The Epic of Bidasari

Easily the most charming poem of Malayan Literature is the Epic of Bidasari. It has all the
absorbing fascination of a fairy tale. We are led into the dreamy atmosphere of haunted [a]
palace and beauteous plaisance; we glide in the picturesque imaginings of the oriental poet
from the charm of all that is languorously seductive in nature into the shadowy realms of
the supernatural. (Below is part of Song 1 of 6.)
THE EPIC OF BIDASARI
(Metrical Translation by Chauncey C. Starkweather, A.B., LL.B.)(1901)
SONG I
Hear now the song I sing about a king
Of Kembajat. A fakir has completed
The story, that a poem he may make.
There was a king, a sultan, and he was
Handsome and wise and perfect in all ways,
Proud scion of a race of mighty kings.
He filled the land with merchants bringing wealth
And travellers. And from that days report,
He was a prince most valorous and strong,
Who never vexing obstacles had met.
But ever is the morrow all unknown.
After the Sultan, all accomplished man,
Had married been a year, or little more,
He saw that very soon hed have an heir.
At this his heart rejoiced, and he was glad
As though a mine of diamonds were his.
Some days the joy continued without clouds.
But soon there came the moment when the prince
Knew sorrows blighting force, and had to yield
His countrys capital. A savage bird,
Garouda called, a very frightful bird,
Soared in the air, and ravaged all the land.
It flew with wings and talons wide outstretched,
With cries to terrify the stoutest heart.
All people, great and small, were seized with dread,
And all the country feared and was oppressed,
And people ran now this way and now that.
The folk approached the King. He heard the noise
As of a fray, and, angry, asked the guard,

Whence comes this noise? As soon as this he said

One of his body-guard replied with awe,
Illustrious lord, most merciful of kings,
A fell garouda follows us about.
The Kings face paled when these dread words he heard.
The officers arose and beat their breasts.
The sorrow of the King was greater still
Because the Queen was ill. He took her hand
And started without food or anything.
He trusted all to God, who watches oer
The safety of the world. The suffring Queen
Spoke not a word and walked along in tears.
They went by far campongs and dreary fields
Beneath a burning sun which overwhelmed
Their strength. And so the lovely Queens fair face
From palest yellow grew quite black. The prince
Approached the desert with his body torn
By thorns and brambles. All his care and grief
Were doubled when he saw his lovely wife
Who scarce could drag herself along and whom
He had to lead. Most desolate was he,
Turning his mind on the good Queens sad lot.
Upon the way he gave up all to her.
Two months they journeyed and one day they came
Unto a campong of a merchant, where
They looked for rest because the Queen was weak.
The path was rugged and the way was hard.
The prince made halt before the palisades,
For God had made him stop and rest awhile.
The Sultan said: What is this campong here?
I fain would enter, but I do not dare.
The good Queen wept and said: O my beloved,
What shall I say? I am so tired and weak
I cannot journey more. The King was quite
Beside himself and fainted where he sat.
But on they journeyed to the riverside,
Stopping at every step.

The Epic of Bidasari

Easily the most charming poem of Malayan Literature is the Epic of

Bidasari. It has all the absorbing fascination of a fairy tale. We are led
into the dreamy atmosphere of haunted [a] palace and beauteous
plaisance; we glide in the picturesque imaginings of the oriental poet
from the charm of all that is languorously seductive in nature into the
shadowy realms of the supernatural. (Below is part of Song 1 of 6.)
THE EPIC OF BIDASARI
(Metrical Translation by Chauncey C. Starkweather, A.B., LL.B.)(1901)
SONG I
Hear now the song I sing about a king
Of Kembajat. A fakir has completed
The story, that a poem he may make.
There was a king, a sultan, and he was
Handsome and wise and perfect in all ways,
Proud scion of a race of mighty kings.
He filled the land with merchants bringing wealth
And travellers. And from that days report,
He was a prince most valorous and strong,
Who never vexing obstacles had met.
But ever is the morrow all unknown.
After the Sultan, all accomplished man,
Had married been a year, or little more,
He saw that very soon hed have an heir.
At this his heart rejoiced, and he was glad
As though a mine of diamonds were his.
Some days the joy continued without clouds.
But soon there came the moment when the prince
Knew sorrows blighting force, and had to yield
His countrys capital. A savage bird,
Garouda called, a very frightful bird,
Soared in the air, and ravaged all the land.
It flew with wings and talons wide outstretched,
With cries to terrify the stoutest heart.
All people, great and small, were seized with dread,
And all the country feared and was oppressed,
And people ran now this way and now that.
The folk approached the King. He heard the noise
As of a fray, and, angry, asked the guard,

Whence comes this noise? As soon as this he said

One of his body-guard replied with awe,
Illustrious lord, most merciful of kings,
A fell garouda follows us about.
The Kings face paled when these dread words he heard.
The officers arose and beat their breasts.
The sorrow of the King was greater still
Because the Queen was ill. He took her hand
And started without food or anything.
He trusted all to God, who watches oer
The safety of the world. The suffring Queen
Spoke not a word and walked along in tears.
They went by far campongs and dreary fields
Beneath a burning sun which overwhelmed
Their strength. And so the lovely Queens fair face
From palest yellow grew quite black. The prince
Approached the desert with his body torn
By thorns and brambles. All his care and grief
Were doubled when he saw his lovely wife
Who scarce could drag herself along and whom
He had to lead. Most desolate was he,
Turning his mind on the good Queens sad lot.
Upon the way he gave up all to her.
Two months they journeyed and one day they came
Unto a campong of a merchant, where
They looked for rest because the Queen was weak.
The path was rugged and the way was hard.
The prince made halt before the palisades,
For God had made him stop and rest awhile.
The Sultan said: What is this campong here?
I fain would enter, but I do not dare.
The good Queen wept and said: O my beloved,
What shall I say? I am so tired and weak
I cannot journey more. The King was quite
Beside himself and fainted where he sat.
But on they journeyed to the riverside,
Stopping at every step.

