Buhayin ang Tanaga!

SIMOY NG HARAYA

2010-11-14T18:44:00.000-08:00

Angelo Suarez wrote a handful of attempts at tanaga for Lala de Leon's SIMOY NG HARAYA perfume line, their titles corresponding to the name of each scent. Hello, poetry as ad copy! & no, it's not the other way around! The texts come w/ the bottles as part of the label.

Alon

Mistula walang alat
kung humalik ang dagat
sa pampang. Kung yumakap
ay mahigpit, banayad.

Ulan

Nabilanggo sa ulap,
ang tubig ay lumayas
mulang kulungang bulak
ng langit. Nagsitakas!

Dagat

Sa bughaw nitong pusod,
naroon ang nalunod
na alaala. Sugod
sa lalim ng paglimot!

Buwan

Mata ng gabi, bakit
mo pa ba sinisilip
kaming nananaginip?
Di ka ba nangangawit?

Sulyap

Patunay ng pagtingin
ang iyong tingin: Bangin
ang matang mapang-angkin.
Mahulog nang palihim.

Bulong

Malumanay ang tawid
ng salitang sinambit
sa tenga. Iyong bibig:
bukal ng aking kilig.

Ambon

Dampi ng langit, haplos
ng tubig sa alabok
ng alaalang tuyot --
pinapawi ang kirot.

Alaala

Umaalon sa isip,
kahapong iniihip
ng simoy ng pagkapit.
Sakit, nanunumbalik.

Gayuma

Tahak ng tingin, tulak
ng sulyap, yakap, lapat
ng titig sa balikat,
hatak pa, kindat, hatak.

Dalisay

Pinong puso, sa isip
nagkikimkim: Ang nais
ay dungis. Hindi linis,
kundi putik sa kinis!

Wagas

Walang kaso ang piyok
sa harana, ang pusok
sa kanta. Mas marupok
ang puro: Nabubulok.

Unang Halik

Lumanay ng talulot:
Bukadkad ang pag-irog
na marahang humagod
sa labing di malimot.

Pusok

Kumpas ng kilig, kabig
ng bibig ang manalig,
ligalig. Sa gilagid,
ang dila, kumakahig.

What Mulagat Means

2010-10-28T21:48:00.000-07:00

Michael Alegre posits what more meaning there is in the term "mulagat". Whether it is mere observation, or a warning is up to the reader to decide:

Mulagat

Panimdim mong luwa,
Lagos sa kaluluwa,
Nagbabalang sigwa,
Bubulusok, hihiwa.

Michael C. Alegre

2010-10-23T04:47:00.001-07:00

‎tulala

sila'y magsisilakad
na sa talino'y hubad
yakagin mang masikap
...yaring diwa'y lagalag.

--berlin flores
oktubre 20, 2010
lungsod ng mandaluyong

Anim na Tan(g)aga ni Arlan Camba

2010-10-23T04:43:00.002-07:00

Tan(g)aga

pantig na pitu-pito
pilipit sa dila ko
linya na naghingalo
nabaog na tula ko!

⌂

bishop

sa sermon umalulong
ng dasal at orasyon
nang walang sumang-ayon
naghamong magpakulong!

⌂

condom

hanggang saan ang lugod
ang init ng alindog
sa makailang putok
sinasala ang tamod?

⌂

withdrawal

sumayaw, umindayog
sumakit pati likod
eto na at sasabog
ay saka mo hinugot!

⌂

calendar method

isang buwang nagtimpi
tiniis ang hirati
nang umiksi ang pisi
hanap ay kulasisi.

⌂

vasectomy

kinakapon na utak
tinataliang ugat
sa tikim at paglasap
pinupunggok ang sarap!"

Bagyo Nanaman?! (Mga Tanaga ni Angela Tabalno)

2010-10-23T04:43:00.001-07:00

Bagyong Jua'y naulat
Biglang gayak ang lahat
Hinagpis at siwalat
Ondoy ba'y di pa sapat?

⌂

Tao'y san paroroon?
Ulan dito, ulan don.
Ang daa'y nagka-alon
Hanggang bewang na daw d'on.

⌂

Sa D'yos nagsusumamo
Tao'y ipag-adya Nyo
Bagyo sana'y lumayo
At sa dagat maglaho.

