Why Poesia? Kapampangan Literature?

 

Poesia.

Poesia means poetry or poem in Kapampangan.

It is a dying genre although I am aware that there are certain groups and individuals who, fortunately, advocate its preservation. I am also aware that basultu is still being practiced in some places in Pampanga. 

Composing poesia is extremely rare, a hobby that has been relegated to the few creative makata or the ageing members of the Kapampangan regions of Pampanga, southern Tarlac, and select areas of Bataan.

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                                                      (Photo by Birmingham Museums Trust on Unsplash)

Arihiya, Lame, Kantang Bisitas

As I progressed in my studies at the University of the Philippines, my eyes were opened to this need to revive Kapampangan literature which can also be a means to preserve the language. 

I realized there's something I can do as a researcher, educator, and as a former journalist/editor. So you and I have a mission- to revitalize a dying or disappearing Philippine literature. 

How? By encouraging the composition and propagation of Kapampangan literary pieces - long or short, serious in tone or funny - through this site. In short, I intend to make this site as a repository for Kapampangan literature. Who knows what we can uncover as we go on in this literary adventure.

In the process, we don't only showcase important works of talented individuals but also preserve our heritage language that is rich in cultural elements. 

Additionally, we get to educate the Generation Z or the post-millennials, who have been lost in a world of social media courtesy of globalization, about our language and culture.

Having grown up in an obscure barangay called Virgen Delos Remedios in Bamban, Tarlac, close to what is now known as New Clark City, I used to hear my ima her many arihiya (superstitions) and stories from local folks such as legends, and more.

During my childhood, I remember singing parodies of Atin Ku Pung Singsing, and reciting local bugtong.  During lame (funerals), I remember being amused by certain oral exchanges in literary form between an old man (the head of the "game"), and the participants composed of young people. This, I will talk more at length soon.

                                       

Of course, our ancestors had kantang bisitas (local parish songs), songs for or about the dead, kasebian (proverbs), etc, some of which are worth preserving. Besides Atin Ku Pung Singsing, I am sure we can popularize other lyrics or poems, and many more. 

Write, Share, and Contribute

But poesia and other literary pieces, whether oral or written, are disappearing and are unknown to many young people. I bet not many Kapampangan parents take the time to pass on these oral traditions.

Recently, I came across some interesting poesia by Sir Ponciano S. Medina, a local minister based in the City of San Fernando, a man who happens to have helped me in my spiritual journey during my teenage years. But that calls for another story.

His poems have captivated the hearts of Kapampangan speakers here and abroad, people who long for the days gone by whose images could be best captured only in the meter, rhyme, and rhythm that a poesia possesses.

So what do we do? If you have any istorya, poesia, arihiya, and anything about Kapampangan language and culture, feel free to send them to me, and I will feature them here. 

                                     

Just make sure they are original, and not copied from somewhere. As an active researcher, I believe in honesty and integrity in whatever I produce in academia, and I am sure you do, too. Please send a short message below to let me know if you have any literary piece in our dialect. I will look at the material and then feature it here.

By the way, in this site, we use the more common or familiar spelling used for Kapampangan. While I love the original orthography - the use of c not k (e.g., anac), qu for k (e.g., queca), and i instead of y (e.g., ia) - we will make it a bit easier to our writers and contributors, especially the budding ones. 

I would also add that my Kapampangan is not perfect. Mine has been influenced a lot by the more prominent languages used in the country - Filipino and English - so I covet our Cabalen's understanding if I fall short of their expectation. 

What's important is that we get to cultivate our local culture through literary works in our regional language, ne po? My role is that of an academic, researcher, and writer-editor attempting to contribute something for the sake of my culture. Finally, be sure to follow this blog as well so you can be notified if there are new posts containing interesting works. I am sure you'd love each entry. 

O, nananu tapa, mag-umpisa tana! 

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Rafael I. Santos (An advocate of language and culture preservation, author is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in English Studies, major in Language, at the University of the Philippines Diliman. Also a former journalist and broadcaster, he has been a full time faculty member of the University of Asia Pacific in Ortigas Center, Pasig City since 2018, teaching media information/technology courses and other English subjects such as Purposive Communication.)

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K a p a m p a n g a n   T r a n s l a t i o n

Poesia. 

Mawawala ne 'ning klasing literaturang ini. Makanyan man balu ku atin pang makata at grupu a pipilitan dong ipreserba deng gawang Kapampangan. Maging ing basultu atin pa muring gagawa king Pampanga pero e na masyadung laganap.

Ditak na lamu reng gagawang poesia. De namung makata o makatwa kareng Kapampangan king Pampanga, atlu o apat a balen king Tarlac, at mapilang lugar king Bataan deng gagawa kareti.

Arihiya, Lame, Kantang Bisitas

King pamagaral ku UP, mibuklat la reng mata ku tungkul keng ulaga na ning akamulatan kung lengwahi at aisip ku kailangan yang biayan ing literaturang Kapampangan. 

Apiisip ku atin ku pang agawa bilang researcher, mestru, at dating periodista at kapamilatan na niti, eya makalingwan ing kekatamung lengwahi. Oini ing isyun tamu – biayan at pasiknangan ya ‘ng mamamate ta'ng literatura.Makananu, amu? 

