Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Icons on the One-Thousand-Piso Philippine Currency



Yesterday, 30-Dec-2014, the occasion of my 24th Wedding Anniversary which we did not celebrate with festivities, I inadvertently had the following exchange on Facebook with one I have come to consider as among, if not the best of my virtual friends in that venue:

Constancio Sulapas Asumen Jr Pardon my ignorance, but whose faces are these featured on the 1000-Piso bill? 
Ten Mac Airolg Jose Abad Santos, Vicente Lim, Josefa Llanes Escoda. 
Constancio Sulapas Asumen Jr  Thank you Nette for the info on the 1000-Piso Bill. I confess I only know off hand about Abad Santos. I had to research on the other two to learn they were WW2 hero and heroine.. The ignorance is a disgrace because I got exempt from Phil History finals in MSU Marawi.  Maybe those pictures were there long time ago but I have not seen an actual 1000-Piso bill, ever.

Having been exempted from Philippine History finals was noteworthy, no matter that it might be deemed a very trivial event.  It was the first instance that my bona fides as an independent thinker was established and publicly acknowledged by a figure of authority. 

It was explained in class by Prof. Delor delos Angeles who was teaching it.  I merited the exemption for having coherently and persuasively argued that when Lapu-Lapu vanquished Magellan’s landing party in Mactan he was not defending the Philippines, the country, but only Mactan Island, the local realm of Lapu-Lapu’s.

Around that time, circa 1962~63, in a surge of vainglorious emotional nationalism, there was a movement afoot to change the name of the country from Philippines to something else.  One of the candidates for a prospective new name was Lapu-Lapu.  The history class sessions allotted an entire week to debate and resolve the merits of the movement.

I spent the duration of the debates arguing consistently and passionately that giving the country a new name was very superficial to have any vital impact on the travails of the country.  I was flabbergasted that nobody seemed to have grasp the point that accidents of history cannot just be reversed by a change of name.  Moreover, before the Spaniards colonized the islands, we had nothing but an archipelago of warring island tribes defined by accidents of geography.

Particularly, Lapu-Lapu being thrown into the mix of possible new names was a major source of my intellectual umbrage.  To begin with, the term happened to be the name of a coral dwelling grouper fish.  It is one of more popular gastronomical fares served on festive occasions.  It added an element of the ridiculous into the debate.

I was to learn later that what really earned the admiration and approval of Prof. delos Angeles was my repeated emphasis that Lapu-Lapu did not do anything different from what my grandfather would have done.  Namely, if a group of strange looking people came to my grandfather’s front yard demanding he knelt before them for any reason, whatever, Grandpa Asumen would have not spared any weapon in his arsenal to dispatch the audacious strangers with extreme prejudice.


Ergo, Lapu-Lapu’s dispatch of Magellan’s landing party earned national significance only by virtue of Spain’s colonization of the Islands into a national entity.

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Yuletide 2014 Greetings Package

Seasons Greetings
[In Lieu of a Greetings Card*]

Often the truth we sadly miss
As we see only what we know.
Nor each occasion could reveal
The gravity of what we feel,
On things we dare and dare not do.
Yet, though in vain, let me express
One simple thought, one sincere wish:
That may with love and peaceful bliss
Replete you find the Holidays!

And may the seasons thereafter
Be seasoned with mirth and laughter.
The rare occasioned somber sky
May not but serve to amplify
The happiness of days gone by,
And glories of unyielding prime,
And promises of days that lie
Uncharted in the blue abyss
And daunting vagaries of Time!



May each grief find sweet redress;
Alien to fears, much less to tears,
May triumphs and exploits increase
All through the fast succeeding years!

Merry Christmas and the New Year's Best To You!!
==<+>==
Author Notes
*This is easily my favorite of all the poems I have written  I have recycled it every year since I had it.
© Constancio S Asumen Jr. All rights reserved



Our Joyous Hour*
(1)
Joyful is the occasion
We find near our side of glory
Where regales our attention
Lucent countenance of vision
Bless this home, for whose patron
We gladly croon our dedication
Timeless song of devotion
For all Christmases’ full celebration!

(2)
Happy New Year, brings new joys of living
Deign harmonize with our love for giving
Sing loud praises for boundless,
Timeless dish of happiness!

[Repeat (1)]
Timeless song of devotion
For all Christmases’ full celebration!
[End]
==|==
Author Notes
*This is, arguably the most popular of Filipino Christmas Carol melodies.  It has lyrics in every major regional dialects in the country.  The Bisayan lyrics on which this rendition is based were audio-transcribed from the attached three video clips as follows:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmU4lwzKE2E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdgSXAxJi54
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyXjjTCJtkI
© Constancio S Asumen Jr. All rights reserved,
- See more at: http://allpoetry.com/poem/11814834-Our-Joyous-Hour--by-Ace-Lilacs#sthash.hsB5Y4Fh.dpuf 



Alas, It’s Christmas*
[Ang Pasko Ay Sumapit]
(1)
Alas, Christmas is nearing
Let us sing our song of cheering
With rich melody driving
Votive tune of Divine loving.

