Philippine Literature in

Spanish Period
Carmen F. Nana, Ph.D.
Hi, students!
How is everyone
doing?
Prepare these
before we start class:
1. notebook - for your notes
2. printed copy of the literary
texts - for your reference
Objectives
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able
to:

1. identify the central meanings of the literary texts;

2. discuss the merits of the poem, "Salamat na Walang Hanggan" in terms of
the author's moral and spiritual perspective;
3. analyze and interpret the the significance of "Ang Pasyon" in the light of
the tradition of the Catholic church; and
4. discuss the relevance of Urbana at Feliza in this modern period.
Lesson for Today
 Literatures in Spanish Period:
A. Religious literature revolves around the life and death of Jesus Christ.
a. Pasyon b. Senakulo c. Komedya

B. Secular non- religious literature revolves around tales of valiance and

adventure.
a. Awit b. Korido c. Prose Narratives
POETRY
A. Religious literature
1. FERNANDO BAGONBANTA

Fernando Bagonbanta was one of the early native versifiers of the 17th
century.
He was born in Abucay, Bataan and his parentage is unknown. In his time
he was known as a ladino, the name given to natives who had mastered the
Spanish language.
The ladinos were trained or educated in parish or catechetical schools and
were used as interpreters and informants. Ladino was also used to designate
those literary works which were actually Spanish romances and poems.
Bagonbanta's popularity as a writer of metrical romances in Tagalog and
Spanish can be traced to as far back as 1606. His works were characterized
by restraint and by the religious tone that dominated his compositions. The
religious could not be avoided as the friars were dominant during that
period.
Their influence was strongly felt in every segment of organized society.
Salamat nang Walang Hanggan or Gracias Se Den Sempitemas
By Fernando Bagonbanta

Salamat na walang hangga

gracias se den sempitemas Eternal thanks are offered
na nagpasilang nang tala the one who made the stars
al que hizo salir la estrella who drive away the darkness
macagpanao ng dilim from all our land.
que destierros la tineblas
sa lahat ng bayan natin.
de todo nuestro tierra.
2. Gaspar Aquino de Belen
Gaspar Aquino de Belén was a Filipino poet and translator of the
17th century, known for authoring a 1704 rendition of
the Pasyon: a famous poetic narrative of the passion, death and
resurrection of Jesus, which has circulated in many versions.
Generally Filipino natives were not taught Spanish, but the
bilingual individuals, notably poet-translator Aquino de Belén,
produced devotional poetry written in Latin script in the Tagalog
language.
 Ang Pasyon (excerpt)
by Gaspar Aquino de Belen
Paripa,y nang mabotasan
caliuang camay hinotan
capagdaca,~, ibinabao,
at canilang tinictican
nang malaquing pacong
bacal.
Nang isosonod ang canan,
na ypapaco na naman,
sa icana,t, ipalagay , isa
ma,y, di matapatan
yaong botas nang pahalang.
Malayo, at ang alangan
di mayrating maonay
cun i-ayon sa sasanlan,
di magcasongco, t , capalang
ang canilang gava,t lalang.
.Sa di rin nga matatapat
sila,y, dina noling notas
nang iba,t, yaong ang sinocat,
ang nabanta pang pahirap
hinila nanga,t, binatac.
Nang apat na malalacas,
linalapac ang balicat,
nagsipangorong ang ogat,
litid ay nagsipangalag
fiiyong canilang pagbatac.
Di isa man tinogotan,
paghila,~, di itinahan,
hangan di doon bongmacam
sa botas na nalalaan,
at toloy nang pinacoan.
.
Watch this brief
video of the Pasion of
Christ

The Pasyón (Spanish: Pasión) is a Philippine

epic narrative of the life of Jesus Christ,
focused on his Passion, Death, and
Resurrection
 Senakulo
It is a Lenten play that is a dramatic presentation of the Passion of Jesus
Christ -- his trial, suffering, and death. It is performed during Holy Week
in the Philippines. It takes eight nights -- from Palm Sunday to Easter-- to
present the entire sinakulo

TWO KINDS:

A. HABLADA

B. CANTADA
 Komedya
Moro-moro (Comedia) is a play that became popular in the Philippines
during the Spanish colonial period. It depicted battles between Christians
and Moros-as Muslims in the Philippines are popularly known-with the
Moros as the perpetual villains who always lost to the Christians in the end
Secular or Non-
religious literatures
1 AWIT

The awit (Tagalog for "song") is a type

of Filipino poem, consisting of 12-
syllable quatrains. It follows the
pattern of rhyming stanzas
established in the Philippine epic
Pasyon. It is similar in form to the
corrido.
(An Excerpt)
Salita at Buhay na Pinagdaanan ni
Sigesmundo at nang Duquesa Policena)
 PROSE
NARRATIVE
Urbana at Feliza
by
Fr. Modesto de Castro
 Special thanks to:
Cynthia S. Buque for her slides on Urbana at Feliza