inner_v0ice: (Megumi - kitsune giggle)
Inner Voice ([personal profile] inner_v0ice) wrote in [community profile] forkedtongues2010-04-14 12:25 pm

The El Bimbo Variations by Adam David

(Quiet comm is quiet...at least since my last post. Anyone out there? o_o)

This is rather non-traditional poetry, but I first learned about it in the poetry unit of a literature class, so I have it on good authority that it counts!
The El Bimbo Variations by Adam David is a collection of 99 variations on the theme of the first line of Ang Huling El Bimbo (The Last El Bimbo) by the Eraserheads, an iconic Nineties song about first love and later loss.  (I did the English translations of each variation myself.)

Original Lyrics

Kamukha mo si Paraluman
nung tayo ay bata pa

(You looked like Paraluman
when we were young)

Reductive

Kamukha mo dati
               si Paraluman.
Reductive

You used to look like
                       Paraluman.

Antonymy

Hindi niya kamukha si Paraluman
               ngayong sila ay matanda na.

Antonymy

She doesn't look like Paraluman
                        now that they are old.

Another Point Of View

Kamukha ko si Paraluman
              nung kabataan namin.

Another Point of View

I looked like Paraluman
                         in our youth.

Permutation

Nung bata pa tayo
       si Paraluman ay kamukha mo.

Permutation

When we were young
     Paraluman looked like you.

Parsed Sentence


Déjà Vu

Kamukha mo si Paraluman
               nung tayo ay bata pa
                    si Paraluman kamukha mo.
Déjà Vu

You looked like Paraluman
             when we were young
                    Paraluman looked like you.

With One Letter Missing

Kamukha mo si Paraluman
               nung tayo ay bata, a.

With One Letter Missing

Y'know, you looked like Paraluman
                         when we were young.

With One Word Missing

Kamukha mo si Paraluman.
            Tayo ay bata pa.

With One Word Missing

You look like Paraluman.
      We are still young.

Exclamatory

Oh my God, dude!!!
Kamukha mo noon si Paraluman!!!
DaFuuuuuck!!!

Exclamatory

Oh my God, dude!!!
You used to look like Paraluman!!!
DaFuuuuuck!!!

Doubtful

Kamukha daw niya dati si Paraluman. Daw.

Doubtful

They say she used to look like Paraluman.  Or so they say.

Confessional

Alam mo ba, matagal ko nang iniisip na ... dati, nung bata pa
tayo ... kahawig mo si ... Paraluman ... crush nga kita nun, e ...

Confessional

Did you know, I always thought that ... back then, when we were young ...
you looked like ... Paraluman ... actually, I had a crush on you back then ...

Single Contradiction

Talaga?

Single Contradiction

Really?

Double Contradiction

Si Paraluman?
Ows?!?!?

Double Contradiction

Paraluman?
O RLY?!?!?

Triple Contradiction

Kamukha mo nga ba siya nun?
Si Paraluman nga ba talaga?
Nung bata pa tayo?

Triple Contradiction

Did you really look like her then?
Was it really Paraluman?
When we were young?

HTML

<a href=”http://www.classicpinoyactresses.com.ph/pics/paraluman.jpg”>Ikaw</a>

Ad Copy

PARALUMAN
Goat Placenta
Para sa may nais ng diwatang-kutis!!
*NO APPROVED THERAPEUTIC CLAIMS*
Ad Copy

PARALUMAN
Goat Placenta
For ethereally white skin!!
*NO APPROVED THERAPEUTIC CLAIMS*

Linear Logical Analysis

          So:

          Si Paraluman.
Isang aktres.
Na maganda.
Nung Dekada Singkuwenta.
Para sa Sampaguita Pictures.

          Kamukha mo siya.
So, maganda ka.
O, at least, sa opinyon ng ibang tao, maganda ka.
O, at least, sa opinyon ko, maganda ka.
O, at least, mestizahin.

          Nung bata pa tayo.
So, maganda ka lang pala nung bata ka.
So, hindi ka na maganda ngayon.
Matanda ka na kasi, e.
So, panget ka na.

Linear Logical Analysis

          So:

          Paraluman.
An actress.
A beautiful one.
In the Fifities.
For Sampaguita Pictures.

          You look like her.
So, you're beautiful.
Or, at least, in other people's opinions, you're beautiful.
Or, at least, in my opinion, you're beautiful.
Or, at least, mestiza-looking.

          When we were young.
So, you were only beautiful when you were young.
So, you're not beautiful now.
Because you're old now.
So, you're ugly now.

True Philippine Ghost Story

“Pero kasi, mahal ... ako si Paraluman, e ...”

True Philippine Ghost Story

"But you see, my love ... I am Paraluman ..."

Gashlycrumb Tiny



The author has made the entire collection freely viewable and downloadable here on Scribd.com.  The variations that I didn't post here include a number of English-language ones, and a number of practically untranslatable Tagalog ones (the Square Poem is mind-blowing; the Diona, Tanaga and Dalit are specific poetic forms).  There's also an afterword explaining the reasoning behind the construction of some of the more obscure variations.
 



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