Chamoru Love Sayings
A student from my Zoom Chamoru classes recently asked me for some suggestions for some Chamoru sayings or words of wisdom that she could use for a speech she had to give for a friend's wedding.
I get this type of request pretty frequently and so over the years I have a number of lists of ways to say "I Love You" in Chamoru.
For years that was one of the my most visited pages on this blog, a simple page that had more than a dozen different ways to say "Hu Guaiya Hao" ranging from the poetic and deep, to the silly and sexy.
When I looked at many of those lists, I realized that the majority of the ways love was expressed, was indeed written in Chamoru, but not necessarily rooted in Chamoru.
What I mean by this, is that alot of the sayings were simply translated from English or variants of ways that love would be expressed in English.
For me, I am definitely in support of these sorts of things, I love having our language adapt and take on new forms, especially when they might be more relevant to newer learners and speakers.
But I also wanted to challenge myself to find some ways that Chamorus expressed love that was based on the experiences and expressions of our ancestors.
This turned out to be somewhat difficult.
While there were lots of Chamorrita songs, or improvisational verses from our past that expressed clearly deep or flirtatious love, this was not the case in terms of wisdom sayings.
Words spoken from the depth of experiences of an elder or a prior generation.
Most of those sayings, at least the ones that I've collected (and I have collected hundreds), dealt with love in cautionary ways, as in parents warning their kids not to give into the passions of love and instead respect their family or respect the Catholic Church.
This definitely reflects the Chamoru experience under colonization, whereby certain forms of social expression, especially those of public, romantic and sexual love, became restricted.
They could be spoken, but either between individuals who were married or only if couched in metaphors and invoked in Chamorrita or poetic form.
I was able to come across a few, although most seem to be more recent.
But I wanted to share them here, for others who may want to seek ways to express their love for others in Chamoru.
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An guaha guinaiya, guaha lina’la’ lokkue’.
If there is love, there is life.
Achokka’ dos hit, unu ha’ i korason-ta.
Even though we are two, we share one heart.
(If talking about two others, you can change the pronouns to reflect this. For example
Achokka’ dos hamyo, unu ha’ i korason-miyu
Although there are two of you, you share one heart.
Manmafåtto I etdot gi fina’mames
Ants come to that which is sweet (someone who is loving and kind always has friends and support of others)
Achokka’ ågupa’ ti agupa’-ta, på’go na ha’åni iyo-ta.
Even if tomorrow isn’t ours. Today is ours.
(If speaking to the bride and groom you can change the last pronoun to yours. For example)
Achokka’ agupa’ ti agupa’-ta, på’go na ha’åni iyon-miyu.
Even if tomorrow isn’t ours. Today is yours
Mina’ånglo i flores yanggen apmam ti ta rega
Mina’ånglo i guinaiya, yanggen apmam hit maleffa
Flowers dry out if they aren’t water for a long time
Love always dries up If we forget about each other for too long
I le’lo kulang mangguaiya. Gof mappot ma na’na
A cough is like being in love. Very difficult to hide.
Todu i bidå-hu gi lina’la’-hu, kalang ha chalalåni yu’ mågi para Hågu yan este na momento.
All that I have done in my life, it is as if it has led me here to you and to this moment.
(Changing the pronouns to speaking to the bride and groom would be as follows)
Todu i bidan-miyu gi lina’la’, kalang ha chalalåni hamyo mågi para este na momento
All that you have done in life, has led you both here to this moment.
Guinaiya kulang månglo. Ti siña un li’e’, lao siña un siente.
Love is like the wind. You can’t see it, but you can feel it.
Tåya’ åmot para manguaiguaiya fuera di mas guinaiya’.
There is no medicine for being in love, except for more love.
Hagu i pilån-hu, i atdao-ku yan i puti’on-hu siha
You are my moon, my sun and my stars.
Chamorrita verses
Yanggen lulok bai hu hulok,
(If it is iron I will break it,)
an kadena bai desåse.
(if it is a chain I will undo it.)
Bai atotga bumusero
(I will dare to be a diver)
yanggen gaige hao fondon tåse.
(if you're at the bottom of the sea.)
(Lalåhi)
Bunitåyi, bunitåyi,
apo’ mågi gi apagå-.‐hu.
Beautiful to me, beautiful to me
Lay your head on my shoulder
(Famalao’an)
Esta bente yu’ fumaisen
Hågu mina’bente unu
Hågu uttemo fumaisen
Neni tåya’ parehu‐mu.
Already 20 have asked me
You are the 21st
You are the last one to ask
Because baby there is no one like you
Yanggen bali manago' ga'ga',
si abang tentago'-hu.
Mina ya-hu si ababang,
sa' ha osge i malagu-hu.
If animals are messengers
a butterfly shall be mine
(O so attentive to its flower)
to carry my love to thine.
Todo i tasi hu laoyague,
Todo i tano' hu liliko'i.
Likidu cheulu- neni,
tunas yu sin ma fa'nu'i.
I sailed all the sea.
I travelled all the earth.
Fortunately, my sibling baby [lover]
I came straight without being shown.
inen mamanu i tronko?
Ginen papapa' gi edda'.
Sigi hulo' nai manramas,
para flores yan tinekcha'.
Behold jungle's sturdy trees . . .
Their roots penetrate the soil
Their branches reach for the sky
Bearing flowers and fruit in season.
Desde tronkon korason-hu,
este ottimon saga-mu.
Ya ni ngai'an un malayu,
sa' sumen mayahu sombra-mu.
So doth love rise from my heart
To shelter thee, nourish thee forever
and within its pleasant shade
shalt thou wither? Never. O Never
Ti sangånon minames-mo yan i mafñot kariñu-mo;
hu buettåye enteron isla, lao ti hu sodda' parehu-mo.
Your sweetness is unspeakable, nor your intense affection;
I scoured the entire breadth the island, but I didn't find anyone equal to you.
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