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One Hundred Love Poems: Philippine Love Poetry Since 1905
This anthology comprises love poems in English by Filipino poets over practically a hundred years from 1905 to the present. The aim is to give a long view, as it were, of the experience of love in our own time and not so much the concept or abstraction as, from poem to poem, the living, the experience.
- GenresPoetryAnthologies
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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451 people want to read
About the author
Gémino H. Abad
49 books21 followersThe poet and literary critic Gémino H. Abad was born on February 5, 1939 in Sta. Ana, Manila.
At present, he is a University Professor Emeritus at the University of the Philippines. His current writing and research include “Upon Our Own Ground”, a two- volume historical anthology of short stories in English, 1956- 1972, with critical introduction; “Our Scene So Fair”, a book of critical essays on the poetry in English since 1905 to the mid- 50s, and; “Where No Words break”, a volume of his own poems.
His parents are the noted novelist, playwright and essayist in Sugbuanon and Spanish, Antonio M. Abad, who was at one time Chair of the Department of Spanish in UP, and Jesusa H. Abad, professor of Spanish in UP. He is married to Mercedes A. Rivera, with whom he has five children.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, magna cum laude, from UP on 1963, and has been teaching English literature and creative writing since then in the UP Department of English and Comparative Literature, even after his retirement in 2004. He earned his Master’s degree with honors, 1966, and Ph.D in English, at the University of Chicago under a Rockefeller Fellowship Grant. In 1993, he was appointed University Professor in Literature, the highest academic rank at the University of the Philippines.
In UP, he served as Secretary of the University and the Board of Regents from 1977- 1982; as Vice- President for Academic Affairs, 1987- 1990, and; as Director of Likhaan: the UP Creative Writing Center, 1995- 1998. He was the first holder of the Carlos P. Romulo Professional Chair in Literature from 1982- 1983, and received the UP Outstanding Faculty Award for 1985- 1986. He was also holder of the Irwin Chair for Literature at the Ateneo de Manila University, 1993. He received the Chancellor’s Award as Best Office Administrator in 1998 for his management of the UP Creative Writing Center as its Director.
He was a Fellow at the Cambridge Seminar, Trinity College, University of Cambridge, 1988; a Fellow in the International Writers Program, University of Iowa, 1990; a Visiting Professor at the Center for Philippine Studies, University of Hawai’i at Manoa, 1991; a Fellow at the Oxford Conference on Teaching Literature Overseas, Corpus Christi College, 1995, and; Exchange Professor in Literature at St. Norbert College Wisconsin, 1998, and at Singapore Management University, 2003; represented the Philippines in the 3rd “Mediterranea International Festival of Literature and the Arts” in Rome, July 2006.
Abad is also a member of the UP Writers Club and founding member of the Philippine Literary Arts Council (PLAC), which puts out the Caracoa (since 1982)- the only poetry journal in English in Asia. He has served as director and member of the teaching staff in numerous Writers Workshops in UP, Siliman/ Dumaguete, MSU- IIT, and San Carlos University/ Cornelio Gaigao Workshop. He is a judge in various literary contests such as the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards, Graphic, Free Press, NVM Gonzales Fiction Awards, and Maningning Miclat Literary Awards. He is a speaker/ paper reader in various writers’ national conferences and various international conferences of scholars.
He was a columnist in The Manila Chronicle, a weekly column called “Exchange”, with NVM Gonzales, Sylvia Ventura and Luning Bonifacio Ira; The Evening Paper, a weekly column “Coming through”, with NVM Gonzales and Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo; Musa: The Philippine Literature Magazine, a monthly column called “Vates: Our Poets Speak”, and; Flip, a monthly column “Poet’s Clearing”.
He is cited in The Oxford Companion to the English Language, 1992, as among “poets of note”. He is also included in the Encyclopedia of Post- Colonial Literatures in English, ed. Eugene Benson and L. W. Conolly (London: Routledge, 1994) and the CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art (IX: Philippine Literature, 1994).
His awards include the Don Ca
At present, he is a University Professor Emeritus at the University of the Philippines. His current writing and research include “Upon Our Own Ground”, a two- volume historical anthology of short stories in English, 1956- 1972, with critical introduction; “Our Scene So Fair”, a book of critical essays on the poetry in English since 1905 to the mid- 50s, and; “Where No Words break”, a volume of his own poems.
His parents are the noted novelist, playwright and essayist in Sugbuanon and Spanish, Antonio M. Abad, who was at one time Chair of the Department of Spanish in UP, and Jesusa H. Abad, professor of Spanish in UP. He is married to Mercedes A. Rivera, with whom he has five children.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, magna cum laude, from UP on 1963, and has been teaching English literature and creative writing since then in the UP Department of English and Comparative Literature, even after his retirement in 2004. He earned his Master’s degree with honors, 1966, and Ph.D in English, at the University of Chicago under a Rockefeller Fellowship Grant. In 1993, he was appointed University Professor in Literature, the highest academic rank at the University of the Philippines.
In UP, he served as Secretary of the University and the Board of Regents from 1977- 1982; as Vice- President for Academic Affairs, 1987- 1990, and; as Director of Likhaan: the UP Creative Writing Center, 1995- 1998. He was the first holder of the Carlos P. Romulo Professional Chair in Literature from 1982- 1983, and received the UP Outstanding Faculty Award for 1985- 1986. He was also holder of the Irwin Chair for Literature at the Ateneo de Manila University, 1993. He received the Chancellor’s Award as Best Office Administrator in 1998 for his management of the UP Creative Writing Center as its Director.
He was a Fellow at the Cambridge Seminar, Trinity College, University of Cambridge, 1988; a Fellow in the International Writers Program, University of Iowa, 1990; a Visiting Professor at the Center for Philippine Studies, University of Hawai’i at Manoa, 1991; a Fellow at the Oxford Conference on Teaching Literature Overseas, Corpus Christi College, 1995, and; Exchange Professor in Literature at St. Norbert College Wisconsin, 1998, and at Singapore Management University, 2003; represented the Philippines in the 3rd “Mediterranea International Festival of Literature and the Arts” in Rome, July 2006.
Abad is also a member of the UP Writers Club and founding member of the Philippine Literary Arts Council (PLAC), which puts out the Caracoa (since 1982)- the only poetry journal in English in Asia. He has served as director and member of the teaching staff in numerous Writers Workshops in UP, Siliman/ Dumaguete, MSU- IIT, and San Carlos University/ Cornelio Gaigao Workshop. He is a judge in various literary contests such as the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards, Graphic, Free Press, NVM Gonzales Fiction Awards, and Maningning Miclat Literary Awards. He is a speaker/ paper reader in various writers’ national conferences and various international conferences of scholars.
He was a columnist in The Manila Chronicle, a weekly column called “Exchange”, with NVM Gonzales, Sylvia Ventura and Luning Bonifacio Ira; The Evening Paper, a weekly column “Coming through”, with NVM Gonzales and Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo; Musa: The Philippine Literature Magazine, a monthly column called “Vates: Our Poets Speak”, and; Flip, a monthly column “Poet’s Clearing”.
He is cited in The Oxford Companion to the English Language, 1992, as among “poets of note”. He is also included in the Encyclopedia of Post- Colonial Literatures in English, ed. Eugene Benson and L. W. Conolly (London: Routledge, 1994) and the CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art (IX: Philippine Literature, 1994).
His awards include the Don Ca
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 15, 2014
This year's Valentine's read of mine. I started last Friday (the V-day) as I was frantic to catch up the red fever that went on the whole day in the office and ended yesterday while resting after a day's weekend activities in a nearby mall. It was all worth the trouble (of trying to feel the love).