(2)
When Christ was born our Savior
Three wise kings paid Him royal homage
Each of them bearing treasure
Unique vestige of each one’s vassalage.

(3)
Let the New Year bring new mode of living
With the whole country helping when giving
Let’s all persevere until we attain
Vaunted bounty, soundly maintain.

(4)
Let us join in joyful singing
While the world listens in silence
The day is fast approaching
When this heaven sent Child Savior reigns

(5)
Let’s all love one another
The Golden Rule practice as gospel
And from this day prepare
That goodwill, beyond Christmas shall still prevail!

[Instrumental (5), Repeat (1) thru (5)]
[End]
==|==
Author Notes
*Anglecized rendition of “Ang Pasko Ay Sumapit” based on the Mabuhay Singers’ version of the Tagalog lyrics posted on the webpage which accompanied this video clip ~> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ6BWKvm8RE; sung in tune with the melody herein.
© Constancio S Asumen Jr. All rights reserved,





Soul Kerfuffle Carol*
(Coda)
Prime fortune yields Yuletide
Fateful decision season to abide!!!
(1)
Is it just by force of habit
That we become an acolyte
Or by profound deliberation
We claim to own our devotion
Be it rapture or delirium
We secure some equilibrium
Affording solace to the soul
Chore to settle the kerfuffle
(2)
No matter how trite the process
Or how fraught with wit and prowess
We use up much contemplation
To sort and patch our emotion
Faith in doubt, practice as gospel
Validates the power of free will
Whose seeds were planted with the soul
When first sown in life’s crucible.
(3)
The years shall turn in every calendar
Each turn we reckon just how far our star
Has kept its sojourn in locus well known
Else drastic correction we need make now not soon!!!

[Repeat (2), (3) & (coda)]
==|==
==<+>==
Author Notes
*After translating both Tagalog and Bisaya versions of the Classic Filipino Christmas Carol, there is only one thing that remains ~> to mint some lyrics in original English.  So here it is.  Except for the Coda, sung to the same melody as contained in the playlist associated with the predecessor lyrics, “Our Joyous Hour” and “Alas, It’s Christmas.”  As for the Coda, I’ll think of a tune somehow before the year is over.  The beauty about a coda is it can be rendered as a recitative in the tradition of classical Opera.  So I don’t really have to invent a tune for it.   But if somebody out there can, in the spirit of the Season, volunteer a tune for it, I’d be most gratefully obliged. ~> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdgSXAxJi54&index=4&list=PLjC-YRc2AjQBRxeS-CtLE4pf2FaKmfcjd
© Constancio S Asumen Jr. All rights reserved,

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Original English Lyrics Catalogue

Original English Lyrics Catalogue



Below is a catalog of Original English Lyrics compositions as posted in the AllPoetry.com venue in reverse chronological order of opus completion and posting thereabouts.  They are listed in the order played in the attached YouTube playlist above.

I am calling on all adventurous souls to take every one of them [English version of course] for test drive and send me feedback as to how the locutions handle the melody curves ~>  Mighty bumpy or relatively smooth ride?  Don’t pull any punches.  I can take any criticism, good, bad, indifferent or otherwise.




(04)    http://allpoetry.com/poem/11690026-Soulful-Serenade-Medley--by-Ace-Lilacs#sthash.7dpP45Wa.dpuf [Contrite Entreaty, You Alone, Pardon In Oblivion, Maroon In Scorn]












This is intended to be a work in progress.  So the list may hopefully grow as more titles come out of the crucible of lyrics mongering. 

Here’s to thank you very kindly for indulging an aging old man’s whimsy.  Just one clip per donor, please.  Just for the record, so far not a single soul has bothered with any of it.

Monday, October 6, 2014

Asumen Regimen for Cardinal Sin

Asumen Regimen for Cardinal Sin

This is the historically well-documented “Asumen Regimen for the Condign Treatment of Cardinal Sin,” conceived by my grandfather, a first generation Asumen and refined to perfection by my father.  Below are the essential elements of the treatment:

(1)        Hang the subject by the toenails over a vat of freshly sliced Korean scallions spiked with the freshly squeezed juice of the acrid acerbic wild purplish philodendron;

(2)        The hanging should be suspended to the rafters of a closed woven bamboo alcove covering a half-tunnel dug off of a hillside;

(3)        The open end of the half-tunnel should be upstream of the prevailing wind;

(4)        At the mouth of the tunnel should be maintained a slow-burning bonfire fueled with rain-soaked coconut husks ensuring that it emits a smoke as thick as molasses.


