Thursday, October 11, 2012

The Chapel in the Barrio



The Chapel in the Barrio
trans by Fe S. Estanislao

(Ang Ermita sa Baryo)

by Magdalena Jalandoni
Humble and serene beyond compare
Its door facing the sea
Nipa and cogon thatched and bamboo
Frame
Painted by the mellow of dawn

.Standing there by the mountainside
Its door wide open, spacious and
Peaceful
And hitched on a branch of dapdap
Tree
Loosely are its rusty bells.

Inside the sacred image of Christ
Whose sorrowful face induces man to
weep 
There on His ancient altar He invites 
The visitation of adoring birds.

In wrist-deep water, and make it, 
Though with much awkward kicking in

the air.
It will be fun there in the summer sea.
But with this, he cannot hint a word
 To the little woman. His hands are

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