Lydia Abajo Poems-Translation



Poem 1—

Or This Act of Loving in a New Land


Lydia Abajo


in this land of exile

away from it all, what was

away from the beating heart of a homeland

6 months and 5 years ago

you heard my voice: you still do

you stood by me for who i am


you stood by me despite this emptiness

now, tears well down my cheeks

freely, profusely fall on this alien skin

feeling blessed i found you


you believe in my being bereft

my honesty seeing me through my travails

of just wanting a taste

of what's to be in this land

of the free and the brave


the risks i continue to take

like an innocent child

i hold on to my grip

ready to be lost in the woods

one day i will get through this


like leaving one’s place of birth

weaned from what was

all because of your healing word


and the gods: they will all come down

the bells will toll, hosannas sung

to rejoice that you have redeemed

another lost soul, dear savior

my savior in this new land


Daniw 1—

Wenno Akto ti Panagayat Iti Baro a Daga


Lydia Abajo


iti daytoy nga ili ti nagtawatawan

adayo kadagiti amin, iti no ania idi

adayo iti agpitpitik a puso ti pagilian

6 a bulan ken 5 a tawen napalabas

inimdengam ti timekko: im-imdengam pay laeng

dinak tinallikudan iti laksid kinaaasinnok

dinak tinallikudan iti laksid kinakawaw


ita agarubos lua kadagiti pingping

nawaya, adu, kadagiti baniaga a kudil

mariknak basbas pannakasarakko kenka


mamatika iti kinanumot’ kinataok

ti laeng kinapudno ti sammaked

panagdaliasat tapno mapadasak

makipagbiag iti daytoy nga ili

dagiti nawaya ken natured


dagiti peggad agtultuloy kaniak

kas iti inosente nga ubing

kumpetak a pirpirme

sisasagana a maiwawa kakaykayuan

maysa nga aldaw marimbawak daytoy

kas iti ipapanaw ili a nakayanakan

naipusing kadagiti amin a dati

gapu iti balikas a makaagas

ket dagiti didiosen: bumabadanto amin

agbatingting kamkampana

maiyayug hosanna, agrag-o

iti panangisalakan naiwawa manen

a kararua iti sabali a pagilian


Poem 2—

or The Act of Loving in a New Land


Lydia Abajo


seeing you in unexpected time

unexpected place

lifts me from ground zero

here in this place of alien lives

& strange loves

but, being silenced

by the reality of your world

shatterred my facade

if only for a while

for i linger with the thought

of knowing you are there

in your fortress of a tower, with those big eyes

smiling brightly and saying: trouble-maker

trouble-maker, maker of trouble

yet, i know you mean 4

more than what i hear or see:

do i read the signals right?

i hope not, lest my soul 5

will be lost and spent

and my pain will throb

raw and red, the way i was

when i came to you in my loneliness

and with the passage of time 6

the pain became blue

then green, then yellow

for i feel the immensity of joy

with those big eyes

that continue to haunt me

keep me company in my solitude


Daniw 2—

Wenno Akto ti Panagayat Iti Baro a Daga


iti pannakakitak kenka panawen di ninamnama 1

lugar a di ninanamnama

itag-aynak manipud ibbung a babaddekan

ditoy a lugar dagiti estranghero a biag

& sabsabali nga ayat

ngem iti pannakapaumelko 2

realidad lubongmo

binuongnat’ pakabuklak

uray iti agapaman laeng


gapu ta agsarsarimadengan iti pattapatta

pannakaammok nga addaka

iti nabaneg a torrem, agsipsiput dadakkel a matmata

umis-isem a siraragsak ken agkunkuna: buribor

para aramid buong ti ulo, agar-aramid buribor


ngem ammok a ti kayatmo a sawen

ket ad-adu ngem ti makitak, mangngegak:

maawatak kadi dagiti senial a nasayaat?


saan koma ta saan, la ket ta mapukawkot’

kararuak, marunaw

ket ti ag-agalek agbitegbiteg

nasadiwa ken nalabaga, kas idi dati

idi dimtengak kenka iti kinalidayko

ket iti panaglabas ti panawen 6

ti panaas nagbalin nga asul

sa berde, sa amarilio

ta mariknak ti panaglaplapunusan ragsak

kadagidiay dadakkel a mata

agtultuloy a mangal-alia kaniak

mangkadkadua iti panagmaymaysak


Poem 3—

or The Act of Loving in a New Land

Lydia Abajo

it's the fault of this paradise with little memory 1

with its clouds that reflect the sea

the winds will erase the story

and you will forget like every man does

bereft of glory, bereft of memory

but my song is still in the air 2

the ship, the sail, the waves

they will sing with me

up high in the sky

the songs i sing for you

will never be erased by anyone

will never be forgotten—now

run towards the breeze 3

and listen to my song

the sweet tune that never fades

always, your force is the wind

unchained and free

the secret will go with you 4

one woman, infinite adoration

words written to remember

one small voice, big smiling eyes

hidden in the shadows in between

under the blue afternoon skies

just right to dream about

the reverence, the passion, the pain will thrive 5

that will drive me to sing endlessly

sing songs of hope

sing songs of liberation

sing songs of hopeless devotion

till i reach the unreachable you

even if singing means eternity

waiting forever for the memory of you

like this waiting for my taking root 6

in this new land of my soul

this new land of my singing body

singing of you in this land

that brought us together in song

as in a dream, gauzy and true

Daniw 3—

Wenno ti Akto ti Panagayat iti Baro a Daga

Lydia Abajo

basol daytoy a paraiso nga addaan bassit a lagip 1

nga addaan ul-ulep a mangsarsarming baybay

dagiti angin a mangpunas iti estoria

ket malipatamto kas kada tao

awanan kinaindaklan, awanan rekuerdo

ngem samsamiwengko addada iti ere 2

ti barko, ti layag, dagiti dalluyon

kaduaendak nga agkanta

iti pantok ti tangatang

dagiti kanta a kenkau iduayyak

di mapunaw ni asinno man

di kaaano man malipatan—ita

agtarayka iti ayan ti pul-oy 3

ken imdengam daytoy kantak

ti nasam-it nga ayug a di agkupas

kankanayon, ti pigsam ket ti angin

di nakawaran ken siwawayas

the palimed ket agtalinaed kenka 4

maysa a babai, awan patingga a panagrukbab

balbalikas a naisurat tapno malagipda

maysa a bassit a boses, dadakkel a matmata

nakalemmeng an-anniniwan babaet

iti sirok ul-ulep iti asul a malem

apagpagisu a tagaimpen

ti panagdayaw, ti rugso, agtalinaed ut-ot 5

mangiduron kaniak, agkanta nga awanan ressat

agkanta kadagiti ayug ni namnama

agkanta kadagiti ayug ni wayawaya

agkantat’ debosion nga awanan namnama

agingga a masagidka sika a di masagid

uray no ti panagkanta agnanayon ti kaibatoganna

ugur-uray nga awan patinggana iti lagipko kenka

kas kadaytoy panagur-urayko nga agramut 6

iti daytoy a pagilian ti kararuak

daytoy a baro a daga ti agkankanta a bagik

idaydayyengnaka iti daytoy a daga

a namagkammayet kadata iti kanta

kas iti tagainep, agsarsaragisag ken pudno

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