Tatlong Tanaga ni Pia Montalban

2010-10-23T04:40:00.000-07:00

katawan ko'y pilipit
sa banig nakadikit
sa kirot nakapiit
nakabilot na paslit

⌂

langis, ihaplos-diit
konting taas ng singit
kung sa'n nagkubling init
at pawis na malagkit

⌂

congenital ba'y dalit
nitong lahing sinulit
sa bunso n'yong makulit
halik-pagibig: sakit.

Tatlong Tanaga ni Nonilon Queano

2010-10-16T18:19:00.002-07:00

Muntik nang mapatula
Sa bomba ng tanaga
...Ngunit puno ng luha
43'y di pa laya.

⌂

Sige na nga, sige na,
Ang tula ay ikasa
Apatnapu't tatlo ba
P-noy, kailan lalaya?

⌂

Sigaw ng bayang api
Free the Morong 43
Lumalim na ang gabi
Hustisya'y bakit bingi?

NoniVQueano/15Oktubre2010

2010-10-16T18:19:00.001-07:00

Ako po ay tutula

Nang mahabang mahaba;
...ako po ay uupo;
tula ko'y tapos na po
dahil ako'y pupu-pooh.

-Richard R. Gappi
10:37AM, 15 Oktubre 2010
Angono, Rizal, Pilipinas

2010-10-16T18:18:00.000-07:00

Makatarungang inggit
(P.S. sa mga minero ng Chile)

...Mabuti pa sa Chile,
Meron ng Freed 33.
Itong Morong 43,
Posas pa rin ng gabi.

-Richard R. Gappi
6:31AM, Huwebes, 15 Oktubre 2010
Angono, Rizal, Pilipinas

2010-10-16T18:17:00.000-07:00

Fenix
(Tanaga para sa 33 minero ng Chile)

...Matapos ang sixtinayn,
kayo ay iniluwal;
muli kayong nabuhay --
sarap ng pakiramdam!

-Richard R. Gappi
9:59AM, Huwebes, 14 Oktubre 2010
Angono, Rizal, Pilipinas

Limang Tanaga sa Kahon ni Berlin Flores

2010-10-16T18:14:00.000-07:00

(Mga tanagang kinatha para sa ligguhang palihan ng Angono 3/7 poetry society.)

kasilyas

paggising ko kanina,
ang tinungo'y kubeta.
at sa bawat pag-iri,
mayro'ng ginhawang iwi.

aginaldo

nitong nagdaang pasko,
nagregalo'ng ninong ko,
ang hinuha kong kutson:
patung-patong na kahon.

engagement

lumuhod ang binata,
ang dalaga'y nagitla;
paghugot nitong singsing,
nautot pa't nahatsing.

paurong

tumindig arsobispo
puputukin 'tong lobo
'pagkat tingin n'yang bobo
'to'y sugo ng demonyo.

batingaw

nagtakda ang simbahan
ng k'wadradong kulungan
'pag abot ng batingaw
obligadong sumayaw.

ika-10 ng oktubre, 2010
tanay, rizal

Mga Tanaga para sa Chile 33 ni Berlin Flores

2010-10-16T18:10:00.000-07:00

(Susog sa nauna nang mga tanaga ni Richard Gappi hinggil sa pagkaka-rescue sa 33 mga minero mula sa ilalim ng lupa.)

reunion

matapos n'yong mahugot
sa ilalim ng lupa
pagkakita sa mukha
kapamilya'y naluha.

pananalig

sa haba ng panahong
kayo ay nangabaon
tanging tangan n'yong gidon*
pananalig sa Poon.

*isang maliit na bandilang kadalasang ginagamit sa panahon ng digma. silbing pagkakakilanlan ng isang hukbo.

Tatlong Tanaga (sa Dilaw na Halimaw) ni M.J. Rafal

2010-10-16T18:07:00.000-07:00

i.

Unti-unting napanot,
tuktok na baluktot.
Asyendang 'di sinaka,
'pagkait sa sakada?

ii.

Barong mo ay kayputi,
ngisi'y kasuklam-suklam.
Yaon nga ba'y baluti
sa mga ayaw 'paalam?

iii.

Ikaw, oo, halika!
Bibig mo'y 'yong ipinid.
'Pagkat ako'y bathala.
Litaw lagi'ng gilagid.

