The Legend of Lake Banao
Ed nabaon, wada di barangay ed Abra ay manrigrigat begew si uwat. Et nan umili ay men tetee sidi men kakamo da para si makan.
(Once upon a time, in the village of Maleng, Abra, the people suffered from a terrible famine. The villagers were desperate for food.)
Woman: Anak, adi ta et kabalin ay men tee sina, enta et ketdi men ila c kain ta
(To Daughter,We can’t stay here any longer. We must find something to eat.)
Daughter: Wen mama, ta iyak et alan din utek ta inta et isukat c makan
(I agree, Mother. Let’s take our pig and go on a journey to barter for food.)
Ede mapalabas nan dua ay agew, din sin ina et anggay nabbay da isunga kanan da et ay man inana da sin patag ay nang gawaan di Sagada ya Besao
(After two days of travel, the woman and her daughter found themselves exhausted and decided to rest on a plateau between Sagada and Besao.)
Pig: squealing
(nan ngalawngaw nan utek)
Old Woman: Ay into di umayan u
(Where are you going? )
Woman: Anti, umey kami men ila si kain me
(We are looking for something to eat.)
Old Woman: No kayat mo, ay mabalin ay kaanem din kutok
(If you’re willing, could you remove my lice?)
Maed di reklamo , di sin ina ya anak et da et nirugian ay men kaan si kuto sin tuktuk di inina. Ngem nakedtot da ta begew ay din kuto na et nan balin si uweg, gayaman ya tapi na ay men ted
(Without hesitation, the woman and her daughter started removing the lice from the old woman’s hair. To their surprise, the lice turned out to be snakes, centipedes, and other poisonous insects.)
Woman: Da et men asayak sin anak na ay balasang,Egenek mo maid di iyam ibagbaga, ituloy ta et ketdi na (whispering to Daughter) Don’t say anything. Let’s continue removing them.Men iyaman din inina ta binadangan da sisya, sunga da et nan kanan ay umey da sin baey na mangan da si pang kag-aw
(Grateful for their help, the old woman invited them to her house for lunch.)
Woman: (Nakebtot) Ene din usar na et nasapo c tultulang di ipugaw.
((surprised) These utensils are made of human bones and skulls.)
Daughter:(Men asayak ken inana) Bay-am et ina, adi ta ipaila ay wada inila ta si sabsabali , mangan da et ketdi ay nasayaat
((whispering to Mother) Let’s not show that we find it strange. We should eat politely.)
Ede nalpas da ay nangan, da et itulong din inina daida ay umey sin salolongan na si piseng, da et itedan na sin ina c pesing ya pagey si kaya da ay mabakwa
(After the meal, the old woman led them to her gabi field and gave them as much as they could carry, including bundles of palay.)
Old Woman: Bumayag na si umali ka sin ay pinag-aapit, si umali to ay lima ay bula
(These will last you until the next harvest, almost five months away.)
Ede sinmaa et nan sin Ina, nakedtot da ede naila da ay din pagkabilan da si pagey et napunno pati din pising amin ay bakante sin baey et nakabilan
(When the woman and her daughter returned home, they were amazed to see that the palay filled their granary and the gabi filled every empty space in their house.)
Neighbors: (masmasdaaw, sino di naiyat et? Sino inyat u ay naka-ala c ado ay makan et
((curious) What happened? How did you get so much food?)
Woman: (sharing the story)(Kadnay od di ede kanak ay maed kain me sin balasang ko, kanan na et ay alan din utek ta isukat me si makan, da et sidi enmey kami et umey si dua ay agew eht kanan et mn inana kami yan awni na pay et din utek et nan ngalawngaw, sapay et sinmawang di isa ay enena : kanan din inana ay tulongan me sisya et tinolongan me sin anak ko ede nalpas et nangan kami sapy umey ed kadan di mulaan di pising na et intedan na dakami, sya di naiyat, ta kad sige garud ta umey ak et mn inana)*******
Din esa ay kaarruba, et nan kainteres begew sin istorya, sunga kanan na et padasen na di swerte. Isunga da et umey abe, kadwa da din utek saka dat sumna sin pag-inanaan.
(One of the neighbors, intrigued by the story, decided to try their luck as well. They set out with their pig and reached the resting place.)
Pig: (squealing)
(nan ngalawngaw din uteg)
Old Woman: sinmawang sisya da et men damag no, layden da ay mangkaan si kuto na(appearing)
Neighbor: (Umegyat) Adek kaya ay mang egen sin sana da, Adek layden ay mang kaan si kutom)
((afraid) I can’t touch those creatures. I won’t remove the lice.)
Nan en-ena et inawis na daida ta umey da ay mangan si pang alas dose , ngem din nay kaaruba adi makakakan begew ta naila din sabsabi ay sapo di mausar na
(The old woman invited them to her house for lunch, but the neighbors couldn’t eat when they saw the strange utensils.)
Neighbor: (Madugdugis, Adik makakakaan)(disgusted) I can’t eat from these!Nan en-ena ay nay inayagan na danay ed mulaan na c pising, ngem da nay et wada agom da isunga nan ala da si adi da kaya ay awitin
(The old woman took them to her gabi field, but the neighbors were so greedy that they carried more than they could handle.)
Old Woman: Begew si kinaagom ya kinasuweng yu, men balin kayo si ginawang ay maila di ipugaw nu lumalaos da
((cursing) For your greediness and impoliteness, you will become lakes, forever seen by travelers on this road.)
Isunga, din nay kaaruba ay sin ina metlang, nan ina et nanbalin si Mother Lake Banao et nan balasang na nanbalin si Daughter Lake Banao, maipalagip enggana nan kina agom ya kina suweng nan nay nandaan
(And so, the woman and her daughter became Mother Lake Banao and Daughter Lake Banao, forever reminding travelers of their greed and impoliteness.)
DANSTAN ADIWANG
