to pure luminosity:

Buhay kita o bit’win
Sa gabi ay maningning
Liwanag ay kakamtin
Karimlan ay limutin

- klet makulet, Philippines.

Francis Montesena, more popularly known as Makatang Kiko writes about three things in this set of three Tanagas: the illicit, the unethical, and the slippers - or more affectionately called as flip-flops by our western friends. How the flip-flops wrap it all up effectively is something that only a native Filipino speaker may very well understand in its purest sense! If you require a translation just post a comment, and Filipino poets will help you appreciate the art.

What the flip-flops ad to the end of the tanaga is proverbial, and thus very Filipino in nature: high context, moral, and allegorically profound. This is thus the Tanaga: Tight, limited in words yet full of meaning:

Bawal

Nakatikim ka na ba
Nang bawal na pagsinta?
Masarap lang sa una
Masakit `pag tapos na.


Kural

Ang kural ay sa baboy,
Ang sa tao ay ano?
Kung ugaling baboy ka
Sa kural ay pwede ba?


Tsinelas

Pagkatapos isuot
Alilai't mapudpod
Talampaka'y diniyos
Iiwan lang na lagot.

- Makatang Kiko, Philippines.

Notice too that the rhythm set by each line as a complete packet of thought reinforces the next lines, thus rhythm and meaning is climaxing towards the last line which wraps the methapor perfectly. Such is the art of the Tanaga!

A subtle social commentary is central to this Tanaga below. Even with such silent strokes as a mundane early morning coffee, the realism stings so well:

Isang umaga sa squatter's area

paggising sa umaga
pupunta sa kusina
di kape itotoma
kundi gin bulag pala

-Rolly delos Santos, Philippines.

In this Tanaga, an allusion to Medusa is transfixed in a Filipino way. This shows why the Tanaga can be so rich - it can bridge cultures, and meaning with so little words. By limiting oneself in the act of poetry, one is humbled by the vastness of meaning that can be derived from so few words:

Nang napako sa plaza
ang Salvador ng raza,
dumami ang mestizang
nagkukrus ng ceniza.

Ang paglaho ng musa’y
may sumpa ni Medusa—
pagsasabatong dusa’y
eternal na parusa.

- vlad gonzales, Philippines.

Yet another hit from Batjay - this time the proverbial attitude is hinted on:

TUNGKOL SA HIRAP NANG MAHIWALAY SA ASAWA

nagjakol ka na naman,
mabubulag ka niyan.
bakit nga ba ganiyan.
'pag asawa'y lumisan.

- Batjay, Singapore.

The Tanaga, by tradition do not really have any titles. Since most of the elderly philosophies of early Filipinos come in proverb form (talinhaga), and thus an Oral history, titles were nearly non-essential; the four lines should speak for itself.

That is to say, even in it's written forms in the baybayin/alibata script, titles were never a necessity in Tanagas. Some moderns have included a title though in order to add a new dimension of meaning, but this collection of Five Tanagas by Mark respects the Tanaga in its purest traditional form even if each represents modern-day realism:

O, Banal na Pagitan
sinambit mo ang ngalan
nitong abuhing malay;
pumikit sa kanluran.


Dalagang walang libog
kamiso'y lampas-tuhod
nang lumusong sa ilog
mga hito'y nalunod.


O, mahinhing biyolin
dalit ko'y iyong dinggin—
Paano susuyuin
ang iyong pagkabirhen?


Nangarap makapunta
si Nonoy sa Canada,
(engineer ang karera)
pipik-ap ng basura.


Talinhagang ginagap
ano't nang kanyang hawak
biglaang naging tabak
sa isipa'y sumugat.

- Mark Angeles, Philippines.

Ergoe Tinio's Tanaga is an excellent personification of the GenerationX-defining lead character, Troy Dyer in the movie "Reality Bites" --- All in four lines.

Reality Bites

There was a prodigal son -
Troy Dyer, the musician.
I couldn't get just one kiss,
So don't bogart the can, miss.

- Ergoe Tinio, Philippines.

In this next piece, a word play on the Catholic Church's Revelation of the Mystery of the Faith is used to elevate a seemingly trivial love for the metropolis into the sacramental level of love as a diasporic hunger. Why is it that people want to always go back home?

Buhay-Cubao*

Sa Cubao isinilang,
Sa Cubao din namatay;
Sa Cubao din ang balik,
Sa wakas ng Panahon.

- Jardine Davies

* Cubao is one of the busiest residential and commercial centers in the Philippines. It is a unique locality where one can see both the poorest of the poor and the richest of the rich among Filipinos literally rub elbows together.

Romel G. Samson's "Tanagas" are of the count 8-8-8-8. Research shows however that this form exists in Philippine Literature as dalit. John Torraba verifies dalit to be a type of short Filipino poem, consisting of four lines with eight syllables each.

