Tula (Poetry)

Ang Paanyaya ni Bush kay Gloria
Ni Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera*

Halina sa Iraq,
Tayo ay magpasiklab
Ng gerang uutas
Sa mga teroristang de-balbas
Na, aba’y, nangahas mangahas
Lumaban sa banal na dahas
Ng Amerikang may dakilang misyong iligtas
Ang mundo sa tiyak na pagkapahamak.

Halina, ikaw ay itatakas
Sa mga problema mong di malutas-lutas –
Ekonomiyang butas-butas,
Politikang waldas-waldas,
Lumulobong utang panlabas,
Lipunang winasak-wasak
Ng kriminal, kurakot at kulimbat,
Bayan mong walang hinaharap

Halina, masdan ang iyong bukas –
Dagdag na pautang, pinaglumaang armas
Ipamamanang lahat-lahat,
Tiyak na ang pagkautas
Ng NPA, MILF, Abu Sayyaf.
Bayan mong di makausad-usad
Hihilahin tungo sa pag-unlad,
IMF-World Bank ang hahawak
Sa yaman ng mina mo’t gubat,
Sa biyaya ng bukid mo’t dagat.

Halina sa Baghdad,
Kay ganda,  ang siyudad, nagliliyab!
Sa lahat ng dako ng estadong malawak
Dumadagsa ang aking hukbo ng sindak
Sinusuyod ang bundok at gubat,
Kapatagan at dagat.
Mga pangil ng apoy nginangatngat
Ang langit na lumiliyab!
Hayun, ang lupai’y nagbibitak-bitak
Mga gusali’y nadudurog, bumabagsak,
At sa lahat ng dako bangkay ay nagkalat,
Bata matanda babae lalaki bading lesbyana
Terorista silang lahat!
At sa disyerto ng Iraq,
Ang sarap!
Langis na dumaranak,
Itim na gintong naglalandas,
Tubo na sa Wall Street tumatambak.
Halina sa Iraq!

===

Bush’s Invitation to Gloria

Come to Iraq,
Let’s make war a spectacle
That will finish
Bearded terrorists
That, oh, dare
Oppose the benevolent violence
Of America’s great destiny to save
The world from absolute perdition.

Come, you will be released
From your insoluble problems—
Destitute economy,
Profligate politics,
Swelling foreign debts,
Society damaged
By the criminal, the corrupt and cheat,
Your miserable country.

Come, look at your future,
More debts, hand-me-down weapons
My generosity all,
Sure to butcher
The NPA, MILF, Abu Sayyaf.
Your idle country
Will be propelled to development,
The IMF-World Bank will handle
The minerals and forests
The gifts of your mountains and seas.

Come to Baghdad,
How beautiful, the city, burning!
In all corners of the vast land
My armies of terror charge
Sweeping heights and woods,
Plains and seas.
The fanged conflagration
Devouring the bright sky!
There, the earth cannot hold,
Houses tremble, fall,
And the dead scatter the landscape,
Young old women men gays lesbians
They’re all terrorists!
And in Iraq’s desert,
How sweet!
Oil that springs,
Dark gold that trails,
Profit flooding Wall Street.
Come to Iraq!

 -- Translated from Filipino by Charlie Samuya Veric

*Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera is a Ramon Magsaysay awardee and Professor Emeritus of the Filipino Department, University of the Philippine. He read this poem at the February 14 anti-U.S. war mobilization at Plaza Miranda. The English translation was made by Charlie Veric of the English Department, Ateneo de Manila University.

Bulatlat.com

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