Tigsík

When television was still a fortune, Bicolano families used to gather around a transistor radio weeknights and listen to Zimatar and his adventures. In Albay, the ritual would usually start at six o’ clock to listen also to the “rawit-dawit” and “tigsik” . The ritual died, though, not because Zimatar finally defeated Eng-eng but because of the invasion of the idiot box. Lalo na kung si FPJ ang palabas.

The death of the ritual also symbolized the “fading away” of “rawit-dawit” and “tigsik” particularly in Albay. From regular weeknights airing, these original Bikolano literary arts were moved to Sunday nights, then they were inserted in Harana, and were fully phased out.

Makamurumundo. But opposing change is like fighting the roaring water. Garo man sana an su pagbugtak ki Nabua Dam sa Baao na magpapalubog sa banwa na pinaghalean ni Jorge Barlin.

An mas makamurumundo, halos bibihira na an tatao mag-tigsik, an pinaka-simpleng literatury art kan mga Bikolano. Maski ngani maghapot ka kun ano an gustong sabihon kan tataramon na tigsik, siguradong madidipisilan ka sa pag-hanap kan makakasimbag na tama. Garo ka man sana kaan ang-hanap ki dagom sa ginapas na paroy.

Pero ano talaga an tigsik?

Sabi kan nagkakapirang propesor sa literatura, saro yan na “drinking verse”, a “toast” which usually starts with the words “I drink to…”.

An komento ko lang sa deskripsiyon na ini, medyo hababaw. Tigsik is more than a toast. It usually consists of four mono-rhyming lines having eight or twelve syllables per line. The rule on the count of the syllables, though, is not strict but the rhyming is. Toasts do not have rules on rhyme, etc. Tigsik has. Hiling ko ngani, puwede siyang ikumpara sa Japanese “Haiku”. Or, most appropriately, tigsik is a form of art that is in between a European/English toast and a Japanese Haiku.

Kaya lang, ano pa kaya an magiging sirbi makua ta man an tamang depinisyon kun mawawara man sana an arte? Sa totoo lang, bibihira na sana an tatao mag-tigsik. Pero sige-sige pa an irinuman. Katunayan, me kasabay pang videoke. 🙂