BRINDIS SPEECH OF JOSE RIZAL -The Toast in Restaurante Ingles

Sour!e" #http://www.bukisa.com/articles/33984_the-brindis>
Translated by li!abeth "edina
#rindis in $panish means a toast.
%&'T("': )pon takin* the +loor , am untroubled by the thou*ht that you mi*ht
listen to me with indi++erence- because you are here to .oin your enthusiasm to ours-
which is +ired by our youth- and you cannot help but be indul*ent. The air is +ull o+
empathetic *ood +eelin*/ currents o+ brotherhood +ly in e0ery direction/ *enerous souls
are listenin* and- there+ore- , do not +ear +or my humble person nor doubt your
bene0olence. "en o+ heart- you only seek hearts- and +rom the hei*hts where noble
emotions dwell- you sin*le out nothin* that is petty mean-spiritedness. 1ou see the
whole- you .ud*e the cause and hold out your hand to one such as mysel+- who wishes
to .oin you in one sin*le thou*ht- one sole aspiration: the *lory o+ *enius- the splendor o+
the country.2&ood- 0ery *ood/ applause.3
%,n e++ect- , shall state the reason why we are *athered. ,n the history o+ nations there
are names that by themsel0es si*ni+y an achie0ement- that brin* to mind a++ections and
*reatness. 'ames which- like ma*ic +ormulas- e0oke pleasant and smilin* ideas/ names
which become somethin* like a pact- a symbol o+ peace- a bond o+ lo0e between
nations. The names o+ (una and 4idal*o belon* amon* them - their *lories illuminate
two ends o+ the *lobe: the ast and the 5est- spa6a and 7ilipinas. )pon pronouncin*
them- *entlemen- , en0ision two brilliant arches- each risin* +rom the two re*ions- that
entwine abo0e in the hei*hts- impelled by the sympathy o+ common ori*in- and +rom that
hei*ht they bind two peoples with eternal ties- two peoples separated in 0ain by the
seas and space-two peoples in which the seeds o+ disunion do not *erminate-#(,'8(1
$95' #1 "' :'8 T4,; T1;:''1. (una and 4idal*o are as much $panish
*lories as they are 7ilipino. <ust as they were born in the =hilippines- they could ha0e
been born in $pain- because *enius has no country- *enius blossoms e0erywhere-
*enius is like the li*ht- the air- it is the herita*e o+ all - cosmopolitan > like space- like li+e
and like &od.2:pplause3
%The patriarchal era o+ 7ilipinas is passin*. The illustrious achie0ements o+ her children
are no lon*er consummated within the home. The 9riental chrysalis is lea0in* the
cocoon. The tomorrow o+ a lon* day is announced +or those re*ions in brilliant tints and
rosy dawns- and that race - lethar*ic durin* the historical ni*ht while the sun lit up other
continents - awakens a*ain- power+ully mo0ed by the electric shock produced in it by
contact with the 5estern peoples- and it clamors +or li*ht- li+e- the ci0ili!ation that time
once *a0e as its le*acy- con+irmin* in this way the eternal laws o+ continual e0olution- o+
trans+ormation- o+ periodicity- o+ pro*ress.
%This you know well and you *lory in it. To you 7ilipinas owes the beauty o+ the
diamonds that stud her crown. $he has *i0en the stones- urope has polished them.
:nd we contemplate proudly- you your work- ours the +lame- the breath- the materials
pro0ided.2#ra0os.3
%They drank there the poetry o+ nature- a nature *reat and terrible- and her cataclysms-
in her e0olution- in her dynamism. 'ature sweet- tran?uil and melancholy in her
constant- static mani+estation. 'ature that lea0es her imprint on e0erythin* she creates
and produces. 4er children take that imprint where0er they *o. ,+ you do not belie0e me-
e@amine their character- their work- and no matter how little you may know that nation-
you will see them act in e0erythin* as +ormin* their science- as the soul that presides
o0er all- as the sprin* in the mechanism- as the substantial +orm- as the raw material. ,t
is impossible not to re+lect what is +elt in onesel+- it is impossible to be one thin* and to
do another/ the contradictions are only apparent- they are only parado@es. ,n The
$poliarium- throu*h that can0as which is not mute- one hearsthe noise o+ the crowd- the
shouts o+ the sla0es- the metallic clankin* o+ the dead bodiesA armor- the sobbin* o+
orphans- the murmured prayers- with as much 0i*or and realism as one hears the
dea+enin* noise o+ thunder amid the crashin* sound o+ a water+all or the awesome-
terri+yin* shakin* o+ an earth?uake. The same nature that births such phenomena also
inter0enes in those brushstrokes. ,n contrast- in 4idal*oAs paintin* beats the purest
sentiment-3 the ideal e@pression o+ mourn+ulness- beauty and 0ulnerability- the 0ictims
o+ brute +orce- and it is because 4idal*o was born beneath the brilliant a!ure o+ that sky-
the lullaby o+ its sea bree!es- amid the serenity o+ its lakes- the poetry o+ its 0alleys and
the ma.estic harmony o+ its hills and mountains.