It is not hard not to dislike the book. In other words, it is easy to like the book. 100 poems of love and love being a universal feeling and love coming in various forms, you just feel an affinity to this book even if you are 19 or 90 years old. The hundred poems were also written by various (some I knew, some for the first time) Filipino poets. Then the span of time they are written is really expansive: from 1905 to 2003 (the book was first published in 2004) so it is really interesting to see how the Filipino ways of expressing love in words has changed although of course love, being a constant, is still the same no matter how many years or centuries have passed or will pass.
This year, I'll be turning 50 years old and there is just one and only love (eros, that is) in my heart and that is intended only for my wife. However, while reading the poems about lost love, I could not help but think and imagine those past lost love that I had with other women. Why is it that all (well, based on this book) great love poems are about lost - or about to be lost - love? For example, the one that I liked most here is Justine U. Camacho's Seven Years Later Driving Home particularly these lines: "If I had known that afternoon in August, I would have stayed rooted there. Watching you. Nineteen yet and dreamy. I felt the years deaden me, one by one. Nice lines that strike directly into my heart. Just because I had my first serious love when I was 19 and lost it six years after. Anyway, we can't help it when we read love poems, can we? Poems, as well as prose, bring back memories of happiness and sadness. Sadness, especially.
There are other poems here that are truly great. Some of them were written by my old-time favorite writers or familiar names like Jim Pascual Agustin, Jose Garcia Villa, Nick Joaquin, Edith L. Tiempo, Cirilo F. Bautista, Alred A. Yuson, NVM Gonzales, Marne L. Kilates, Emmanuel Lacaba, Allan Popa, Bino Realuyo, Jose Y. Dalisay, Eric T. Galimanda, Danton Remoto, R. Zamora Linmark and Lourd Ernest H. de Veyra. Yet, the one that I liked most was the one of Justine U. Camacho (who is she? I do not know). Ha-ha!
Anyway, if you want to catch up with the February love fever, go for this book. That is if you, of course, dig some poetry in your reading. Poems are easier to read because you can stand up in a corner in a mall while waiting for your companion, read one poem and then think about it while walking to your next destination. You just have to choose a companion who does not talk to much so you can ponder on the message of the poem or better yet, someone who also loves poetry so you can share those thoughts about love.
Belated Happy Valentine's day to all my Goodreads friends!
It is not hard not to dislike the book. In other words, it is easy to like the book. 100 poems of love and love being a universal feeling and love coming in various forms, you just feel an affinity to this book even if you are 19 or 90 years old. The hundred poems were also written by various (some I knew, some for the first time) Filipino poets. Then the span of time they are written is really expansive: from 1905 to 2003 (the book was first published in 2004) so it is really interesting to see how the Filipino ways of expressing love in words has changed although of course love, being a constant, is still the same no matter how many years or centuries have passed or will pass.
This year, I'll be turning 50 years old and there is just one and only love (eros, that is) in my heart and that is intended only for my wife. However, while reading the poems about lost love, I could not help but think and imagine those past lost love that I had with other women. Why is it that all (well, based on this book) great love poems are about lost - or about to be lost - love? For example, the one that I liked most here is Justine U. Camacho's Seven Years Later Driving Home particularly these lines: "If I had known that afternoon in August, I would have stayed rooted there. Watching you. Nineteen yet and dreamy. I felt the years deaden me, one by one. Nice lines that strike directly into my heart. Just because I had my first serious love when I was 19 and lost it six years after. Anyway, we can't help it when we read love poems, can we? Poems, as well as prose, bring back memories of happiness and sadness. Sadness, especially.
There are other poems here that are truly great. Some of them were written by my old-time favorite writers or familiar names like Jim Pascual Agustin, Jose Garcia Villa, Nick Joaquin, Edith L. Tiempo, Cirilo F. Bautista, Alred A. Yuson, NVM Gonzales, Marne L. Kilates, Emmanuel Lacaba, Allan Popa, Bino Realuyo, Jose Y. Dalisay, Eric T. Galimanda, Danton Remoto, R. Zamora Linmark and Lourd Ernest H. de Veyra. Yet, the one that I liked most was the one of Justine U. Camacho (who is she? I do not know). Ha-ha!
