PINAL NA KAHINGIAN SA PAGSASALIN SA KONTEKSTONG FILIPINO Unang Semestre 21-22

Pangalan: Miano, Cedrick Kenn T. Kurso,Taon,Seksyon: BSME 1-2

SIMULAANG LENGGUWAHE TUNGUHANG LENGGUWAHE

ON SEEING THE 100% PERFECT GIRL ONE ISANG NAPAKAGANDANG BABAE SA ISANG
BEAUTIFUL APRIL MORNING UMAGANG KAY GANDA NG ABRIL
by Haruki Murakami ni Haruki Murakami

One beautiful April morning, on a narrow side Sa isang napakagandang umaga ng Abril, sa
street in Tokyo’s fashionable Harujuku masikip na kalye ng kanais-nais na
neighborhood, I walked past the 100% perfect kapitbahayanan ng Harujuku sa Tokyo,
girl. nadaanan ko ang isang napakagandang babae.

Tell you the truth, she’s not that good-looking. Aaminin ko, hindi siya ang tipo ng babae na
She doesn’t stand out in any way. Her clothes kagandahan. Hindi siya nag bubukod tangi sa
are nothing special. The back of her hair is still kahit anong paraan. Ang kaniyang pananamit ay
bent out of shape from sleep. She isn’t young, hindi ganoong kapansin-pansin. Ang kanyang
either - must be near thirty, not even close to a buhok ay magulo na para bang kagigising
“girl,” properly speaking. But still, I know from lamang niya. Hindi rin sya ganoong kabata,
fifty yards away: She’s the 100% perfect girl for mukha siyang mag tatatlumpung taong gulang,
me. The moment I see her, there’s a rumbling ang kaniyang hitsura ay malayo sa “babaeng”
in my chest, and my mouth is as dry as a tinutukoy ko. Pero alam ko, sa limampung yarda
desert. sa di kalayuan: Isa siyang napakagandang
babae para sa akin. Noong nakita ko siya, tila
mabilis na tumibok ang aking puso, at ang aking
labi ay mala disyerto sa pagkatuyo.

Maybe you have your own particular favorite Siguro naman mayroon kang katangi-tangi na
type of girl - one with slim ankles, say, or big tipo ng babae- babaeng payat ang bukung-
eyes, or graceful fingers, or you’re drawn for no bukong, malumanay magsalita, o may malaking
good reason to girls who take their time with mata, o may mga marikit na daliri, o hindi kaya
every meal. I have my own preferences, of ay tipo mo ang mga babaeng may sariling oras
course. Sometimes in a restaurant I’ll catch sa bawat pagkain. Syempre may sarili rin akong
myself staring at the girl at the next table to tipo ng babae. Minsan nahuhuli ko ang aking
mine because I like the shape of her nose. sarili, sa may kainan na nakatitig sa isang babae
sunod malapit sa aking hapag dahil gusto ko
ang hulma ng kaniyang ilong.

But no one can insist that his 100% perfect girl Pero walang makakatanggi na ang
correspond to some preconceived type. Much “napakagandang babae” para sa kaniya ay
as I like noses, I can’t recall the shape of hers - minsan batay sa kung ano ang tipo niya sa isang
or even if she had one. All I can remember for babae. Gusto ko ang kaniyang ilong, pero hindi
sure is that she was no great beauty. It’s weird. ko masabi kung anong hugid nito- o mayroon
nga bang hugis ang ilong ng babae. Ang naalala
ko lang ay sakto lang ang kaniyang ganda. Ito’y
kakaiba.
“Yesterday on the street I passed the 100% “Kahapon sa kalye, habang ako ay naglalakad,
girl,” I tell someone. may nadaanan akong napakagandang babae,”
sabi ko sa iba.

“Yeah?” he says. “Good-looking?” “maganda?’ sabi niya.

“Not really.” “hindi naman.”

“Yung tipo mo ng babae, ano?”

“Your favorite type, then?”

“I don’t know. I can’t seem to remember “Hindi ko alam. Hindi ko maalala ang itsura niya-
anything about her - the shape of her eyes or ang hugis ng kaniyang mga mata o yong sukat
the size of her breasts.” ng kaniyang dibdib.”

“kakaiba.”
“Strange.”

“Yeah. Strange.” “Oo, kakaiba nga.”

“Oh paano,” sabi niya, na may pagka-inip,

“So anyhow,” he says, already bored, “what did
“anong ginawa mo? Kinausap mo ba?
you do? Talk to her? Follow her?”
Sinundan?"

“Nah. Just passed her on the street.” "Hindi, dinaanan ko lang siya sa kalye.”

