Mary the Queen College (Pampanga)

We Transform Lives

Senior High School Department

Subject Code: SHSLIT Module No./Title: 6/Introduction to

Philippine Poetry
Subject Description: 21st Century Literature Period of Coverage:
from the Philippines and the World
Introduction:

Centuries before the Spaniards came; the Filipinos already had their own cultural traditions,
folklore, mythologies, and epics. Stories of epics, done in poetry displayed tremendous
vitality, color and imagination. Tales of love and adventures about native heroes, endowed
with powers from the gods, battle monsters, and triumphs over formidable armies, rode the
wind, traveled in flying shields, and protect the earliest communities of the islands. Today, we
will look into two poems written by Filipino poets.
Objectives:
a. To infer literary meaning from literal language based on usage.
b. To value the contributions of local writers to the development of regional literary
traditions.
c. To instill the value of respect, racial equality, and perceptiveness.

Content:

Gabu by Carlos A. Angeles

About the Author

Born on May 25, 1921 in Tacloban City, Leyte, the poet Carlos A. Angeles graduated from
Rizal High 1938 and went on to study at various universities, first in pre-medicine and next
pre-law. He had one semester at Ateneo de Manila, two at UP in 1941 (where he became a
member of the UP Writers’ Club), and one quarter at Central Luzon Colleges. He did not
return to school after World War II, but he led an impressive career as chief of the Philippine
bureau of International News Service from 1950 to 1958, guest of the US State Department on
a Smith-Mundt leader grant, press assistant under the Garcia administration, and public
relations manager of PanAm Airlines from 1958 to 1980. He also served in the board of
directors of International PEN, Philippine chapter.

In 1964, the same year that poetry was first considered in the Carlos Palanca Memorial
Awards for Literature, Angeles’ collection of poems, A Stun of Jewels (Manila: Alberto S.
Florentino, 1963), received first prize in the prestigious contest. Comprised of 47 poems and
dedicated to Angeles’ wife, A Stun of Jewelsalso won the Republic Cultural Heritage Award
for Literature.
Angeles has been living in the USA since 1978. Married to Concepcion Reynoso, he has seven

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children and 18 grandchildren, all residing in the States.

Where is Gabu?

Gabu is a place in Ilocos Norte, near Pagudpud. Often, when typhoon occurs, large tidal waves
go rampant devastate the life forms and even the structures in the place.

Gabu by Carlos A. Angeles

The battering restlessness of the sea

Insists a tidal fury upon the beach
At Gabu, and its pure consistency
Havocs the wasteland hard within its reach.

Brutal the daylong bashing of its heart

Against the seascape where, for miles around,
Farther than sight itself, the rock-stones part
And drop into the elemental wound.

The waste of centuries is grey and dead

And neutral where the sea has beached its brine,
Where the split salt of its heart lies spread
Among the dark habiliments of Time.

The vital splendor misses. For here, here

At Gabu where the ageless tide recurs
All things forfeited are most loved and dear.

It is the sea pursues a habit of shores.

Meaning and Imagery

The battering restlessness of the sea

Insists a tidal fury upon the beach
At Gabu, and its pure consistency
Havocs the wasteland hard within its reach.

The sea is restless and can be destructive

Sea = Life
Battering restlessness = Ipermanence

Brutal the daylong bashing of its heart

Against the seascape where, for miles around,
Farther than sight itself, the rock-stones part
And drop into the elemental wound.
The turmoil of the sea is continuous and powerful
Brutal bashing = life’s challenges

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Elemental wound = Depths of the sea

The waste of centuries is grey and dead

And neutral where the sea has beached its brine,
Where the split salt of its heart lies spread
Among the dark habiliments of Time.

The sea has been there for centuries

Waste of centuries = Past
Once the sea touches shore it becomes neutral
Split salt = Bad luck
Saltiness of the sea describes it’s darkness/deadness
Time bears the “split salt” of life

The vital splendor misses. For here, here

At Gabu where the ageless tide recurs
All things forfeited are most loved and dear.

The brilliance necessary for life is not there because in life even the most important things are
lost.

It is the sea pursues a habit of shores.

Waves show that the sea is constantly moving, but always towards the shore.
Life is bounded by time, always moving, but what we all desire is a stable and eternal ending

Oh How To Find Silence In the World by Cirilo Bautista

Being spotted in the color of skin,

why I take care in San Francisco,
waiting for the bus to Iowa.
They say racial prejudice is strong,

Negros and not whites kawawa,

and because of this they will revolt.
I shiver and shiver from fear and hunger
because I just landed from Tokyo.

A Negro came into the station—

naka-African hairdo; he holds a small
whip: it’s scary to look, so
I did not look at him. Kumakalansing

the metal on the strings of his shoes

and he shouts, “Peace, brothers!” Smiled showing
white teeth. Looked at me—

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maybe he laughed at what he saw—

a tiny dayuhan, dark and from

some lupalog. Upside down
my insides went in fright and pulled
a cigarette so the redness of my face

wouldn’t show. I nahalata

that the Whites there too were quiet
so quiet, unable to speak in front
of that Negro. Only when he left returned

the normalcy in the station—others

read again, neighbors gossiped again,
laughter, the janitor sweeped again.
After a while that Negro passed again

two white Americanas on each arm,

blonde, their beauty with no equal.
The janitor stopped sweeping.
I thought, “So this is racial prejudice.”

Summary:

The Filipinos have their own traditions of poetry in their folklore, in their language and
dialects. This must be recorded and that’s the job of the writers. In doing that, he gives a
pattern of hope and aspirations for the people to advance not merely as a nation of people but
as a member of a family of nations, the human family.
Learning Resources:
 Textbooks
 Slide deck
 Digital learning materials such as text and images.
 Online Platform (MS Teams, Google Meet)
Evaluation:
Poetry Analysis

References:

Martinez, R.M, Dado R.H. (2019). 21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World.
MINDSHAPERS CO,. INC.

Solmerano, E.T, Ondevilla, M.K, Palencia, M., Jerusalem, V., Cruz, J., (2017). 21st Century
Literature from the Philippines and the World. FASTBOOKS Educational Supply Inc.

Tayao, M.L, Alonzo, R., Flores E., (2017). 21st Century Literature from the Philippines and
the World. C&E Publishing Inc.

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https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/oh-how-find-silence-world

https://knowitinfo.com/what-is-the-text-all-about-gabu/

Next Lesson:
Archipelagic Non-Fiction

Prepared by:
Kenneth M. Marin, LPT/ English Department Checked by: (KTAyroso/English, Filipino,
SocScie, and P.E Coordinator)

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