{"id":398262,"date":"2023-08-14T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-14T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=398262"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T14:00:00","slug":"Literal-and-Figurative-Watermelon-Therapy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/Literal-and-Figurative-Watermelon-Therapy\/","title":{"rendered":"Literal and Figurative Watermelon Therapy"},"content":{"rendered":"

National Watermelon Day was on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023. August heat got you down? Need more fruit in your diet? Get some watermelon, cool it, chill out, and eat it. When I saw a pickup truck loaded with big watermelons fresh from the farm two days later at the small store nearest to my home I remembered. So there is plenty of this cool local fruit (chandia) available to cool you off. Hope you can get it in into your refrigerator. I usually cut it up to fit into various compartments. Here\u2019s my watermelon poem translated into some local languages. Therapy for your belly and your brain, to explain, reading about and eating it is not a strain.<\/p>\n

When Ripe Watermelon<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n

When ripe watermelon busts its rind<\/p>\n

and juicy red flesh can be seen<\/p>\n

all the fruits of summer come to mind<\/p>\n

and watermelon is the queen<\/p>\n

the crowning glory of every picnic<\/p>\n

just what every barbecue needs<\/p>\n

thump for ripeness to get the right pick<\/p>\n

have fun spitting out all the seeds.<\/p>\n

An Masa I Chandia (Chamorro)<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n

Anai pakpak i lassas<\/p>\n

ya sina un li\u00e9 i chug\u00f3 yan sensin agag\u00e1<\/p>\n

ayu na un hasso todo i man mange na fruta siha<\/p>\n

lao i chandia i raraina<\/p>\n

este i mas ma guaiya espesiatmente para i famaguon<\/p>\n

kada man manu nu man nisisita i chandia<\/p>\n

ma dakut i chandia ni para u tungu na masa<\/p>\n

ya un luga i pipitasna\u016b.<\/p>\n

(Chamorro translation by Carmen C., a Tinian resident)<\/em><\/p>\n

Kapag Hinog Ang Pakwan (Tagalog)<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n

Kapag sumabog na ang balat ng hinog na pakwan<\/p>\n

At kita na ang pula at makatas nitong laman<\/p>\n

Naaalala lahat ang mga prutas tuwing tag-init<\/p>\n

At ang pakwan ang syang reyna.<\/p>\n

ang namamayagpag sa bawat piknik,<\/p>\n

Nararapat sa bawat barbekyu,<\/p>\n

Katukin ang balat para malaman kung hinog na<\/p>\n

Masayang idura ang lahat ng mga buto.<\/p>\n

(Translated by J. Vallejera. Translator\u2019s note: I don\u2019t think there is a literal translation of the word\u201d picnic\u201d or \u201dbarbecue\u201d in Tagalog so like the Japanese, Filipinos tend to transliterate many English terms.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Kun Hinog It Pakwan (Waray)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kun nagbuto na it anit hit pakwan<\/p>\n

Ngan nakikit-an na it maduga ngan pula nga unod<\/p>\n

Nanunumduman it tanan nga prutus hit tagsirak<\/p>\n

Ngan it pakwan it rayna<\/p>\n

Asya it sikat ha kada pagtarampo.<\/p>\n

Asya it kinahanglan kada may barbekyu<\/p>\n

Tuktuki agud mabaru-an kun hinog nga asya an napili<\/p>\n

Pagrisyo pagtupra hit mga liso.<\/p>\n

(The translator, J. Vallejera is a native speaker of Waray, the fifth most spoken language in the Philippines. Translator\u2019s note: You can use the term pagka-urusa or pagtarampo which means\u00a0\u201cget together\u201d or \u201cunity.\u201d)<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h4>\n

Lupan Sania A Mau (Mortlockese)<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n

Lupan sania a mau, kilen a sawala<\/p>\n

massawan lone en mi par me pukilen<\/p>\n

a pwa weuu usun sa pwal anshaanei fansoun le rek<\/p>\n

sania i finesamolun finesamolun fan soun<\/p>\n

appwesh pwe e kai no lon<\/p>\n

fansoun appwesh le rekk<\/p>\n

fansoun ohshosh nge mattiuou<\/p>\n

pukkilen me le awash.<\/p>\n

(Mortlockese translation by Sapuro Rayphand, a retired lawyer and teacher who lives on Saipan. Born on Lukono (Likinioch) atoll in the state of Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia, Sapuro celebrated his 82nd birthday on Aug. 6. Happy birthday!<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Joey aka “Pepe Batbon” Connolly is a retired educator who taught in the CNMI, NOLA, and LVNV. He is the Poet Laureate of Tinian and enjoys stargazing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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