bukal na buhay, dalisay, malamig
agos ng pag-ibig
ni Mariang Makiling
mula sa kanyang dibdib
duyan ni Rana
nagpapatulog kay Troides
ipinaghehele si Buot
sa harana nina Balikasyaw at Tariktik
pook-sayawan ng mga bayawak
tuwing konsiyerto ng mga paagang
at mga kuliglig
ninuno ng Lawa
ina ng kapa-kapa
ama ni Strongylodon
kapatid ng tibig at lipa
among tunay ng kawayang-tinik
uway, gugo, saging na pula
Aristolochia
Kagalang-galang kay El Niño
kinakanti-kanti ni La Niña
paliguan ng mamang hubo
labahan ng aling maganda
naglalaro
ang batang takot sa engkanto –
bingwit, tampisaw, lukso
sa mga bato
subalit
ang polusyon –
tahimik na namamaybay
isang almuranin –
mabalasik
ang kamandag
nakalalason, nakamamatay
sapagkat
mga tao’y nagbubulag-bulagan,
bulag.
English Translation:
Molawin
a living spring, pure, cool,
flow of love
from the *****
of Maria of Makiling
cradle of the frog Rana
puts the birdwing butterfly Troides to sleep
sings lullabies to Buot, the cloud rat
accompanied by serenades from the passerine Balikasyaw
and the hornbill Tariktik.
dance floor of the monitor lizards
every time the cicadas and the crickets
have their concerts
ancestor of the Lake
mother of the magnificent Medinilla
father of the Jade vine Strongylodon
sibling of the riverine fig and the nettle tree
the true lord of the spiny bamboo,
among tunay ng kawayang-tinik
rattan, shampoo liana, red banana
the vine Aristolochia
Respected by El Niño
Tickled by La Niña
bathing place of the naked man
washing area of the pretty woman
there they play
children weary of the forest fairies –
line fishing, treading, hopping
among the boulders
but
pollution –
silently swims with the flows
like the cobra, that there also grows –
potent,
its venom
poisons, kills
because
humans feign blindness,
are blind.
Additional Notes:
Rana, Troides, Strongylodon, Medinilla and Aristolochia are scientific (genus) names of a frog, birdwing butterfly, the Jade vine, a magnificent-flowered shrub at a vine that serves as a butterfly larval host plant, respectively, all found along the areas of Molawin Creek; their use in this poem is an attempt to illustrate the important role of biology in understanding the intricacies, not only of Molawin Creek, but also of the entire Mount Makiling, a forest reserve in the southern part of Luzon Island, The Philippines..