Like the Tanaga, Dalit is a dying poetic form.

There is a controversy regarding its origin. One school of thought states that the dalit is Spanish in origin, particularly because its syllabication is even or pares. Hence, it is said that the Spanish popularized the dalit in the Philippines. Another view holds that the dalit is indigenous, but the friars used its popularity to promote Catholicism, in the form of meditative verses. (Wikipedia)

Mga Tanaga* ni Xam

Hindi na makalilipad
Ang mga ibong napadpad,
Sa langit ng kapuspalad
Pangarap ay di matupad.

***

Maging dagat sa pagkati
Ay humahalik sa labi
Ng buhanginang may hikbi
May pusong pinintakasi.


***
Pusong tibok ay masasal
Ay isa lamang ang dasal,
Langit nawa ay dumatal
Sa pagluyog niyang banal.

- Romel G. Samson, Philippines

* Note: Technically Dalit.

The Tanaga below is a departure from the native language which Tanaga was intended for. It is written in the second tongue of Filipinos, (English), which is technically already quasi-native to the Filipinos.

When the business outsourcing trend reached the Philippines - the prevailing competitive advantage that is harped is based on what is deemed a high level of proficiency in the English language of Filipinos (with minimal accent disparity), as well as a technology-abled workforce.

This Tanaga critiques utilitarianism:

3 Tanagas: 1-800-Filipino

I. Business Development

Inbound customer's galore
I care not about eyesore -
let calls come forevermore;
offshore: the new diaspore.

II. Profitability

Hail the blue caterpillars
dirtying their white collars!
For quarter of your dollars -
new economic pillars!

III. Research Goal: Sustainability

The Node of Vitality,
Must build new technology:
Pure third world fidelity
for ambidexterity.

- Jardine Davies.

In the following Tanaga, Filipino humor is showcased at its best: subtle, yet unforgiving. Most of Batjay's works exhibit this humor of the Filipino in short mundane phrases that are almost too taboo for conversational use. In so doing he is preserving words Filipino words too often not said and giving them a new body of meaning.

In this Tanaga he captures reality in four lines - showcasing why the Filipino language is best being onomatopoeic:

TANAGA TUNGKOL SA ISANG MAHINHING BABAING NAGPIGIL NG PAGTAWA SA LOOB NG JEEP

gusto niyang tumawa,
pero nagtimpi siya.
bigla tuloy nautot
putangina, ang bantot.

- BatJay, Singapore.
www.nicanordavid.com

In this next piece, fellow countryman Nanoy pushes the bounderies of the Tanaga toward pop-culture. While Modern Tanaga is traditionally written in a singular language, Nanoy articulates the colloquial and therefore dynamic Taglish (Tagalog and English hybrid) to make his Tanaga more timely:

Mga T(anag)ang Ina
ni: Nanoy, ang isip-kamote

Redyus

South Beach Diet ang sagot
Sa figure niyang nagblo-bloat;
Kung gusto niyang pumayat
Bakit di siya mag-iskwat?

Illegal Loving

Ayaw niya ng log ban
Saan niya nga naman
Magagawang iukit
Ngalan ni Misis Liit?

KulimV.A.T. *

Sabi ni Kongresista,
"Wag kayong mag-alala,
Two percent ay babalik
Kapag ako'y nag-outreach."

--
Sa pag-iisip, isipin kung paano mag-isip.
Mangamote.

- Nanoy, Philippines. Huminga.

Note: * V.A.T. - Value Added Tax, jdavies.

I got the first contribution from Roh in this piece below. This marks a rebirth that makes me believe resurrecting this dying artform is very possible! Here's a toast to poetry and the tanaga:

Sayaw sa Malibcong: Tatlong Tanaga

Iyo bang naririnig
ang tunog ng mga gong?
halina’t maki-tadek
sa ilalim ng buwan

Saksihan at danasin:
kailan iaabot
ng sinusuyong dilag
ang panyo nitong hawak?

Ah, kay tamis ng tapoy
na pinagsasaluhan;
muli’t muli, awitin
ang kantang salidumay


- Roh Mih, Philippines

Additional Notes from the Author:

Malibcong: Ito ay isang malayong bayan sa Abra, tirahan ng mga katutubong Itneg, na dating war zone noong 70s. Matindi ang labanan dito noon ng militar at NPAs. Dito ipinanganak si Fr. Balweg, ang pinuno noon ng Cordillera Peoples Liberation Army na nakipagsundo sa pamahalaang Aquino noong 1987. Nabisita ko ang bayang ito noong 1999.

