THE AMBAHAN: A MANGYAN-HANUNOO

POETIC FORM~':

ANTONIO POSTJ\1A

Mangyan is a generic name for all the ethnic groups in Min-

doro; and the term Hanunoo is a name given to a Mangyan group
geographically located in southeastern part of the Island of Min-
doro. Concerning this term Mangyan (already known to the early
Spanish missionaries), it might be an interesting point of specula-
tion if there is any connection with the name "Ti-ngyan" applied
to the ethnic groups in the province of Abra.
According to Harold C. Conklin! there are at least ten differ-
ent sub-tribes of the Mangyan, each with a different language, dif-
ferent customs, manners and traditions, etc. They are found all
over the island, but dwell in the mountains, having been driven
away from their former habitation along the coast by Christian
settlers.
The territory covered by the Mangyan-Hanunoo approximates
the area about 800 square kilometers, within the municipalities of
Mansalay, San Pedro (formerly Bulalakao) and part of San Jose
in Occidental Mindoro. The Hanunoo-Mangyan have an estimated
total population of 7,000 to 8}OOO inhabitants living scattered all
over the area. These are a group that have kept their own cus-
toms and traditions generally free from the outside influences of
material and spiritual character. At the same time they might be
*The present paper was prepared upon the invitation of Dr. Juan
R. Francisco, who spent a few months.. with the Mangyans last year study-
ing their system of writing. It must be put on record here that Dr. Fran-
cisco is yet the only Filipino who is studying the Mangyan's culture if
only on just one culture aspect.
This paper therefore comes in the wake of the comparatively inter-
esting work done and published by Dr. Harold C. Conklin, who spent
years with the Mangyans (1947, 1957) and studied practically all aspects
of Mangyan culture (vide notes below). It is in fact in deference to Dr.
Conklin that this paper appears to supplement, whatever need be supple-
mented, his work of a few years ago.
For helping the present writer in organizing this paper, Dr. Francisco
deserves my immense gratitude, without which this could not have seen
print.
IIlPrelimjnary Report on Field Work on the Islands of Mindoro an
Palawan, Philippines," American Anthropologist, Vol. II, 1949 p. 268-273.

71
72 ASIAN STUDIES

considered as a Mangyan tribe in Mindoro with the highest level

of natural culture and education. This is in contrast to the other
tribes, particularly those located in northern Mindoro, where,
through frequent contacts with other groups, they have adopted
in many respects the outward signs of the civilized world, like
clothing. Undoubtedly, they have lost part of their own peculiar
way of life and thought.
The Hanunoo-Mangyan are not as yet much influenced in that
sense by the outside civilization. This might be explained from
the fact that they stick to their own way of living, the dresses they
wear, and their own code of high moral values, which they guard
with care and pride at the same time· All these factors make them
stay apart from the civilized Filipinos, known as "Christians (whe-
ther living as pagans or not) and the modern expressions of life.
The most significant sign, however, that the Hanunoo-Mangyan
possess a culture superior to the other tribes, is that they use a
system of writing of their own, combined with a wide field of
literature, like poems, folktales, proverbs and songs. And as to
their writing system, it should be remembered that the Hanunoo,
together with the neighboring Buhid-Mangyan and the Tagbanua
of Palawan, are the only people in the Philippines who still use
this ancient script of pre-hispanic provenance. I t is not the pur-
pose of this paper, however, to discuss the writing system.'
The present paper deals with a literary product that is com-
mon among the Hanunoo-Mangyan, or rather the poetry, if I may
be audacious to call it, composed by them since time immemorial.
Various types of poetry are known but I will limit my paper to
that type to which I have devoted much of my time to study
for the past few years.
This type of poetry is called the AMBAHAN. The word may be
derived from the root "arriba", which means "talk, prayer, invoca-
tion to the spirits of their forefathers". But I am not quite sure
of this derivation. However, in actual use and meaning the word
means more than what we have said above.
Let me define AMBAHAN. I am using there partly the charac-
teristics of the poetic form as given by Conklin in his Hanunoo-
English vocabulary.' But I would like to add a few elements and

2 Dr. Francisco is preparing a monograph on the scripts of the Philip-

pines which includes in his discussions the writings of the Mangyans. He
hopes to send this work to the press by the middle of this year.
3 Hanunoo-English Vocabulary, University of California Publications in,
Linguistics" Vol. IX, p. 1-290) 1953.
 THE AMBAHAN - A POETIC FORM 73

modify them in terms of long years of observation made on them.

