Gamu is a town in the Mallig region in Isabela. It was, at one time, a killing field of criminal gangs and the kakadua, an Iloko euphemism for members of the New People's Army or dissident terrorists, a tag concocted by the military. The violence has ceased somewhat but it's ugly head is alive, ready to ride again as elsewhere in the country, particularly Mindanao. (Muslim Mindanao is a misnomer and should be removed from the books because it would seem that the area is populated exclusively by Muslims. In fact, Mindanao excluding Basilan and Sulu and the other islands is dominated by Christians who comprise 80 percent of the population.)
Are we a violent people? If what we do as reported in the print and broadcast media is a gauge, then we are. A misplaced stare or a song like Frank Sinatra's "My Way" sung off-key by a videoke enthusiast could trigger a killing. An argument between friends could also lead to a fatal duel. Nalakatayo nga agpungtot. Is it in the genes? What went wrong with the structures of the child's socialization process? Has the school failed in its moral goal? Did the church lose its credibility as moral agent because of the sexual misconduct of some of its priests? Has the family abdicated its role in child- rearing?
Or has the economic malaise affected the brains?
Going back to Muslims in Mindanao, who kidnap and behead Christians in Mindanao. Is Islam a violent religion? Why does it promote suicide bombing, as in Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas in the Middleast and even London and Madrid? Because, the Koran says so, according to a British imam, who said that every verse in their version of the Bible can be used to justify killings, especially against the infidels or those who are outside their religion. But Jehovah is also a violent deity, always angry, always ordering the execution of sinners, at least in the Old Testament. And why are Buddhists, whose religion (?) is without a God but promulgating moral maxims like those written in tablets and received by Moses at Mount Sinai, generally peaceful persons?
In the following poem, Gamu is not merely a symbol for rural violence but also for urban hate and mayhem. (Warning: Rabii stands for something other than a time of day.) Taken from my anthology, "Umayka Manen, Ganggannaet/Come Again, Stranger " ,it was written ten years or so ago. But because of it's theme, it was as if it was composed yesterday, based on an event (elsewhere) the journalist reported in one of the local papers or radio stations.
Rabii Idiay Gamu
Nairteng man ti lidem-bengbeng
Umang-anges daytoy nga ulimek
Ket iti adayo a pulikkaaw-riaw
Yegna dagiti aligagaw.
Adu, kunada, dagiti ubbong
Ti dara dagiti karayan ti lua
A di ammo ti pagpatinggaanna.
Sipsiputan dagiti anniniwan
Dagiti aggargaraw iti kasipngetan
Ket dagiti darikmat ti kamalala
Dagiti agpagunggan.
Mamedmedan dagiti katawa
Umel-tuleng dagiti sarsarita
Uray ti angin a di makatalna
Agur-uray met iti agsapa.
Ti buteng linengngesna ida
Sinno ti agtured a mangsaranget
Iti bala ti kinadangkokda?
Sinno ti agtured a makikadua
Iti natugkelan iti padeppa?
(Kanayon nga agsawar ti patay
Uray iti aldaw, sumrek lattan
Iti ruangan, saan nga agdayaw.
Pumanaw nga awan aniamanna
Inton maibanagna ti panggepna.)
Ket napuskol daytoy a manto
A maakas laeng no agparintumengda
Inton ikkatenda ti sullat
Dagiti lapayagda inton ray-benda
Ti abbong dagiti matada
inton lapgisenda
Ti punit dagiti ngiwatda
Ket usarenda ti naglati a ngiwatda.
Translating a written work, especially a poem, that, is from language A (Iluko) ti language B (English) is always difficult. Something is always lost since no two languages coincide because of the cultural divide and other nuances. Even if we use, as we did with the above poem, the so-called dynamic process, where the message, not the form/structure of the language, is emphasized, there is always a "failure" in getting the exact message across.
Anyway, can the native get the true meaning of the poem? What is the solution to the mindless violence as suggested by the author ? Can the reader interpret the lines in plain language? Write us and we will gift you with the anthology, "Umayka Manen, Ganggannaet/Come Again, Stranger" from which the poem was lifted.
Are we a violent people? If what we do as reported in the print and broadcast media is a gauge, then we are. A misplaced stare or a song like Frank Sinatra's "My Way" sung off-key by a videoke enthusiast could trigger a killing. An argument between friends could also lead to a fatal duel. Nalakatayo nga agpungtot. Is it in the genes? What went wrong with the structures of the child's socialization process? Has the school failed in its moral goal? Did the church lose its credibility as moral agent because of the sexual misconduct of some of its priests? Has the family abdicated its role in child- rearing?
Or has the economic malaise affected the brains?
Going back to Muslims in Mindanao, who kidnap and behead Christians in Mindanao. Is Islam a violent religion? Why does it promote suicide bombing, as in Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas in the Middleast and even London and Madrid? Because, the Koran says so, according to a British imam, who said that every verse in their version of the Bible can be used to justify killings, especially against the infidels or those who are outside their religion. But Jehovah is also a violent deity, always angry, always ordering the execution of sinners, at least in the Old Testament. And why are Buddhists, whose religion (?) is without a God but promulgating moral maxims like those written in tablets and received by Moses at Mount Sinai, generally peaceful persons?
In the following poem, Gamu is not merely a symbol for rural violence but also for urban hate and mayhem. (Warning: Rabii stands for something other than a time of day.) Taken from my anthology, "Umayka Manen, Ganggannaet/Come Again, Stranger " ,it was written ten years or so ago. But because of it's theme, it was as if it was composed yesterday, based on an event (elsewhere) the journalist reported in one of the local papers or radio stations.
Rabii Idiay Gamu
Nairteng man ti lidem-bengbeng
Umang-anges daytoy nga ulimek
Ket iti adayo a pulikkaaw-riaw
Yegna dagiti aligagaw.
Adu, kunada, dagiti ubbong
Ti dara dagiti karayan ti lua
A di ammo ti pagpatinggaanna.
Sipsiputan dagiti anniniwan
Dagiti aggargaraw iti kasipngetan
Ket dagiti darikmat ti kamalala
Dagiti agpagunggan.
Mamedmedan dagiti katawa
Umel-tuleng dagiti sarsarita
Uray ti angin a di makatalna
Agur-uray met iti agsapa.
Ti buteng linengngesna ida
Sinno ti agtured a mangsaranget
Iti bala ti kinadangkokda?
Sinno ti agtured a makikadua
Iti natugkelan iti padeppa?
(Kanayon nga agsawar ti patay
Uray iti aldaw, sumrek lattan
Iti ruangan, saan nga agdayaw.
Pumanaw nga awan aniamanna
Inton maibanagna ti panggepna.)
Ket napuskol daytoy a manto
A maakas laeng no agparintumengda
Inton ikkatenda ti sullat
Dagiti lapayagda inton ray-benda
Ti abbong dagiti matada
inton lapgisenda
Ti punit dagiti ngiwatda
Ket usarenda ti naglati a ngiwatda.
Translating a written work, especially a poem, that, is from language A (Iluko) ti language B (English) is always difficult. Something is always lost since no two languages coincide because of the cultural divide and other nuances. Even if we use, as we did with the above poem, the so-called dynamic process, where the message, not the form/structure of the language, is emphasized, there is always a "failure" in getting the exact message across.
Anyway, can the native get the true meaning of the poem? What is the solution to the mindless violence as suggested by the author ? Can the reader interpret the lines in plain language? Write us and we will gift you with the anthology, "Umayka Manen, Ganggannaet/Come Again, Stranger" from which the poem was lifted.
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