Mga Tanaga ni Fermin Salvador

2010-10-16T18:03:00.000-07:00

Primavera (Tagsibol)

Buong tao’y tag-usbong
Sa lupain ng Pinoy
Ba’t mga harding luoy
Ang tagpong panginoon?

Verano (Tag-araw)
Lupain ng pawisan
Ang bayan kong maaraw –
Manggagawa ay angaw
Na tadhana’y karimlan.

Otono (Taglagas)
Ikaw ay walang petsa
Sa aking bayang sinta
Ngunit daming petalyang
Nalagas nang maaga.

Invierno (Tagyelo)
Higit sa ginto’ng init
Pag niyebe’y humasik
Araw at alab-dibdib
Sa bayan ko ay liglig.

Paliparang O’Hare

Sa pusod ng Chicago
Lagusan ng b’yahero
Saanman naging tao
Gaya kong mula Tundo.

Paliparang LAX

Lungsod ng mga Anghel
Pakpak-ada’ng mga pleyn
May ilusyon na hain
Ang malapad na iskrin.

Paliparang Narita

Parang Ginzang matingkad
Ang pagitan ng tarmak
At hintayan ng bawat
Sumadya o napadpad.

Paliparang Inchon

Magara at maluwang
Ang erport sa ‘Morning Calm’
Nag-stopover, isip ay
Sa babalikang bayan.

10/14/10

Mental State of Mind: Mga Tanaga ni Medel Mercado

2010-10-16T18:02:00.002-07:00

Si ako ako ako
Ay kayo kayo kayo
At tayo tayo tayo
Ay luku-luko luku-luko

Bakit bro, tanong ninyo?
Sa inyo, sagot ko ‘to:
Tanagang sinulat ko
‘Di rin iba sa inyo!

Mga Tanaga ni German Villanueva Gervacio

2010-10-16T18:02:00.001-07:00

Magtanim ay di biro
Maghapong nakayuko
Di naman makaupo
Sa lupang pinangako

⌂

Dapa mga kasama!
Ilag sa bambo’t bala
Ang huli mong tanaga
Ibulong mo sa lupa

⌂

May tainga ang lupa
May pakpak ang balita
May bibig ang tanaga
Bubuga rin ng tingga

⌂

Itaga mo sa bato
Na itong tanaga ko
Ititigbas sa buto
Ng bungol sa dalit mo

⌂

Kondom na pinalobo
Langitngit ng kuwarto
Punlay na atribido
Sa latex nagsisirko

⌂

Bubong na butas-butas
Bintanang nakabukas
Tatay na superlakas
Toink! Kondom ay umikyas!

⌂

Papantig-pantig ka na
Patugma-tugma pa nga
Patana-tanaga pa
Nakangisi lang sila

German Villanueva Gervacio/Iligan City/October 14, 2010

Mga Tanaga ni Noel Sales Barcelona

2010-10-16T17:59:00.000-07:00

Gobyerno

Lagi na lamang kapos
Ang iyong pagtutuos
Paanong hindi kabyos
Sira kasi ang tuktok!

Politiko

Samo’t saring pakulo
Panghalina sa tao.
Huli na nang mataho
Salita pala’y basyo!

luma-Lazarus

2010-10-10T22:40:00.000-07:00

Kinausap ko si Dave Buenviaje para buhayin (muli) ang blog na ito. Gaano kahalaga ang engagement sa tanaga bilang isa sa mga anyo ng katutubong pagtula? Tulad ito ng paghahanap sa isang nawawala; ng isang taong tinutunton ang kanyang pinagmulan. Kaya mabuti rin na sabihing hindi talaga namatay ang tanaga. Naisantabi lang natin.

Ipasa ang inyong mga tanaga sa tanaga2@gmail.com, subject: BUHAYIN ANG TANAGA.

- Mark Angeles

Regaining a lost heritage

2006-11-29T03:46:00.000-08:00

For months now, this website has not been updated. I have not had enough contributions coming in. Recently however, an email from a Filipino trying to connect, and perhaps reclaim a lost heritage encouraged me to post one. Here's her piece:

Better to have loved and lost?
Dare to dream, at any cost?
Though hearts and spirits exhaust,
better to have loved and lost.