Ang babae ay naglakad pasilangan patungong

She’s walking east to west, and I west to east. kanluran, at ako naman ay pakanluran
It’s a really nice April morning. patungong silangan. Napakagandang umaga
talaga ng Abril.

Wish I could talk to her. Half an hour would be
plenty: just ask her about herself, tell her about
myself, and - what I’d really like to do - explain
to her the complexities of fate that have led to
our passing each other on a side street in
Harajuku on a beautiful April morning in 1981.
This was something sure to be crammed full of
warm secrets, like an antique clock build when
peace filled the world.
Sana man lang nakausap ko siya. Ang
kalahating oras siguro ay sapat na: malaman
ang tungkol sa kaniya, at malaman niya ang
tungkol sa akin, at – anong mga gusto kong
gawin – ipaliwanag kung gaano kakumplikado
ang tadhana na nagbigay daan upang
magkatagpo kami ng landas sa gilid ng kalye ng
Harajuku sa isang umagang kay ganda ng Abril
noong 1981.

After talking, we’d have lunch somewhere, Pagkatapos namin mag-usap, kumain kami sa
maybe see a Woody Allen movie, stop by a kung saan, sa may tapat siguro iyon ng sinehan
hotel bar for cocktails. With any kind of luck, we kung saan makikita ang Woody Allen na
might end up in bed. pelikula, huminto sa may hotel bar para sa mga
cocktail. Kung suswertehin, ay baka kami ay
malasing.
Potentiality knocks on the door of my heart. Maaring kumatok sa pinto ng aking puso.

Now the distance between us has narrowed to Ngayon ang distansya sa pagitan namin ay
fifteen yards. pumalapit pa sa labinlimang yarda.

How can I approach her? What should I say? Paano ko siya lalapitan? Ano sasabihin ko?

“Good morning, miss. Do you think you could “Magandang umaga, binibini. Pwede ba kita
spare half an hour for a little conversation?” makausap kahit saglit lang?”

Nakakahiya. Para akong insurance salesman sa

Ridiculous. I’d sound like an insurance
tono ng aking pananalita.
salesman.

“Pardon me, but would you happen to know if “Pasensya sa abala, pero may alam ka ba na
there is an all-night cleaners in the labandera sa mga kapitbahayan?”
neighborhood?”

No, this is just as ridiculous. I’m not carrying Hindi, nakakahiya itong ginagawa ko. Wala
any laundry, for one thing. Who’s going to buy naman akong dalang labahin. Sinong
a line like that? maniniwala sa mga sinasabi ko?

Maybe the simple truth would do. “Good Siguro sabihin ko nalang ang totoo. “Magandang
morning. You are the 100% perfect girl for me.” umaga. Para sa akin, ikaw ang
pinakamagandang babae.”

No, she wouldn’t believe it. Or even if she did,
she might not want to talk to me. Sorry, she
could say, I might be the 100% perfect girl for
you, but you’re not the 100% boy for me. It
could happen. And if I found myself in that
situation, I’d probably go to pieces. I’d never
recover from the shock. I’m thirty-two, and
that’s what growing older is all about.
Hindi, hindi siya maniniwala. O kung maniwala
man siya, baka ayaw na niya makipag-usap sa
akin. Pasensya, maari niyang sabihin, maaring
ako nga ang pinakamagandang babae para
sayo, pero hindi ikaw ang lalaki na nakalaan
para sa akin. Maaring mangyari iyon. At makita
ko ang sarili sa ganoong sitwasyon, sa
malamang madudurog ang aking damdamin.
Hindi ako makakawala sa pagkagulat.
Tatlumpu’t tatlo na ako, at para sa pagtanda ang
ibig sabihin ng lahat ng ito.
We pass in front of a flower shop. A small, Nadaanan namin ang tapat ng tindahan ng
warm air mass touches my skin. The asphalt is bulaklak. Ang kakarampot na mainit na hangin
damp, and I catch the scent of roses. I can’t ay dumampi sa aking balat. Ang aspalto ay
bring myself to speak to her. She wears a white mamasa-masa pa, at naamoy ko ang rosas.
sweater, and in her right hand she holds a crisp Hindi ko kayang makipag-usap sa kanya. Suot
white envelope lacking only a stamp. So: She’s niya ang puting damit-panglamig, at sa kanang
written somebody a letter, maybe spent the kamay nya hawak niya ang malutong pa na
whole night writing, to judge from the sleepy puting sobre na may selyo lamang. Ibig sabihin,
look in her eyes. The envelope could contain may isinulat siyang liham na para sa iba, siguro
every secret she’s ever had. inabot siya ng magdamag upang maisulat ito.
Ang sobreng iyon ay maaring may nakalagay na
sekreto na mayroon siya.

