This is my third poem in English this month and though still a work-in-progress I already sent it with the poem Urduja for possible publication. In Talam-asin 1324, I used some elements from Pangasinan mythology. For example in the first drafts of the poem, I used Orpheus for Tumatagaumen and Poseidon for Karanuman. I don't know if it will work but I will definitely experiment on my succeeding poems using anything Pangasinan.
I am also currently revising some of my old poems. Will post them here as soon as I see fit :)
Talam-asin (Bolinao) 1324
i.
among
the merchant Moors
he was the only soul
of the Franciscan Order
aboard a vessel
bound to China
in the year
thirteen hundred
twenty and four
he was Odorico
of Pordenone
Ambassador to
the court of Ming
and missionary
in the time
of friars and pirates
of galleons and discoveries
of Gold God and Glory be
if you have a country
of spices
ii.
perhaps
it was fate
that brought him
to disembark
and take refuge
on the shores
of Talam-asin
he was not
a Tumatagaumen¹
his prayer-songs
had no power
over storms
and gales
in the demesne
of a warrior-princess
a Holy Mass was held
to give thanks to the saved lives
from the wrath of Karanuman²
inhabitants were blessed
and christened
in the name of
a crucified
God
iii.
when the seas calmed
the Arab vessel resumed
its voyage into the land
of jade and silk
and it came to pass
only the spirit of the place
can bear witness
to the deeds
of the good
father
it was not written
in the pages of history
but in a fragment of a poem
written on a tablet of stone
buried in the Afric
of my mind
¹ Pre-Pangasinic High Priest; poet
² God of the Sea in Pangasinan mythology
I am also currently revising some of my old poems. Will post them here as soon as I see fit :)
Talam-asin (Bolinao) 1324
i.
among
the merchant Moors
he was the only soul
of the Franciscan Order
aboard a vessel
bound to China
in the year
thirteen hundred
twenty and four
he was Odorico
of Pordenone
Ambassador to
the court of Ming
and missionary
in the time
of friars and pirates
of galleons and discoveries
of Gold God and Glory be
if you have a country
of spices
ii.
perhaps
it was fate
that brought him
to disembark
and take refuge
on the shores
of Talam-asin
he was not
a Tumatagaumen¹
his prayer-songs
had no power
over storms
and gales
in the demesne
of a warrior-princess
a Holy Mass was held
to give thanks to the saved lives
from the wrath of Karanuman²
inhabitants were blessed
and christened
in the name of
a crucified
God
iii.
when the seas calmed
the Arab vessel resumed
its voyage into the land
of jade and silk
and it came to pass
only the spirit of the place
can bear witness
to the deeds
of the good
father
it was not written
in the pages of history
but in a fragment of a poem
written on a tablet of stone
buried in the Afric
of my mind
¹ Pre-Pangasinic High Priest; poet
² God of the Sea in Pangasinan mythology
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