(5)        The proceedings continue until the subject admits to the trespass and renounces the error of deed’s ways.

Any dispute respecting accuracy of the details stipulated herein should be forthrightly brought to the attention of the author, preferably as a blog-spot comment hereabouts.  They all shall be welcome with gratitude.

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Beheading Qualifiers

Beheading Qualifiers


XCIX 
Ah, Love! could you and I with Him conspire 
To grasp this sorry Scheme of Things entire, 
Would not we shatter it to bits--and then 
Re-mould it nearer to the Heart's Desire!
~~Omar Khayyam, The Rubaiyat
http://classics.mit.edu/Khayyam/rubaiyat.html

Attaching adjectival qualifiers to report the practice of beheading only serves to anesthetize the sensibilities of the national polity.  It blunts the malignant dimension of the phenomenon to make it a more acceptable datum in the continuum of societal consciousness.
If history were honest enough to chronicle the events objectively, it should record that it was during Pres. Obama’s watch that the public beheadings of Americans as a propaganda tool for her enemies gained ubiquitous currency in both the national and international landscapes.  

So inglorious a legacy for a President obsessed with the fundamental transformation of America is worse than an ironically tragic wages for the Apology Tour concluded before his first Inauguration.  It is one of the hallmarks of the vaingloriously celebrated Obama Transformation of the nation.  It is an eloquent testimony that the more his ideological agenda succeeds, the worse he degrades the office of the Presidency.

To make matters worse, journalism as the primary protector and custodian of information in any civilization has conspired to abnegate, in toto, on that responsibility.  All of punditocracy print (hard and soft copies) and airwaves (TV and radio) appear to have been beset by the compulsion to qualify the beheading ritual variously as “ghastly, barbaric, gruesome, horrific, etc.”

It makes this question most urgently compelling: is there ever a compassionate or charitable kind of beheading?  I submit, contend and maintain that in our day and age there is not and there never will be. 

The only appropriate family of adjectival qualifiers that should apply to beheading are those associated with Islamic tenet, i.e., Islamist, jihadist, terroristic, etc.  Couched in poetic parlance, many centuries earlier the Persian verse virtuoso immortalized the practice in the following quatrain:

LX 
The mighty Mahmud, Allah-breathing Lord 
That all the misbelieving and black Horde 
Of Fears and Sorrows that infest the Soul 
Scatters before him with his whirlwind Sword.
~~Omar Khayyam, The Rubaiyat

http://classics.mit.edu/Khayyam/rubaiyat.html

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

My Birthday Gift Wish List

My Birthday Gift Wish List

Given that nobody asked me what I wanted for a Birthday Gift, here’s my wish list.  May nobody find it too onerous and exorbitantly overbearing.

I would ask anybody who wishes me well today to send me a YouTube clip of you, the well-wisher, singing any of the following songs whose lyrics I recently minted (using my rendition, of course).  Limit to one clip only per donor, please.  Or I might start charging royalties:J


(2)        http://allpoetry.com/poem/11668805-Salient-Surrender--by-Ace-Lilacs [Matam-is Ang Magpa-ubos]










Here’s to thank you very kindly for indulging an aging old man’s whimsy.   Just one clip per donor, please.  Just for the record, so far not a single soul has bothered with any of it.J

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Assorted English Lyrics Take4, Original by Stan, et al.

Assorted English Lyrics Take4, Original by Stan, et al.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81CKlDLBd4c&list=PLjC-YRc2AjQCGxQ2L01kwG2HB17kRunpl

Another week passed.  One more piece got added to the group.  The new member is added below after having been posted at the AllPoetry venue.  Take it with the rest of them for a test drive and enjoy the ride.  It helps if you be kind enough to tell me how it handles the curves.

Vanquished Vitality*

(1)
Our poignant tale, is subtly writ in rhyme
By unforgiving Tides of Time
It vanished like the smoke
That each ebb tide would provoke
Your footprints bid remember
That you forgot our love affair.
(2)
I walked, in good faith under your shadow
Though you chose not to remember
During your frolic days.
I did, abide by your sordid wishes
To stay away far from you
My bitter tears, regardless
(3)
Fate of mine, what should I do
So our cherished dreams, could still come true
That surf-side of yore, still waiting for
Our stories’ fervor
Shared pleasures still remember
Our vanquished love affair.
(3a)
Love of mine, what should I do
So our cherished dreams, would still come true
That surf-side of yore, keeps waiting for
Our stories’ fervor
Mixed pleasures will remember
This luckless love affair.
[Fin]
==|==
Author Notes
*”Deceased Living” would by my choice literal English locution for the phrase, ”Patay’ng Buhi,” the title in the Cebuano dialect of my favorite Bisayan love song. It is my favorite mostly for both its poetic majesty and the challenge presented by its haunting melody. Vanquished Vitality is my metaphorical locution for the title. The basis lyrics were transcribed from the accompanying playlist to which the lyrics should be sung.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcePG7nEXfc&list=PLjC-YRc2AjQCsbjAQWdtENPNqgAt1biFa Take it for a test drive and tell me how it rides.
© Constancio S Asumen Jr. All rights reserved, 2014-09-19.