I take a few more strides and turn: She’s lost in Ako ay humakbang ng kaunti at lumiko: hindi ko
the crowd. na siya makita sa dami ng mga tao.

Now, of course, I know exactly what I should
have said to her. It would have been a long
speech, though, far too long for me to have
delivered it properly. The ideas I come up with
are never very practical.
Ngayon, syempre, alam ko na mismo kung ano
ang dapat ko sabihin sa kaniya. Marami akong
masasabi, inabot ako ng pagkatagal para
masabi ito ng maayos. Ang mga naiisip kong
ideya ay kailanman hindi naging praktikal.

Sabagay. Magsisimula naman ito sa “Noong

Oh, well. It would have started “Once upon a
unang panahon” at magtatapos sa “Isang
time” and ended “A sad story, don’t you think?”
malungkot na kuwento, sa tingin mo?”

Once upon a time, there lived a boy and a girl. Noong unang panahon, may nabubuhay na
The boy was eighteen and the girl sixteen. He binata at dalaga. Ang binata ay labingwalong
was not unusually handsome, and she was not taong gulang at ang dalaga ay labing-anim na
especially beautiful. They were just an ordinary taong gulang. Hindi naman kaguwapuhan ang
lonely boy and an ordinary lonely girl, like all binata, at hindi rin kagandahan ang dalaga. Sila
the others. But they believed with their whole ay ordinaryong nag-iisang binata at ordiaryong
hearts that somewhere in the world there lived nag-iisang dalaga, katulad ng karamihan. Pero
the 100% perfect boy and the 100% perfect girl naniniwala ng buong puso na kung saan man sa
for them. Yes, they believed in a miracle. And mundo ay sila ang pinakamagandang nilalang
that miracle actually happened. para sa kanila. Oo, naniniwala sila sa himala. At
ang himalang iyon ay pwedeng magkatotoo.

One day the two came upon each other on the Isang araw ang dalawa ay nagkita sa may kanto
corner of a street. ng kalye.
“This is amazing,” he said. “I’ve been looking “Nakakamangha”, sabi ng binata.”Buong buhay
for you all my life. You may not believe this, but ko hinanap kita. Hindi ka siguro maniniwala,
you’re the 100% perfect girl for me.” pero para sa akin, ikaw ang pinakamagandang
dalaga.”

“And you,” she said to him, “are the 100% “At ikaw naman”, sabi ng dalaga sa binata,” ang
perfect boy for me, exactly as I’d pictured you pinakaguwapong binata para sa akin, eksaktong
in every detail. It’s like a dream.” sa kung paano kita nakikita sa aking isipan,
parang panagip lang.”

Umupo sila sa may upuan sa parke,

They sat on a park bench, held hands, and told
magkahawak kamay, at nagkuwento tungkol sa
each other their stories hour after hour. They
kani-kanilang buhay makalipas ang oras. Hindi
were not lonely anymore. They had found and
na sila mag-isa. Nahanap na nila ang isa’t-isa.
been found by their 100% perfect other. What a
Talagang kahanga-hanga na matagpuan ang
wonderful thing it is to find and be found by
para sa iyo. Isa itong himala, pangkalawakang
your 100% perfect other. It’s a miracle, a
himala.
cosmic miracle.

As they sat and talked, however, a tiny, tiny
sliver of doubt took root in their hearts: Was it
really all right for one’s dreams to come true so
easily?
Habang sila ay nakaupo at nag-uusap,
mayroong kakarampot na piraso ng duda na
nagmumula sa kanilang puso. Ayos lang ba na
ang isang pangarap ay magkatotoo nang ganon
kadali?

And so, when there came a momentary lull in Pagkatapos, noong nasa mahalagang parte na
their conversation, the boy said to the girl, sila ng kanilang paguusap, sabi ng binata sa
“Let’s test ourselves - just once. If we really are dalaga, “ Subukin natin ang ating sarili – ngayon
each other’s 100% perfect lovers, then lang. Kung talagang tayo para sa isa’t-isa,
sometime, somewhere, we will meet again magkikita tayo kahit kailan, kahit anong oras,
without fail. And when that happens, and we walang palya. At kapag nangyari iyon, at
know that we are the 100% perfect ones, we’ll talagang tayo para sa isa’t-isa, magpapakasal
marry then and there. What do you think?” tayo. Ano sa tingin mo?”

“Sige,” sabi ng dalaga, “Yan ang dapat nating

“Yes,” she said, “that is exactly what we should
gawin.”
do.”

