SONG AND SUBSTANCE:

Fernando Buyser’s Poetry, His Influence on His
Literary Milieu, and His Contribution to the
Development of the Cebuano Balak

The golden age of Cebuano poetry spanned four decades of the 20th century which were characterized by the ideals of independence and nationalism, the increase of commercial and economic endeavors, the rise and expansion of the middle class, the advocacy for liberal policies, and the growth of popular education. The years from 1906 to 1947 spanned the time when the works of Fernando Buyser, poet, writer, and cleric of the Philippine Independent Church were widely published and read, and when Cebuano writing and literary journalism prospered like never before. This study tackles his poetry, his influence on his fellow poets and writers, and his contribution to the development of the Cebuano balak. It includes, as well, a brief biography, an evaluation of his literary reputation, and an enumerative bibliography of his works.

As a published author, Buyser was admired by his peers who sought his counsel on matters regarding the art of poetry. Writing mostly in Cebuano, he pioneered in composing a Cebuano poetic form called the sonanoy. Best known as Floripinas for his poetry, he used the pen names Alibangbang (Butterfly) and Paring Bayot (Gay Priest) for his prose. His poetry leaned towards the tradition of pastoral and romantic poetry which celebrated nature and the lives of ordinary people. He also wrote about human sentiments or emotions using the techniques of the illustrative metaphor and the argument of the later English Renaissance period.

Fernando Buyser’s introductory work on traditional Cebuano oral poetry and his sample collection of old verse forms were published in Mga Awit Sa Kabukiran (Mountain Songs, 1912; 2nd ed. 1915) and Mga Awit Sa Kabukiran: Mga Balitaw, Kolilisi, Mga Garay Ug Mga Balak nga Hinapid (Mountain Songs: Balitaw, Kolilisi, Verses and Braided Poems, 1911; expanded. ed. 1924)—his best two anthologies of the poetic heritage of the Visayas. His literary power is evident in the correspondence he kept with his contemporaries. Buyser and his peers wrote each other in verse and when the poem saw publication, the poet to whom the poem had been dedicated would reply in the form of a verse.

The approach he utilized in his secular and sacred themes gave his ballads the musical techniques of the Cebuano language (rhyme, rhythm, and flow). His mastery of the music of the Cebuano language enabled him to experiment with the form of the balak, adopting the song-like poem into the intellectually challenging sonanoy, coined from the phrase sonata nga mananoy (harmonious melody). Buyer’s works arose from the cross-fertilization between Cebuano and Western literary forms. This trend influenced the development of the balak in free verse form that became popular among Cebuano writers and poets belonging to the generation of the 1970s-1990s.

The study concludes with an endorsement for future researchers to concentrate on understanding ethnic literary traditions, particularly those of hinterland and tribal groups whose culture is threatened by urbanization and changing values.



DR. MARJORIE EVASCO-PERNIA
Departamento ng Literatura at Wikang Filipino
Full Professor 4
Ph.D. in Literature, De La Salle University

THE URCO DIGEST
The Trimestral Publication of the University Research Coordination Office
De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines June 2002

SOURCE:

Pernia, Marjorie Evasco (2002, June). SONG AND SUBSTANCE:Fernando Buyser’s Poetry, His Influence on His Literary Milieu, and His Contribution to the Development of the Cebuano Balak. THE URCO DIGEST, p. 7. Retrieved from http://www.dlsu.edu.ph/offices/urco/publications/urcodigest_3-3.pdf