Tagalog Texts with Grammatical Analysis

17. The pet monkey.

Andrés had a pet monkey which he prized very highly, because this monkey gave him much service. At night the monkey spread out his sleeping-mat for him; in the morning it handed him his water for washing, and whatever order he gave was obeyed by the monkey.

Every night this monkey slept underneath the bedstead on which its master slept. This was not pleasing to the latter, for owing to its great value, Andrés wanted to give it a good place to sleep in. However, no matter what efforts Andrés made to force it, his pet monkey could not be brought to sleep in any other place.

Andrés was a man who feared and loved God. Therefore, every night, before he went to sleep, he made the Sign of the Cross and called upon God. At his bed-time every night he found that his monkey was already under his bedstead. Not once did he get ahead of the monkey in going to bed.

One day the priest of the town visited Andrés in his house. After some time had elapsed in conversation, Andrés told the priest that he had a pet monkey which was very useful, because it served him well and obeyed his every command, and he also said that this monkey was more diligent than his other servants.

The priest was much surprised and asked that the monkey be shown to him. So Andrés called the monkey. Usually the monkey came at once at a single call by Andrés, but on this occasion it did not appear even when he had called ten times. Andrés got angry, arose, and looked for the monkey in the nooks and corners of the house.

He found it in a corner, clinging tightly to a post. He called it and tried to get it out of the corner, but the monkey would not come away, no matter what Andrés did to it. Therefore he called the priest to look at his pet monkey there in the corner.

At the approach of the priest the monkey trembled with fear. The priest conceived the suspicion that this monkey was an evil spirit. So he made the Sign of the Cross, and blessing a little water, sprinkled it over the monkey.

When the water struck the latter’s body, there was a report like that of a gun, and in the place of the monkey they saw only some smoke, which soon disappeared.

Thereupon the priest questioned Andrés concerning his faith in God. Andrés said that his firm faith had not changed and that he prayed every night before going to sleep. The priest then asked where the monkey used to sleep. Andrés answered that it slept every night under his bedstead.

Thereupon the priest informed him that this monkey was an evil spirit which had been lying in wait for him, and that if he had ever failed to call upon God before he went to sleep, on that very night the evil spirit would have thrown him into Hell.

18. The old man of the ant-hill by light of day.

Pedro was a brave man. He had often heard stories about vampires, dwarves, sorcerers, and old men of the ant-hill, but what made Pedro wonder was why he had never chanced to meet even a single one of these creatures. He wanted to get a sight of at least one of them, so that he might know whether it was true that they had powers not common to most persons.

One night he walked about in a dark and haunted place, because he had heard that many people had there seen an old man of the ant-hill.

The cigar of such an old man is of terrifying size, and when he draws at it, the light given forth is like the light of a bonfire.

On this night he had gone some distance on his ramble, when he saw a flare of light. His hair stood on end and he thought of going back, but he overcame his fear and continued on his walk.

He was met by the smoker. When he approached, Pedro examined the old man’s figure, but as he did not succeed in gratifying his curiosity, he was taken with the desire of seeing the old man by daylight. To bring this about, he would have to hold the old man fast, for these spirits return to their abode in Hell or some other place of the kind as soon as morning comes.

Therefore what he did was suddenly to seize hold of the old man. The latter began to wrestle with him. Sometimes Pedro was below, sometimes he was on top, but he did not let go of the old man. He held him as tightly as possible and made up his mind that he would follow no matter where the old man bore him, should the latter prove stronger than he.

They wrestled till three o’clock. By this time Pedro was as tired as can be and ready to sink to the ground, but he did not let go of his fellow-wrestler. When four o’clock came his opponent ceased to move. When another half hour had passed, the rays of the sun began to fall upon them, but it was not yet light enough for Pedro to make out what sort of thing it was he had hold of. When five o’clock came, he was greatly surprised to see that he was embracing a post which was not much higher than he. It was, however, firmly fixed in the ground and completely charred.

19. Juan’s goblin.

One night Juan while rambling about, crossed a river. While he was still on the bank and just walking on the sandy beach, he felt some sand being showered on his back. He thought he would watch for the person who was throwing sand on him and catch him, so, while walking, he kept turning suddenly right about at short intervals, but he saw nothing.

This frightened him a little, and he began to wonder if he was not perhaps dealing with some old man of the ant-hill or some goblin. Therefore he hastened his running, but the faster he went, the more frequent grew the striking of sand on his back. His fear increased and he returned home running with all his might.

