Rizal in Leipzig, Germany

15 August 1886
Rizal arrive at Leipzig at 9:30 in the morning.

16 August 1886
In a letter, Rizal offered his little knowledge in Tgalog to Prof. Blumentrit for thr latter’s study of the language. He said that
his knowledge in tagalog which he studied since boyhood is as useful as that friars and chroniclers who had stayed for a
short time in the Philippines.

2 September1886
He witnessed the fiesta of the Sedan, which was highlighted by the inauguration of the beautiful fountain in front of the
museum of Leipzig

13 October 1886
Rizal, in company with the school teacher, Hering visited one of two big beer manufacturing companies, situated in
Reudnitz, and owned by a Mr. Riebek.

14 October 1886
He got acquainted persolly with Doctor Hans Meyer, chief of the Bibliographical Institute of the Germany, and author of
one of the two famous encyclopaedical dictionaries of Germany.

21 October 1886
Rizal left Leipzig for Halle to observe the country life of the people there. He returned in the afternoon.

2. Rizal, Leipzig, 16 August

1886
Gift of two books from Blumentritt - At his
service in regard to Tagalog- His knowledge
can be of use to him as much as the grammars
of the friars - He could send Blumen- tritt
works of more value than those published by
Spanish travelers - "He who does not know
his own language. . . ."
40, II, Albertstrasse
Leipzig, 16 August 1886
Very esteemed Sir,
I received your letter together with the two
books that I value very much. I read them
with great pleasure and satis- faction. I
appreciate your kindness and I shall not
forget your courtesy in accepting my
insignificant gift.

V could not answer you at once because I

made a trip on the Rhine and I arrived at
Leipzig only yesterday. I am at your service
for everything concerning our language
which I have studied since my early youth.
 My knowledge of it is not great but at least it
may be useful to you as much as the
grammars written by those ignorant friars. I
could send you other works if I were at home.
The friars do not know either foreign writers
or those of their own nationality. One page
alone of those books is worth more than all
the Spanish travelers and the friars have
written or will still write. He who does not
know well his mother tongue will know much
less others that he has not studied carefully.
Their knowledge of Tagalog is like my
knowledge of German. The traveling
chroniclers remain only a short time in the
Philippines and they spend this brief time
among Spaniards. The majority of the friars
never studied grammar and they talk only
with uneducated Filipinos. For this reason
these writers know as much Tagalog as I did
of German six months after my arrival in
Germany, and I don't dare write poetry or
deliver sermons in German. For that same
reason I hope you will pardon the errors of
my "kitchen German ".

Pardon the delay of my reply.

Yours very cordially,

Jose Riza
3. Rizal, Leipzig, 22 August
l886
Tagalog vocabulary by Blumentritt - Rizal
wants to meet Kern - And to buy books in
Vienna - He will study Dutch "because the
Dutch have written much about us" - The
friars.- Worldly and heavenly riches - "For our
estates they would give us heavenly ones." - If
Blumentritt could study life in our vil- lages -
Christianity is more grand and sublime in
Europe. Catholicism is more beautiful than
Protestantism.
Leipzig, 22 August 1886
My dear Sir,
I have had the pleasure of receiving your letter
as well as your new work(1) and I regret that I
have nothing at hand to send you in return. I
hope that this new work would be like all those
that you have written with diligence, attention,
care, and ability. I have already read your two
vocabularies and I am astonished that you have
taken so much trouble in studying a language
like Tagalog which is so difliicult. You cannot
be blamed for the little errors in them, for
many times the people themselves commit
them, as well as my learned and talented friend
Dr. T. P. de Tavera(2) who has excelled
himself in his exposition and has given me a
pleasant surprise. I will lend you his works for
a week, because I myself need them very
greatly. Perhaps my annotations may be of
some use to you.

I like to read your book at once so that I am in

a hurry to finish this letter. Pardon the many
errors due to the haste with which I am writing
it.

By telling me about universities and

professors you have awakened my eagerness. I
should like to follow all that you advise me to
do. I should like to meet Dr. Kerns in Leyden.
I should like to go to Vienna and buy me a
whole library; but I must have patience
because I have neither time nor opportunity for
it. I do not know Professor Gabelentz. Now we
are on vacation and I cannot stay a long time at
Leipzig. I will study Dutch also, because the
Dutch are our neighbors and they have written
much about us.

I agree with your method of learning

languages. Tomorrow I am going to look for
the works of Waitz-Gerland at the municipal
library. If I am able to translate them, I will do
so and I am going to send you a transcription
so that you may see it and correct it. I am also
engaged in other studies at this moment.