Agkatan la reng ating talentu keng pamaniulat Kapampangan - makatula la man, seryoso, makaba la o makuyad, pwedi la kening site a ini. Anti ya mong lulanan i pisalukutan ining blog a ini. Keni tala dalan deng kekatamung istorya, arihiya, kasebian, poesia, basultu, at deng aliwa pa. 

Dakal tapa adiskubring kayamanang Kapampangan keng kekatamung proyektu. Banta, aipakit tamu nung nanung klaseng gawa atin la deng magaling tamung mamuwesiya at aliwa pang kuwentista. Pauli na niti agawa tayang i-preserba ing kekatamung lenggwahi a maglaman a marakal tungkul keng kekatamung kultura. 

Kayabe na nini, aipakit tamu kareng kayanakan nung nanung kultura atin tamu, kasi era no masyadung papansinan deni uli na ning social media at internet.

Meragul ku keng simpling barangay a awsan dang Virgen Delos Remedios o VDR king Bamban, Tarlac, malapit king New Clark City. Balu ko reng arihiya da ri ‘ma ku at dakal a istoryang makatwa.

Adaganaka ku pang kakanta kung aliwang beryson ning Atin Ku Pung Singsing - retang makatula- at magbugtung ke pa. Neng ating lame, ating piyalung matwa (Ustu ya kaya rugu ing translation ku). “Pati-pati ning ari, sinulapo ya...” Ini ing atandanan ku. Deng kayabe keng pialung, kayanakan la. Eku man aranasan keng buung bie ku uling enaku meragul baryu. Sayang.

Deng kantang bisitas da reng kekatamung pipumpunan ampo reng kanta tungul kareng mewala na, deng karelang kasebian, at marakal pa -  dakal tamung akolekta. Bukud king Atin Ku Pung Singsing, palage ku dakal ta ‘pang maliaring ipalaganap a sulat Kapampangan.

Sumulat at Mamie

Pero ing poesia at aliwa pang literaturang Kapampangan mawawala na la – makasulat man o pawaga -at e do balu deng keraklan kareng kayanakan. Palage ku ditak la mung pengarin deng tuturu kareni kareng anak da.

Ining milabas, apansin ko reng makatula at malalam a poesia ng Sir Ponciano S. Medina.Eke akalingwan ing local minister a ini a maka-base king San Fernando, uling meging instrumentu ya king kanakung bie ispiritwal ‘nyang teenager ku pa. Pero saka ku ne istoria ita, ne?

Deng gawa ng poesia palagi dalang papalakpakan deng Kapampangan keti at king abroad. Kasi pin uling mitmu lang liksyun patungkul king bie at deng aliwa makatula la. Misan sasagakgak ku.

Bukod pa kanita, deng kayang poesia atin lang metro, rima, at (aro nanu ya kaya rugu ing rhythm keng Kapampangan. Ot kasaket ning liban kung ini. :) Pilan nakung oras mag-translate! Ara pin deng kamag-anak ku at kakaluguran, mistisu ku kanung Kapampangan, kasi palipit ya’ng dila ku. E yu ku rugu asisian; tinedyer ku niyang mig-migrate na ku king aliwang lugar king Pilipinas at siyempre abroad mu naman. Deng true-blooded a Kapampangan, sigurading apansin da ing pagiging awkward ku. Pansenya na ko pu). 

Ahhh. Okey, ngeni ing misyun tamu importante ya- pasiknangan taya at palaganapan ing literaturang Pilipino lalo na ing Kapampangan. Saup-saup tamu. Padala yo ngan deng istorya, poesia, arihiya, at nanumang literaturang Kapampangan. Mas masanting nung atin na kong English translation. Nung ala, aku ng bala.

Basta siguradwan tamu original la reng gawa tamu at ela ibat kareng  aliwa. Bilang aktibung researcher at academician, importanti kaku ing katapatan at integridad kareng kakung susulat, at tiwala ku parewu tamu. Padalan yu kung makuyad a mensahe tungkul kareng gawa yu. Lawen ku la at nung ayus no man, agad ta lang i-publish keni.

Simpling Kapampangan spelling ing gamitan tamu. Masanting ya itang lumang ortograpiang Kapampangan (kalupa na ning letrang c imbis ing k, qu imbis ing k, at i imbis ing y; alimbawa: anac, queca, ia). Mas malagwa ya ing simpling spelling lalu na kareng e pa masyadung sane keng malalam a Kapampangan.

Ing kakung Kapampangan, kalupa na ning asambit ku, eya pu malalam o perpektu. Ing salita ku marakal ne pung impluwensiya ibat keng Filipino at Inglis, kaya manyawad nakung pasensya kekayu Cabalen ngeni pa nung apansin yung medyo magkasakit kung bagya. 

Ing maulaga, alinang taya ing kekatamung kultura kapamilatan da ring sulat tamu, ne po? Ing papil ku, bilang academician, researcher, at writer-editor a magpumilit mag-contribute para keng kekatamung kultura. 

Katatawlian, malyaring i-follow ye pu ing blog a ini para ma-notify kayu nung ating bayung posts tungkul kareng gawang Kapampangan. Siguradu ku, mikuswelu kayu kareng basan yu nung e ko man mipakayli. 

O, nananu tapa, mag-umpisa tana!