The Roses Metaphor*

(1)
A woman much mimics roses
She wafts her fragrance, with blooming blushes
The more she takes the sun’s caresses
The stronger her sun tan seduces

(2)
And all the smiling buds’ seduction
Attracts the thirsty honey bees’ attention
Your sweetheart of votive affection
Proudly sports the rose buds’ flirtation

(3)
Storming lightning and thunder could rant
Roses preserve their bearing
They bloom most freshly verdant
Through drinking true love’s caring

(4)
Left molested by a hurricane
Rose of love ill-begotten
Surrender to misfortune
Fall wilted and forgotten

[Repeat (3), (4)]
[Instrumental (1),(2), Repeat (2),(3),(4)]
(5)
Such is the maid forlorn
By her one true love forsworn

==|==
*English rendition based on the Pilita Corales Tagalog variation of the Bisayan folk song “Rosas Pandan.”  The lyrics are sung to the melody of the video clip below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81CKlDLBd4c&src_vid=2sUJSJS6Qv4&feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_647709063

(XCIII) ~> Sir Samurai Sonnet*

An exemplary life you lead Sir Samurai
You brave all odds sans make one lame alibi
Come rain come snow, wildest tempests defy
Yearn for the quarter of the rare starry sky
Through trying times calmly your grief dignify
By the sword you live, by the sword you die.

Much like the flag in the crucible of battles
The samurai’s valor vaingloriously unfurls
Nor fears nor doubts, not a smidgen of dismay
The samurai soldiers on to clinch victory
Just like the wind that the wicked tempest unleashed
You exhaust your strength by blowing over your best:

Your lifelong quest is to make one huge difference
With persuasive means not excluding violence!!!

==|==
*First published in my personal  blogposthttp://asumenacumen.blogspot.com/2014/09/sir-samurai-sonnet.html where the following verbiage appeared as the first comment.
Minted to be sung to the theme music of “The Seven Samurai” below:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjC-YRc2AjQAtfV8mdFOhiau8_dSLEhrD

It has been a week since I first posted the Assorted English Lyrics.  I since added one more, the Karinyosa.  Ergo, I deem an update to the post is called for to incorporate this latest addition.

Affectionate*

[1]
My one ardent dream when I’m loving
Is to captivate to heaven’s gate
Someone who loves me without counting
The ways which I might reciprocate
If I can but quench all this yearning
I swear to brave whatever danger
Beyond control’s, my burning passion:
Love’s affection

[2]{Refrain}
Heart of mine, ever apprehensive
If you should soon forget
A verdict I’d believe, but not forgive
Love of mine, wherever hope may dwell
There seething with regret
Nursed, my love will prevail.

[3]
Pray thee, love of mine, hear my wishes
In forgetfulness don’t let me vanish
Your own way of loving me shall live
I’ll treasure it like gems to my grave
Should I show affection excessive
By your side it burns most explosive
Expect my love shall henceforth endure:
Forevermore.

[4]
If we are speaking of beauty
None beats the suave maid Pilipina
Be she somber or be she happy
She’s affectionate as she can be
She dismisses her worries aside
Tackles her troubles in gleeful stride
Affectionate spells Pilipina:
True love’s manna

[5]{Refrain}

Yes, sweetheart! You are my one true love
Your heart is all golden
You are the dream of all who falls in love
You’re the gem, of suitors beholden
Whose lives are all forlorn
If you treat them with scorn

[Repeat (4), (5)]**
==|==
*”Affectionate” is the direct English translation of the Tagalog word “Karinyosa” the title of the original melody.  It can arguably claim as the most popular melody to emerge out of the Filipino cultural landscape.  The Tagalog lyrics record various versions I cannot be sure which one is the rightful original.  It certainly has been the most parodied song in my native dialect, Boholano-Cebuano.  The lyrics are sung to the melody in the attached YouTube playlist clip.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRbBfqTGxlU&index=1&list=PLjC-YRc2AjQCNJIa2ZtXBd7S0wjz6JJNc

**Verses (4) and (5) are Pilita Corales Variations and materials were taken from the YouTube clip attached: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc95NWtkK0w


Lighted Lamps Fandango*

At the village fiesta
Your dance was the vista
What a pleasant sight to behold
When such dainty steps you'd unfold

And the three small glasses
Lighted lamps’ bright flashes
Gently balanced on your head
And back of each hand, while you swayed

But what you did not know
Was that I was watching you
And you captivated me
With your dancing gait with charm and glee

Ever since that blest day
You enthralled my reverie
For my heart being in swoon
Can’t drown you in oblivion

You held all in awe
Of your dancing showhttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png
All three lighted lamps did you keep
While you pranced and swayed with your hip

This poor heart of mine
Is forever thine
Pray thee, handle it with care
For it is very fragile, dear!!!
==|==
*Translated from the Tagalog lyrics as audio-transcribed from the YouTube clip below, ergo, sung to the accompanying melody:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn4F_5jwSzM

Rustic Rhapsody*


Dance away my darling, and sing along
With the spell of the tunes in the grove
Forget for one moment, your agonies
Fly in dreams with your passion of love

(2)
Hold my hands my darling, and tenderly
Feel my heart’s eager palpitation
Should you feel me squeeze, your palm with tenderness
My certain signal of, love's devotion

(3)
Take notice, my anguish, glint in these, enraptured eyes
It should translate with ease, what to you I confess
My true love shall endure, forevermore.

[Repeat (1),(2),(3),(3)]
==|==
Author Notes
*Metric-driven English rendition of “Tugtuging Bukid” with Tagalog lyrics gleaned from the YouTube clip below, ergo sung to the cadence of its melody: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_40fjlp_YM&index=2&list=PLjC-YRc2AjQBBSUc_sTCtyxhINyCBpZcg
© Constancio S Asumen Jr. All RIGHTShttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png reserved, 15 days ago

My Native Land (Bayan Ko)*

([Metric-driven English rendition of the Tagalog])

My cherished country, Philippines
Land endowed with bounteous opulence
In thy realm is cradled love sublime
Unblemished in the Tides of Time

Tempted by thy beauteous splendor
Foreign horde had plundered thy shore
Caused thee languid poverty
Robbed thee of liberty

Lo, the birds that freely fly with pride
Fiercely cry if in a cage were tried
How much more for peoplehttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png who should strive
To live proudly and not just survive

Philippines, I ardently adore
Crucible where sweat and tears endure
It’s my lifelong quest
To see thee thrive, in freedom blessed!!! 
==|==
Author Notes
*Tagalog lyrics were gleaned by audio from the melody in the YouTube Clip below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5HXqQR1LM4
My sourcing search in cyberspace found a couple of extant rendering of the song in English. I however contend that this, my rendition, pays even more fidelity to the substance of the original song than the extant English renditions before it. 
© Constancio S Asumen Jr. All RIGHTShttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png reserved, a month ago

Songbird Serenade (Dalawidaw)*

Now,  Dalawidaw, how you sing with enchantment
Your magnetic smile bodes poetic endearment
In my dreams you grace me with a double likeness
The mermaid at surf-side, and the fairy princess

Raisedhttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png in the mountain, but domiciled in the hut
Spring off the fountain your gorgeous portrait begot
The trickle of the brook, eulogize your beauty
Much like your mirror look, idolize you plenty

Jungle wild flowers like idolatry rituals
Precariously flirting with vagaries of chance
Rapacious butterfly’s most audacious askance
Feast siphons in the nectar off virgin petals

Tender once was such night, charged with glorious splendor
In that cozy hut, we vowed our love to treasure
Prize slice of paradise, sown with first love fervor
Pure living memento, we’ll store forevermore!!
==|==
Author Notes
*A Metric Driven English Rendition of the folksong “Dalawidaw” based on the vocalized lyrics in Hiligaynon from the YouTube playlist below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XpGEFY7b9I&list=PLjC-YRc2AjQA3_SYtrdsWEXsDYKY4EmEs  Ergo, sung to the tune of this melody.
Hiligaynon is the native dialect of the Western-Central Visayas region in the Philippines, whence the folksong presumably originated.  Dalawidaw is an oriole-like bird and does exist in mundane form.  The bird however has attained mystical dimensions in Filipino folklore, akin to that attributed to the Nightingale in western cultures.  Based on my Google-search on the folksong, it seems that this is one of the pioneering English lyrics to be retrofitted into the melody.
© Constancio S Asumen Jr. All RIGHTShttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png reserved, a month ago


Rapture Measure*

(1)
I feel quite fortunate
To requite your courtship passionate
What would you have me do
With a wife who's doting on you
Should we deign reminisce
The memories we shared in our bygone days
I drown in apprehension
For my love claims me your own
[Repeat (1)]
(2)
Just let it be, there’s no use in trying to blame me
Since you’d forsaken me, I sought other company
It was not so long ago
That to our graves I vowed to love you
But not once a fleeting glance
Had you thrown me if by chance

[Instrumental (1)]
(2a)
Just let it be, there’s no use in trying to blame me
Since you’d forsaken me, I sought other company
It was not so long ago
To my last breath I vowed to love you
But not once a leering glance
Had you thrown me if by chance
(3)
Perchance if you’re chided
By your wife beloved
Don’t sulk in frustration