When he got there he was out of breath and unable to speak. It was only when he had rested a while that he was able to answer the many questions of his father and the other members of the household. He told his father that he had been pursued by dwarves on his walk and showered with sand.

His father asked him where the scene of this was, and he said on the bank of the river. His father burst into peals of laughter and said that these were no dwarves, but only his own feet, which sent the sand up on his back at every stride he made.

But Juan refused to believe this, and for several days he did not leave the house. His father therefore wanted to show him the truth of what he had said, so one night he told Juan to go for a walk to that same place, and he would accompany him.

Juan consented and they both went to the river-bank. When they got there, Juan’s father dropped behind. When Juan walked on the sandy beach and felt the sprinkling of sand on his back, he was again filled with terror and shouted to his father that they were already starting to throw sand on his back.

He made Juan come back and walk on again. This time he followed at his back. Accordingly Juan’s father saw that every time Juan took a step, the sandals he was wearing carried along some sand, and when he raised his foot the sand thus carried along was sprinkled on his back.

His father now had him take off the sandals he was wearing and made him walk on again. This time, no matter how much ground Juan walked over, he felt no scattering of sand on his back.

From this time on he had no more fear of old men, dwarves, vampires, and other spooks.

20. Juan the suitor.

Young Maria was famed for beauty in her district. She had no suitors, however, except only Juan. But Maria’s father had a great dislike for Juan. Juan could converse with the girl he was courting only in secret, for when Maria’s father knew of it, he would punish them both with his stick.

Sometimes, when the father’s anger was great, he used a club on Juan, so that he was in danger of getting his bones broken whenever they were caught talking together.

One dark night Maria’s father had gone out. When Juan found this out, he went to Maria’s to talk with her. They forgot themselves in their conversation, and so were surprised by Maria’s father on his return.

He was at once filled with anger and in a loud voice addressed Juan: “What do you want, you brute? I’ve told you not to set foot in my house here. What do you mean by coming here?”

And when he had said this he seized a bamboo cane and made ready to give Juan a caning. In his terror the latter jumped out of the window, but he was followed by the father. So he took to running with all his might.

The night was dark as coal and he could not make out which way to go, but he kept running nevertheless. He fell on his face again and again as he ran, but he got up quickly and kept on running.

It was not long before he came upon a large black object. He recognized it as a carabao, so he leaped quickly on its back and made it run.

Riding on a carabao is not very difficult, owing to the breadth of its back and the slowness of its pace. Therefore, even though he had no reins, Juan was not afraid to ride. Owing to the darkness of the night it happened that in his mounting he faced the tail-end of the carabao and not the head.

He urged on the carabao. Now it happened that this carabao was owned by Maria’s father. It was not long before Juan saw a lighted house in the direction toward which the carabao was going. He confidently expected that this house was his neighbor’s. Therefore he got down from the carabao and went up into the house on the run.

Great was his surprise and terror when, upon entering, he was met by Maria’s father and beaten all over his body and addressed: “What have you come back for? Haven’t I got rid of you yet, you shameless rascal?”

When Juan came to himself he jumped from the porch and ran toward home, but this time he did not ride on anything.

21. Maria the miser.

When Maria was still alive, she lived in her pleasant house in the middle of wide grounds with beautiful gardens and trees. As she was very rich, her life was one constant pleasure.

She had not reached the age of forty years, when she died. All her wealth she divided between her sister and the church. She did not remember the poor acquaintances and those of her neighbors who were poor.

The sister who was left had a series of masses said during the seven days after death, so that Maria’s soul might be admitted by Saint Peter at the gates of heaven.

When her sister Maria was still alive, she was known far and wide for her avarice. She herself rarely had masses said or made offerings of candles. When beggars asking for alms called on her, she had them driven away and gave them no alms. Often also she had them chased with dogs. She forced her peons to work without pay, and when she gave them rations it was without meat or vegetables,—only boiled rice with salt. To propitiate her, her peons, whenever they went home, brought chickens, eggs, young pigs, and vegetables or fruits to give to Maria. They did not make these presents for love of Maria, but as a kind of bribe, so that they might not be too harshly treated during their stay in her house. But when Maria went to the country to her workmen, she appropriated without saying a word and without paying for it, everything she saw in their house that took her fancy. When, for instance, she saw at her workmen’s a new basket, tray, sieve, sack, mat, pot, cup, dipper, brazier, or other household utensil, she took it and carried it off to her house. When she could not make use of the things she had taken, she sold them. She acted in the same way about animals that belonged to her servants. In this way she had quickly grown rich.

When she had been dead about three days, her sister was at her house, spending the period of mourning. One evening, when she was walking in the garden she came to the side of a well that was in the yard. She was surprised, for from the depth of the well she heard someone calling her name. She turned her head toward the well and there she again clearly heard the calling, although she could see nobody whatever.

The voice said: “My sister, I am Maria. I am paying now for my life of avarice, selfishness and cruelty. I am here in the Lord’s place of punishment for all sinners. If it may be, do not follow my example, but seek some means to save me from the boiling oil here which is now my place of dwelling.”

Her sister was much grieved then and went at once to the priest to ask to what means she could resort to rescue her sister from Hell. The priest advised her to go to a certain town where there was a wonder-working image of Saint Peter. This image of Saint Peter talked with people and advised various means of getting into Heaven. This was its miracle.

Maria’s sister went immediately to the town where stood the miraculous Saint Peter. When she got there and talked with Saint Peter, she told him the whole story. She said that her sister had told her that her avarice, selfishness, and cruelty had caused her to be thrown into Hell.

“In that case,” said Saint Peter, “find you but one single person, animal, or plant that was the object of an act of kindness on the part of your sister. When you have managed to find it, come back to me, and I shall give you a means to rescue your sister from damnation.”

Maria’s sister went home to their town at once and there she inquired of all the townspeople which of them owed any debt of gratitude to her sister, or which of them had been well treated or kindly spoken to by her. But not one of them was able to answer. The animals also of the neighbors and on Maria’s own grounds were interrogated by her, but here she found none that had been done a kindness by her sister.

One dog, a creature of skin and bones, said to her: “One afternoon I was very hungry. I found a bone in her yard. I seized it and was carrying it off, when she saw me. She had me chased at once, and when I dropped the bone she had it buried in the ground. Was that an act of kindness?”

The grief of Maria’s sister became much greater, and her hope of rescuing her sister from damnation was gradually failing. She began to question the plants in her sister’s yard. She took one by one all the gourds, pumpkins, cucumbers, chile peppers, melons, sincamas, peanuts, egg-plants, cow-peas, and onions and garlic, and other vegetables. She did not find among them that which she sought. She also went through the trees. She made inquiry, one after the other, of the chico, anona, custard-apple, mabolo, grape-fruit, orange, lime, and casoy trees. But here too her labor gave no result; only the group of the garden-plants she had not yet questioned, and if here she did not find what she sought, there would be nothing for her to do about the punishment her sister was undergoing. She went to them all, but there were not any who could say that they had received any kindness from Maria.

At the very last the sister went to the side of the well, and there she questioned all the blades of grass. When night came there was only one head of grass which she had not yet questioned. Full of fear and hope she approached it.

She asked the head of grass which grew by the side of the well: “When my sister was alive, did she ever do you an act of kindness?”

“Oh, your sister?” answered the grass, “Yes, it was she who gave me new life. Last summer my blades were all withered and I was near to dying, but your sister bathed one evening by the side of this well. As she bathed, some water was sprinkled on me, so that I grew again and my withered blades became fresh once more.”

Maria’s sister could not contain the joy which arose in her, and that very night she returned to Saint Peter. Saint Peter gave her a rosary and told her to go home and to hang this rosary down into the well. She was to call Maria and let her take hold of the rosary; by this means her sister could be rescued from damnation.

She went home at once, and hardly was the sun shining, when she came to the yard of the deceased Maria. She approached the well, let down the rosary, and called her sister. Maria emerged from under the water and took hold of the rosary. Her sister began to pull at the rosary and she was slowly lifted up.

As she was thus being rescued, some other souls too wanted to escape from Hell. So they all took hold of Maria’s feet, when they saw that she was being rescued from damnation. But when only Maria’s feet were still under water, she shook her two feet, so that the souls who had hold of her should have to let go.

When she did this the rosary broke and she at once fell into the well, and from that time on her sister was never again able to communicate with her.

The sister went back to Saint Peter and told him what had happened, but Saint Peter said that there was no longer anything that they could do to save her sister from Hell.