The Ambahan is (a) a verse with seven-syllable lines, (b) that is
chanted, almost recited, with an undefined musical pitch, and with..
out the accompaniment of musical instruments, (c) has rhyming
end-syllables, (d) contains many words that do not occur in the
spoken Hanunoo language, whereas it is generally lacking in loan-
words from Spanish, Tagalog or Bisaya, and (e) finally, uses a
symbolic language to convey the idea expressed.
To explain the elements of the definition further, let us
examine each in detail. (A) The seven syllables in one line is cer-
tainly the most significant characteristic of the Ambahan, in so
far as it is distinguished from the other kind of Hanunoo poetry
with a different number of syllables. However, there are exceptions
to the rule.
It happens that there are more than seven syllables. When
does that happen? I t is found at the beginning of the ambahan,
especially when it starts with the standard expression - magkun-
kuno, "speak, say" (cf. no. 6 & 7) - because it might be that the
one who speaks" has a long name that goes beyond the usual
H

number of seven syllables. Actually, these beginning lines should

not be considered as beginning the verse proper. There are more
or less introductions or a kind of explanation about the circurn-
stances( s) wherein the ambahan that follows was composed or
was said.
Another reason for exceeding the seven-syllable rule may be
simply because the word or words employed can not be shortened
and no other combination of words is available.
On the other hand, it also happens that there are less than
seven syllables for the reason that adding more syllables would
change the meaning or disturbs the line itself. However, the latter
alternative exception is very rare.
In connection with this seven-syllable rule that the composer
attempts to maintain, there is an important consequence that fol-
lows. The composer will have to fit his words within a defined
quantity of syllables. That accounts for the many elisions and con-
tractions of words, that make the reading of the ambahan in the
Hanunoo script so difficult, and exasperates the translator. Some
easy examples may be found in the ambahan paradigms appended
to this paper (e.g., 4:2, 4; 10:3,4, & 10). So that nirwas comes
74 ASIAN STUDIES

from niruwas, natpos from natupos, nil-ang from ni-ulang, daywan

from dayo wan, katpad from katupad, etc.
Also, the opposite is evident. The words are "extended"; syl-
lables are added to complete the seven syllables. This is, how-
ever, a normal process: the use of affixes and suffixes as is ge-
nerally known in the Philippine languages. The most common in
the Hanunoo language is the suffix -an, Thus, manok becomes ma..
nukan, balunos, balunusan, etc., without a change in meaning. But
also within the word these enlargements are found, and they are
not exactly infixes. So that dayap becomes dalayap, layaw, luga-
yaw, etc. Another trick is the reduplication of words, not so much
as to make it superlative in meaning (like in Tagalog laking-Iaki),
but more to complete the line of seven syllables (see Nos. 1 :2, 2 :1).
I will not be technical on this point, because it is the function
of the linguist to analyse these morphological formations, but I
just wish to demonstrate that the prescribed schema of seven syl-
lables in the ambahan-vetse gives ample opportunity to lexical ca-
listhenics that are worth a careful study.
(B) The ambahan is a chanted verse, but the kind of plain
chant, without much modulation of the voice, or almost recited.
So that when an ambahan is sung", there is hardly a musical
II

pitch recognizable. Except may be towards the end of the am ba..

han where the last syllables are drawn out a bit to indicate that
it is finished.
If I said in the definition that the ambahan is sung" without
II

accompaniment of musical instruments, this is merely to state

in contrast to the other kind of Mangyan verse-the urukay-that
usually employs the home-made gitara.
(C) The rhyming end-syllable is essential to the ambahan,
according to the schema of the poetic form. The most common
rhyming syllable is -an, this is being a regular suffix for verbs and
substantives in the Hanunoo language (cf. Nos. 3, 4, 5 in the Pa-
radigms). But other combinations with the vowel a are common.
Commencing with the single vowel, there are evidences where all
the lines have the end-syllable a, ak, ad, ag, ang ; as ; at ; aw,. ay,
Almost all the consonants available in their writing are applicable
to the rhyming schema. In a similar manner, the vowel
i (or e) and the u (or 0) are found to form a rhyming schemata
whether singly or in combination. With i, there are i, id, ip, it, ing,
With 0, there are 0, ok, od, on, ong, os, ot; oy (see Paradigms).
Generally speaking the process of rhyming in the ambahan is
consequent, that is, once started with e.g-, -an, all the lines will
 THE AMBAHAN - A POETIC FORM 75

end in -an. This is contrary, it seems, to Tagalog poetry, where

it has been noticed that the rhyming in the end of a line is only
a vowel rhyme, whereas any consonant in combination with this
vowel is admitted as being "according to the rule". The ambahan
is more strict in this respect, though it is interesting to note that
here and there consonants that belong to the same series are ad-
mitted as the rhyming consonant in combination with the rhyming
vowel. Note the following example: The word inwag rhymes with
ma-ayad, because g and d both belong to the series of voiced stops.
Or the word humbak rhymes with dagat because the k and the t
both belong to the same series of voiceless stops. The word sun-
dong, lumon and tayutom are the end-syllables of one ambahan
ng and nand m belong to the phoneme class of voicedsonorants.
Of course it is not because the Hanunoo-Mangyans know any-
thing about phonemics that these instances occur, but it is a fact
that interchanges with these consonants is not considered as
the unwritten rules of the ambahan provided the vowel remains
the same-
At least, it is clear that there is something in the ambahan,
that justifies its being called poetry and at the same time is a sign
of the high intelligence of the composers.
(D) One who knows the language of the Hanunoo-Mangyan
as it is used in their daily conversation will be surprised that
he understands only little of the language that is used in the
ambahan. It uses a vocabulary different from that of the spo-
ken language. It is an interesting fact that many a common
word of the daily Hanunoo speech has its equivalent in the am..
bahan vocabulary. It is possible to draw a long list of words
(eventually a complete dictionary) that are primarily used in the
ambahan verse.
A few paradigms may be listed here to give us a small insight
into the statement made above.
In the common speech In Ambahan language
amang (father) bansay ( 9.2 )
inang (mother) suyong (9.1)
danum (water) kaghan (5.6; 6.5)
balay (house) labag (7.6)
niyog (coconut) bu-anay
bagaw (talk) duyan (8.1, 3)
It is indeed interesting that they occur in the ambahan of the
Hanunoo, but still more interesting is that they can also be found
76 ASIAN STUDIES

in the literary productions of the other Mangyan tribes that are

neighbors to the Hanunoo. It should be remembered though
that these tribes use a conversational speech that is completely
different from the Hanunco language.
The question may be asked: where do these ambahan words
cam·e from? Are there other dialects in the Philippines from
which they are derived? ,Or do we have to look beyond the Phil-
ippine shores - in India or China - for an explanation? This
is one subject that needs further investigation.
The second part of this fourth element of the definition re..
fers to loan-words from other dialects. Loan-words from Span-
ish, Tagalog, or Bisaya are generally very few in the ambahan,
especially in the older types, but in the conversational language
there are words that are derived or even directly borrowed from
Spanish, Tagalog, Bisaya and English, due to verbal contact with
these languages.
On the other hand, it does 110t mean that there is a complete
difference of language between the amb ahan and the conversa-
tional Hanunoo, Not all the words used in the ambahan are of
exclusively for the verse-form. A great number used in daily
conversation can "be traced back to the ambahan-
(E) The fifth element of the definition: it uses a symbolic
language to convey the idea expressed. It is this element that
gives beauty to the ambahan, but it is rather obscure, and diffi-
cult to explain. I am yet unable to discover the reasons for the
obscurity of this literary phenomenon.
But this is what I found in the ambahan. If one reads the
pieces given as examples, he will notice that sometimes the
themes deal with a bird, a flower, a tree, an insect. Other cases
talk about the sun, moon and stars, the rain and the wind. What
do·es this all mean? Is the topic really about "the bird, the flower,
etc.? Does the Mangyan like to tell his companion that a certain
flower is beautiful and possesses a fragrance that is worth sing..
ing about. Of course not. Because the ambahan is a poem with
a practical purpose.
The Hanunoo-Mangyan uses allegorical symbols to express,
in an hidden manner, the reality or actual conditions in life. Some-
times these symbols are very clear, e.g, if a boy talks to his girl
about a "beautiful flower that he desires to bring home." But
very often one symbol can be explained in different ways when
it refers to different conditions and circumstances. Take Para..
 THE AMBAHAN - A POETIC FORM 77

