A life without

trace
Jose M. Gallardo
 Kapampangan poet or folk poet of Pampanga
 Born in Candaba, Pampanga on January 20, 1918
 At age of six, he acted as an apuntador (prompter) and at
age of 13, he was a popular participant in bulaklakan (a
game of flowers)
 Known for authenticating the folk cultural tradition of
Pampanga
 Writer of the poem “Ing Bie Alang Bakas” or “A Life
Without Trace”
 A Life Without Trace

I have reached the end

of the road,
what do I find…? A grave in black shroud.

The only mark

my life has left;
A body in decay, a naked shadow.

No matter how I look into my life,

I find that my labors have been
in vain, all has been failure.
So this is life
in this world
the impotent act leads to nothingness.

The only mark

of one’s past life
is a skull nobody would even bother to pick
up and cover with earth.

Translation by Rosalina Icban-Castro