The Epic of Bidasari

Easily the most charming poem of Malayan Literature is the Epic of Bidasari. It has all the
absorbing fascination of a fairy tale. We are led into the dreamy atmosphere of haunted [a]
palace and beauteous plaisance; we glide in the picturesque imaginings of the oriental poet

from the charm of all that is languorously seductive in nature into the
shadowy realms of the supernatural. (Below is part of Song 1 of 6.)
THE EPIC OF BIDASARI
(Metrical Translation by Chauncey C. Starkweather, A.B., LL.B.)(1901)
SONG I
Hear now the song I sing about a king
Of Kembajat. A fakir has completed
The story, that a poem he may make.
There was a king, a sultan, and he was
Handsome and wise and perfect in all ways,
Proud scion of a race of mighty kings.
He filled the land with merchants bringing wealth
And travellers. And from that days report,
He was a prince most valorous and strong,
Who never vexing obstacles had met.
But ever is the morrow all unknown.
After the Sultan, all accomplished man,
Had married been a year, or little more,
He saw that very soon hed have an heir.
At this his heart rejoiced, and he was glad
As though a mine of diamonds were his.
Some days the joy continued without clouds.
But soon there came the moment when the prince
Knew sorrows blighting force, and had to yield
His countrys capital. A savage bird,
Garouda called, a very frightful bird,
Soared in the air, and ravaged all the land.
It flew with wings and talons wide outstretched,
With cries to terrify the stoutest heart.
All people, great and small, were seized with dread,
And all the country feared and was oppressed,
And people ran now this way and now that.
The folk approached the King. He heard the noise
As of a fray, and, angry, asked the guard,
Whence comes this noise? As soon as this he said
One of his body-guard replied with awe,
Illustrious lord, most merciful of kings,
A fell garouda follows us about.

The Kings face paled when these dread words he heard.

The officers arose and beat their breasts.
The sorrow of the King was greater still
Because the Queen was ill. He took her hand
And started without food or anything.
He trusted all to God, who watches oer
The safety of the world. The suffring Queen
Spoke not a word and walked along in tears.
They went by far campongs and dreary fields
Beneath a burning sun which overwhelmed
Their strength. And so the lovely Queens fair face
From palest yellow grew quite black. The prince
Approached the desert with his body torn
By thorns and brambles. All his care and grief
Were doubled when he saw his lovely wife
Who scarce could drag herself along and whom
He had to lead. Most desolate was he,
Turning his mind on the good Queens sad lot.
Upon the way he gave up all to her.
Two months they journeyed and one day they came
Unto a campong of a merchant, where
They looked for rest because the Queen was weak.
The path was rugged and the way was hard.
The prince made halt before the palisades,
For God had made him stop and rest awhile.
The Sultan said: What is this campong here?
I fain would enter, but I do not dare.
The good Queen wept and said: O my beloved,
What shall I say? I am so tired and weak
I cannot journey more. The King was quite
Beside himself and fainted where he sat.
But on they journeyed to the riverside,
Stopping at every step.

Don Juan and his wife Namongan lived in Nalbuan, now part of La Union in the northern part of the
Philippines. They had a son named Lam-ang. Before Lam-ang was born, Don Juan went to the mountains
in order to punish a group of their Igorot enemies. While he was away, his son Lam-ang was born. It took
four people to help Namongan give birth. As soon as the baby boy popped out, he spoke and asked that

he be given the name Lam-ang. He also chose his godparents and asked where
his father was.
After nine months of waiting for his father to return, Lam-ang decided he would
go look for him. Namongan thought Lam-ang was up to the challenge but she
was sad to let him go. During his exhausting journey, he decided to rest for
awhile. He fell asleep and had a dream about his father's head being stuck on a
pole by the Igorot. Lam-ang was furious when he learned what had happened to
his father. He rushed to their village and killed them all, except for one whom he
let go so that he could tell other people about Lam-ang's greatness.

Upon returning to Nalbuan in triumph, he was bathed by women in the Amburayan river. All the fish died
because of the dirt and odor from Lam-ang's body.
There was a young woman named Ines Kannoyan whom Lam-ang wanted to woo. She lived in
Calanutian and he brought along his white rooster and gray dog to visit her. On the way, Lam-ang met his
enemy Sumarang, another suitor of Ines whom he fought and readily defeated.
Lam-ang found the house of Ines surrounded by many suitors all of whom were trying to catch her
attention. He had his rooster crow, which caused a nearby house to fall. This made Ines look out. He had
his dog bark and in an instant the fallen house rose up again. The girl's parents witnessed this and called
for him. The rooster expressed the love of Lam-ang. The parents agreed to a marriage with their daughter
if Lam-ang would give them a dowry valued at double their wealth. Lam-ang had no problem fulfilling this
condition and he and Ines were married.
It was a tradition to have a newly married man swim in the river for the rarang fish. Unfortunately, Lamang dove straight into the mouth of the water monster Berkakan. Ines had Marcos get his bones, which
she covered with a piece of cloth. His rooster crowed and his dog barked and slowly the bones started to
move. Back alive, Lam-ang and his wife lived happily ever after with his white rooster and gray dog.