What Is the Poem “Song” by N. V. M. Gonzales?
The poem titled “Song” by N. V. M. Gonzalez is as follows: Behold the bountiful land, the young hills and the corn; in the green river’s womb children are born; Honey’s in the forest, blue fish in the sea; the ash-gray of the clearings grows grain for me.
According to a statement made by Isagani R. Cruz in her article for PAHL books, this poet originally wrote in Tagalog. Because it can be assumed that translation techniques may vary between translators, there may be alternate word choices or phrases found for the poem “Song” by N. V. M. Gonzalez than those that are expressed here. Many works by Gonzalez are used as teaching tools in writing workshops and lesson plans.
The Philippine American Literary House, publishing house and distributor in American markets of Filipino books, states that N. V. M. Gonzalez (born Nestor Vicente Madali Gonzalez) was an author, poet and teacher who was born in the Philippines. Gonzalez is much celebrated; Our Own Voice, creators of “Filipinos in the Diaspora” literary magazine, show that his written works and his accomplishments in life continue to serve as inspiration for emerging Filipino and Filipino-American writers even after his death in 1999.
