Revive Waray Literature

[MikeLigalig.com]

by PIA

The Katig han Sinirangan Bisayas Waray writers who gathered on Saturday at the Leyte Normal University (LNU) were asked to resuscitate Waray literature by Prof. Merle Alunan, a well known writer and a professor of the UP System.

As if to challenge the budding writers, Alunan quoted a statement from Dr Bienvenido Lumbera that said , “Not much is produced in some regional literatures; in fact some are moribound or dying, as in the case of Waray literature and to some extent, Cebuano literature.”

With the little Waray literature available, Alunan, in her talk on “Latitudes of Intimacy: Modern waray Literature,” presented her dissection of some opus of the Waray poets that figured in Lamiraw, Waray Writing Workshop usually held at the Northwest Samar State University in Calbayog City (Samar) and the Iligan Writers Workshop.

The UP professor who stands as a critic to the Waray writing workshops with Dr. Dave Genotiva and Vic Sugbu drew out the themes in the poems that talked of simple and humble pleasures, the verdant farms and the seas and the rural folks’ pre occupation.

Alunan talked about poets who were mostly males as only one woman writer made it to her dissection.

“Except for Victor N. Sugbo, the new Waray writers found their voices first in their own mother tongues. However, they are all university-trained. It is evident in the styles and poetic techniques they have adopted, and the way they have brought the traditional forms of native Waray poetry closer to contemporary modes of writing.”

“From these new poets of Waray, speaking in the new language of modern poetry, we discover how the Filipino thrives in latitudes of intimacy.”

The speaker mentioned Waray stalwarts like Eduardo Makabenta Sr., Iluminado Lucente, and Casiano Trinchera, whom she said wrote in rhymed quatrains, the lines balanced in strict syllabic measure by a caesura.

Organizers believe that the activity has elicited somehow a flicker of hope for the writers to write more in Waray, Inabaknon, or Sebuano in whatever form of literature that will perpetuate Waray and the other languages spoken in the region.

“Slowly but surely, the Waray writer is coming back to his/her culture, ” Alunan stated.

The activity in Eastern Visayas was initiated by the National Committee on Literary Arts (NCLA), the Katig Writers Network Inc., and Leyte Normal University (LNU) to celebrate the National Arts Month this February. (PIA 8-Samar)

[hubag bohol]

The speaker mentioned Waray stalwarts like Eduardo Makabenta Sr., Iluminado Lucente, and Casiano Trinchera, whom she said wrote in rhymed quatrains, the lines balanced in strict syllabic measure by a caesura.

Hmm, "the lines balanced in strict syllabic measure by a caesura"? Bwahaha, measure by a caesura? Man, you've been eating too much grass...

[Lorenzo]

Diri ako makarit magyakan hin waray-waray kai lisod kaayo ! makarit gamay !

[Lorenzo]

I have relatives in Leyte that speak Waray-waray, lisod kaayo ilang language, i can only understand like 30- 40 percent of what they say. But, more power to all waray-warays out there ! Preserve the beauty of Eastern Visaya Dialect!

[Lorenzo]

Aleth Hazel is fluent in this dialect. Kahibalo to shya mag waray-waray og mag binol-anon.

[islander]

waray is a forgotten first language of mine (i spoke it until i was 10 years old) but i still have some memory of childhood songs, one of which is this lullaby (sung to the tune of 'lubi-lubi'):

hi mano palabyo mahal an baligya        si manoy palabyo mahal ang baligya
adobo, sitsaron opod an mantika          adobo, sitsaron apil ang mantika
pinaparisan pa han luyat na tarong       parisan pag luyat nga eggplant
hi mano palabyo mahal la gihapon.       si manoy palabyo mahal lang gihapon.

duol rag kabuing ang cebuano ug waray.

[islander]

Hmm, "the lines balanced in strict syllabic measure by a caesura"? Bwahaha, measure by a caesura? Man, you've been eating too much grass...

lisod tuod sabton, bisag moablig dictionary or google search...

from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/:

cae·su·ra also ce·su·ra  (s-zhr, -zr)

n. pl. cae·su·ras also ce·su·ras or cae·su·rae also ce·su·rae (-zhr, -zr)

1. A pause in a line of verse dictated by sense or natural speech rhythm rather than by metrics.

2. A pause or interruption, as in conversation: After another weighty caesura the senator resumed speaking.

3. In Latin and Greek prosody, a break in a line caused by the ending of a word within a foot, especially when this coincides with a sense division.