Tadek: Ito ay katutubong courtship dance sa Abra at Kalinga. Sa sayaw na ito, ang babae at lalake ay may hawak na panyo. Kunwari, liligawan ng lalake ang babae sa pamamagitan ng sayaw sa saliw ng mga gong, hanggang sa iabot ng babae ang kanyang panyo sa lalake at vice versa. Pagkatapos, ang bawat isa ay maghahanap sa audience ng kapalit nila na magsasayaw. Kaya nga, ang mga manonood ay sumasaksi at dumaranas din ng experience noon.

Tapoy: Ito ay rice wine. During the occasion, pinaiikot ito sa mga manonood. Masarap ito, at nakapag-aalis ng kaba, lalo na sa mga baguhan sa tadek especially mga vistors sa bayan-- gaya ko noon.

Salidumay: Ito ay indigenous song o chant. Parang refrain ng kanta. Masarap itong pakinggan. Pero, hanggang ngayon, di ko alam ang ibig sabihin nito.

Sa madaling salita, ang tulang ito ay naglalarawan ng isang kultura, partikular na ang sayaw na tadek na participatory o communal.

- Roh Mih, Philippines

I am starting this website to answer the call of the Committee on Literary Arts of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, poet friends (Roh, Kiko, Mark, Kris, Jojo and the Pinoypoets!), and like-minded Filipinos who wish to resurrect a dying art from back into the limelight.

The Tanaga is a type of short Filipino poem, consisting of four lines with seven syllables each with the same rhyme at the end of each line --- that is to say a 7-7-7-7 syllable form, with an AAAA rhyme pattern as in this example:

In the Old Tagalog original:

"Catitibay ca tolos
sacaling datnang agos!
aco’I momonting lomot
sa iyo,I popolopot."

In the Modern Tagalog syllabication:

Katitibay ka Tulos
Sakaling datnang agos!
Ako'y mumunting lumot
sa iyo'y pupulupot.

Translation (mine):

Oh be resilient you Stake
Should the waters be coming!
I shall cower as the moss
To you I shall be clinging.

The above Tanaga is attributed to Friars Juan de Noceda and Pedro de Sanlucar by Vim Nadera, and quoted them as saying “Poesia muy alta en tagalo, compuesta de siete silabas, y cuatro versos, llena de metafora.”

Originally a rhyme pattern of AAAA or AABB is used, but the modern tanaga is free to deviate from the rhyme, as in this tanaga by Alejandro Abadilla which is a creed about his differences with another poet:

“Umawit si Villa *
At ako’y umawit,
Nguni magkakontra
Ang sa aming tinig.”

Translation:

"Villa serenades
as I do sing,
But there is variance
in our voicings."

*Poet Jose Garcia-Villa

A poetic form similar to the tanaga is the ambahan. The Ambahan's length though is indefinite, and follows the following form:

1. A rhythmic poetic expression with a meter of seven syllable lines and having rhythmic end-syllables.
2. It is most often presented as a chant without a determined musical pitch or accompaniment by musical instruments.
3. Its purpose is to express in an allegorical way, liberally using poetic language, certain situations or certain characteristics referred to by the one reciting the poem.

The tanaga however being more compact at seven-syllable quatrain makes it a more attractive and easy form to experiment with.

Poets test their skills at rhyme, meter and metaphor through the tanaga because not only is it rhymed and measured but also exacts skillful use of words to create a puzzle that demands some kind of an answer.


Tanaga contains lessons or teachings and practical philosophies used by the elders to give reminders for the youth. It has a structure composed of four verses and seven syllables in one stanza.

Examples:

It was lyric poet Ildefonso Santos who was said to be the first to discover the virtue of tanaga as an epitome of the dictum “less is more” when he wrote the metamorphosis of rice in four lines:

Palay siyang matino,
Nang humangi’y yumuko,
Nguni’y muling tumayo:
Nagkabunga ng ginto!

In his Doktrinang Anakpawis (1979), poet/critic Virgilio Almario in a way tried the versatility of tanaga in his own brand of protest literature:

Isang pinggang sinangag,
Isang lantang tinapa,
Isang sarting salabat,
Isang buntunghininga.

- Vim Nadera

Since I write mostly in the English language, and quite sparingly in Filipino , I am advocating the use of the Tanaga in the English as well, and I am openning it to the world to use.

I encourage like-minded poets from all over the world, and not just Filipinos to use this form and spread it all over the world! Remember if it's 7-7-7-7, it's not haiku, it is Tanaga. ;-) If you use more than four lines at seven-syllables per line, it is called Ambahan.

If you are interested to know more about Filipino poetry or submit a Tanaga in English or in the vernacular for this site, please email me: jardinedavies@gmail.com . All rights revert to the author. Multiple submissions are welcome. I invite even non-Filipinos to participate in this venture. If you care about modernity but doesn't wish it to impinge on the the cultural treasures of the past then let us build on the traditions of the past and merge it with the Future!

Let us keep the Tanaga and Ambahan alive! If you want to help as a co-moderator of this blog, do let me know so I can add you and help resurrect this dying art form!