WAKING UP TO THE PATTERN LEFT BY A SNAIL OVERNIGHT
Official release a day after my birthday!
Poetry lovers, friends and family in the US and Singapore can now order copies!
We’re still working on editions in other territories. If you know publishers we can approach, please send me a message!
The book contains poems that mention or refer to Martial Law in the Philippines, the Duterte fake drug war, Jacob Zuma, Maria Ressa, Mad Max, Björk, and Taylor Swift, among others.
And yes, I’ve admired her work ever since I first listened to Debut. She and Nina Simone were my musical companions as I learned to cope with my unexpected move from Manila to Cape Town in 1994. More on that period later.
What I am posting here is a set of poems from A THOUSAND EYES. Enjoy and I hope to hear from you!
Thanks for being part of this journey.
YOUR VOICE YOUR HAND YOUR EYES MY WORDS published poems A THOUSAND EYES
MANGANGASO
mula sa Homogenic ni Bjork
Kung paghahanap ang paglalakbay
At natagpuan na ang tahanan
Hindi ako hihinto
Hahayo ako upang mangaso
Ako ang mangangaso
Mag-uuwi ako ng yaman
Ngunit ‘di ko alam kung kailan
Akala ko kay daling ilatag ang kalayaan
Ay, tunay akong Scandinavian
Nahulaan mo agad, ano?
Naamoy mo iyon
Kaya mag-isa akong iniwan
Upang wakasan ang pakay
Ngayon lilisanin ko ang lahat
Hahayo ako upang mangaso
Ako ang mangangaso
(Hindi mo lang ako kilala!)
(Hindi mo lang ako kilala)
-o-
HUNTER
from Homogenic by Bjork
If travel is searching
and home has been found
I’m not stopping
I’m going hunting
I’m the hunter
I’ll bring back the goods
but I don’t know when
I thought I could organise freedom
how Scandinavian of me
you sussed it out, didn’t you?
You could smell it
so you left me on my own
to complete the mission
now I’m leaving it all behind
I’m going hunting
I’m the hunter
(You just didn’t know me!)
(You just didn’t know me)
-o-
Alas dos ng madaling araw dito sa Cape Town, pasado alas siyete ng umaga sa lupang kinagisnan. Hindi pa ako dinadapuan ng tulog. Kakaibang-kakaiba ang pagdiriwang ng Bagong Taon dito. Mas tahimik. Madalas ang ingay ng kasiyahan ay kakambal ng di-mabilang na bote ng alak. Hindi paputok ang kinatatakutan kundi ang mga lasing na nagpipilit magmaneho.
Pero hindi iyan ang gusto kong sabihin ngayon. Tinapos ko ang pagsasalin na sinimulan ko noong isang linggo. Hindi ko alam kung may ibang interesado bukod sa bagong kaibigang dumadalaw ngayon dito, pero sana magkapanahon akong buuin ang pagsasalin ng lahat ng mga akda ni Bjork – ang isa sa pinakamalaking impluwensya ko mula noong lumipat ako rito sa Timog Afrika. Ang iba pang natagpuan kong mga bagong kakambal-kaluluwa ay sina Nina Simone, Daniel Lanois, Tom McRae, Arvo Part at Stephan Micus. Hindi ko maipaliwanag kung bakit.
At muntik ko nang makalimutan. MAPAYAPA AT MAPAGPALAYANG BAGONG TAON! 2011 na at ilalathala na ang aking dalawang bagong aklat!!!!
LAHAT AY PUNO NG PAG-IBIG
mula sa Homogenic ni Bjork — isang subok-salin
pagkakalooban ka ng pag-ibig
may kakalinga sa iyo
pagkakalooban ka ng pag-ibig
pagtiwalaan mo
baka hindi magbukal
sa iyong pinagbuhusan
baka hindi sa panig
kung saan ka nakatitig
lumingun-lingon ka
nakapaligid sa iyo
lahat ay puno ng pag-ibig
nakapaligid sa iyo
lahat ay puno ng pag-ibig
hindi mo lamang tinatanggap
lahat ay puno ng pag-ibig
wala sa himlayan ang iyong telepono
lahat ay puno ng pag-ibig
pinid lamang ang iyong mga pinto
lahat ay puno ng pag-ibig
-o-
ALL IS FULL OF LOVE
from Homogenic by Bjork
you’ll be given love
you’ll be taken care of
you’ll be given love
you have to trust it
maybe not from the sources
you have poured yours into
maybe not from the directions
you are staring at
twist your head around
it’s all around you
all is full of love
all around you
all is full of love
you just ain’t receiving
all is full of love
your phone is off the hook
all is full of love
your doors are all shut
all is full of love
-o-
Bjork may never know or care that I have tried a translation of her song, but here it is anyway, in the words I grew up with.
Matangmanok 