Two Lovers Leap Statue, Tumon Bay, Guam

Hafa Adai! As part of my commitment to continue to share cultural poems relating to our beautiful island of Guam and its people, here’s Korasón Poem #34 titled The Two Lovers. Enjoy!

The Two Lovers

There’s a legend they say
About two young Chamorro lovers
Who jumped to their death at Puntan Dos Amantes*
All in the name of love.
Their story goes something like this –
There once lived a beautiful Chamorro maiden
Who caught the eye of every young man in the village.
Although her father wanted to dictate her marriage
To a rich Spanish captain
She was in love with a young native boy.
And despite her parents disapproval
She met secretly with her lover.
But enough was enough
When her parents had arranged for her marriage
To the Spanish captain she did not care for.
So the two lovers ran away
But they never came home.
They tied their hairs together as a symbol of love
And both jumped off the cliff of Tumon Bay.
They say soldiers were sent to search for the maiden
But all they saw for a brief moment
Were floating hairs that disappeared in seconds.
© mnrivera and ltgumataotao

*Puntan Dos Amantes: Two Lovers’ Point

Source: Our Native Daughters’ Reflection of Guam and Its People by Dr. Matilda Naputi Rivera and Lois Taitano Gumataotao