The Legend of the Dama de Noche
A thousand years ago, there was a rich maharlika, or nobleman, who spent his early bachelor days
recklessly, wining and dining in the company of nobility. He drank the finest wines, ate the most delectable
food and enjoyed the company of the loveliest, perfumed and bejewelled women of the noble class.
photo from wikipedia
After years of this kind of life, the maharlika finally felt it was time to settle down and marry the woman of
his choice. “But who is the woman to choose?” he asked himself as he sat in the rich splendour of his
home, “All the women I know are beautiful and charming, but I am tired of the glitter of their jewels and
the richness of their clothes!” He wanted a woman different from all the women he saw day and night, and
found this in a simple village lass. She was charming in her own unaffected ways, and her
name was Dama.
They married and lived contentedly. She loved him and took care of him. She pampered him with the
most delicious dishes, and kept his home and his clothes in order. But soon, the newness wore off for the
maharlika. He started to long for the company of his friends. He took a good look at his wife and thought,
she is not beautiful and she does not have the air of nobility about her, she does not talk with wisdom.
And so the maharlika returned to his own world of glitter and splendor. He spent his evenings sitting
around with his friends in their noble homes , drank and talked till the first rays of the sun peeped from the
iron grills of their ornate windows.
Poor Dama felt that she was losing her husband. She wept in the silence of their bedroom. “I cannot give
my husband anything but the delights of my kitchen and the warmth of my bed. He is tired of me.” She
looked to the heavens. “Oh, friendly spirits! Help me. Give me a magic charm. Just one little magic charm
to make my husband come home again, that he will never want to leave my side, forever!”
It was midnight when the maharlika came home. He opened the door of their bedroom and called for
Dama to tell her to prepare his nightclothes. “Dama! Dama, where are you?” he called. He shouted all
around the bedroom. He searched the whole house. Still the nobleman could not find his simple wife.
Finally the nobleman returned to their bedroom, tired and cross. But, as he opened the door, he stopped.
A rare scent, sweet and fragrant, drifted to him. It was a scent he had never smelled before. He entered
the room and crossed to the window where the scent seemed to be floating from. A strange bush was
growing outside the window. Some of its thin branches had already reached the iron grills and were
twisting around. And all over the bush were thousands of tiny starlike, white flowers, from which burst
forth a heavenly, enchanting scent!
He stood there, completely enraptured by the glorious smell. “Dama…” he whispered softly, and
wondered, could this be Dama? The rich maharlika sat by the window, and waited for the return of his
loving simple wife. But she did not come back. She never returned to him again. Only the
fragrance of the flowers stayed with him, casting a spell over his whole being.
In the moonlight, Dama of the night, or Dama de Noche would be in full bloom, capturing the rich
maharlika, making him never want to leave her side, forever
Source: The Philippines Literature [Link]
Reflection:
The Legend of Dama de Noche is a legend that reflects that unwavering love of a wife to his
husband. The luxurious life of a husband made me reflect that all of the extravagant things and
experiences are temporary solution to fill that void that is within all of us. The only true source
that can filled this void is love.
A love from another person. Through this we can be whole and united. It can also be love that
we have for another person, in this way we can live our life serving one another.