And so they parted, she to the east, and he to At sila umalis, ang dalaga ay pasilangan, at ang
the west. binata ay pakanluran.

The test they had agreed upon, however, was Ang pagsubok na parehas nilang pinag sang-
utterly unnecessary. They should never have ayunan, ay hindi gaanong kahalaga. Hindi na
undertaken it, because they really and truly dapat nila ito ginawa pa, sapagkat sila ay tunay
were each other’s 100% perfect lovers, and it na para sa isa’t-isa, at isang himala na sila ay
was a miracle that they had ever met. But it nagkita. Pero imposibleng para sa kanila na
was impossible for them to know this, young as
they were. The cold, indifferent waves of fate malaman ito, bata pa lamang sila noon.
proceeded to toss them unmercifully. Malamig, at paiba-ibang alon ng kanilang
tadhana ay patuloy na inihahagis na walang
awa.

One winter, both the boy and the girl came Noong taglamig, ang binata at ang dalaga ay
down with the season’s terrible inluenza, and bumagsak ang kanilang katawan dahil sa
after drifting for weeks between life and death trangkaso, at pagtapos ng mga linggong nag-
they lost all memory of their earlier years. aagaw buhay ay nalimutan na nila ang mga
When they awoke, their heads were as empty alaala na lumipas ng taon. Nang sila ay
as the young D. H. Lawrence’s piggy bank. nagising, ang isip nila ay blanko na parang
They were two bright, determined young alkansya ng batang D.H. Lawrence.
people, however, and through their unremitting Sila ay matalino, determinadong kabataan, at sa
efforts they were able to acquire once again hindi matatawarang pagsisikap nila ay sa wakas
the knowledge and feeling that qualified them nakamit nila ulit ang kaalaman at pakiramdam
to return as full-fledged members of society. na nagkakwalipika sa kanila upang bumalik na
Heaven be praised, they became truly buong miyebro ng lipunan. Purihin ang langit,
upstanding citizens who knew how to transfer sila ay kapansin-pansin na mamamayan na
from one subway line to another, who were nakakaalam kung paano ang isang tren sa ilalim
fully capable of sending a special-delivery letter ay lumilipat sa kabilang riles, mamamayan na
at the post office. Indeed, they even kayang magpadala ng espesyal na liham sa
experienced love again, sometimes as much as tanggapan. At, nakakaranas sila ng
75% or even 85% love. pagmamahal ulit, minsan ay 75% o 85% na
pagmamahal.

Time passed with shocking swiftness, and soonNapakabilis ng paglipas ng oras, at ang binata
the boy was thirty-two, the girl thirty. ay tatlumpu’t dalawa na, at ang dalaga ay
tatlumpu na.

Isang magandang umaga ng Abril, sa

One beautiful April morning, in search of a cup
paghahanap ng isang tasa ng kape para
of coffee to start the day, the boy was walking
umpisahan ang araw, ang binata ay naglalakad
from west to east, while the girl, intending to
mula kanluran papuntang silangan, at ang
send a special-delivery letter, was walking from
dalaga ay nagpadala ng espesyal na liham, siya
east to west, but along the same narrow street
ay naglakad mula silangan papuntang kanluran,
in the Harajuku neighborhood of Tokyo. They
pero sa parehas na masikip na kalye ng
passed each other in the very center of the
kapitbahayan ng Harajuku sa Tokyo. Nadaanan
street. The faintest gleam of their lost
nila ang isa’t-isa sa pinaka gitna ng kalye . Ang
memories glimmered for the briefest moment in
nanghihinang imahe ng kanilang alaala ay
their hearts. Each felt a rumbling in their chest.
muling kumislap sa maiksing pagkakataon ng
And they knew:
kanilang puso. Ang isa’t-isa ay mabilis na
tumitibok ang puso. At alam nila.

Na para sa akin, siya ang pinakamagandang

She is the 100% perfect girl for me.
babae.

He is the 100% perfect boy for me. Na para sa kaniya, ako ang pinakaguwapong
lalake.
But the glow of their memories was far too
weak, and their thoughts no longer had the
clarity of fouteen years earlier. Without a word,
they passed each other, disappearing into the
crowd. Forever.
Pero ang liwanag ng kanilang alaala ay sobrang
hina, at ang kanilang isip ay malabo na sa
makalipas ng labing-apat na taon. Walang kahit
anumang salita na nakarating sa isa’t-isa,
naglaho na sa kawalan. Habambuhay.

A sad story, don’t you think? Malungkot na kuwento, ano sa tingin mo?

Yes, that’s it, that is what I should have said to Oo, ito nga, ito ang dapat kong sabihin sa
her. kaniya.