Enfold her in your arms
Enchant her with your charms
Till she melts in rapture

Nibble at her navel
Titillate her whimsies
Bathe her with caresses

Her angst will unravel
Her angst will unravel
Her laughter will endure

(3a)
Perchance if you’re chided
By your wife beloved
Don’t sulk in frustration

Enfold her in your arms
Enchant her with your charms
Prove your full devotion

Nibble at her navel
Frolic at her level
Kiss her with affection

Her angst will unravel
Her angst will unravel
In laughter she will swoon

(4)
Northward of her exposed navel,
Goad your hands to travelhttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png
Should you feel a warm thrill,
Do not fret, drink your fill
Sup on the sap dripping,
From love’s endearing ecstasies
Tease, lavish with a kiss,
The fountain of your bliss
Possess your happiness:

Taste, lavish with your kiss,
The fountain of her bliss
Relish her  happiness!!!

[End]
Author Notes
*(A Metric Driven English Rendition of Dangaw Dangaw) based on the vocalized lyrics of the YouTube clip below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnZHWlXM64M  Ergo, sung to the tune of this melody.

Since this venue does not support collaborative joint authorship for  copyright reserves disclaimers, it behooves to emphasize that the copyright notation for this piece would have more appropriately read: [© Ria Yap Campomanes & Constancio S. Asumen, Jr.], this being a total collaboration between the two of us and I gratefully thank Ria for consenting to the conspiracy, attained thanks to my exceptional persuasive powers, I'd like to think.


Assorted English Lyrics Take4, Original by Stan, et al.

Assorted English Lyrics Take4, Original by Stan, et al.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81CKlDLBd4c&list=PLjC-YRc2AjQCGxQ2L01kwG2HB17kRunpl

Another week passed.  One more piece got added to the group.  The new member is added below after having been posted at the AllPoetry venue.  Take it with the rest of them for a test drive and enjoy the ride.  It helps if you be kind enough to tell me how it handles the curves.

Vanquished Vitality*

(1)
Our poignant tale, is subtly writ in rhyme
By unforgiving Tides of Time
It vanished like the smoke
That each ebb tide would provoke
Your footprints bid remember
That you forgot our love affair.
(2)
I walked, in good faith under your shadow
Though you chose not to remember
During your frolic days.
I did, abide by your sordid wishes
To stay away far from you
My bitter tears, regardless
(3)
Fate of mine, what should I do
So our cherished dreams, could still come true
That surf-side of yore, still waiting for
Our stories’ fervor
Shared pleasures still remember
Our vanquished love affair.
(3a)
Love of mine, what should I do
So our cherished dreams, would still come true
That surf-side of yore, keeps waiting for
Our stories’ fervor
Mixed pleasures will remember
This luckless love affair.
[Fin]
==|==
Author Notes
*”Deceased Living” would by my choice literal English locution for the phrase, ”Patay’ng Buhi,” the title in the Cebuano dialect of my favorite Bisayan love song. It is my favorite mostly for both its poetic majesty and the challenge presented by its haunting melody. Vanquished Vitality is my metaphorical locution for the title. The basis lyrics were transcribed from the accompanying playlist to which the lyrics should be sung.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcePG7nEXfc&list=PLjC-YRc2AjQCsbjAQWdtENPNqgAt1biFa Take it for a test drive and tell me how it rides.
© Constancio S Asumen Jr. All rights reserved, 2014-09-19.

The Roses Metaphor*
(1)
A woman much mimics roses
She wafts her fragrance, with blooming blushes
The more she takes the sun’s caresses
The stronger her sun tan seduces

(2)
And all the smiling buds’ seduction
Attracts the thirsty honey bees’ attention
Your sweetheart of votive affection
Proudly sports the rose buds’ flirtation

(3)
Storming lightning and thunder could rant
Roses preserve their bearing
They bloom most freshly verdant
Through drinking true love’s caring

(4)
Left molested by a hurricane
Rose of love ill-begotten
Surrender to misfortune
Fall wilted and forgotten

[Repeat (3), (4)]
[Instrumental (1),(2), Repeat (2),(3),(4)]
(5)
Such is the maid forlorn
By her one true love forsworn

==|==
*English rendition based on the Pilita Corales Tagalog variation of the Bisayan folk song “Rosas Pandan.”  The lyrics are sung to the melody of the video clip below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81CKlDLBd4c&src_vid=2sUJSJS6Qv4&feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_647709063

(XCIII) ~> Sir Samurai Sonnet*

An exemplary life you lead Sir Samurai
You brave all odds sans make one lame alibi
Come rain come snow, wildest tempests defy
Yearn for the quarter of the rare starry sky
Through trying times calmly your grief dignify
By the sword you live, by the sword you die.