%7or this reason- in (una there are shadows- contrasts- dyin* li*ht- the mystery and the
horror- as resonance o+ the dark tempests o+ the Tropics- the li*htnin* and the roarin*
e@plosions o+ its 0olcanoes. This is why 4idal*o is all li*ht- color- harmony- sentiment-
purity- as 7ilipinas is in her moonlit ni*hts- in her ?uiet days- with her hori!on that in0ites
to meditation- cradle *ently rockin* the in+inite. :nd both o+ them- despite bein* so
di++erent- at least in appearance- are the same in their substance- .ust as all our hearts
are the same despite our notable di++erences. #oth- upon re+lectin* with their palettes
the splendor o+ the Tropical sunli*ht- trans+orm it into rays o+ eternal *lory with which
they wreath T4,; B9)'T;1 -- 4)":',T1 $)#<BT8 T9 $C; T$T$/
)';8"8 4)":',T1/ reason and aspiration in open stru**le a*ainst personal
troubles- 7:':T,B,$" :'8 ,'<)$T,B- because sentiment and opinion will break
open a path throu*h e0en the thickest walls/ because +or them all bodies ha0e pores- all
are transparent- and i+ they lack the pen- i+ the printin* press does not second them-
then palette and brush not only will *i0e pleasure to the eyes -- they will also be
elo?uent orators.
%,+ the mother teaches her child her lan*ua*e in order to understand his .oys- his needs
or pains- $pain as a mother also teaches her lan*ua*e to 7ilipinas- despite the
opposition o+ those short-si*hted mid*ets who secure their position- ,'B:=:#( 97
(99D,'& ,'T9 T4 7)T); and not wei*hin* the conse?uences. $ickly wetnurses-
corrupted and corruptin*- who tend to snu++ out all le*itimate +eelin* and per0ert the
hearts o+ nations- sowin* in them the seeds o+ discords such that later their +ruit is
har0ested: wol+sbane. The death o+ +uture *enerations.
%#ut , put aside such troublesE =eace to those dead- because dead are they - they ha0e
no breath- no soul- and the worms +eed on themE (etAs not e0oke their dismal memory/
letAs not breathe in their stench amid our .oysE 7ortunately the brothers e@ceed them in
numbers/ *enerosity and nobility are innate beneath the $panish skies - you are all its
clear proo+. 1ou ha0e responded in one 0oice- you ha0e assisted- and you would ha0e
done much more- had more been asked o+ you. $eated and participatin* in our
reception and honorin* the illustrious sons o+ 7ilipinas- you also honor $pain/ because
you know this well - the limits o+ $pain are neither the :tlantic- nor Bantabria- nor the
"editerranean/ what meanness it would be were the sea a dike a*ainst her *reatness-
her thou*ht. -- $pain is there- there where she makes her bene+icent in+luence +elt- and
e0en i+ her +la* were to disappear- her memory would remain- eternal- imperishable.
5hat can a piece o+ red and yellow cloth do- what can *uns and cannon do- there
where the +eelin* o+ lo0e- o+ a++ection- does not sprin*/ 54; T4; ,$ '9 7)$,9'
97 ,8:$- )',T1 97 =;,'B,=($- :BB9;8 :"9'&$T 9=,',9'$...F 2=rolon*ed
applause.3
%(una and 4idal*o belon* as much to you as to us. 1ou lo0e them and we see in them
*enerous aspirations- precious e@amples. The 7ilipino youth o+ urope- always
enthusiastic- and some other persons whose hearts remain youth+ul because o+ the
disinterestedness and enthusiasm that mark their actions- o++er a crown to (una- a
modest *i+t- small- yes- compared to our +er0or- but it is the most spontaneously and
+reely o++ered *i+t o+ all the ones presented until now.
%4owe0er- the *ratitude o+ 7ilipinas to her illustrious sons was not yet satis+ied- and
wantin* to *i0e +ree rein to the +erment in our thou*hts- the +eelin*s o0er+lowin* in our
hearts and the words that escape +rom our lips- all o+ us ha0e come here to this ban?uet
to .oin our wishes- to materiali!e the mutual embrace o+ T59 ;:B$ who lo0e and
care +or each other- )',T8 morally- socially and politically throu*hout the space o+
+our centuries- $9 T4:T ,' 7)T); T41 ":1 79;" 9' $9( ':T,9' ,'
$=,;,T-in their duties- their perspecti0es- their pri0ile*es. 2:pplause3
%There+ore , raise a toast to our artists (una and 4idal*o- le*itimate and pure *lories o+
T59 =9=($E , raise a toast to those who ha0e *i0en them assistance alon* the
pain+ul path o+ artE , o++er a toast that the 7ilipino youth- sacred hope o+ "1 B9)'T;1-
may imitate such precious models and that "other $pain-4 solicitous and attenti0e to
the wellbein* o+ her pro0inces- may soon put into practice the re+orms that she has lon*
considered/ +or the +urrow has been plowed and the earth is not barrenE :nd +inally- ,
o++er a toast to the happiness o+ parents who- depri0ed o+ their sonsA a++ection- +rom
those distant re*ions +ollow them with tear+ul *a!e and beatin* heart throu*h the seas
and the distance- sacri+icin* on the altar o+ the common *ood the sweet consolations
that are so scarce in li+eAs twili*ht - precious and solitary winter +lowers bloomin* beside
the tombAs snow mantled borders.
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