- Natalie

I'll leave it unannotated to allow the full breadth of her meaning come out since it's a very lovely short tanaga that could easily lift one's heart.

Must Say 2: On Tanaga Homeworks

2006-04-16T19:28:00.000-07:00

Continuation of a previous post (read: rant) about Haiku requests and Tanaga

Some Copyright guidelines
for students who use this site for their school projects:

There are Filipino tanagas here published in the previous months, all copyrights of which are retained by their respective authors. Mere publishing on this site from their end is an approval to the editor and expressly, an approval to the public that their work may be exhibited for the sake of the saving a dying art form. However, this means that while they may be copied for educational purposes, full credit due must be provided to them. This must not be forgotten.
A link back to this site (and the exact work cited) is also needed should you quote the same on your term papers.

Perhaps I should add a search button on or a list of poems on the archive. Allow me to rant though. I understand the difficulty in writing tanagas, however, it is NOT right to demand this writer for your freaking homeworks. I suggest make your ur own tanagas rather than copying for your homeworls. It's not that difficult. Please contribute to goal of keeping the art alive, rather than merely distributing the mere handful of surviving tanagas that we have.

Must Say 1: On Haiku Requests

2006-04-16T19:06:00.000-07:00

Some details that need to be said:

1. This is tanaga site not a haiku site.

While I do not despite other artforms, please understand that this site is devoted to the tanaga and not the haiku. There are already too many haiku sites in the internet, I need not add another one. This is why I could not entertain reader requests for haikus.

However, I can provide information on how similar the tanaga and the haiku are from the perspective of the writer: Both are short poetic forms and therefore demand what I call the two primary Cs = Comprehensiveness in Concise delivery. In fact there is a third C which is clarity, something which most poets still struggle with owing to the difficulty of jargon and culture.

The art in both is in contained not just in the work itself, but in the writing process. The choice of words is difficult task, which not easily done by the uninterested. Hence, the tanaga, like the haiku, is a fourth C = a Craft. What seperates the tanaga from the haiku is auditory -the possibilities for rhyme, the power of the tone in the meter, and recently through modernizing of the form, all of which can have profound effects which add to the flexibility of the poem when invoking OR violating these rules.

A sestina always comes from a a basic set of words, but a set of words do not always end up as a sestina. In the same way, should your attempts on a tanaga fail, the open form maybe a good route to take.

French Tanaga, Spanish Tanaga, Esperanto, Too.

2006-04-16T18:35:00.000-07:00

I got an email from reader and poet Kevyn Bello which worth sharing.
We have to make more people, especially our own people see the art in ourselves.
Allow me to post the whole text and the tanagas in various languages that follows:

First and politely, I thank you for having and keeping the Tanaga site. I myself am a 17 year old Filipino who has only an understanding but no speaking ability of Tagalog, and it seems that the Filipino youths of the West are losing some of their indigenous culture. Ever since Foreign forces have come, we have confused ourselves as Pacific Islander/Asians, English as a national language instead of some one or several of the diverse languages (I think Chavacano should be in there), and our own Baybayin.

But the Tanaga I have assurance can live on as long as others employ the form as a living symbol of the past. The 7-syllable count makes the form even more difficult for us poets who employ even-counted syllables.

Anyways, here are some tanaga that I myself have wrote. I love the art form, and it is easy to create one in minutes. Of course, I hope it is not too crappy, but it's a poem!

In French:

Si les anges prendraient mon coeur,
Il se réveillait au Ciel,
Comme l'encens de la douceur
À ce trône de l'Éternel.

Poetic translation:

If the angels take my heart,
It should rise above the sky
As sweet incense taking part
To the throne of Him, Most High.

In Spanish:

Jesucristo es mi Señor,
Rey de reyes en honor.
De su sangre, es su amor
Como un bello salvador.

Poetic Translation:

Jesus Christ is but my Lord,
King of kings in honour best.
From his blood, reveals his love
As a Saviour comely blest.

In English:

Yahweh God, I ask of Thee
That Thou would'st take care of me.
May the world be peaceful, still,
So all may receive Thy Will.

The shadows fill within me
And consummates me wholly.
Blissful death, I wait for you
When my sacred blood is due.

