What is the English translated story of ibalon a bicol epic?

Answer 1

Here is the complete epic of Ibalon in English:

Baltog was a young man who was strong, kind and very handsome. He was the son of Handiong, the chieftain of their village. One day, his father talked to him about their miserable plight in the land of Samar. They had many enemies who would come every now and then and destroy their crops and kill their animals. Their people were dying of hunger because of lack of food. What was left to them was not enough to see them through another harvest season.

Our people are tired of fighting, son, his father said. They want a peaceful life with no hunger lingering around. Our animals are getting fewer in number each day. If this situation continues unabated, we will all die of hunger.

What do you want me to do, father? Baltog asked. His father looked at him straight in the eyes. Then he held his shoulders.

Find a place where our people can live peacefully and contentedly.

Baltog's eyes wandered around. He saw their people's miserable houses. He saw hunger and starvation in every child's faces. He saw resignation in very mother and father's faces. He too felt sad.

I am too old for the job so I'm putting it on your shoulder. You are young, strong and brave. I know you can do it. For me and for our people.

Handiong gave his blessing to Baltog. Baltog sailed out that night in a small boat that would take him to a place called Kabikulan. He had heard so much about the place and he thought it would be good if he could find a place there where he and his people could live for the rest of their lives. Out in the great sea, Baltog encountered a strong wind and huge waves that destroyed his boat. He had to swim and he almost drowned before he safely reached the shore off the coastal town of Kabikulan.

He begun wandering in Kabikulan, reaching as far as the land of Aslon and Inalon which had jurisdiction over the plain surrounded by the mountains of Asog, Masaragam, Isarog and Lignion. He found Ibalon a perfect place for him and his people. The soil was fertile and was suitable for root crops, rice and vegetables. It was also very ideal for their animals. It was like a land of milk and honey.

I want to have this place for me and my people, Baltog said to himself.

Baltog said it too soon. Because there lived in the mountains surrounding Ibalon several crocodiles that had wings and could fly, wild boar that was as big as an elephant and a snake with a head of a woman. But Baltog was decided to have Ibalon for their settlement area and so he fought the crocodiles and the boars with all his might. With his strength and skill in hand-to-hand combat, he was able to subdue all crocodiles and boar, killing them and cutting them into pieces. However, the snake with a woman's head was able to escape and left the mountain for another home.

Then he went home and told hid father about the land he had found for them. Wasting no time, Baltog and his father and all their people left Samar for Ibalon, their new home. Once settled Handiong and Balog taught their people several home industries to make a living. In no time, their lives changed for the better. They tilled the soil and it gave them bountiful harvest. In that land, hunger and starvation became for them, a thing of the past.