Much like the flag in the crucible of battles
The samurai’s valor vaingloriously unfurls
Nor fears nor doubts, not a smidgen of dismay
The samurai soldiers on to clinch victory
Just like the wind that the wicked tempest unleashed
You exhaust your strength by blowing over your best:

Your lifelong quest is to make one huge difference
With persuasive means not excluding violence!!!

==|==
*First published in my personal  blogposthttp://asumenacumen.blogspot.com/2014/09/sir-samurai-sonnet.html where the following verbiage appeared as the first comment.
Minted to be sung to the theme music of “The Seven Samurai” below:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjC-YRc2AjQAtfV8mdFOhiau8_dSLEhrD

It has been a week since I first posted the Assorted English Lyrics.  I since added one more, the Karinyosa.  Ergo, I deem an update to the post is called for to incorporate this latest addition.

Affectionate*
[1]
My one ardent dream when I’m loving
Is to captivate to heaven’s gate
Someone who loves me without counting
The ways which I might reciprocate
If I can but quench all this yearning
I swear to brave whatever danger
Beyond control’s, my burning passion:
Love’s affection

[2]{Refrain}
Heart of mine, ever apprehensive
If you should soon forget
A verdict I’d believe, but not forgive
Love of mine, wherever hope may dwell
There seething with regret
Nursed, my love will prevail.

[3]
Pray thee, love of mine, hear my wishes
In forgetfulness don’t let me vanish
Your own way of loving me shall live
I’ll treasure it like gems to my grave
Should I show affection excessive
By your side it burns most explosive
Expect my love shall henceforth endure:
Forevermore.

[4]
If we are speaking of beauty
None beats the suave maid Pilipina
Be she somber or be she happy
She’s affectionate as she can be
She dismisses her worries aside
Tackles her troubles in gleeful stride
Affectionate spells Pilipina:
True love’s manna

[5]{Refrain}

Yes, sweetheart! You are my one true love
Your heart is all golden
You are the dream of all who falls in love
You’re the gem, of suitors beholden
Whose lives are all forlorn
If you treat them with scorn

[Repeat (4), (5)]**
==|==
*”Affectionate” is the direct English translation of the Tagalog word “Karinyosa” the title of the original melody.  It can arguably claim as the most popular melody to emerge out of the Filipino cultural landscape.  The Tagalog lyrics record various versions I cannot be sure which one is the rightful original.  It certainly has been the most parodied song in my native dialect, Boholano-Cebuano.  The lyrics are sung to the melody in the attached YouTube playlist clip.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRbBfqTGxlU&index=1&list=PLjC-YRc2AjQCNJIa2ZtXBd7S0wjz6JJNc

**Verses (4) and (5) are Pilita Corales Variations and materials were taken from the YouTube clip attached: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc95NWtkK0w


Lighted Lamps Fandango*

At the village fiesta
Your dance was the vista
What a pleasant sight to behold
When such dainty steps you'd unfold

And the three small glasses
Lighted lamps’ bright flashes
Gently balanced on your head
And back of each hand, while you swayed

But what you did not know
Was that I was watching you
And you captivated me
With your dancing gait with charm and glee

Ever since that blest day
You enthralled my reverie
For my heart being in swoon
Can’t drown you in oblivion

You held all in awe
Of your dancing showhttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png
All three lighted lamps did you keep
While you pranced and swayed with your hip

This poor heart of mine
Is forever thine
Pray thee, handle it with care
For it is very fragile, dear!!!
==|==
*Translated from the Tagalog lyrics as audio-transcribed from the YouTube clip below, ergo, sung to the accompanying melody:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn4F_5jwSzM

Rustic Rhapsody*

Dance away my darling, and sing along
With the spell of the tunes in the grove
Forget for one moment, your agonies
Fly in dreams with your passion of love

(2)
Hold my hands my darling, and tenderly
Feel my heart’s eager palpitation
Should you feel me squeeze, your palm with tenderness
My certain signal of, love's devotion

(3)
Take notice, my anguish, glint in these, enraptured eyes
It should translate with ease, what to you I confess
My true love shall endure, forevermore.