In Esperanto:

Levantiĝas sola stel'
Tra l' ĉielo kiel hel'.
Estas venus' sub la lun'
Ĝis la veno de la sun'.

Poetic translation:

One small star is risen high
As a brightness through the sky.
It is venus 'neath the moon
Till the coming of the sun.

- Kevyn Bello

Editor's Note: Some translations may not be in the exact 7-7-7-7 form, due to the difficulty of words lost in translation. Interestingly, with the 8-syllable form it becomes the "Dalit", another indigenous form popularized by the Spanish Friars in their evangelical publications.

Non-Linearities in a Tanaga

2006-03-07T21:19:00.000-08:00

A little experiment on 2 Tanagas. I allowed the lines to cut to the next, as non-linear as time. We are no longer captives of the chronological when we are healed. The past is no longer a barrier; neither should a tanaga be:

All hail non-linearities -
Like whispers of memory
breaking me into foldings
of myself. They tell me

of my past vagabond life.
Denial lives no longer
in my house. I no longer
scour for love. I am now, found

- Jardine Davies

An Update - Finally!

2006-02-13T01:45:00.000-08:00

I have been swamped by a lot of emails thanking me for creating this site.
Some are as mundane as asking me to help them in their poetry assinments while others are more encouraging - asking me to keep updating the website.

"The cause must not die," one email says. In my musing I thought, it was a big mistake not to continue. One, my google rankings for the keyword "tanaga" went down. So unfortunate for the cause, the Tanaga volcano got there higher. Two, instead of popularizing the tanaga as an art, this site becomes the best example of a forgotten cause. I now realize it's a sad tale being retold online. If I am to be a champion of this art, I can't be mediocre with updates.

To the students requesting more tanagas, I can only provide you with examples. Please note that they are published here under copyright. Do not claim it as your own =) I know how irresistable that feels for an 'A' grade. Trust me your teachers will love you more for excellent research than plagiarism.

This brings me to my final point: I need submissions. I can't do this on my own. I need help from other supporters of lost arts as these. Please send your tanaga contributions to tanaga@gmail.com before the art dies in oblivion!

Here's one thing for everyone to know why I haven't updated that much. Yes it's the day job. This perhaps to show that tanaga can be used for other things less serious... Read between the lines:

how simple marketing is
if they ask - you are happy
if they buy - you're happier
if they don't - you are so fucked
- Jardine Davies

Poetry Reading

2005-06-16T00:28:00.000-07:00

Pinoypoets'™ Anniversary Night @ Conspiracy.

If you're a writer, a poet, an artist or simply a lover of literature, better block off Tuesday, June 28, 8 PM on your social calendar.

Pinoypoets (PP), an online community of literary enthusiasts, will be holding its first anniversary bash at Conspiracy Bar in Quezon City. The event, dubbed PP 'to!(The Pinoypoets'™ First Anniversary), promises to be an evening filled with laughter, music, and of course, excellent poetry. Prominent social, academic, and literary figures Makati Rep. Teddy Locsin Jr, Conchitina Cruz, Vin and Kris Dancel, Noel Del Prado, Joyce Burton Titular, Enrico John Torralba, Hannah Romawac, Roli Inocencio, Nerissa Del Carmen Guevarra, Monica Llamas and Gary Granada, are but a few of our guest readers.

Admission is FREE

Ehersisyo sa Tanaga, Dalit At Awit

2005-06-15T04:46:00.000-07:00

Makatang Kiko (Francis Montesena) presents a collection of tanaga exercises below that uses different rhyming conventions. The tanagas below use perfect rhyming schemes in various froms. Makatang Kiko together with other PinoyPoets are fellows to this year's LIRA and the exercise below showcases the art and craft of the tanaga at its finest:

Mga Tanaga
Sa Patinig na 'a'

1.Maragsa

Makopa

Kampanilya ni Kaka,
Kulay rosas ang mukha.
Piping tunog ang ngawa,
Makatas 'pag nginuya.

2. Malumi

Anay

Reynang nakahilata,
Alipi'y nangaypapa,
Lumawit man ang dila,
Sundalo'y tatalima.

Sa Patinig na 'e - i'

1. Maragsa

Kamote

Itinanim na binhi,
Lumaki at ngumiti,
Nang hukayi't tagbisi,
Kasinlaki ng binti.

