I decided to start retelling and sharing Capiznon/Hiligaynon folktales. So here is the start. I hope you'll like it.
There was a time when heaven and earth were so close they almost kissed cheek to cheek. In fact, man could even reach the edge of heaven by merely standing ang stretching out his arms upward.
The time came for man to plant rice. He found an expansive field and there he sowed the grains that Bathala sent forth to him so he would never be hungry. The earth fertilized it, heaven showered rain. At times the sky would clear the clouds so that the sunbeam would awaken the seeds. Finally, life sprouted and the grains grew to become healthy rice plants. Long and slender bladed leaves finally gave way to the grains that danced with the whistle of the wind. At last the time came for man to harvest them.
"Mighty, Bathala, thank you for this blessing!" Exclaimed man.
When the green fields turn gold and the grains grew heavy that they begin to bow, man spent the day gathering the grains.
Close to sundown, he had become tired and exhausted. His empty stomach grumbled, but he none to eat as of yet. He still had to pound the grains!
"Goodness, heaven! You gave me grain to eat, and yet after a day's toil, i am still deprived of the joy of harvest!"
Angry and hungry, furious Man poured the grains on the pestle, clasped his wooden mortar and started pounding the grains. In his rage he raised the pestle high enough that it knocked sky. Repeatedly he banged up and down that it annoyed the sky.
She felt man's rage and in retaliation, she commanded the wind to blew forth and raise her higher and higher, higher than the clouds.
When man was through pounding, he cooked the rice in an earthen pot over the flames. He was pleased with his fare and when he has had his fill, he felt better and decided to thank heaven for the blessing.
But to his surprise, when he raised his head to look up, the sky was no longer just above him, but was now far away in the firmament.
"I sent rain and told the sun to awaken your grains because i want to feed you and nurture you," the sky blasted, then thunderous sound came forth with streaks of lightning.
"But what did you do? You were enraged with the bounty of earth and you blamed me! You never even remembered Bathala while you savour his blessing. So from now, I will stay here up above the clouds and closer to the sun and the moon and the stars!"
Man wallowed in sorrow. He kneeled on earth and prayed for forgiveness, but the sky was long distant enough to hear his pleas. While he showered the earth with rain to cultivate the earth, the sky no longer came down close enough to listen to man. When she saw from afar man's foolishness, she raged in anger and threw bolts of lighting to the ground.
And so, that is why, to this day, man could no longer reach for the sky.
Painting:
Ang Magbabayo (The Rice Pounder) by Vicente Manansala, 1979.
No comments:
Post a Comment