digm No" 8" What does it mean? First, simply what does it say:
"be careful otherwise you will be stung by a bee. Take precau..
tions if you like to get honey". But now comes the application,
and that depends upon the occasion and circumstance" In this
case - when climbing a mountain, when going to the sea, to
town, .competing with another person, going to the parents of the
lovely girl to ask for her hand in marriage, etc.
Indeed, it must be admitted that the reading or chanting
and understanding an ambahan involves a sharp and keen intel-
lect for the whole ambahan is a mystery known only to the
Mangyan themselves,"
After the analysis of the definition of the ambahan, it seems
appropriate to discuss the origin of the poetic form. If one asks
a Hanunoo-Mangyan: "Where did you get this ambahan;" The
answer may simply be: "I copied it from someone-" This is
true, b·ecause the usual way the ambahan is transmitted about is
by means of the writing on bamboo. This might be anything.
From the container of tabako or apog, the scabbard or sheath
of the bolo to their violins or gitara, and even the bamboo beams
of their houses. So when a Mangyan discovers a beautiful am-
bahan, that he wishes to keep, he will copy it with his knife en-
graving it on bamboo, etc. T11a: is the reason for his answer:
HI copied it.'
The question may well be answered in this manner: "We
gat this from our forefathers." And, this is actually the case"
Most of the ambahans they now chant and sing are through con-
tinuous copying handed down from parent to child - from fa-
ther to son or from mother to daughter-
On the other hand, however, there is no doubt that new
ambahans are being written by the real poets and composers, even
today, although it will be difficult to find out who these poets
are. The Mangyan is too modes:t,or simply does not like to ad-
mit that he writes ambahans.
Fortunately, there is a kind of method for classifying the
ambahans according to approximate age. There are two criteria
4 To find out the different meanings of many an ambahan that this
writer has collected through the years has been a continuous study for him
since.
Eventually another. study could be undertaken on the psychological
backgrounds to find the reason behind the Mangyan's utilization of ani-
mals} plants and the elements of nature in his ambahans. One of the prob-
able conclusions that this study may reach would be-that the Mangyan is
a keen observer of everything that happens in nature around him.
78 ASIAN ST'UDIES

available. One is CONTENT, and the other is the kind of WORDS

used in the ambahan.
The first criterium is rather weak, as the theme of the am-
bahan is sometimes general, and could b-e applied for any age.
But when one finds reference in the poetic form to Muslim at-
tacks, or to Mangyans still living along the sea shore, then he
gets a foothold in history, as the attacks of the Muslim are known
to have occurred at a certain period of their history, and the
habitation of the Mangyans along the shore took place before
the settlement of non-Mangyan on the island. As was mentioned
in this paper earlier, the Mangyans now live in the mountains,
because they were driven into the interior by the unChristian
settlers.'
The second criterium is more significant, and if utilized by
experts, it might reveal the real clue for determining the age of
the ambahan. It may be contended that three kinds of ambahans
can be distinguished according to their respective age.
First is the kind of ambahan that uses the so-called ambahan
words to the greatest extent. No mixture of other dialects, not
even of the neighboring speeches. Eventualy, common Hanu-
noo words are used, the greatest percentage of which is the
literary type, not used in daily conversation. According to the
Mangyans th-emselves, this type of ambahan is the oldest.
Next comes the type that is strongly mixed with words used
by the neighboring tribes, especially the Buhid. Frequent con-
tact with this tribe made them accept their words and expres..
sions, so that this even is reflected in their ambahans.
Finally, there is the ambahan of later times as evidenced
from the loan-words from Spanish, Tagalog or Bisaya. In the
hands of the trained anthropologist who has studied the cul-
ture aspect carefully, this method might unravel the answer to
the time-question of the ambahan. It should be k-ept in mind,
however, that many ambahans could belong to one class or an-
other, because the characteristics of one or another period might
overlap.