2. Malumi

Isip-Kolonyal

Ang anyo mo ay sipi,
Nalimot na ang lahi.
Sa dayuha'y natali,
Sarili'y inaglahi.

Sa Patinig na o - u

1.
Maragsa

Aso

Mataas sa pag-upo,
Mababa 'pag tumayo.
Kaibigan kong ginto,
Karamay at kalaro.

2. Malumi

Pusa

Matanda na ang nuno,
Hindi pa naliligo.
Sa tubig nagtatago,
Tinik ang sinusuyo.

Mga Dalit

Sa Patinig na 'a'

1. Mabilis

Sandok

Tangkay itong kakaiba,
Ang dahon ay nag-iisa.
Walang ugat, walang sanga,
Kasa-kasama ni Ina.

2. Malumay

Makahiya

Nahihiya ang dalaga,
Mukha'y ayaw ipakita.
Nagtatago sa balana,
Sa hipo ay umaalma.

Sa Patinig na 'e - i'

1. Mabilis

Hapunan

Iniluto sa tahuri
Ang isdang napakalaki
Inihain isang gabi
Kasabay ng kanin pati.

2. Malumay

Bulaklak sa Kasal

Makulay ang ramilyete,
Tangan-tangan ng babae.
Sa kasal ay importante,
Daig pa ang diyamante.

Sa Patinig na 'o - u'

1.Mabilis

Kasuy

Amoy nito ay mabango,
Kung mamasda'y malilito,
Ang nakalabas ay buto,
Na para bang nagtatampo.

2. Malumay

Kawayan

Naaayon sa kuwento,
Nilalang ay galing dito,
Walang pinto, puro kwarto,
Doble sarado-kandado.

A Tanaga by Enrico Torralba

2005-05-31T01:43:00.000-07:00

Here's a tanaga on play and its many meanings:

Ang dami mong kalaro:
Bus na rumaragasa,
Dyipning paliko-liko;
Ikaw ang laging taya.

by Enrico C. Torralba

How can simple lines call upon memory so well? A play on ambiguity's limits is apparent here. How it plays in the mind of the reader will summon the many layers of meaning that it holds. Should we ask, what has the tanaga revealed to you? Perhaps that is the role of poetry.

Short poems in particular, haikus, tanagas, dalits, couplets and quatrains seem to reveal more in their brevity. The confined space is haunting the reader with all the contents - so much meaning within its walls. It takes mastery to tame these walls that can easily collapse on the words within it.

There is an obvious invitation to the reader to weigh each word more dearly in a short poem than a longer one after all, the choice of words on a finite measure demands the best words to be set. How does a writer select the best words that can maximize or approximate the meaning that he wants to capture?

Ah, well that's where the art is found in the Tanaga.

The Haiku and the Tanaga

2005-05-15T23:49:00.000-07:00

Clair's website features an academic take on the tanaga and the haiku. Do check it out in this link. Here's an interesting quote:

However, it should be noted that the definition found in Juan
de Noceda and Pedro de Sanlucar's Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala, it did not
that the tanaga is a monoriming quatrain, but the form is stated as composed of
seven syllables (per line), and has four lines (Manuel 1972?).

If this is so, then modernizing the Tanaga by dropping the perfect rhyme, or rhyme altogether is actually a movement toward fulfillment of its (possibly) original form. Most popular tanagas have a rhyme on the last syllable - a feature quite common in other forms of Filipino poetry. While I do not have evidence to point out that internal rhymes were used in tanagas, it is not entirely irresponsible to surmise that they were utilized, at least among the oral tradition, or in the ancient tanagas themselves.

The Filipino language and its regional counterparts have certain elements which makes me want to believe that such a case is very possible. Consider the nature of the vowels themselves in the ancient Filipino syllabication in the baybayin/alibata:

The vowels "e-i" and "o-u" are regarded as interchangeable sounds. The same goes for the consonants "d" and "r"; they are considered to be interchangeable sounds. The liaison between words, and substitution of the consonants "m" and "n", or "p" also seem to support this idea
that with such mechanics in the language itself, it is not impossible that internal rhymes are formed on purpose - especially in a predominantly phonetic or short "a" language like ours.

Furthermore, all these phonetics I've mentioned have remnants which exists and remain noticeable to this day when Cebuanos and Visayans, and other provincial citizens speak the language. This is also noticeably a common accident among students who have Filipino as their second language, as far as I've noticed it.

All these seem to point that it is not a remote possibility that internal rhymes are inherent characteristics of the language itself. While it cannot be categorically stated that they were exploited and used to the advantage of ancient Filipino poetics, it does seem show that it is not entirely difficult to consider it being applied.

I hope a more scientific study is made on this matter. If there exists one already, please email me and let me know.

Two Tanagas

2005-05-15T04:02:00.000-07:00

I have been on a hiatus-of-sorts. Having been busy with my poetry, my online life thus, had to suffer. I have been absent from my blogging community, too, and this blog in particular had been a long time without an update.

It is such a pleasure thus, that when I am ready to update this blog, one tanaga in a local/regional Filipino language I have solicited months ago from a friend is waiting to be read in my inbox. It would be dream come true seeing a hundred thousand tanagas not just in foreign languages, but also in the original Filipino languages and regional dialects! I wonder when that day will come?

I leave it to you now to enjoy:

1.

hutik sang kagab-ihon
nagapukaw sa akon
kapung-aw sang kahapon
akon lamang suungon.

A night's whisper keeps me awake.
My nostalgia of yesterday,
this I have to bear.

2.

kay wala sang pigado
kung ang Diyos ang husgado
nano mang panghimulos
manggad nga indi imo?

For mendicancy exists naught
If judged by the Almighty
Why keep a wicked spirit
On wealth that's temporary

(Translation by the Author)
- Annvee

Tragedy in Short Poems

2005-04-22T00:52:00.000-07:00

Nanoy paints four disasters as surreal tragedies - images that evoke more than the physical damage, but also the emotions trapped in the middle of each cataclysm.

While reading the following works I am reminded of other tragedies, perhaps more of the intellectual or cultural tragedy of the Tanaga. Should it be left in decay, or relegated to n obscure corner of memory alone, what does this say about the Filipino as a people? It's sad enough that the country is right smack in the middle of Typhoon Zone, Pacific Rim of Fire and host to alot of natural and man-made disasters.

Losing the Tanaga will be an even bigger disaster than all these calamities combined.

Trahedya

Tsunami

Sa hinahon, kumaway
Sila nang sabay-sabay.
Dugo, sikmura't patay
Palamuti sa kamay.

Richter

Namangha ang syentista
Sa obra ng makina:
Larawan ng artista
Na nilamon ng lupa.

Turbulence

Sa malayong lupain,
May batang humihiling
Matulad, balang araw
Doon sa bulalakaw.

Diskaril

Nakiisa si Hulyan
Sa daing ng sasakyan.
Sigaw ng kalayaan:
Bakal sa lalamunan.

- Nanoy

Kilig

2005-04-21T23:55:00.000-07:00

'Kilig' is that certain rush that one feels immediately after something good happens, or is realizaed, especially pertaining to love ones and relationships. It's ironic in fact that the realization that something good happened comes after this rush is detected - yet it is that realition which triggers it.

Ergoe Tinio punctuates this well in her Tanaga with a singular period at the end of the poem. One may ask then, after the period, that rush, has kilig gone away?

Kilig

Heto, napapangiti
mag-isang sumasabog
parang kinikiliti
papaakyat sa likod.

- Ergoe Tinio

More Tanagas on Love

2005-04-06T07:36:00.000-07:00

If Valentines is celebrated in April this would be the best selection.

But why not, if all is love, why not use Tanagas for love? Filipino is a language of romantics and emotion. In our tongue, Love is best said not with just one word. Like Greeks of old, we have many words for love: Pag-ibig, Pag-irog, Pagsinta, Pagmamahal. To stress the point that we are such lovers, I wish I can list some of our derivative words which stem from love, romanticism and emotions. At the top of my head I can think of Alab, Bugso, Tiklad, (that feeling of the first throb in any victory be it in war or in love) etc...

Here's a poem from Krusada. Ang my virtual toast to Love:

Mga Hiwa ng Pag-ibig

I. Pagkukubli
mga talang sinungkit
ngayon ay bitbit-bitbit,
sa bulsa ay sinukbit
tinago sa 'yong pilit.

II. Pagsusumamo

Pilit na inaangkin
ang 'yong ngiting kerubin
na tinangay ng hangin
upang 'di maipain.

III. Pilit na Paglapit

dusa ang inabot ko
nang minsang maghingalo
ang matang nahahapo
sa paghahabol sa'yo.

IV. Paglilirip

'tong mga bagay-bagay
na pilit hinalukay
kinumpara sa buhay
mong nilunod sa kulay.

V. Patuloy na Pag-irog

ano man, ano pa man
pakikitalamitam
ko sa hanging mayaman
ay pag-ibig ang laman.

-Krusada, Philippines.

Another Tanaga Site

2005-03-31T06:24:00.000-08:00

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.

Tanaga Reflections

2005-03-29T06:51:00.000-08:00

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.

Stations of the Cross

2005-03-23T05:52:00.000-08:00

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.

Holy Week Tanagas Part III

2005-03-21T06:07:00.000-08:00

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.

Holy Week Tanagas Part II

2005-03-17T04:12:00.000-08:00

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.

Colonial Tanaga

2005-03-17T03:29:00.000-08:00

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.

Holy Week Tanagas

2005-03-16T06:03:00.000-08:00

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.

Many but not too Many

2005-03-16T05:11:00.000-08:00

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
-----

One Word, One Syllable

2005-03-14T04:53:00.000-08:00

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.

Images in Full Motion

2005-03-13T03:07:00.000-08:00

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.

The Modern Tanaga on Homosexuality and Coming Out

2005-03-13T02:41:00.000-08:00

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."

A Tanaga from France

2005-03-11T05:22:00.000-08:00

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.

Rugby

2005-03-09T05:09:00.000-08:00

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.

Makatang Kiko Strikes Again

2005-03-08T23:30:00.000-08:00

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.

I'm no poetic lover

2005-03-08T03:12:00.000-08:00

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.

Magulang man ay Tutol

2005-03-08T02:46:00.000-08:00

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.

Magtanim ay di biro

2005-03-08T02:16:00.000-08:00

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...

INANG LUPA: BABAE

2005-03-08T00:13:00.000-08:00

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.

CathCath's Gift

2005-03-07T23:57:00.000-08:00

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.

Dalawang Tanaga ng Wagas na Pag-ibig

2005-03-07T23:39:00.000-08:00

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.

Star Wars Tanaga

2005-03-07T08:45:00.000-08:00

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.

The Fifth Corner of the Square

2005-03-07T08:28:00.000-08:00

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

A Collaborative Tanaga

2005-03-07T08:10:00.000-08:00

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

Boladas

2005-03-07T05:56:00.000-08:00

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.

Buhay kita o bit’win

2005-03-07T04:00:00.000-08:00

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.

Makatang Kiko

2005-03-07T03:10:00.000-08:00

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!

Isang umaga sa squatter's area

2005-03-07T00:39:00.000-08:00

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.

Dalawang Tanaga ni Vlad

2005-03-07T00:14:00.000-08:00

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.

Tungkol sa Hirap nang Mahiwalay sa Asawa

2005-03-06T05:14:00.000-08:00

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.

Limang Tanaga

2005-03-06T04:21:00.000-08:00

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.

Reality Bites!

2005-03-06T03:00:00.000-08:00

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.

Buhay-Cubao

2005-03-06T02:34:00.000-08:00

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.

Mga Tanaga* ni Xam

2005-03-04T06:24:00.000-08:00

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.

3 Tanagas: 1-800-Filipino

2005-03-04T06:01:00.000-08:00

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.

Ukol sa Isang Mahinhing Babae...

2005-03-04T05:04:00.000-08:00

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

Mga T(anag)ang Ina

2005-03-04T04:28:00.000-08:00

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.

Sayaw sa Malibcong: Tatlong Tanaga

2005-03-04T01:54:00.000-08:00

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

Resurrecting a Dying art form

2005-03-03T06:20:00.000-08:00

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:

A rhythmic poetic expression with a meter of seven syllable lines and having rhythmic end-syllables.
It is most often presented as a chant without a determined musical pitch or accompaniment by musical instruments.
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.

- Mangyan.org

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.

- Wikipedia.org

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.

- GlobalPinoy.com

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!