Gurang na Lawas kan Buddha
na Nakatukaw sa Nagã
Ini bako sanang basta gapo
na inapon, may nakatiyempo.
Pakahilinga an pitong payong
halas, minasimbolo nin dunong.
Mation an hilingon kan mata
minsan pirong, daing pag-ablada
Dai ipagbuyboy an kasalan,
‘yan, haloy niya nang naaraman:
Tawo giraray ipapangaki
kun dai siya makapagbakli.
Bistong parahabon naging lukton
Parasangbay nagadan sa bubon.
Kun may takot maging pobreng diwit,
Punan, pagsurat nin rawitdawit.
Old Buddha Sitting on Nagã
Don’t mistake it for a common stone
Cast on the wayside, and found.
Mark the seven serpent heads, symbols
Of wisdom rising from the ground.
Feel its stare, the eyes are sometimes
Shut, absolutely without pride:
Never atone for your sins—this he has
long known and will not abide—
And you will be born again human.
The known thief becomes a grasshopper;
Drowned in the well the unrepentant adulterer.
If you fear waking up a locust, you might yet
Start now and try learning to be a poet.
(translation: Marne L. Kilates)
PHOTO: Gurang Phanom Rung Naga by Kristian Cordero
