Day 55 of 135

Day 55: A Sad Line in the Lullaby

At her old upright piano in Paco, Manila, Lola Gloria (A), a retired voice teacher, teaches Alice (B), her former student who now conducts a children's choir, the lullaby her own mother sang to her.

How to study this lesson 3 steps
  1. Read the situation under the title. It says who is talking and how they know each other, which decides how politely they speak.
  2. Read the dialogue line by line with its translation, until every line makes sense.
  3. Spend at least 30 minutes listening to native Tagalog. It doesn't matter if you don't understand it yet.

Dialogue

Audio for this lesson is coming soon. For now, read the dialogue and its translation.

Keys: E hide English · ← → previous / next day

  1. A

    Alice, makinig ka muna: "Tulog na, bunso, ang ina mo'y malayo, ngunit ang puso niya ay nasa iyo."

    Alice, listen first: "Sleep now, little one, your mother is far away, but her heart is here with you."

  2. B

    Labindalawang pantig po bawat linya, ang ganda po. Pero Ma'am, puwede po bang palitan ang "malayo"?

    Twelve syllables a line, it's lovely. But, Ma'am, could we change "malayo," far away?

  3. A

    Palitan? Iyan ang puso ng oyayi. Bakit?

    Change it? That's the heart of the lullaby. Why?

  4. B

    Anim na taon po ang mga bata ko. "Ang ina mo'y narito" na lang po kaya?

    My children are six years old. What about "your mother is here" instead?

  5. A

    Kung narito ang ina, bakit pa nasa iyo ang puso niya? Ang oyayi ay para sa batang may hinihintay.

    If the mother is here, why would her heart need to be with you? A lullaby is for a child who is waiting for someone.

  6. B

    Pero Ma'am, hindi po ba masyadong mabigat 'yon para sa bata?

    But, Ma'am, isn't that too heavy for a child?

  7. A

    Kinakanta 'yan ng nanay ko bago siya pumasok sa pabrika tuwing gabi. Hindi ako umiiyak, dahil nasa akin ang puso niya.

    My mother sang it to me every night before she left for the factory. I never cried, because her heart was with me.

  8. B

    Ma'am... anim po pala sa dalawampung bata ko ang may nanay na nasa abroad.

    Ma'am... come to think of it, six of my twenty children have mothers working abroad.

  9. A

    Hindi mo sila tinuturuang malungkot, iha. Binibigyan mo sila ng salitang hindi pa nila kayang sabihin.

    You're not teaching them to be sad, dear. You're giving them words they can't say yet.

  10. B

    Hindi ko na po papalitan. Hahabaan ko na lang po ang "malayo," tatlong kumpas.

    I won't change it. I'll just hold "malayo" longer, three beats.

  11. A

    Musikero ka na ngayon, hindi lang konduktor. O, mula sa umpisa, ikaw ang kumanta, ako sa piyano.

    You're a musician now, not just a conductor. Okay, from the top: you sing, I'll play.

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