David Shook’s Molossus 1 came out this November and two of my poems appear there in translation. “Akong Panginoon” is from my first book, Beneath an Angry Star (Anvil, Manila 1992) and “Si Taft Sa Kalabaw” is in Baha-bahagdang Karupukan.
I intend to release a revised bilingual edition of my first book, so I am busy translating quite a number of poems. I have a slightly longer blog entry in Filipino regarding this HERE.
Molossus means quite a few things. Quick Wikipedia visit gave these images:
Molossus is also a type of metrical foot (in poetry) and a few other meanings. So there. A new word to know (or not know). 🙂
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About matangmanok
Jim Pascual Agustin writes and translates poetry. Sometimes he tries his hand at essays and stories. In 2011 the University of Santo Tomas Publishing House in Manila released BAHA-BAHAGDANG KARUPUKAN (poems in Filipino) and ALIEN TO ANY SKIN (poems in English). The same publisher released his most recent poetry collections SOUND BEFORE WATER and KALMOT NG PUSA SA TAGILIRAN. In 2015 a new poetry collection in English, A THOUSAND EYES was released. His first collection of short stories in Filipino, SANGA SA BASANG LUPA, was released in 2016. UK publisher The Onslaught Press launches his latest poetry collection, WINGS OF SMOKE, worldwide in February 2017.
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November 11th, 2012 at 18:05
Μολοσσός
Molossi have enormous ancient bat wings
unless you are referring to the dogs:
those brutish, hugish big-eared fat things
the Greeks would use to bite their demagogues.
Molossus bats still hang in caves
from Mexico to Trinidad.
The dogs have gone to early graves,
but what came after ain’t half bad.
In poetry it is a foot but metrical
the Greeks and Romans had the stuff you need.
But all those feet are theoretical.
The English tongue will sadly not suceeed.
RMB 🙂
November 11th, 2012 at 18:19
Wow, thanks, Rose! 🙂
November 11th, 2012 at 18:39
I hope this doesn’t count as ‘published’ hahaha
November 11th, 2012 at 18:48
You are welcome to remove it anytime, Rose. Just tell me when to jump. 😛
November 11th, 2012 at 18:49
ok… will do. Not that anybody probably will want it. They don’t go for tongue-in-cheek normally 😦