ENGLISH 4 (21ST CENTURY LITERATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD)

ON THE ORIGIN OF EARTH AND OF MAN

Many, many years ago there was no earth or man. There was only the sky. Now, in the sky there were
two brothers, Bulan and Adlao. The latter was the older and the stronger. But the former was proud and
hated his older brother.

One day they had a quarrel. Bulan hurled bad words at Adlao, claimed superiority, and challenged Adlao
to a fight. The older brother only laughed at his younger brother. But his laugh was answered by Bulan
who bellowed: "You coward, come and fight and I will show you my superiority. If you don't fight, I will kill
you." And Bulan suddenly rushed to Adlao without waiting for an answer. Adlao was angered and he was
forced to fight his younger brother.

And the fight commenced. It was a clash between two strengths. With his dub, Bulan hit Adlao, but Adlao
dodged the hit quickly. Then Bulan used his bolo, but again he missed Adlao. It was Adlao's turn to hit.
So, with his club he hit with all his might, first the eye of Bulan, then the arm of Bulan which became flat
at the might of the stroke. Then with his bolo he cut Bulan's flattened arm. When Bulan's eye was hit and
his arm was flattened and cut from his body, he cried with pain. His tears fell on the cut flattened arm. As
Bulan foresaw his defeat with only one eye and one arm to fight with, he fled, and he was pursued by
Adlao who was very angry and wanted to kill Bulan. And they kept running on and on, chasing each other.

Now, the cut flattened arm of Bulan with his tears fell. Down and down it went until it finally settled. The
flattened arm of Bulan became the earth, and the tears became the rivers and seas. Time came when
two hairs sprang from Bulan's cut arm, and from these two hairs sprang man and woman. Thus the earth
and man came into being.

* Narrated by Arturo M. Ardlla, in Bikol Paper No. 69, in H.O. Beyer, "Ethnography of the Bicol Se," Vol It
(Manila, 1923).