Pongso nu Ta-u ya
This is the island of Ta-u
Kwana ni Omzapaw
Declared Omzapaw the God of Heaven
And he sent down Kawalan and Lalitan

With arms wide open, looking up at the ultimate space of the universe and the ocean, they cried out
Inapu da yamen nu Ta-u do Pongso
We are the primogenitors of this Island of Mankind
Pongso namen ya Ta-u
This is our Ta-u’s island-nation of the ocean

The Grandpa God of Heaven declares
Sunlight of the universe. Moonlight of the universe. Eye-planets of the universe
Peiyangangayin nyo zezaken o ratei no peicya mahamahataw na
You must equally share with Earth Island the light you radiate
Peiyangangayin nyo vunungen kankanda nu Ta-u na
You must equally distribute the foods of all the races on Earth
Ori ipei panokonokong da du karawan
So that the planet mankind inhabit will sustain and last forever

After billions of years of the sunlight, moonlight, and starlight cycles
Matazak ku rana du karawan ya
Under the gaze of the universe, I was born
Ni katazakan ko a Pongso am
The island I was born
Oned nu wawa
Is the heart of the ocean

"Jyagewat" is the name Grandpa gave to me
Jyagewat lifted the looming veil of the universe
Grandpa Omzapaw smiled, and said
Araw mazezak so cirayin
Sunlight makes you clearly see the vastness of the earth surface
Araw
Divides the earth equally into eastern and western hemispheres
Sunlight in the east, moonlight in the west; they are in a cycle of love
Icyakmei mu apapaz nu wawa
He makes you see clearly you are the smallest plankton in the ocean

Maka ciglang ka su pahad
May your bare life be a powerful soul

Vehan a makedep so zezaken
Moonlight shines faintly on the earth surface
Vehan
Divides the earth equally into northern and southern hemispheres
Spring and summer in the north, fall and winter in the south
High tide in the northern hemisphere, low tide in the southern hemisphere; they are in a cycle of love
He makes you see clearly your own illusory shadow
Rakpen mu cirecireng ku
May your bare life be a learned soul

Mata nu angit a jyahesep a mahataw
The inextinguishable eyes of the sky are islands of the universe
They make up the perfect face of the vast universe
The eternal planet where your soul rests

Jyagewat lifted the drifting veil of the ocean
Manama, Grandpa God of the Sea, smiled and said
The horizon expands the vastness of the universe
The ocean surface emerges petals of broken waves
Looking up from the vast underwater world
They are the eyes of the oceanic universe
He makes you clearly see the eternal fragility
In the soul of your body

Jyagewat lifted the veil of tropical rainforest
Jyabag, Grandpa God of the Tree, smiled and said
Itap, Cyayi, Cipuwu
Pangohen, Puraw . . . .
Jyagewat, you should sing for their souls
They are sacred trees of Tatala
You will sail in the boundless oceanic universe
Your Tatala is a piece of scale of the oceanic universe

Jyagewat lifted the blue veil of the water world
Mavaheng su Panid, God of Black-winged Flying Fish, guffawed and said
Finally, Jyagewat, finally, you are here
I will tame your humble soul as a man
The prettiest, freshest fish for women (female domination)
The unpleasant, stupid fish for yourself (male subordination)
Flying fish are edible for all male and female, the elderly and the young (equal share)
Do you know that?
Finally, Jyagewat smiled
A modest soul

Wild waves of the typhoon day
Wild wind and torrential rain of the typhoon day
You have to use your body to resist their arrogance
And protect your clan, your house, and your family

A bright sunny day, a hot season
Your body is the roof of your clan
Do you know that?
Finally, Jyagewat smiled
A devoted soul

The Invasion of Covid-19 the pernicious disease
Use your strong chest to resist the virus destroying the health of your family
The eyes of the sky is the beacon of your spirit
The vast ocean is the tamer of your wisdom
The wild environment is the designer of your life
The black-winged flying fish is the supreme guide of your navigation

When the shades of world imperial powers discriminate against your ethnic dignity
Your body becomes the shooting range to resist the invaders
Because your name is Jyagewat
Born in Pongso nu Ta-u
The extreme periphery of the terrestrial planet
The center of the oceanic planet
now
I wish I were a piece of fish scale in the ocean
Drifting with the currents and the waves
The torch in the sky (the sun), the flame in the sky (the moon)
The eyes of the sky, the name of the wind, the shadow of the clouds
encircling the planet of the universe
Roaming the water world of the ocean



NOTES
1. Si Omzapaw: For the Ta-u, Si Omzapaw is the God of Heaven (God of the Universe), also called Grandpa God of Heaven.

2. In the Ta-u legend, K
awalan (Bamboo Woman) and Lalitan (Stone Man) are ancestors of the Red-head tribe, the oldest tribe in Lanyu, the Orchid Island.

3. The eyes of the sky: The phrase means “Stars of the universe,” the planets in the solar system.

4. Jyagewat means unmovable island, suggesting persistent, solid, and never to be shaken.

5. Manama is God of Love-Making, who creates mankind, according to the legend of the Red-Head tribe.

6. Jyabag is God of Ship-Making in the legend of the Red-Head tribe.

7. Jyagewat means as hard and tough as a rock.

* Island of Mankind: Lanyu, the Orchid Island, is specifically referred to as the Island of Mankind.

** Currently the poet is working on the studies of Kawalan and Lalitan, the Red-Head Tribe legend of Creation, and Mavaheng su Panid, the God of Black-winged Flying Fish, and will be published as A Historical Study of the Red-Head Tribe by Taiwan Historica and the Council of Indigenous Peoples.