4. Music A pause or breathing at a point of rhythmic division in a melody.

well, maybe the news writer (or the quoted merle alunan) meant that a caesura can be used as a measurement of balance?  samot kalibog akong kutaw...   

[hubag bohol]

pinaparisan pa han luyat na tarong       parisan pag luyat nga eggplant

Kay ano "eggplant" man ang gamit mo day?

[hubag bohol]

well, maybe the news writer (or the quoted merle alunan) meant that a caesura can be used as a measurement of balance?  samot kalibog akong kutaw...   

Tira pasagad ra man ni nga news writer. Ang caesura maoy mobalanse o maoy sumbanan? Pag-sure, oi...

[hubag bohol]

Katig han Sinirangan Bisayas Waray

Katig? Hmm, way Bugsay diha?

[islander]

Kay ano "eggplant" man ang gamit mo day?

para maningles ba pod ginagmay sa cebuano kunohay, dong.  libog man god ko kun mogamit ba ko sa translation ug "talong" or "tawong" because "tarong" is also a cebuano word though it's not a vegetable in cebuano.  da, maayo pa eggplant na lang, hehe.

[islander]

Katig? Hmm, way Bugsay diha?

naa uy, flying bugsay kana; gikan sa balingsya niadto sa tsina, tig-landing sa sugbu...

[hubag bohol]

para maningles ba pod ginagmay sa cebuano kunohay, dong.  libog man god ko kun mogamit ba ko sa translation ug "talong" or "tawong" because "tarong" is also a cebuano word though it's not a vegetable in cebuano.  da, maayo pa eggplant na lang, hehe.

Ay na lang ta. Hadlok jud ka sa "tawong" for its deeply personal connotation...

(P.S.) No, "deeply" is not meant to be the operative word...

[hubag bohol]

naa uy, flying bugsay kana; gikan sa balingsya niadto sa tsina, tig-landing sa sugbu...

Waray poet diay si Bugsay? Hmm, na-maintain diay nija ijang abilidad kay di baja waray birat sa Tsayna...

[islander]

Waray poet diay si Bugsay? Hmm, na-maintain diay nija ijang abilidad kay di baja waray birat sa Tsayna...

ga-hinapon na man ka, bansai.  bahin ug waray baya ni nga thread.

[Lorenzo]

waray is a forgotten first language of mine (i spoke it until i was 10 years old) but i still have some memory of childhood songs, one of which is this lullaby (sung to the tune of 'lubi-lubi'):

hi mano palabyo mahal an baligya        si manoy palabyo mahal ang baligya
adobo, sitsaron opod an mantika          adobo, sitsaron apil ang mantika
pinaparisan pa han luyat na tarong       parisan pag luyat nga eggplant
hi mano palabyo mahal la gihapon.       si manoy palabyo mahal lang gihapon.

duol rag kabuing ang cebuano ug waray.

hahahaha ! naa kay dugong waraywaray? isug jamo rabang bajeng waray.

[hubag bohol]

Sa kahingamrason, klarong Waray...

[islander]

hahahaha ! naa kay dugong waraywaray? isug jamo rabang bajeng waray.

no waray blood in my veins nga pure bol-anon, 50% balingsya; hinhin, buotan jamo, maajong ilambos.  nasaag lang sa waray country akong parents atong panahona, and i chose to be born there.

[islander]

Sa kahingamrason, klarong Waray...

unsay imong pagtoo, way iring sa balingsya?

[hubag bohol]

unsay imong pagtoo, way iring sa balingsya?

Naay iring didto, oi. Naa man gani puy baki...

[islander]

Naay iring didto, oi. Naa man gani puy baki...

okay, okay, karon... unsa man si bugsay?

[islander]

waray upay...

pahuway usa ko uy.  nag-inusara ra man ko karong panahona...   

[bugsay]

waray bugsay ugay-ugay sa nagbitay

[hubag bohol]

okay, okay, karon... unsa man si bugsay?

Ayayay, gipaklaro uroy...

[hubag bohol]

waray bugsay ugay-ugay sa nagbitay

Bwahaha!

Ang nagbitay nitul-id
Sa tantong bag-id-bag-id...