Bathala - Bathala in Other Cultures and Ethnic Groups - Visayas

Visayas

An ancient Visayan invocation from the book “Philippine Literature: From Ancient Times to the Present”
by Teofilo del Castillo Y Tuazon and Buenaventura S. Medina Jr.This invocation was translated by Pacita
C. Inocencio-Nievera.

Invocation to Bathala

1. Bathala, origin of the first creatures,

Lives in the high mountains;

In your two hands

Resides the generator-

Maniliw, who is a witch.

Tall like the trunk

Of the coconut;

Solid like rock;

Voracious like fire;

Fierce, more than the mad perverse dog.

From your breast

The generator Lulid

Went forth.

It is he

Who does what he likes;

Who darkens

More than the night-

Like the stalk of the Palay;

And Sometimes

As if by means of rays of light,

Shoots the witches like an arrow.

Your living among the pygmies.

Destroy, oh, those bad characters

Of the generator Kamakala.

2. Bathala, thou art, oh, little bird, Adarna!

Oh thou, who art nestled in that encumbered home-

The abode of hawks and eagles,

Descend, we pray thee, to earth,

With all thy multicolored feathers

And thy silken, feathery tail-

Descend! Descend!-to earth.

Oh, thou bright-winged, little bird!

Celestial gift arth thou, prepared for the earth-

Our life’s source, our mother devoted.

Verily, thou hast suffered pains in those confines

Of mountains craggy and precipitous-

Searching for lakes of emerald, now vanished.

Ferocious animals

Art thine, mother

Oh, venerable Mount Kanlaon-

The ruler of the people of the mountain.

Original version with Tagalog translation, from “Panitikan ng Pilipinas; Binagong Edisyon” by Jose Villa
Panganiban, Consuelo T. Panganiban, Genovera E. Manalute, Corazon E. Kabigting.

Bathala, pinunuan sang mga

una nga mga inanak,

Dito mag estar sa mga layog

Sa anang alima na tagsa

Si amay Maniliw nga tamaw

nga,

Malayog anay sang puno ka

niug,

Mabakod angay sa bantiling,

Kag masupong angay sa

kalayo,

Mabangis labi a madal nga

Bany-aga nga ayam.

Sa amang kilid lumsit.

Si ama Lulid Amo;

Siya ang mag sumunod

Kon tunay sa boot niya,

Nga mag bulit labing

Kagab-ihon mapilong…
Tagalog Translation

Bathalang pinagmulan ng

mga unang nilikha,

Nakatira ka sa mga bundok

Sa kamay mo nakalagay

Si Maniliw, na mangkukulam

Matayog kang parang puno

ng niyog;

Matigas na parang bato,

Masiklab na parang apoy,

Mabangis na higit sa

Asong nahihibang.

Sa dibdib mo lumabas

Ang manlilikhang Lulid Amo;

Siya ang nakagagawa

At nagbibigay dilim

Na higit sa gabi…