"Sa Ugoy ng Duyan" is a famous Filipino lullaby whose lilting tune was composed by Lucio San Pedro and lyrics were written by Levi Celerio, two of the greatest Filipino composers. The title is rather difficult to translate faithfully into English, but "ugoy" literally means rocking, or swinging motion, and "duyan" is a baby's hammock or cradle, or a mother's arms cradling a small child, so I hope you get the picture. The song has been well loved in the Philippines since it was written by San Pedro and Celerio during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II, and has been sung by many OPM (Original Pilipino Music) artists over the past 50 years, most notably by Lea Salonga and Regine Velazquez. The original lyrics in Tagalog are below, and I'll attempt a rough English translation.

Sana'y di magmaliw ang dati kong araw
Nang munti pang bata sa piling ni Nanay
Nais kong maulit ang awit ni Inang mahal
Awit ng pag-ibig habang ako'y nasa duyan

(repeat)

Sa aking pagtulog na labis ang himbing
Ang bantay ko'y tala
Ang tanod ko'y bituin
Sa piling ni Nanay
Langit ang buhay
Puso kong may dusa
Sabik sa ugoy ng duyan mo Inay
Sana narito ka Inay

Sana'y di magmaliw ang dati kong araw
Nang munti pang bata sa piling ni Nanay
Nais kong maulit ang awit ni Inang mahal
Awit ng pag-ibig habang ako'y nasa duyan

In English, roughly, this goes:

I hope that my old days will never fade
As a small child in my mother's arms
I wish to hear again my beloved mother's songs
Songs of love while I was in the cradle

(repeat)

In my deep, deep slumber
My keepers are the stars
The stars are my guardians
In my mother's arms
Life is heaven
My heart full of pain
Longs to rock in your arms again Mother
Mother, I wish you were here

I hope that my old days will never fade
As a small child in my mother's arms
I wish to hear again my beloved mother's songs
Songs of love while I was in the cradle

A MIDI transcription of the song, which I hope does justice to San Pedro's soul-stirring music:

http://www.geocities.com/philippinemusic/SanPedro.html

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