Eileen R. Tabios is a poet working in multiple genres and in-between. She also loves books by writing, reading, publishing, critiquing, romancing and advocating for them. This blog will feature her bibliophilic activities with posts on current book engagements and links to her books and projects related to books.

Monday, November 16, 2020

"INDIGENOUS FUTURES": THE CALL OF DOVELION

I'll be presenting on my forthcoming novel, DOVELION, for the first time this coming Sunday as part of the conversation/performance on "INDIGENOUS FUTURES" with Leny Strobel, Lizae Reyes, and Mila Anguluan. This is part of of the 2020 virtual conference by The Society of Indigenous and Ancestral Wisdom and Healing on "Dancing With Uncertainty." You are invited and click HERE for more information and registration.


I will be blessed by having 
Mila Anguluan open our conversation with a poem-chant. Generously, she gave me permission to reprint her poem-chant below. She will chant the Filipino version (SCROLL DOWN) which I present it here with an English translation as well:


CHANTED POEM: COMING HOME (YA PALLABBET) 

09.18.09 (ENGLISH VERSION)


Intan intan... labbet tan intan
Intan intan... labbet tan intan
 

Halika na uwi na... halika na uwi na...

Halika na uwi na... halika na uwi na...


Why do you do this, Lola? As a child I’d wonder
Why grandmother chanted to call me, even while beside her 

After visiting strange places and it was time to go home Why do you do this, I would repeat
And slowly, she’d look at me, and say gently
Whispering a secret known only to both of us


So that you won’t get lost, my child
So that you won’t go wandering too far
 

Too far that you’d never return again. 

And then she’d chant and do it all over

Intan intan... labbet tan intan...
Intan intan.... labbet tan intan


Imploring with her voice, singing softly with the wind, distinctly 

Calling... for my fragmented selves in fragmented places
Come home... come home... time to come home...
Come to this body again... come to this mind...

Come to this heart... come back into this inner space
Come... all you wandering selves together

 Come home... and be whole again.


And she’d take hold of my hand

Wrapping my tiny hand, enclosing it in hers
In her strong hand, her nurturing hand and
All at once I’d feel like it was the safest place to be 

Despite the creeping darkness, despite the chilling night. 

Other nights have come: nights of doom, nights of sorrow.


Many other places: places of torment, places of pain 

Many lands traversed, many more to be traveled
 

Lands that are jagged, cruel, leering, eerie
Oceans that are frothing, seething, smearing

Places where our many selves go
Wandering into...peering into... swallowed into.


Lola, like other ancestors, was babaylan
She whose voice kept calling with the wind, dispelling despair
She whose pungent herbs curling in burning coals would flow into dreams 

And deep sleep where soft smoke soothed the unseen pain
Healed the open wounds, brought together flesh and soul torn apart
So that healed, daughters, granddaughters and great granddaughters 

Sons and grandsons, sondaughters and daughtersons


Heir to her power of peace, silence, resilience, song, dance, touch
Animate once more the babaylan legacy of dispelling darkness

Healing pain, praying peace, chanting to all our little selves
Intan intan... labbet tan intan... intan intan... labbet tan intan Come home... come home... time to come back home... Come to this body again... come to this mind...
Come to this heart... come back into this inner space Come... all you wandering selves together

Come home... and be whole again.


*


ANG PAGBABALIK (YA PALLABBET)

Filipino Version


Intan intan... labbet tan intan
Intan intan... labbet tan intan
 

Halika na uwi na... halika na uwi na... 

Halika na uwi na... halika na uwi na...


Kaam ta kunukunnay ya kwammu? 

Bakit nyo po ginagawa ito, Lola? 

Sa paslit na isip hinanap ko
Pang unawa mula sa mata niyang 

Nakatunghay sa kay layong dako 

Lugar ng di malirip na panaginip.


Dahan dahan, ako’y kanyang mamasdan 

Sulyap na banayad, paru paro’y dumapo 

Para hindi ka mawalay, mahal na Apo
Para hindi ka humayo at lumayo nang husto 

Para ika’y makabalik nang ganap at buo 

Walang pagtugis sa mapanlinlang na anino


At muli’y kanyang aawitin ang dalangin 

Panalangin ng pagsuyo sa hangin
Intan intan... labbet tan intan

Intan intan... labbet tan intan

Halika na uwi na... halika na uwi na... 

Halika na uwi na... halika na uwi na...


Tawag niya ay paghibik sa sariling 

kung saan saang sulok tumalsik 

Samut sari, sari saring mga sarili 

Sariling hInagupit at hinaplit

Sa sinilangan at dinayong bayan
Ng Agilang may kukong mandaragit!


Sinong mag aakalang sa lunsod man
O kagubatan, walang mapuntahan
ang sariling kinutya, pinaglaruan
Ng mga imbi, ng mga gahaman
Impit ang paghiyaw sa kadiliman
Nasaan ang liwanag, nasaan ang kalooban?


Si Lola at iba pang mga lola, silang Babaylan 

Tagapamagitan, tagahilom, tagapagdiwang
Tagatawag sa mga sariling nangangalay
Mga sariling nawawalay, bumabalik sa halik
Ng babaylang awit, mapayapang dasal, mahinahong huni 

Muli, buo ang kalooban, ganap ang kalinawagan!


Muli, at muli, buuin ang sarili, awitin dasal ng babaylan 

Intan intan... labbet tan intan

Intan intan... labbet tan intan
Halika na uwi na... halika na uwi na...

At narito ka na nga, sa sariling iyong tahanan 

Kapwa ng kaganapan, kapwa ng kabuuan!



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