Ito ay kuwento ng dalawang magkasintahan na pilit pinaglalayo ng kani-kanilang mga magkaaway na angkan.
Noong bata pa ang mundo, sa isang bayan ay may isang dalawang makangayarihang angkan ang nag-aaway kung sino ang mas karapat-dapat na mamuno sa taong bayan. Parehas na makapangarihan ang bawat pamilya kung kaya’t hindi sila magkasundo. Ito ay ang angkan nila Datu Dinaganda at Datu Manoo.
Ang angkan ng mga Dinaganda ay may nag-iisang anak na dalaga na nagngangalang Marikit. Ang dalaga ay maganda at mabait. Mahal siya ng kanilang nasasakupan sapagkat siya ay matulungin at masayahin. Marami ring mga kalalakihan ang nanliligaw kay Marikit.
Samantalang sa angkan naman ng mga Manoo, pinagmamalaki nila ang kanilang panganay na anak na si Maksil. Ang binata ay makisig at matapang. Siya ay isang tunay na mandirigma. Dahil sa mga katangiang ito, maraming babae at maging mga lalaki ang humahanga kay Maksil.
Isang araw nang nangangaso ang magiting na binata ay nakita niya sa may talon ang magandang dalaga. Nagustuhan ni Maksil si Marikit kaya’t nilapitan niya ito at nagpakilala. Matapos noon ay hindi na nilubayan ng lalaki ang babae. Hindi naglaon naging magkasintahan ang dalawa.
Ngunit dahil nga sa mortal na magkaaway ang kani-kanilang angkan, sila ay palihim na nagkikita sa kung saan una silang nagkakilala.
Isang araw, pinasundan ni Datu Dinaganda si Marikit sa isang alipin. Nakita ng alipin na ang dalaga ay nakikipagtagpo sa anak ng mortal nilang kaaway. Isinumbong ng alipin si Marikit sa kanyang ama.
Nagalit si Datu Dinaganda at pinagbawalan ang dalaga na makipagkita sa kasintahan. Ngunit hindi papipigil ang dalaga sa kanyang nararamdaman para sa binata. Nag-isip ito ng plano upang makatakas sa palasyo at makipagkita sa iniirog upang yayain itong lumayo sa kanilang nag-aaway na angkan.
Isang tapat na alipin ni Marikit ang lihim na nagbigay ng mensahe kay Maksil upang makipagkita sa dalaga sa dati nilang tagpuan. Pumayag ang binata.
Nang gabing magkita ang magkasintahan, sila ay nagsumpaan na walang sino man ang makapaghihiwalay sa kanila. Subalit lingid sa kanilang kaalaman ay sinundan silang parehas ng kanilang mga angkan.
Pilit silang pinaglalayo sa isa’t isa ngunit nagpumiglas ang dalawa. Inilabas ni Maksil ang kanyang sandata at naghamon sa sino man ang lalapit.
Nang nakatakbo at nakapagtago ang dalawa mula sa mga humabol sa kanila. Inulit nila ang sumpaan na wala nang makapaghihiwalay sa kanila.Napag-isipan nila na ang tanging paraan upang hindi sila mapaglalayo ay kung parehas na silang walang buhay. Sa gayon wala nang magagawa ang kani-kanilang angkan.
Sa oras ding iyon ay kinitil ng magkasintahan ang kanilang buhay habang magkahawak pa rin sa isa’t isa.
Narinig ng mga diyosa ang sumpaan ng dalawa. Humanga ang mga ito sa kanilang pagmamahalan at nanghinayang na hindi nabigyan ng pagkakataon ang dalawa na magsama. Dahil dito, ginawa nilang munting mga loro ang magsing-irog.
Tulad ng sumpaan ng dalawa, ang mga munting loro (lovebirds) ay hindi puwedeng paghiwalayin kung hindi mamamatay ang mga ito dahil sa lungkot na mawala ang kasintahan.
English Version
When the world was young, in a faraway town, there were two families who were fighting for the right to govern the people. Both families were rich and powerful, which is why nobody would back down in the struggle to claim power over the town. These were the tribes of Datu Dinaganda and Datu Manoo.
The Dinaganda family had an only daughter named Marikit. The girl is loved by their servants because she is kind-hearted and helpful. She is also beautiful and cheerful which is why a lot of men wooed her to be their wife.
Meanwhile, the Manoo family also boasts of their eldest son, Maksil. He is a true warrior, being strong and brave. Many women as well as men admire Maksil for his characteristics.
One time, while Maksil was in the woods hunting, he spotted the beautiful Marikit by the falls. Maksil instantly fell in love with her. He introduced himself to the lady. Soon after, the two became a couple and were inseparable.
The two lovers had to keep their relationship a secret; they coming from families who were mortal enemies. They would sneak from their families to meet clandestinely.
One day while Marikit sneaked out of their house to meet Maksil, her father Datu Dinaganda, had her followed by a trusted servant. After seeing the lovers together, the servant rushed back to the Datu and reported what he saw.
Datu Dinaganda was angered by what he learned. He scolded Marikit and forbade her to see Maksil. But the girl was determined to continue the relationship. She devised a plan to meet up Maksil. She would ask him to take her away from their warring families.
Marikit asked her trusted servant to give Maksil her letter. He agreed to meet her in their usual meeting place.
That night when the two met up, the lovers promised that they would not let anyone get in the way of their love. However, unknown to them, they were both followed by their families.
Their fathers tried to separate the two but Maksil would not let them without a fight. He took out his machete and promised to strike anybody who would go near them.
The two were able to run away from the crowd and managed to hide themselves under a big tree. They repeated their promise to stay together. Suddenly, they realized that the only way to keep this promise is if they took away their lives together. Then their families could no longer do anything to separate them.
The lovers had already decided and they killed themselves while holding on to each other’s hands.
While the lovers were pledging their love to each other, the gods and goddesses had heard what they had promised to each other. They admired their pledge for each other. They were sorry that the lovers had to resort to death just so they could be together. Because of that, the gods and goddesses decided to make the lovers into birds so that they will have a chance to be together.
The birds were then called lovebirds. Just as the two had promised not to separate from each other, lovebirds cannot be separated from each other or else they would die from extreme loneliness.
Researched and Rewritten by Lovedy
Translated and Formatted by Daniel Andrei Garcia
