Complete Text of Lam-ang (an Iloko epic) - Page 9 of 16

When he came
Upon the town of Calanutian
Lam-ang was surprised
At the number of suitors
You could lose your companion
So thick was the crowd!
You could walk
On the heads of the suitors
And you could plant
On the holes made by their spears
And you could replant
On the sputum of the suitors!

Wondered Lam-ang:
What will I do
To get near her
In the newly-built outhouse
Where Doña Ines Cannoyan
Is presently promenading?
He elbowed his way
Lam-ang edged
Through the legs of the suitors
Until he came upon
The midst of the front yard
Of the house of Cannoyan.

He set down his cock
His white rooster
It flapped its wings once
And the outhouse fell
And Doña Ines Cannoyan
Looked out to see.
His hairy dog
Then barked
And made the old new
And made something of nothing
All these his hairy dog did.

Advised the old woman
To her daughter:
Ay my daughter Cannoyan,
Change your clothes
Because your brother
The brave Lam-ang is here.
When she had changed
Cannoyan came down
And when she reached
The middle of the yard
She walked towards Lam-ang.
This put to shame
All the Spaniards and the rich
Who were trying to approach her.

And Cannoyan said:
Caca Lam-ang,
Quicken your step
And give me your hand
And let us embrace
For the woman Cannoyan
Has longed for you,
Ay caca Lam-ang,
Let us go to where
There is a house
With a roof of light bamboo
That breaks when heated
Shaded by the biggest tree.

Once in the house,
Cannoyan said:
Ay father beholden,
Please bring out
The chair gilded
With pure gold
Wrought by the northeners.
And when they were seated
Cannoyan said:
Ay dear mother Unnayan
Mother beholden,
Please pour water
In the pot-for-one
This magic pot
That can feed
Whoever is on the road
Because we must prepare
The food of caca
The man Don Lam-ang.

Father beholden,
Please try to catch
The castrated cock
That I had intended
For the coming to us
Of caca Don Lam-ang.
When they had cooked
They sat down to eat
In the middle of the table
The rice plate Lam-ang used
Was the very rice plate used
By Doña Ines Cannoyan.
And the fish dish that
Doña Ines Cannoyan chose
Was the very fish that
The man Lam-ang chose.
The bowl of soup used by Lam-ang
Was the very bowl of soup
That the good lady
The woman Cannoyan used.