WMSU-ISMP-GU-003.

00
Effective Date: 7-DEC-2016

Traditions and Locations: The Filipino Poem

(MAYON)

Lesson (1)

Introduction

Mayon Volcano is renowned around the world for its nearly perfect cone shape. It is also one of the most active
volcanoes in the world and erupts regularly. Provinces near Mount Mayon are already very accustomed to evacuating
periodically because of the eruptions. Despite the constant threat of danger, however, the volcano remains one of the most
popular tourist’s destinations in the Philippines.
Like many locations in the Philippines, did you know that Mount Mayon has a fascinating legend that tells the story of
its creation “The Legend of Daragang Magayon”? It is a romantic and exciting story that tells how the volcano came to be. As
you go along with the lesson, you will be mesmerized how Mayon was interpreted figuratively that gives a huge contribution to
the Philippine literature.
Overall, this lesson examines the elements of poetry by looking at an example of
Filipino regional poetry.

Objectives

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

a. determine the elements of a poem with the aid of figurative languages;

b. decipher the meaning of each line in the poem by translating into a vernacular language
(Tagalog) and interpreting in English;
c. deliver the written answers through a soft copy or printed outputs; and
d. develop a sense of appreciation of the legend Mayon through writing a poem.

Try this! (15 points)

Read and understand the poem. Afterwards, translate in your vernacular language and interpret in English.

MAYON
by: Kristian Sendon Cordero Camarines Sur

Ayon sa alamat, lason ng pana ni Pagtuga,

ang lumikha sa bulkan – libingan ito
ng dalagang namatay sa isang digmaan.

Ngayon, ano ang tutubo sa paanan ng Mayon

gayong nagiging malawak na itong sementeryo

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ng abo, ng tao. Manganganak na kaya ito?

Tinitigan ko ang nakangangang bulkan – binalot

ng ulap at ng sariling usok ang tuktok, gatas sa labi.
Baka sakali, magpakita, nang may silbi ang kamera.

Sa ilang retrato na ibinebenta ng mga bata sa Cagsawa

lusaw na tae ang nagliliyab na lava, dumadaloy pababa.
Matandang nag-nganganga ayon naman sa isang makata.

Sa isang lumang postcard na nakita ko sa Antigo Merkado—

Kapag sa malayo, isa siyang magandang sikyung nakatanod,
Handa sa pagkapkap, naghihintay sa iyong pagpasok.

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Think ahead! (10 points)

Respond critically to the following questions to process the selection.

_____1. According to the poem “Mayon”, what led to the creation of the volcano?

a. The arrow used by Pagtuga c. A war that led to Magayon’s death

b. The poison of the arrow of Pagtuga d. The legend of Daragang Magayon

_____2. In the second stanza, the area around Mayon’s foot is described as ________________.

a. a graveyard c. a disaster zone

b. a farm d. a myth

_____3. What is the persona in the poem waiting for in the third stanza?
foot is described as ________________.

a. For the volcano to erupt c. For the volcano to show its peak
b. For the volcano to blow more smoke d. a myth

4. List at least three images found in the poem. Cite the lines where they appear.

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5. Discuss why the author used a security guard as the final image of the poem. What does this seem to imply about how security
personnel are viewed?

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Read and Ponder

An erupting volcano can be both terrifying and beautiful. The sheer raw power of the explosive force of the volcano
can shake the earth and devastate its surroundings, yet the same event can be a wonder to see. Experiences such as these are
called sublime experiences by artists, and it is these experiences that move them to create art.

Poets react to such experiences by participating in the literary tradition that has been termed by poet and critic Gemino
Abad as “the root and crown of language—poetry”.

Poetry and its products, poems as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, are pieces “of writing that usually have figurative
language and that are written in separate lines that often have a repeated rhythm and sometimes rhyme.”

What is in a poem?

While the dictionary definition may consider meter as defining characteristics of poetry, there are in fact, several other
elements of poetry that need to be present in a work before it can properly be called a poem.

A poem requires the use of an image or sense of impressions which may be visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory or
tactile. The presence of figurative language such as simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole and metonymy should be
present.

Poems possess a dramatic situation that calls for the audience to relate to the poem emotionally. They are also often
full of irony and paradox that play with the idea of how truth is presented. Finally, poems possess a theme, a general idea often
about human experience which in the end, it wants to share with the audience.

The following are the markers you need to remember as you go along learning this material.

1. Image--a word or phrase in a literary text that appeals directly to the reader's taste, touch, hearing, sight, or smell.
An image is thus any vivid or picturesque phrase that evokes a particular sensation in the reader's mind.

2. Meter- is a stressed and unstressed syllabic pattern in a verse, or within the lines of a poem. Stressed syllables tend to
be longer, and unstressed shorter. In simple language, meter is a poetic device that serves as a linguistic sound pattern
for the verses, as it gives poetry a rhythmical and melodious sound.
3. Allusion is a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural,  literary or political
significance. It does not describe in detail the person or thing to which it refers.

See if you can do this!

Now that you were able to know the elements of a poem, your challenge is to write a simple poem reflecting the used
of figurative languages. You can pattern if from the poem presented or you can also search other poems present in Philippine
Literary works.

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ANSWER SHEET

NAME:____________________________________ STRAND/SECTION:____________

Note: Please do not return the reading materials. All answers should be written here. If you can

also take a photo and send via messenger or turn in via Google classroom for the submission, it

would better. Good luck!

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