PALAISIPAN
root word: isip, meaning 'to think'
palaisipan
puzzle, riddle
mga palaisipan
puzzles, riddles
mga palaisipan
puzzles, riddles
In May 1889, while living in London, Jose Rizal contributed these examples of Tagalog puzzles to the Trübner’s Record, a journal devoted to the literature of the East. Their brevity puts them more in the category of bugtong (riddles).
Isang butil na palay sikip sa buong bahay
One rice grain fills up all the house.
liwanag
the light
Dala ako niya, dala ko siya.
He carries me, I carry him.
sapatos
shoes
Isang balong malalim, puno ng patalím.
A deep well filled with steel blades.
bunganga
mouth
Matapang ako so dalawa, duwag ako sa isa.
I am brave against two, coward against one.
(bamboo bridge)
Explanation: When the bridge is made of one bamboo only, it is difficult to pass over; but when it is made of two or more, it is very easy.
One rice grain fills up all the house.
liwanag
the light
Dala ako niya, dala ko siya.
He carries me, I carry him.
sapatos
shoes
Isang balong malalim, puno ng patalím.
A deep well filled with steel blades.
bunganga
mouth
Matapang ako so dalawa, duwag ako sa isa.
I am brave against two, coward against one.
(bamboo bridge)
Explanation: When the bridge is made of one bamboo only, it is difficult to pass over; but when it is made of two or more, it is very easy.