ASSE INGO KABAREN-IT NI (WHEN WE WERE LITTLE KIDS)
Melvin Banggollay
Asse uwa kabaren-it ni (When we were little kids)
Umoy kani ge man-ani (we used to harvest)
Inggo uwa balbal-lat ni (there in our old rice fields)
At assi at ingo u-ma ni (and to our new rice fields)
E kingwen inggo ama ni (that our late father made)
E voru-vuron ni as ina ni. (with our mother’s company)
Ta awed ge se kanun ni (In order for us to eat.)
No tiempon se man-uuma (Every time of cleaning the fields)
Wik-kiwikis vomagon da (early morning they wake up)
Te addaayuwen ge se uma (For the rice fields is very far)
E apporo da daranun anna (that they had to walk through)
E Vini-viniget pige e ku-on da (that they used to do everyday)
Ta matago kani e anak da. (that we, their children, will live)
No awed atyen ge mabalin ni (If only we have the means)
Aji atyen mal-liget da ama’n ina ni (My mother and father won’t suffer)
E vomangon e wik-kiwikis (to wake up so very early in bed
Assi da at manaren esse vugis (then had to walk in the bounderies)
E iggawen dahe um-uma ni (where our rice fields located)
E addayuwen pige asse ili. (so very far away from home)
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem