Another poem by the Filipino poet Jose Corazon de Jesus. Dugo is a short poem about bravery and how a valiant man has it flowing in his veins like blood.
Dugo (1929)
by Jose Corazon de Jesus
Apoy ng katawan na nagsusumulak,
At nananalaytay sa lahat ng ugat;
Sa sugat ngingiti na parang bulaklak,
Bulaklak na pulang tumubo sa saklap.
Katapangan itong kinatisan narin
Nang kung hanggang saan ang iyong gagawin;
Duwag na lalaki’y walang dugong angkin,
Nangurog ang ugat sa ngipin ng lagim.
Marami na tayong nalamang paraan,
Upang halungkatin iyang kasarinlan;
Nguni’t ang totoo, maanong patakan
Ng dugo, tingnan mo’t ang laya’y lilitaw.
Blood
Translated by Ron
Body’s fire pushing through,
And flowing at every vein;
Out of a wound it smiles like a flower,
A flower that in bitterness bloomed red.
You go on and side with bravery
Testing how far you are willing to go;
A coward man has no blood of his own,
His vein withers away at darkness’ teeth.
Many ways have now been achieved,
That enables us to search oneself;
But however one’s blood drops,
freedom will be seen emerging.