[Repeat (1),(2),(3),(3)]
==|==
Author Notes
*Metric-driven English rendition of “Tugtuging Bukid” with Tagalog lyrics gleaned from the YouTube clip below, ergo sung to the cadence of its melody: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_40fjlp_YM&index=2&list=PLjC-YRc2AjQBBSUc_sTCtyxhINyCBpZcg
© Constancio S Asumen Jr. All RIGHTShttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png reserved, 15 days ago

My Native Land (Bayan Ko)*

([Metric-driven English rendition of the Tagalog])


My cherished country, Philippines
Land endowed with bounteous opulence
In thy realm is cradled love sublime
Unblemished in the Tides of Time

Tempted by thy beauteous splendor
Foreign horde had plundered thy shore
Caused thee languid poverty
Robbed thee of liberty

Lo, the birds that freely fly with pride
Fiercely cry if in a cage were tried
How much more for peoplehttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png who should strive
To live proudly and not just survive

Philippines, I ardently adore
Crucible where sweat and tears endure
It’s my lifelong quest
To see thee thrive, in freedom blessed!!! 
==|==
Author Notes
*Tagalog lyrics were gleaned by audio from the melody in the YouTube Clip below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5HXqQR1LM4
My sourcing search in cyberspace found a couple of extant rendering of the song in English. I however contend that this, my rendition, pays even more fidelity to the substance of the original song than the extant English renditions before it. 
© Constancio S Asumen Jr. All RIGHTShttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png reserved, a month ago

Songbird Serenade (Dalawidaw)*

Now,  Dalawidaw, how you sing with enchantment
Your magnetic smile bodes poetic endearment
In my dreams you grace me with a double likeness
The mermaid at surf-side, and the fairy princess

Raisedhttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png in the mountain, but domiciled in the hut
Spring off the fountain your gorgeous portrait begot
The trickle of the brook, eulogize your beauty
Much like your mirror look, idolize you plenty

Jungle wild flowers like idolatry rituals
Precariously flirting with vagaries of chance
Rapacious butterfly’s most audacious askance
Feast siphons in the nectar off virgin petals

Tender once was such night, charged with glorious splendor
In that cozy hut, we vowed our love to treasure
Prize slice of paradise, sown with first love fervor
Pure living memento, we’ll store forevermore!!
==|==
Author Notes
*A Metric Driven English Rendition of the folksong “Dalawidaw” based on the vocalized lyrics in Hiligaynon from the YouTube playlist below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XpGEFY7b9I&list=PLjC-YRc2AjQA3_SYtrdsWEXsDYKY4EmEs  Ergo, sung to the tune of this melody.
Hiligaynon is the native dialect of the Western-Central Visayas region in the Philippines, whence the folksong presumably originated.  Dalawidaw is an oriole-like bird and does exist in mundane form.  The bird however has attained mystical dimensions in Filipino folklore, akin to that attributed to the Nightingale in western cultures.  Based on my Google-search on the folksong, it seems that this is one of the pioneering English lyrics to be retrofitted into the melody.
© Constancio S Asumen Jr. All RIGHTShttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png reserved, a month ago


Rapture Measure*

(1)
I feel quite fortunate
To requite your courtship passionate
What would you have me do
With a wife who's doting on you
Should we deign reminisce
The memories we shared in our bygone days
I drown in apprehension
For my love claims me your own
[Repeat (1)]
(2)
Just let it be, there’s no use in trying to blame me
Since you’d forsaken me, I sought other company
It was not so long ago
That to our graves I vowed to love you
But not once a fleeting glance
Had you thrown me if by chance

[Instrumental (1)]
(2a)
Just let it be, there’s no use in trying to blame me
Since you’d forsaken me, I sought other company
It was not so long ago
To my last breath I vowed to love you
But not once a leering glance
Had you thrown me if by chance
(3)
Perchance if you’re chided
By your wife beloved
Don’t sulk in frustration

Enfold her in your arms
Enchant her with your charms
Till she melts in rapture

Nibble at her navel
Titillate her whimsies
Bathe her with caresses

Her angst will unravel
Her angst will unravel
Her laughter will endure

(3a)
Perchance if you’re chided
By your wife beloved
Don’t sulk in frustration

Enfold her in your arms
Enchant her with your charms
Prove your full devotion

Nibble at her navel
Frolic at her level
Kiss her with affection

Her angst will unravel
Her angst will unravel
In laughter she will swoon

(4)
Northward of her exposed navel,
Goad your hands to travelhttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png
Should you feel a warm thrill,
Do not fret, drink your fill
Sup on the sap dripping,
From love’s endearing ecstasies
Tease, lavish with a kiss,
The fountain of your bliss
Possess your happiness:

Taste, lavish with your kiss,
The fountain of her bliss
Relish her  happiness!!!

[End]
Author Notes
*(A Metric Driven English Rendition of Dangaw Dangaw) based on the vocalized lyrics of the YouTube clip below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnZHWlXM64M  Ergo, sung to the tune of this melody.

Since this venue does not support collaborative joint authorship for  copyright reserves disclaimers, it behooves to emphasize that the copyright notation for this piece would have more appropriately read: [© Ria Yap Campomanes & Constancio S. Asumen, Jr.], this being a total collaboration between the two of us and I gratefully thank Ria for consenting to the conspiracy, attained thanks to my exceptional persuasive powers, I'd like to think.