If I don't get sick during these months, I will

surely go to Dresden, though for nothing more
than shaking the and of a man as worthy and
gentlemanly as you are. I will leave about
September or October for that city. I am
planning to get to Berlin towards the end of
October and stay there for two or three months.
Naturally I will then visit Professors Virchow
and Jagor, if I can get from you letters of
recommendation to them.

I will not forget your admonition concerning

religion. I admit that the friars have done much
good, or at least they wanted to do so. But
allow me to remark that they are very well
recompensed for their services, firstly, because
they receive worldly riches and afterwards
heavenly ones also; and because in truth they
exchanged heavenly riches for the lands of our
forefathers, however much earthly life . . . may
not be exactly Christian life and nevertheless
we have to live like other men.

Dear Sir: You know our country through the

books written by the friars and Spaniards who
copied one another. If you had grown up in our
villages as I had and had seen the sufferings of
our country folk, you would have a very
different idea of Catholicism in the
Philippines. I have had an opportunity to study
the religions in Europe. There I found
Christianity beautiful, sublime, divine;
Catholicism attractive, poetic, the same
Christianity, poetized and beautified, more
beautiful than the insipid Protestantism. Our
country folk do not know these differences.

Pardon my frankness which may perhaps

seem to you strange for not having heard such
a thing before. Perhaps you remember
Lessing's fable about the boy and the serpent.
 Each one writes his history according to his
convenience.
Very sincerely yours,
José Rizal

(1) Vocabulario tagalo-alemán.

(2) Trinidad H. Pardo de Tavera (1857-1925),
Filipino physician, distinguished scholar and
contemporary of Rizal. H ís works at that time
were Contribución para el estudio de los
alfabetos filipinos(1884) and La medicina en
la nsla de Luzón (1884).
(3) Professor of Sanskrit at the Llniversity of
Leyden, Holland, recognized Malay scholar,
commentator of some of Rizal's treatises, from
one of which he took the subject of his
dissertation before the International Congress
of Orientalists at Stockholm in 1889.
4. Rizal, Leipzig, 2 October l886
Tagalog version of Schiller's drama - Works of Meyer inBibliotheca Philippina - "Everything
referring to my native country interests me greatly." - On the Igorrotes of Dr. Hans Meyer - In
order to learn the secret of German verbs - "To sit once at your table is enough honor for me."
Leipzig, 2 October 1886 My dear Sir,

I beg you to pardon me for not having answered on time your letter, which for me is as kind as
all the rest; but I was and am still very busy with an urgent work which my compatriots have
entrusted to me. They have asked me for Tagalog versions of the works of Schiller. You can
easily imagine how difficult this kind of work is for me, especially knowing as you do the
peculiarities of our language whose mode of speech is so different from the German. I have to
understand and study first each phrase and then look for the corresponding Tagalog expression,
avoiding carefully circumlocutions and Germanisms. However, I am consoled by the thought
that I shall have the honor of interpreting the great Schiller in Tagalog to the Filipinos.

I hope likewise to be able to go to Dresden towards the end of the present month. Dr. A. B.
Meier(1), privy councilor, has excited my curiosity very much with his works which you
mention in your Bibliotheca Philippina. Everything referring to my native country interests me
greatly. Recently, the amiable Dr. Hans Meier complimented me with a copy of his book dealing
with the Igorots. We also spoke about you.

I should like to stay one more year in Germany (also in Austria) because my German is still
defective and I have not yet understood the secret of the difficult German verbs. Those that end
with the syllables ver, er, an, be, etc. are used frequently and they seem to me very strange. So I
believe I shall spend fourteen days of next spring in Leitmeritz. According to the map, the p ace
seems to be near the mountains, which gladdens me, for thus I can also study Bohemian life
there. I thank you in advance for your invitation and I should like to return your kind hospitality
some day in the Philippines. In case I spend there the coming year, I cannot accept your kind
offer of lodging in your house. It is enough honor for me to sit once at your table to have a
remembrance of your culinary art. For that reason: claro y bzlena letra; no abusar.

I did not know that you were married. Had I known it, long ago I would have sent my respectful
greetings to your distinguished wife. But Mas vale tarde que nunca, a Spanish proverb says, and
now I wish to mend my fault by requesting you to please transmit to her my respects and very
affectionate greetings.

My letter will resemble the table of the poor: The entrée and the dessert are composed of
potatoes. I beg you also to excuse my terrible German, for during this whole month I have not
opened a grammar.

May you fare well. I will write you as soon as I have some important subject to treat. In the
meantime, I am

Very respectfully yours,

José Rizal

(1) Or, Dr. A. B. Meyer.