OctPoWritMo Day 15 – Tanaga – October 15, 2015

 

 

Vibrant reds and yellows glow
Brighter under rain and snow
But once the snow melts away
All that’s left is slushy grey

My heart beats now just for you
And you say you love me too
Did you say that to LynnGay
Whilst kissing her yesterday?

© G.s.k. ‘15

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I’ve chosen the Tanaga style for this poem. The Tanaga is a Filipino style of poetry with four-line stanzas with the syllable count of 7-7-7-7, and a rhyme scheme of AABB. Tanagas traditionally don’t have a title per se. I’ve written this form once before, here.

October 15. 2015

The Cat – Tanaga – June 28, 2015

by – magicsideofthemoon-deactivated2

Rooftop – at first light he walked
I think that if he had talked
He would have said:  “who are you?”
He wondered what I would do …

Eyes in eyes he walked by me
He was worried – plain to see
Pug-like face sleek silken coat
A white losange at his throat

Watching me he nearly slipped
My heart leapt he nearly tipped!
He looked down then looked at me
Across the red rooftop sea

Persian cat walked by at dawn
Thirty seconds then was gone
Chance encounter – eyes in eyes
Without hellos – no goodbyes.

© G.s.k. ‘15

For:

B&P’s Shadorma & Beyond – Tanaga – June 20, 2015

Dawn Thoughts – June 26, 2014

June 26 Dawn

(Elfje – Silence)

silence
mountains await
the first chatter
of happy singing birds
quiet

(Tanaga)

Pink sky streams around grey clouds
Over the mountains in shrouds
In silence – I hesitate
Early morn  – I meditate

 (Haiku)

odd  sound of silence
no chittering in the wind
summer dawn

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Have a great morning and stop by Through the Eye of Bastet for a little morning reflection!

The Tanaga is a type of Filipino poem, consisting of four lines with seven syllables each with the same rhyme at the end of each line — that is to say a 7-7-7-7 Syllabic verse, with an AABB rhyme scheme

Living – Tanaga

life’s maelstrom whirls around
from passion to safer ground
even the doe will give fight
when dark anger clouds her light

life is not just white and black
sometimes, wiser to attack
cloudy days turn to sunshine
anger happens so won’t  whin

life’s moments are treasure chests
I accept what life behests
walk my pathway as it comes
in wealth or degraded slums

 

Tanagas are reaching new audiences. As you might expect, new audiences bring changes. Today you will see Tanagas with titles and with new rhyming patterns (for example, AABB, ABAB, ABBA, AAAB, BAAA, and so on). Life advice (morals, ethics, proverbs) may or may not be present. (Jen from Blog it or Lose it)

Tanaga – From Jen!

Today, reading Carpe Diem Haiku Kai, I read a very interesting post that I’m going to paraphrase for you…with all the links…by Jen from Blog it or Lose it.

Jen is “ghost writing” this week for Carpe Diem and has introduced a Philipino poem called the “tanaga”.   It is a 4 lined rhyming poem with 7 syllables for each line.  Rhyme in a haiku site???  Let’s see what Jan has to say:

Why would I encourage a rhyming poem at Carpe Diem?  First of all, it is sad to think of a dying poetic form. Second, even though Tanagas and haiku are different, we can use our expanding “haiku toolboxes” to great effect. 

Now…about the tanaga:

Today I’d like to introduce you to the Tanaga, an ancient Filipino poem. While several of the Tanaga’s features might feel strange to everyone in Carpe Diem Haiku Kai, I hope you will give the poem a chance. Why? Because the Tanaga has been dying out in its native language, Tagalog. Several cultural groups encourage Tanagas written in English in an attempt to reach new audiences and keep the form alive.

Some sources call the Tanaga a “Filipino Haiku”, but that isn’t quite accurate.  Like an English haiku, the Tanaga counts syllables.  Unlike the haiku, the pattern is four lines of 7 syllables each (7-7-7-7).

The biggest difference is that the Tanaga rhymes; it has a pattern of AABB.  In addition, ancient Tanagas were handed down through oral history and contain advice for living (1).

Here is an example of a Tanaga in archaic Tagalog (1):

Catitibay ca tolos
sacaling datnang agos!
aco’I momonting lomot
sa iyo,I popolopot.

            Friars Juan de Noceda and Pedro de Sanlucar, 1754.

Oh be resilient you Stake
should the waters be coming!
I shall cower as the moss
to you I shall be clinging.”
            Translation by Jardine Davies

I mentioned that Tanagas are reaching new audiences. As you might expect, new audiences bring changes. Today you will see Tanagas with titles and with new rhyming patterns (for example, AABB, ABAB, ABBA, AAAB, BAAA, and so on). Life advice (morals, ethics, proverbs) may or may not be present.

Jen wrote two tanaga about a Japanese Parable entitled “The Two Frogs”

Reeg, he said, looking backward;
blindly, his partner agreed.
Follow your flippers forward –
you can’t know till you’ve journeyed.

◊

amber eyes above the pond,
disc-like ears underwater —
just like frogs, we live longer
immersed but looking beyond 

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Now for my response!

Evening glowing lamp light
A beacon in darkest night
Guiding my footsteps onward
Towards bright morning…sunward
(c) G.S.K.

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For more information about the post and blog, please click the link on “Two Frogs” above!

I’d like to thank our host Kristjaan for the lovely opportunities he gives us for new forms of haiku and poetry…and invite you all to drop by Carpe Diem Haiku Kai and be inspired!

Happy writing!