GABU
by Carlos Angeles
Christiana Montelibano
3Bio2
Carlos A. Angeles
Born on May 25, 1921 in Tacloban City, Leyte
Graduated from Rizal High in 1938
Various universities in pre-med and pre-law
One sem at Ateneo de Manila
Two at UP in 1941 (member of the UP Writers' Club)
One quarter at Central Luzon Colleges
Did not return to school after World War II
1950 to 1958
Chief of the Philippine bureau of International News Service
1958 to 1980
Guest of the US State Department on a Smith-Mundt leader grant
Press assistant under the Garcia administration
Public relations manager of PanAm Airlines
Board of directors of International PEN, Philippine chapter
A Stun of Jewels
1963
47 poems
In 1964, when poetry was first considered in the Carlos Palanca
Memorial Awards for Literature, received first prize
Republic Cultural Heritage Award for Literature
USA since 1978 with his family
Genre
Philosophical (Existentialist)
Lyric Poem
Persona
Probably someone on a beach at Gabu,
watching the rough sea,
contemplating life
Theme
Life can be restless like the sea;
temporal, but desires permanence.
Gabu
by Carlos Angeles
The battering restlessness of the sea
Insists a tidal fury upon the beach
At Gabu, and its pure consistency
Havocs the wasteland hard within its reach.
Brutal the daylong bashing of its heart
Against the seascape where, for miles around,
Farther than sight itself, the rock-stones part
And drop into the elemental wound.
The waste of centuries is grey and dead
And neutral where the sea has beached its brine,
Where the split salt of its heart lies spread
Among the dark habiliments of Time.
The vital splendor misses. For here
At Gabu where the ageless tide recurs
All things forfeited are most loved and dear.
It is the sea pursues a habit of shores.
Where is Gabu?
Gabu,
Philippines
Meaning and Imagery
The battering
restlessness of
the sea
Insists a tidal fury
upon the beach
At Gabu, and its
pure consistency
Havocs the
wasteland hard
within its reach.
Gabu
A place in Ilocos Norte near
the sea
Often, when typhoons
occur, places like this are
affected greatly
Tsunami
Ex: typhoon Imbudo, July
2003
The sea is restless and
can be destructive
Sea = Life
Battering restlessness =
Impermanent
Meaning and Imagery
Brutal the daylong
bashing of its heart
Against the seascape
where, for miles
around,
Farther than sight
itself, the rockstones part
And drop into the
elemental wound.
The turmoil of the
sea is continuous
and powerful
Brutal bashing =
lifes chaos
Elemental wound =
Depths of the sea
Meaning and Imagery
The waste of
centuries is grey
and dead
And neutral where the
sea has beached its
brine,
Where the split salt of
its heart lies spread
Among the dark
habiliments of Time.
The sea has been there
for centuries
Waste of centuries = Past
Once the sea touches
shore, it becomes neutral
Spilt salt = Bad luck
Saltiness of the sea
describes its
darkness/deadness
Time bears the spilt
salt of life
Meaning and Imagery
The vital splendor
misses. For here
At Gabu where the
ageless tide
recurs
All things forfeited
are most loved
and dear.
The brilliance
necessary for life is
not there because
in life even the
most important
things are lost
Meaning and Imagery
It is the sea
pursues a habit
of shores.
Waves show that the
sea is constantly
moving, but always
towards the shore
Life is bounded by
time, always moving,
but what we all desire
is a stable and eternal
ending
Spiritual context:
Shore = afterlife
Figures of Speech
Metaphor
Sea = life
Personification
The vital splendor misses
the sea pursues
Synechdoche
Brutal the daylong bashing of its heart
Paradox
All things forfeited are most loved and dear
Reaction
Always remember that our lives are
fleeting
The only constant thing in life is
change
Life can be rough, like the sea
But we can believe that if the sea
can find stability once it meets the
shore, we can find it too