Camina-Resurreccion Nuptials

Oras Na

Bathala: oras na. Napakatindi nitong araw.
Ilapag ang humahabang anino na oraryo,
at pakawalan ang hangin sa parang.

Atasan ang mga huling bunga na mapuspos;
bigyan sila ng ilan pang dapithapon,
yapusin sila sa pagkahinog, at habulin
ang huling tamis sa lalim ng alak.

Sinumang may bahay na ay makapagpapahinga.
Sinumang may kasama ngayon ay walang hahanapin pa;
mamumulat, bubukas, sasanib sa mga salita,
at babaybayin ang mga abenida nang walang pagod…
lalagay sa himbing, habang humihihip ang hangin.

That was my adaptation of Rilke’s Herbsttag (one of my fave poems) translated in Filipino and subverted in meaning. (Apologies pareng Rainer, hehe.) I don’t understand German (Herbsttag means “Autumn Day”) so I have been following Galway Kinnel’s translation for this one. Gass’ and Mitchell's take was nice too.

I haven’t written any creative lit lately (though I’m not prolific anyway) so I was itching to write one and the inspiration of translating an old favorite hit me. I took my liberties in translating it to Filipino. I shifted the conceit from ‘Autumn’ to ‘sun/day’ - Autumn is a non-existent season in tropical Philippines anyway (We have tag-araw and tag-ulan only). So while the progression to the last stanza was compromised from the original, my intrusion on subverting the ending from a restless lonesomeness to an imperturbable comfort would lend itself to justification.

I’ve forsaken the rhyme scheme and pentameter from the original German and opted to go free verse putting the weight of the rhythm on the Filipino words within the line. I read ‘southerly days’ to mean ‘longer shadows cast’ as the sun nears the horizon in the earth’s elliptical path. The wine metaphor was too juicy to pass up so I tried to capture it as faithfully as I could. And I put most of my liberties with the last stanza which changes the ending altogether. To note the second word of the third line, a shift in meaning and syllable cadence – ‘will open’/’will face tomorrow’. I may be forcing a new term but the play on ‘bukas’ both in meaning and in cadence within the word and within the line is something I wouldn’t be able to pass up. I upped the ante when I chose sanib instead of sulat. And an alliteration to finish it up.

“It is time.” I love how that statement reverberates. Magnified by addressing the Lord and something immense in nature. Kind of how it should feel when facing a sacrament – intense and truthful. As for the theme of imperturbable comfort? Jan thanks Anj’s companionship for that. LQs notwithstanding, lol.