5 And it seems that even mountains do not afford safe refuge from
unscrupulous land-grabbers permitted by equally unscrupulous officials.
It would not be ill-considered to mention here that not only the Mangyans
are victims of official apathy, but also other minority groups because they
are merely natives.
 THE AMBAHAN - A POETIC FORM 79

Three questions appear to be significant to the present study-

(1) Where can the ambahans be found, (2) Who use them? (3)
On what occasion?
( 1) The ambahan is found among the Hanunoo-Mangyans.
It is very common among them. It may be that there are Mang-
yans who do not write and read their own script (about 60%
might be literate). But it may be rare that one meets a Mang-
yan who does not know the art of the ambahan. However, if
one asks them, they will deny any knowledge of it. But it is
only a polite way of saying: III do not like to give a demons-
tration." The people who tried to collect ambahans may be asked
how difficult it is to get the Mangyans to recite them, particu-
larly if there is no occasion for their being recited.
Apart from the Hanunoo-Mangyans, a neighboring Mang-
yan tribe know the ambahan art. Though no investigation has
been made on the actual spread of the ambahan, it is certain
that this type of poetry is common also among the Buhid Mang-
yans. The language of the Buhid IS completely different from
the Hanunoo, but when it comes to ambahan, they understand
each other's literary attempts.
Information has reached this writer that the ambahan is
also known among the Bangon-Mangyan. This is a tribe that lives
deep in the mountains. Very rarely do they come to the plains.
On one occasion a few copies of their ambahan have been ac-
quired. The Hanunoo-Mangyans do not understand much of it,
except where the exclusive ambahan words are used. This field
is not yet sufficiently explored to say anything authoritative about
it.
(2) Ambahan is used by every Hanunoo-Mangyan - young
and old men, women, children. Each age level has its own type
of ambahan. A child will not use that of the adults. Moreover,
he would not understand it· The children definitely have their
own kind of ambahan. This type. of ambahan may be equivalent
to the nursery rhymes we know. However, all the elements of
the definition of the ambahan are evident, except for the use of
a simple language. Archaic ambahan words do not necessarily
occur. They are also short; most of them do not have more
than six lines. Perhaps, it is merely a training material to pre-
pare the children for the more difficult ambahans afterwards.
The boy (binata) and the girl (dalaga) will use the ambahan
that are fit for their level, but once they are married, they will
80 ASIAN S'T'UDIES

not use the ambahans of the unmarried people, but those that
belong to their new state of life.
(3) When? Before answering the question, it may be ap-
propriate to explain beforehand what kind of poetry the amba-
han is. Herein lies the answer to the question: "When is the
ambahan used?"
It is admitted that the ambahan is indeed poetry, being
an expression in a beautiful and harmonious language, but it is
is not like the poetry known to the civilized" world. The poetry
II

of our world could be composed mainly to express the poet's sa-

tisfaction or feeling. It is his brainchild. He would write a poem
although no one would ever read it. But the ambahan is different.
It is primarily of social character. It does not stand alone, it is
not for one man, but finds its true existence in the company of
others. It is a social art, created by the Mangyan to enrich and
enliven the community.
To answer the question, thus - the ambahan is used in prac-
tical social contact between and among the people of the COlTI-
munity.. That means, by the parents in educating their children
(Paradigm No.2); by young people courting each other (Para-
digm Nos. 6 and 7); by a visitor asking for food; by a relative
who leaves and says goodbye; etc.
It must not, however, be construed that the Mangyans con-
verse only by means of the ambahan. If a man comes from his
field, he would not use an arnbahan to tell his wife that he is
hungry, but he will just say: III am hungry." Generally, however,
it may be said that the poetic form is used on those occasions,
when something has to be said is somewhat embarrassing, shame..
ful, delicate or even precious (as in love) to state, to ask or to
communicate in ordinary language. A boy may tell a girl in
plain language that he will not forget her,hut it sounds much
more romantic if he does it in the way of the ambahan (see Pa-
radigm . No.4).
As a consequence of the social character of the. ambahan,
it .functions as a kind of verbal contest. Whenever ·there are
many Mangyans gathered together, there will always be a few
<mostly old men) who would compete to test each other's
ability of using the right ambahan in the right place as a right
answer. These occasions happen during a festivity - mostly com-
bined with celebration of a primary and secondary burials. May
 THE AMBAHAN - A POETIC FORM 81

be one Mangyan might challenge the other with Number 8 (see

Paradigms) .
And then it starts. It is a pleasure, indeed, to see the peo-
ple, surround the contestants (without agreement, without rules,
without bets), listening intently to ambahan one .after the other·
After having sung an ambahan, with an air of 'try-to-beat-me..
on-that-one", th'e other party, after thinking of a suitable answer,
comes forward with the reply supported by the laughs and en-
couraging cheers of the others. In most cases, the one who an-
swers last is the unacclaimed winner. But then it might be deep
into the night. The contest is not the most important. It is the
joy of entertainment.
A few final remarks on the translation of the ambahan.
might be of interest. One who happens to· be in the mountains
of Mansalay and has the fortune of getting acquainted with this
poetic form will become enthusiastic about it, unless he possesses
no sense of discovering the mysterious." Such enthusiasm de-
II

velops into real interests; he has to study the alphabet. Once

he has mastered the script fairly well, he will find out to his dis-
may that he is unable to read completely what is written on the
bamboo. However, that is not his fault, but due to the script
itself that simply does not express the final consonant of each
syllable.
But he will get over that disappointment, and manages to
get an ambahan written down in clear understandable form. Now
he will try to understand it. But the Mangyans are the only ones
who could explain it to him. It is true, there isa vocabulary" more
than ten years ago by Conklin, but the author himself admits that
it is far from being complete.
Then he sits down, and asks a Mangyan who understands
some Tagalog (if the Hanunoo language is unknown to him) to
explain the meaning of that certain ambahan. But if he wishes to
know the exact meaning of each word, the Mangyan and the en-
thusiast will both be at a loss· To translate into another language
is indeed not an easy task.
If one would have difficulties in translation, all the more a
simple Mangyan who never heard of translating would find- him-
self at a loss when pressed for exact meanings of words, of ver-
6 Vide Note No.2.
 82 ASIAN STUDIES

ses or strophes. In fact, the present author had to spend hours and
hours (in the night) to get a translation that satisfies him.
The special difficulty that one encounters in the study of the
ambahan is the symbolism that it exudes. In asking Ior a trans-
lation, the Mangyan might explain the final applications, and that
does not make one much wiser about the meaning of certain
words. The only help given to a translator of this poetic form
is sometimes given within the poem itself. Because one of the
ambahan methods of stressing an idea is by repeating it with
the use of synonyms. Sometimes complete lines are repeated
with synonyms- To understand the ambahan completely, one
needs continuous study, comparing on-e with tile other, looking
how the same words are used in another context, etc.
The only task that could be done for the ambahan at pre-
sent is to collect as many as possible, have them translated and
the words classified and afterwards have experts bring forward
their final conclusions. Then, perhaps from all these tiresome
efforts will emerge a clear image of the beauty, the charm and
the richness of the ambahan.

PARADIGMS

1. (2)*
1. Kang manok si tigbaya
2. Kawo dag baya baya
3. Kuntay buya yi nita
4. No mag-alpes ud kanta
5. Layang mamalibhasa
6. Sa malinvaw binunga
N at so sure yet
(about) my bird the tigbava
don't be so happy, you,
even if it is ours already
if it escapes, it is ours no longer
it will fly far away
to the top of the binunga tree

2. (2a)
1. kang manok tangway tangway
2. pag sugoon manguway
3. magpasakiton labay
4. magpalintong sa sulay

"Figures in parentheses refer to this writer's number in his collection

of Mangyan ambahans,
 83
THE AMBAHAN - A POETIC FORM

Excuse for Laziness

my bird the tangway
if told to get "uway"
(he says) my shoulder aches
I hit it against a beam

3. (7)
1. Ti urnakay kang lag-ban
2. Ti lumingo kang ngaran
3. Kang tawagon suyungan
4. Kang tawagon bansayan
Lonelv
whoever takes my house along
whoever gets my name
I'll love him as my mother
He'll be dear to me as my father.

4. (8)
1. No kawo ti rnagduy an
2. Sumay kanta ti llmtun
3. No ako ti magduyan
4. Sumay padi kalimtan
5. Hanggan sa manundugan
Memorv
If it's up to you to say
In your thoughts I will not stay
But if I may speak up too
I won't forget my meeting you
Till my life's very last day

5. (17)
1. Kalansiw kalandagan
2. Napadna sa sugkadan
3. Lakaw kinuvankuvan
4. Nakan kinuyankuyari
5. N agbanta kay abyagan
6. May sa paglinong kagnan
7. A1ay sa unay maghagan
In Doubt
the kalansiw-bird
alights in front of the house
walking with tail up and down
that's why with tail up and down
(because) he is thinking where to go
to the quiet water-pool
( or) to the water that is flowing

6. (27)
1. Magkunkuno ti buyingaw
2. nakatangda bulatok
3" balayi bala-avan
4. kita mana magkaban
5. babaw sa unay kagnan
84 ASIAN· ST'UDIES

Invitation
says the firefly
looking up at the wood-peeker
hey, my friend
let us go together
to the water source

7. (24)
1. Magkunkuno ti bulatok
2. Balayi bala-ayan
3. Biknan kanta magkaban
4. No kawo may rumbungan
5. No ako may bangdayan
6. Sa labag hinulinan
Invitation declined
says the wood-peeker
hey, my friend
how could we go together?
when you have a companion
when I have a spouse
which I left at home.

8. (26)
1. Putyukan sa binunga
2. Napatundog yi tida
3. Danga yi paghinam-a
4. No hinam-on bay 'vvaya
5. Pagdara bunot lima
6. Alaga sa ginhawa
Be Careful
there is a bee in the binunga
it's high on the top
don't dare to get it (i.e. the honey)
but if you like by all means
better bring five "smokers" along
to protect your body

9. (56)
1. Suyong ngawag gumnav
2. Bansay ngayag rug-usan
3. Kaywan bay gumihit WQ'
4. Unay dagpayon tuman
5. Labag sa payaspasan
6. Sindong hamoy habangan
Decision
even if mother will "veep
even if father will cry
the tree is cut already
at the water of Dagpayon
the house is exposed to the' wind
without the shelter of the . mountain
 THE AMBAHAN - A POETIC FORM 85
10. (57
1. Hinton vi way di asan
2. Pagbuyong sa sangdulan
3. Ga may langit nagba-an
4. Ga may banwa nalyaman
5. Kahawan panga-uran
6. Uran ud may labagan
7. Kalungan panga-amyan
8. Amyan ud may buyungan
9. Sangdan tvay ta1VO ngaran
10. Ti ga dayi migbulkan
11. Sa talisi Balsigan
Wait a minute
now, what's the matter?
with your headache
as if heaven is coming down
as if a town is falling apart
the rain stops
but the rain has no house
the wind ceases
but the wind.. has no dwelling
don't we have the name: MAN?
does he ever refuse to go back?
to his own house (lit.-water system)

11. (172)
1. Kang di pagkama-amban
2. Sa umraw sa salud man
3. Ud may kinasiginan
4. Vd may kinasibayan
5. No kuntay mamangday wan
7. Vd avon mamuwavnan
7. Bay-an kang magbugtungan
8. Maglikid diman kunrnan
Bachelor
If I am together
with boy or girl
nothing bad will happen
no evil will be done
but if it comes to courting
nothing for me those love-exclamations
just leave me along
I know how to walk like that.