Anyway, if you want to catch up with the February love fever, go for this book. That is if you, of course, dig some poetry in your reading. Poems are easier to read because you can stand up in a corner in a mall while waiting for your companion, read one poem and then think about it while walking to your next destination. You just have to choose a companion who does not talk to much so you can ponder on the message of the poem or better yet, someone who also loves poetry so you can share those thoughts about love.
Belated Happy Valentine's day to all my Goodreads friends!
August 10, 2011
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual celebration held every February 14th to celebrate love and affection worldwide. The day was dedicated to a saint named, Valentine. A one day celebration that traditionally lovers express their love for each other by gifts, chocolates, flowers or a kiss, they usually have this so called date. And in my 17 years of existence I never enjoyed Valentine's Day and parallel to that I never enjoyed love poems.
Love poems are usually poems that express love between partners; they associated with passion, lust and eternal love to each other. Popular poets like Neruda, wrote most of his poems to his wife and most of them were love poems even new generation poets started writing poems by practicing their talents by love, ugh, poems. It is easy or maybe not, to write love poems just to express love through words and indentions.
UP Publication, the leading school in the Philippines and published most of the best local books, compiled and published One Hundred Love Poems: Philippine Love Poetry Since 1905. The compilation included works of a popular, new, out-of-this-world authors that shared love to their partners and lustful memories in the past. The book was edited by Gémino H. Abad, a Cebuano critic and a poet, and Alfred A. Yuson, also known as Kip Yusan and authored 19 books from children's to adult books.
This book presented masterpieces of every local authors and well chosen from the titles from the years that each author represented. The hard work of 2 famous editors had become sensational as to share the best among the best in poetry. Unfortunately, some minor or maybe major problem occurred to me as a reader because I never enjoyed cheesy love poems.
As an imperfect reader and of course, as a loner, I misjudged this book because I push myself to read this thin but very strongly written book. I did not judged this book well and I'm not sure if I gave this the right stars needed. At least in the end, I knew what to do with the book next time and I have to be picky with the books I read. I'm very sorry to the girl who lend her copy of this book, don't worry, I still enjoyed Angelo V. Suárez's poems. Last question, why do poets have to use jargon words?
Review posted on Old-Fashioned Reader .
Rating: One Hundred Love Poems: Philippine Love Poetry Since 1905 by Gémino H. Abad (Editor) and Alfred A. Yuson (Editor), 3 Sweets
Challenges:
Book #217 for 2011
Book #3 for Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa Contest
Love poems are usually poems that express love between partners; they associated with passion, lust and eternal love to each other. Popular poets like Neruda, wrote most of his poems to his wife and most of them were love poems even new generation poets started writing poems by practicing their talents by love, ugh, poems. It is easy or maybe not, to write love poems just to express love through words and indentions.
UP Publication, the leading school in the Philippines and published most of the best local books, compiled and published One Hundred Love Poems: Philippine Love Poetry Since 1905. The compilation included works of a popular, new, out-of-this-world authors that shared love to their partners and lustful memories in the past. The book was edited by Gémino H. Abad, a Cebuano critic and a poet, and Alfred A. Yuson, also known as Kip Yusan and authored 19 books from children's to adult books.
This book presented masterpieces of every local authors and well chosen from the titles from the years that each author represented. The hard work of 2 famous editors had become sensational as to share the best among the best in poetry. Unfortunately, some minor or maybe major problem occurred to me as a reader because I never enjoyed cheesy love poems.
As an imperfect reader and of course, as a loner, I misjudged this book because I push myself to read this thin but very strongly written book. I did not judged this book well and I'm not sure if I gave this the right stars needed. At least in the end, I knew what to do with the book next time and I have to be picky with the books I read. I'm very sorry to the girl who lend her copy of this book, don't worry, I still enjoyed Angelo V. Suárez's poems. Last question, why do poets have to use jargon words?
