Jim Pascual Agustin's Blog, page 54

The Dragon Machine by Helen Ward and Wayne Anderson – a quick note

The Dragon Machine by Helen Ward

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This magical book introduced me to the work of Helen Ward and Wayne Anderson. We got it originally from the library a number of times before we decided to look for a secondhand copy online. South Africa is not an easy place to find books.

The illustrations capture the solitude of George's world, glimmers of colour among the mostly gray background. The burning curiosity of a child is the key to this beautiful tale worth reading over and over again.

View all my reviews

Filed under: Influences, Sanaysay / Essays Tagged: curiosity, Goodreads.com, Helen Ward, innocence, Jim Pascual Agustin, picture book, solitude, The Dragon Machine, Wayne Anderson

Mangangaso – subok-salin ng "Hunter" ni Bjork

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!!!!

Filed under: Creatures, Fragments and Moments, Influences, Mga Tula / Poetry, poetry, Uncategorized Tagged: Arvo Part, Bjork, Daniel Lanois, Homogenic, Hunter, Jim Pascual Agustin, Nina Simone, pagsasalin, Stephan Micus, Tom McRae, translation, tula

Pauwi sa Ngiti

Pauwi sa Ngiti

para sa kaarawan ng aking mahal na ina

Nagpaalam ako sa iyo noon.

Noon, ang buo kong daigdig ay maipagkakasya

sa bakpak na bughaw na maong,

kabughawang lumalalim kapag napapatakan

ng ulan.  Anim na taon ako, malamang.

Puno ng pagngangalit na simpula

ng kotseng laruan sa puso ng kamao,

pagtatampo na hinayaan mong

magpakawala ng malaalupihang salita.

Hindi ko alam kung natakot kang

makita akong lumabas ng tarangkahan.

Ilang hakbang na hindi man lamang

umabot sa tindahan ni Aleng Tinay

At napahinto ako.  Inupuan ang bakpak

na pinabuntis ng mga laruan at damit

sa pagmamadali.  Humangos ang mainit

na hangin, sinipa ang alikabok,

Salbaheng kalaro.  Napuwing ako,

naluha nang di-sadya.

Halos bulag akong tumayo

at, kipkip ang bakpak,

Sinalat ang walang pintura

at magaspang na pader na kongkreto

pabalik sa tarangkahan.

Mumunti ang hakbang pauwi

Sa iyong nangangambang ngiti.

-o-

 

Kaarawan ngayon ng aking mahal na ina.  Tinawagan ko siya.  Himala at narinig niya ang aking pagbati.  May mga araw na hindi sinlinaw ang linya ng telepono, o hindi sinlakas ang aking tinig, o kaya ay may kahinaan ang kanyang pandinig.  Isang araw isasalin ko ito.  Isang araw ako mismo ang magbibigay sa kanya ng kopya.  Isang araw mababasa ko sa kanya ito.  Sana.  Sa ngayon, ikaw na mambabasa siguro ang mauuna pang makakabasa nito kaysa kanya.  Ikaw na hindi umaruga sa akin, ikaw na baka hindi ko man lang kilala.

Filed under: Mga Tula / Poetry, poetry, Uncategorized Tagged: Jim Pascual Agustin, Rizalina Pascual Agustin

Help Silwan Resident Adnan Gheith Stay in Jerusalem | Popular Struggle Coordination Committee

Help Silwan Resident Adnan Gheith Stay in Jerusalem | Popular Struggle Coordination Committee.

Filed under: Imperialism, Middle East, North America, politics, terrorism Tagged: human rights, Israeli atrocities, Israeli terrorism, Palestine

One Step Forward and the Bullies Gang Up

When will these giant firms learn that the truth is not just for some?

Apple joins in ganging up on Wikileaks.  Nice one.  A bit like… "Buy our stuff and fall in line.  De-braining apps (and of course, consumerist stuff) only."

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

Filed under: Imperialism, Influences, politics, terrorism Tagged: Apple apps, capitalism, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, Imperialism, Wikileaks

Lahat ay Puno ng Pag-ibig, subok-salin ng "All is Full of Love" ni Bjork

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-

Not everyone I know is Christian or believes in a single religion.  And Bjork may not even know (or care) that I have tried a translation of her song, but this little attempt to put it into words I grew up is like building a new bridge.

Filed under: Fragments and Moments, Influences, Life in a different world, Mga Tula / Poetry, poetry, Uncategorized Tagged: All is Full of Love, Bjork, Filipino, Homogenic, Iceland, Jim Pascual Agustin, translation

Exorcising Diplomacy

This will be a short one.  Just a link to an open letter.  Wikileaks has managed to do.  Funny how in this case those who shout TERRORISTS! the loudest seem to have the bloodiest hands.  A new brand of squirty handwash should be invented.  Let's call it Lady Macbeth, shall we?

Wikileaks: the emperor has no clothes

Filed under: Imperialism, Influences, North America, politics, terrorism Tagged: cablegate, democracy, diplomacy, freedom of the press, John Pilger, the exorcist, Wikileaks

New Blog for a Forthcoming Book

Just to shout to the world… or whoever is out there… I put up a new blog for my forthcoming book of poetry in Filipino, Baha-bahagdang Karupukan.  The text is in Filipino, but I will try to translate when I can.

Baha-bahagdang Karupukan roughly translates as "levels of fragility" – but that doesn't capture the root word "hagdan" which means stairs, or, in this context, terrace.

Here is the LINK

Filed under: Uncategorized

"Did you know Jim passed away?"

This is what Jim's wife said after I had placed an order for a 25 kg bag of dog food.  She said Jim passed away on the 17th of "this month" – meaning November.  Yes, I know it is the 2nd of December today, but death has a way of slowing time for those it touches.

I hadn't spoken to Jim for a few months, but his wife told me in a previous conversation (over ordering dog food, again), that he was bedridden and would not take food.  He just wanted to die.

Jim and I had a chuckle when we first met.  It was obviously a funny line to say "Hi, Jim, I'm Jim!  Nice to meet you."  For at least two years he delivered bags of dog food for our pets.    And he genuinely wanted to know where I was from originally, and, having never left the borders of South Africa, he asked what it was like in my country.  In September last year he heard about the terrible floods in Manila.  I told him I was on my way there in a few days.  He was truly concerned for my family, as if they were his own.  When I returned from that trip he listened intently as I described what I had seen.

He mentioned he had cancer and was treated for it.  He hated being sick, and was hopeful that he had gotten rid of the disease.  But it came back with a vengeance.  Early this year someone else had taken over the delivery.

I really didn't know Jim very well.  Didn't even know his surname.  All I know is that he was a very kind and soft spoken man.  Easy to surrender a smile or a gentle laugh.

One more connection lost.

Filed under: Africa, Asia, environment, Fragments and Moments, Influences, Life in a different world, Sanaysay / Essays Tagged: Jim

"Did you know, Jim passed away?"

This is what Jim's wife said after I had placed an order for a 25 kg bag of dog food.  She said Jim passed away on the 17th of "this month" – meaning November.  Yes, I know it is the 2nd of December today, but death has a way of slowing time for those it touches.

I hadn't spoken to Jim for a few months, but his wife told me in a previous conversation (over ordering dog food, again), that he was bedridden and would not take food.  He just wanted to die.

Jim and I had a chuckle when we first met.  It was obviously a funny line to say "Hi, Jim, I'm Jim!  Nice to meet you."  For at least two years he delivered bags of dog food for our pets.    And he genuinely wanted to know where I was from originally, and, having never left the borders of South Africa, he asked what it was like in my country.  In September last year he heard about the terrible floods in Manila.  I told him I was on my way there in a few days.  He was truly concerned for my family, as if they were his own.  When I returned from that trip he listened intently as I described what I had seen.

He mentioned he had cancer and was treated for it.  He hated being sick, and was hopeful that he had gotten rid of the disease.  But it came back with a vengeance.  Early this year someone else had taken over the delivery.

I really didn't know Jim very well.  Didn't even know his surname.  All I know is that he was a very kind and soft spoken man.  Easy to surrender a smile or a gentle laugh.

One more connection lost.

Filed under: Africa, Asia, environment, Fragments and Moments, Influences, Life in a different world, Sanaysay / Essays Tagged: Jim