By the way, do you know any idea how to enjoy an epic valentine's day? I usually lock myself in my room for 24 hours and sometimes I just walk straight without knowing that there are 2 lovers kissing at my side. When I was young, my school asked all the students to pinned a small heart shape red cartolina on our uniform. Sad to say, the school is taking it seriously until now.
Review posted on Old-Fashioned Reader .
Rating: One Hundred Love Poems: Philippine Love Poetry Since 1905 by Gémino H. Abad (Editor) and Alfred A. Yuson (Editor), 3 Sweets
Challenges:
Book #217 for 2011
Book #3 for Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa Contest
January 5, 2020
Even if Gemino H. Abad and Alfred A. Yuson have been institutional: an elite literary duo whose acclaim is set by the establishments they represent, at least by their efforts to anthologize is notable. Even if at times, what they do know, is not what really represent true Philippine literature.
This 100 love Filipino poems in English is a musical festive, but I do feel weary that the choices are not the best. For instance, there could be another poem better than what they had chosen from Jose Garcia Villa. Or from Cirilio Bautista. Not all wins outstanding either, as some poems do break, or too exact therefore rough. But, it is somehow reconsiderable, as writing a love poem is not really the best task. As Rilke said time and time again—avoid writing so. However, if one begins in writing poems, the typical start is to muse about love. In the end, this collection can at least be a gatekeeper, or maybe a better word: a muse who lures novice readers to explore poetry—and write their own. If not, it is a good Sunday read and can be a guiding guitarist to make the eyes hear.
Moreover, Abad, who have been a verbose poet, a walking musical hero among the scholar poets, somehow, convinces, too, in his introduction. He had written a lyrical essay—a good one, which at least, can be better kept than some of the poems here him and Yuson anthologized. And he was never wrong, when he put an excursion to Auden's lines which were also used by one of the poets in this collection:
"About love and the chemistry of its weathers, they were never wrong, the poets..."
This 100 love Filipino poems in English is a musical festive, but I do feel weary that the choices are not the best. For instance, there could be another poem better than what they had chosen from Jose Garcia Villa. Or from Cirilio Bautista. Not all wins outstanding either, as some poems do break, or too exact therefore rough. But, it is somehow reconsiderable, as writing a love poem is not really the best task. As Rilke said time and time again—avoid writing so. However, if one begins in writing poems, the typical start is to muse about love. In the end, this collection can at least be a gatekeeper, or maybe a better word: a muse who lures novice readers to explore poetry—and write their own. If not, it is a good Sunday read and can be a guiding guitarist to make the eyes hear.
Moreover, Abad, who have been a verbose poet, a walking musical hero among the scholar poets, somehow, convinces, too, in his introduction. He had written a lyrical essay—a good one, which at least, can be better kept than some of the poems here him and Yuson anthologized. And he was never wrong, when he put an excursion to Auden's lines which were also used by one of the poets in this collection:
"About love and the chemistry of its weathers, they were never wrong, the poets..."
June 28, 2020
It's all about one thing: Love. And this shows that there are many ways to the say the same thing. I commend the attempt at compiling Filipino poetry in English written along a hundred years. It provides representation at the changing sensibilities in terms of romantic affection.
It may not be the editor's fault, but this anthology shows that, in 2003, Filipino poets still write in the Romantic tradition. Or is it because the subject matter is Love? Nonetheless, I was hoping for more Modernist or Postmodernist poems, some experimentation in language and form.
It may not be the editor's fault, but this anthology shows that, in 2003, Filipino poets still write in the Romantic tradition. Or is it because the subject matter is Love? Nonetheless, I was hoping for more Modernist or Postmodernist poems, some experimentation in language and form.
October 22, 2021
I loved it. I picked it up from our school library and reading those pieces felt like falling in love.
March 3, 2011
AMAZING ! :D
June 10, 2015
Different styles of writing are used in here. We can reflect this poems on ourselves also in one way or another because of it's wordings
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews