To the Flowers of Heidelberg

By Dr. José Rizal

(“A las flores de Heidelberg”)
Go to my native land, go, foreign flowers,
Sown by the traveler on his way,
And there, beneath its azure sky,
Where all my afflictions lie;
There from the weary pilgrim say
What faith is his in that land of ours!
Go there and tell how when the dawn,
Her early light diffusing,
Your petals first flung open wide;
His steps beside chill Neckar drawn,
You see him silent by your side
Upon its Spring perennial musing,
Say how when morning's light,
All your fragrance stealing,
Whispers to you as in mirth,
Playful songs of Love's delight,
He, too, murmurs his love's feeling
In the tongue he learned at birth.

That when the sun of Koenigsthul's height

Pours out its golden flood,
And with its slowly warming light
Gives life to vale and grove and wood,
He greets that sun, here only appraising,
Which in his native land is at its zenith blazing.

And tell there of that day he stood,

Near to a ruin'd castle gray,
By Neckar's banks, or shady wood,
And pluck'd you beside the way
Tell, too, the tale to you addressed,
And how with tender care,
 Your bending leaves he pressed
Twist pages of some volume rare.

Bear then, O flowers, love's message bear;

My love to all the love'd one's there,
Peace to my country - faithful land -
Faith whereon its sons may stand,
And virtue for its daughters's care;
All those beloved creatures greet,
That still around home's altar meet.
And when you come home unto its shore,
This kiss I now on you bestow,
Fling where the winged breezes blow;
That borne on them it may hover o'er
All that I love, esteem, and adore.
But though, O flowers, you come unto that land,
And still perchance your colors hold;
So far from this heroic strand,
Whose soil frist bade your life unfold
Still here your fragrance will expand;
Your soul that never quits the earth
Whose light smiled on you at your birth.

Interpretation

REFLECTION RIZAL WROTE THIS WHEN HE WAS AT GERMANY. IN FRANCE AND

GERMANY, RIZAL WAS WELL KNOWN ANDRESPECTED. BUT HE MAY HAVE REALIZED WHAT
GOOD WILL THEIR RESPECT DO TO HIS COUNTRY. WHAT GOODWILL THIS DO TO THE
PHILIPPINES IF HE IS SERVING FOREIGN LANDS AND NOT HIS OWN. HIS VERSES HAD A
SINGLE SYMBOL WHICH IS THE FLOWERS OF HEIDELBERG. BUT IT SYMBOLIZES TWO
REALITIES. FIRST, THE FLOWERS' BEAUTY SYMBOLIZES RIZAL'S LOVE FOR HIS COUNTRY,
AND SECOND, THE FLOWERS' REDUCED QUALITY REFERS TO RIZAL'S USELESS PRESENCE IN
ANOTHER COUNTRY. LATER HE DECIDED TO RETURN TO THE COUNTRY DESPITE
REPEATEDWARNING FROMHIS FRIENDS ANDRELATIVES.
 The Song of the Traveller
By Jose Rizal

Like to a leaf that is fallen and withered,

Tossed by the tempest from pole unto pole ;
thus roams the pilgrim abroad without purpose,
Roams without love, without country or soul.

Following anxiously treacherous fortune,

Fortune which e 'en as he grasps at it flees ;
Vain though the hopes that his yearning is seeking,
Yet does the pilgrim embark on the seas !

Ever impelled by the invisible power,

Destined to roam from the East to the West ;
Oft he remembers the faces of loved ones,
Dreams of the day when he, too, was at rest.

Chance may assign him a tomb on the desert,

Grant him a final asylum of peace ;
Soon by the world and his country forgotten,
God rest his soul when his wanderings cease

Often the sorrowing pilgrim is envied,

Circling the globe like a sea-gull above ;
Little, ah, little they know what a void
Saddens his soul by the absence of love.

Home may the pilgrim return in the future,

Back to his loved ones his footsteps he bends ;
Naught wìll he find but the snow and the ruins,
Ashes of love and the tomb of his friends,

Pilgrim, begone ! Nor return more hereafter,

Stranger thou art in the land of thy birth ;
Others may sing of their love while rejoicing,
Thou once again must roam o'er the earth.

Pilgrim, begone ! Nor return more hereafter,

Dry are the tears that a while for thee ran ;
Pilgrim, begone ! And forget thine affliction,
Loud laughs the world at the sorrows of man.
 Interpretation

Rizal captures the image of being an outsider and far away from loved ones. In a foreign
land, one may feel like he has no purpose or is useless. It is very difficult to feel welcome
because there is no sense of belongingness. Rizal talks about trying to find happiness in a
foreign place but it seems like it can never be as satisfying as being in the motherland. Because
of this, being a traveller as described by Rizal can becomes very lonesome. Only the happy
memories of his loved ones keep him company.

My Retreat
by Dr. José Rizal
(“Mi Retiro”)
By the spreading beach where the sands are soft and fine,
At the foot of the mount in its mantle of green
I have built my hut in the pleasant grove's confine;
From the forest seeking peace and a calmness divine,
Rest for the weary brain and silence to my sorrow keen.
Its roof of the frail palm leaf and its floor the cane.
Its beams and posts of the unhewn wood;
Little there is of value in this hut so plain,
And better by far in the lap of the mount to have lain,
By the song and the murmur of the high sea's flood.

A purling brook from the woodland glade

Drops down o'er the stones and around it sweeps,
Whence a fresh stream is a drawn by the rough cane's aid;
That in the still night its' murmur has made,
And in the day's heat a crystal fountain leaps.
When the sky is serene how gently it flows,
And its zither unseen ceaselessly plays;
But when the rains fall a torrent it goes
Boiling and foaming through the rocky close,
Roaring uncheck'd to the sea's wide ways.
The howl of the dog and the song of the bird,
And only the kalao's hoarse call resound;
 Nor is the voice of vain man to be heard;
My mind to harass or my steps to begird;
The woodlands alone and the sea wrap me round.
The sea, ah, the sea! for me it is all,
And it massively sweeps from the world's apart;
Its smile in the morn to my soul is a call,
And when in the evening my faith seems to pall,
It breathes with its sadness an echo to my heart.

By night an arcanum; when translucent it glows,

All spangled over with its millions of lights,
And the bright sky above resplendent shows;
While the waves with their sights tell of their woes --
Tales that are lost as they roll to the heights.
They tell the world when the first dawn broke,
And the sunlight over their surface played;
When thousands of beings from nothingless woke,
To people the depths and the heights to cloak,
Wherever its life-giving kiss was laid.

But when in the night the wild winds awake,

And the waves in their fury begin to leap,
Through the air rush the cries that my mind shake;
Voices that pray, songs and moans that partake
Of laments from the souls sunk down in the deep.

Then from their heights the mountain groan,

And the trees shiver tremulous from great unto least;
The groves rustle plaintive and the herds utter moan,
For they say that the ghost of the folk that are gone
Are calling them down to their death's merry feast.

In terror and confusion whispers the night,

While blue and green flames flit over the deep;
But calm reigns again with the morning's light,
And soon the bold fisherman comes into sight,
And his bark rushes on and the waves sink to sleep.
 So onward glide the days in my lonely abode;
Driven forth from the world where once I was known,
I muse o'er the fate upon me bestow'd;
A fragment forgotten that the moss will corrode,
To hide from mankind the world in me shown.
I live in the thought of the lov'd ones left,
And oft their names to my mind are borne;
Some have forsaken me and some by death are reft;
But now 'tis all one, as through the past I drift,
That past which from me can never be torn.
For it is the friend that is with me always,
That ever in sorrow keeps the faith in my soul;
While through the still night it watches and prays,
As here in my exile in my one hut it stays
To strengthen my faith when doubts o'er me roll.
That faith I keep and I hope to see shine
The day when the Idea prevails over might;
When after the fray and death's slow decline.
Some other voice sounds, far happier than mine,
To raise the glad song of the triumph of right.
I see the sky glow, refulgent and clear,
As when it forced on me my first dear illusion;
I feel the same wind kiss my forehead sere,
And the fire is the same that is burning here
To stir up youth's blood in boiling confusion.
I breathe here the winds that perchance have pass'd
O'er the fields and the rivers of my own natal shore;
And mayhap they will bring on the returning blast
The sighs that lov'd being upon them has cast --
Messages sweet from the love I first bore.
To see the same moon, all silver'd as of yore.
I feed the sad thoughts within me arise;
The fond recollections of the troth we swore,
Of the field and the bower and the wide seashore,
The blushes of joy, with the silence and sighs.
 A butterfly seeking the flowers and the light,
Of other lands dreaming of vester extent;
Scarce a youth, from home and love I took flight,
To wander unheeding, free from doubt of affright --
So in foreign lands were my brightest days spent.
And when like a languishing bird I was fain
To the home of my fathers and my love to return,
Of a sudden the fierce tempest roar'd amain;
So I saw my wings shatter'd and no home remain,
My trust to others and wrecks round me burn.

Hurl'd out into exile from the land I adore,

My future all dark and no refuge to seek;
My roseate dreams hover round me once more,
Sole treasures of all that life to me bore;
The faiths of youth that with sincerity speak.

But not as of old, full of life and of grace,

Do you hold out hopes of undying reward;
Sadder I find you; on your lov'd face,
Though still sincere, the pale lines trace
the marks of the faith it is yours to guard.
You offer now, dreams, my gloom to appease,
And the years of my youth again to disclose;
So I thank you, o storm, and heaven-born breeze,
That you knew of the hour my wild flight to ease,
To cast me back down to the soil whence I rose.

By the spreading beach where the sands are soft and fine,
At the foot of the mount it its mantle of green;
I have found a home in the pleasant grove's confine,
In the shady woods, that peace and calmness divine,
Rest for the weary brain and silence to my sorrow keen.
Interpretation

Even if her female parent know that Rizal works is the ground why Rizal is being exile
that clip she maintain on back uping his boy involvement and for me it was really affecting
because her female parent still back uping him whatever may go on to him every bit long as
she know it do her boy happy. It merely an indicant besides that life can still be abundant and
full of accomplishment. But he still remain contented about the thing he have while he is in his
expatriate in Dapitan basking the nature in dapitan detecting new things like animate beings
and workss and he besides do some research and assist those childs who need aid. But
particularly he ne’er bury God who ever with him. That was one of the thing that I admire
about Jose Rizal he ne’er bury to thank God who crate us even if he had a difficult clip in his life
because of the braggart Spanish who merely think about their ego. Those Spanish who want to
have the Philippines.

My Last Farewell

("Mi Ultimo Adiós")

Farewell, dear Fatherland, clime of the sun caress'd
Pearl of the Orient seas, our Eden lost!,
Gladly now I go to give thee this faded life's best,
And were it brighter, fresher, or more blest
Still would I give it thee, nor count the cost.

On the field of battle, 'mid the frenzy of fight,

Others have given their lives, without doubt or heed;
The place matters not-cypress or laurel or lily white,
Scaffold or open plain, combat or martyrdom's plight,
T is ever the same, to serve our home and country's need.

I die just when I see the dawn break,

Through the gloom of night, to herald the day;
And if color is lacking my blood thou shalt take,
Pour'd out at need for thy dear sake
To dye with its crimson the waking ray.

My dreams, when life first opened to me,

My dreams, when the hopes of youth beat high,
Were to see thy lov'd face, O gem of the Orient sea
From gloom and grief, from care and sorrow free;
No blush on thy brow, no tear in thine eye.

Dream of my life, my living and burning desire,

All hail ! cries the soul that is now to take flight;
All hail ! And sweet it is for thee to expire ;
 To die for thy sake, that thou mayst aspire;
And sleep in thy bosom eternity's long night.

If over my grave some day thou seest grow,

In the grassy sod, a humble flower,
Draw it to thy lips and kiss my soul so,
While I may feel on my brow in the cold tomb below
The touch of thy tenderness, thy breath's warm power.

Let the moon beam over me soft and serene,

Let the dawn shed over me its radiant flashes,
Let the wind with sad lament over me keen ;
And if on my cross a bird should be seen,
Let it trill there its hymn of peace to my ashes.

Let the sun draw the vapors up to the sky,

And heavenward in purity bear my tardy protest
Let some kind soul o 'er my untimely fate sigh,
And in the still evening a prayer be lifted on high
From thee, 0 my country, that in God I may rest.

Pray for all those that hapless have died,

For all who have suffered the unmeasur'd pain;
For our mothers that bitterly their woes have cried,
For widows and orphans, for captives by torture tried
And then for thyself that redemption thou mayst gain.

And when the dark night wraps the graveyard around

With only the dead in their vigil to see
Break not my repose or the mystery profound
And perchance thou mayst hear a sad hymn resound
'T is I, O my country, raising a song unto thee.

And even my grave is remembered no more

Unmark'd by never a cross nor a stone
Let the plow sweep through it, the spade turn it o'er
That my ashes may carpet earthly floor,
Before into nothingness at last they are blown.

Then will oblivion bring to me no care

As over thy vales and plains I sweep;
Throbbing and cleansed in thy space and air
With color and light, with song and lament I fare,
Ever repeating the faith that I keep.

My Fatherland ador'd, that sadness to my sorrow lends

Beloved Filipinas, hear now my last good-by!
I give thee all: parents and kindred and friends
For I go where no slave before the oppressor bends,
Where faith can never kill, and God reigns e'er on high!
 Farewell to you all, from my soul torn away,
Friends of my childhood in the home dispossessed !
Give thanks that I rest from the wearisome day !
Farewell to thee, too, sweet friend that lightened my way;
Beloved creatures all, farewell! In death there is rest !

Interpretation
Jose Rizal was visited by his mother, Teodora Alonzo, sisters Lucia, Josefa, Trinidad,
Maria and Narcisa, and two nephews. When they took their leave, Rizal told Trinidad in English
that there was something in the small alcohol stove (cocinilla), not alcohol lamp (lamparilla).
The stove was given to Narcisa by the guard when the party was about to board their carriage
in the courtyard. At home, the Rizal ladies recovered from the stove a folded paper. On it was
written an unsigned, untitled and undated poem of 14 five-line stanzas. The Rizals reproduced
copies of the poem and sent them to Rizal’s friends in the country and abroad.

First Inspiration
Why falls so rich a spray
of fragrance from the bowers
of the balmy flowers
upon this festive day?

Why from woods and vales

do we hear sweet measures ringing
that seem to be the singing
of a choir of nightingales?

Why in the grass below

do birds start at the wind's noises,
unleashing their honeyed voices
as they hop from bough to bough?

Why should the spring that glows

its crystalline murmur be tuning
to the zephyr's mellow crooning
as among the flowers it flows?

Why seems to me more endearing,

more fair than on other days,
the dawn's enchanting face
among red clouds appearing?
 The reason, dear mother, is
they feast your day of bloom:
the rose with its perfume,
the bird with its harmonies.

And the spring that rings with laughter

upon this joyful day
with its murmur seems to say:
"Live happily ever after!"

And from that spring in the grove

now turn to hear the first note
that from my lute I emote
to the impulse of my love.

Interpretation

This poem he wrote was dedicated to his mother in her birthday, for Rizal that day has
to be perfect, he wants to make her mother feel like she is a queen, he also pointed out the
atmosphere of the environment, he related it to her mother’s birthday where he sort of says like
even the flowers are blooming for her mother, like the forests sings for her, he poetically stated
his love for her mother, he want to give her mother his very best, he wanted to make her
mother happy for she served as his first inspiration

To the Virgin Mary

by Dr. José Rizal
(English version of “A La Virgen Maria”)

Mary, sweet peace and dearest consolation

of suffering mortal: you are the fount whence springs
the current of solicitude that brings
unto our soil unceasing fecundation.
From your abode, enthroned on heaven’s height,
in mercy deign to hear my cry of woe
and to the radiance of your mantle draw
my voice that rises with so swift a flight.
 You are my mother, Mary, and shall be
my life, my stronghold, my defense most thorough;
and you shall be my guide on this wild sea.

If vice pursues me madly on the morrow,

if death harasses me with agony:
come to my aid and dissipate my sorrow!
Interpretation

In this poem he feels emptiness and loneliness, he asks guidance for the Virgin Mary, he
also praises her in this poem, he asks of her mercy to bow down on him, to guide him in his
desperate times, wherever he may go, she will serve as her stronghold and defense, and she
shall guide him and his people in dark times, and in the time of his death he wants her to aid
him, and ease his pain and comfort him from his agony, this poem shows Rizal’s enormous
Devotion to the virgin mary, he wants everyone to know that she is the mother of our lands,
and she will never forsake us in desperate times.

To My Fellow Children
by Dr. José Rizal
(English version of “Sa Aking mga Kababata”)

Whenever people of a country truly love

The language which by heav'n they were taught to use
That country also surely liberty pursue
As does the bird which soars to freer space above.
For language is the final judge and referee
Upon the people in the land where it holds sway;
In truth our human race resembles in this way
The other living beings born in liberty.
Whoever knows not how to love his native tongue
Is worse than any best or evil smelling fish.
To make our language richer ought to be our wish
The same as any mother loves to feed her young.
Tagalog and the Latin language are the same
And English and Castilian and the angels' tongue;
 And God, whose watchful care o'er all is flung,
Has given us His blessing in the speech we calim,
Our mother tongue, like all the highest tht we know
Had alphabet and letters of its very own;
But these were lost -- by furious waves were overthrown
Like bancas in the stormy sea, long years ago.

Interpretation

Jose Rizal wrote the poem My Fellow Children to inspire the youth to use their talents
and be the best they can be. He also wrote it to encourage the youth to be proud of being
who they are and the first step to do that is to use their mother tongue or native language in
communicating or speaking.

Through Education Our Motherland Receives Light

The vital breath of prudent Education

Instills a virtue of enchanting power;
She lifts the motherland to highest station
And endless dazzling glories on her shower.
And as the zephyr's gentle exhalation
Revives the matrix of the fragrant flower,
So education multiplies her gifts of grace;
With prudent hand imparts them to the human race.

For her a mortal-man will gladly part

With all he has; will give his calm repose;
For her are born all science and all art,
That brows of men with laurel fair enclose.
As from the towering mountain's lofty heart
The purest current of the streamlet flows,
So education without stint or measure gives
Security and peace to lands in which she lives.

Where Education reigns on lofty seat

Youth blossoms forth with vigor and agility;
He error subjugates with solid feet,
 And is exalted by conceptions of nobility.
She breaks the neck of vice and its deceit;
Black crime turns pale at Her hostility;
The barbarous nations She knows how to tame,
From savages creates heroic fame.

And as the spring doth sustenance bestow

On all the plants, on bushes in the mead,
Its placid plenty goes to overflow
And endlessly with lavish love to feed
The banks by which it wanders, gliding slow,
Supplying beauteous nature's every need;
So he who prudent Education doth procure
The towering heights of honor will secure.

From out his lips the water, crystal pure,

Of perfect virtue shall not cease to go.
With careful doctrines of his faith made sure,
The powers of evil he will overthrow,
Like foaming waves that never long endure,
But perish on the shore at every blow;
And from his good example other men shall learn
Their upward steps toward the heavenly paths to turn.

Within the breast of wretched humankind

She lights the living flame of goodness bright;
The hands of fiercest criminal doth bind;
And in those breasts will surely pour delight
Which seek her mystic benefits to find,
Those souls She sets aflame with love of right.
It is a noble fully-rounded Education
That gives to life its surest consolation.

And as the mighty rock aloft may tower

Above the center of the stormy deep
In scorn of storm, or fierce Sou'wester's power,
Or fury of the waves that raging seep,
Until, their first mad hatred spent, they cower,
And, tired at last, subside and fall asleep, --
So he that takes wise Education by the hand,
Invincible shall guide the reigns of motherland.
 On sapphires shall his service be engraved,
A thousand honors to him by his land be granted:
For in their bosoms will his noble sons have saved
Luxuriant flowers his virtue had transplanted:
And by the love of goodness ever lived,
The lords and governors will see implanted
To endless days, the Christian Education,
Within their noble, faith-enrapture nation.

And as in early morning we behold

The ruby sun pour forth resplendent rays;
And lovely dawn her scarlet and her gold,
Her brilliant colors all about her sprays;
So skillful noble Teaching doth unfold
To living minds the joy of virtuous ways.
She offers our dear motherland the light
That leads us to immortal glory's height.

Interpretation

In "Through Education Our Motherland Receives Light," education is portrayed as a

torch lighting the darkness or the morning sun casting out the shadows over a land. This is to
suggest that those who seek a well-rounded education, who seek the light of education, are
illuminated and empowered, illuminating and empowering all those who seek her light. In a
time where many felt oppressed, Rival offered that the power or light of education is endless,
that it cannot be taken away.

The Intimate Alliance Between Religion and Good Education

As the climbing ivy over lefty elm

Creeps tortuously, together the adornment
Of the verdant plain, embellishing
Each other and together growing,
But should the kindly elm refuse its aid
The ivy would impotent and friendless wither
So is Education to Religion
 By spiritual alliance bound
Through Religion, Education gains reknown, and
Woe to the impious mind that blindly spurning
The sapient teachings of religion, this
Unpolluted fountain-head forsakes.

As the sprout, growing from the pompous vine,

Proudly offers us its honeyed clusters
While the generous and loving garment
Feeds its roots; so the fresh’ning waters
Of celestial virtue give new life
To Education true, shedding
On it warmth and light; because of them
The vine smells sweet and gives delicious fruit

Without Religion, Human Education

Is like unto a vessel struck by winds
Which, sore beset, is of its helm deprived
By the roaring blows and buffets of the dread
Tempestuous Boreas, who fiercely wields
His power until he proudly send her down
Into the deep abysses of then angered sea.

As the heaven’s dew the meadow feeds and strengthen

So that blooming flowers all the earth
Embrioder in the days of spring; so also
If Religion holy nourishes
Education with its doctrine, she
Shall walk in joy and generosity
Toward the good, and everywhere bestrew
The fragrant and luxuriant fruits of virtue

Interpretation

My first reaction on the work of Dr. Jose Rizal on the Intimate Alliance between Religion
and Good Education is that Rizal shared his thought about the importance of education to
enlighten the nation which was useful to gain societal freedom for every nation. It may also
provide the necessary knowledge, skills and attitude to expand the horizon of our thoughts.
However, this would not be enough to be properly educated. Rizal thought that there was really
an intimate alliance between religion and good education.
 To the Philippine Youth
Unfold, oh timid flower!

Lift up your radiant brow,

This day, Youth of my native strand!
Your abounding talents show
Resplendently and grand,
Fair hope of my Motherland!

Soar high, oh genius great,

And with noble thoughts fill their mind;
The honor's glorious seat,
May their virgin mind fly and find
More rapidly than the wind.

Descend with the pleasing light

Of the arts and sciences to the plain,
Oh Youth, and break forthright
The links of the heavy chain
That your poetic genius enchain.

See that in the ardent zone,

The Spaniard, where shadows stand,
Doth offer a shining crown,
With wise and merciful hand
To the son of this Indian land.

You, who heavenward rise

On wings of your rich fantasy,
Seek in the Olympian skies
The tenderest poesy,
More sweet than divine honey;

You of heavenly harmony,

On a calm unperturbed night,
Philomel's match in melody,
That in varied symphony
Dissipate man's sorrow's blight;

You at th' impulse of your mind

The hard rock animate
And your mind with great pow'r consigned
Transformed into immortal state
The pure mem'ry of genius great;

And you, who with magic brush

On canvas plain capture
The varied charm of Phoebus,
 Loved by the divine Apelles,
And the mantle of Nature;

Run ! For genius' sacred flame

Awaits the artist's crowning
Spreading far and wide the fame
Throughout the sphere proclaiming
With trumpet the mortal's name
Oh, joyful, joyful day,
The Almighty blessed be
Who, with loving eagerness
Sends you luck and happiness.

Interpretation

In the poem, Rizal praised the rising generation. This poem can be considered as
Rizal’s first testimony and presentation of his nationalism. In this literary piece, he
clearly referred to the Philippines as his home/motherland, Rizal thought in the poem
relates to the role of the youth with the nation building.
 "Love of Country" (Jose Rizal) Jose Rizal’s article entitled
“Love of Country,”
Highlights the author’s desire to create a sense of patriotism and nationalism
among the Filipino people. As brought up in discussion, Rizal belonged to the elite,
mestizo group of intellectuals called the Propaganda. Consequently, his social status
reflects the sense of class divisions that existed and continue to exist in the Philippines.
The historical timeframe in which Rizal is writing this article is also a period of Spanish
colonization and rule over the Philippines. However, Rizal tries to convince the reader
that despite the class divisions and the Filipinos’ lack of sovereignty, the Philippines is
still a country to be loved. Although Rizal is writing from Europe at this point in time, he
still feels a connection to the motherland. In fact, Rizal’s sense of Philippine nationalism
appears to heighten with distance as he states that “we in a foreign land shall dedicate
our first endeavours to our native land, wrapped among the clouds and the morning
mists, always beautiful and poetic, more loved when one is away or separated from
her” (p. 1). Later, he refers to this homesickness as a “profound loneliness” (p. 2). Not
only does Rizal use personal testimony to encourage Philippine nationalism, but he also
makes references To family and religion as a means of persuasion. Rizal uses his
understanding of Filipino values, including family and religion, to convince the Filipino
people of their need to demonstrate a sense of nationalism. From my upbringing in the
church, I remember hearing passages from the bible that would often refer to the
mother-son relationship. The relationship between Mary and Jesus is a clear example.
Rizal, by the same token, uses this same relationship as he personifies the Philippines
as the mother and states that “whatever be her name, her age or her fortune, we love
her always like a child loves his mother amidst hunger and misery” (p. 1). He parallels
the relationship of the Filipino people and the motherland to that of tight-knit Filipino
families, despite economic hardships. In addition, his frequent use of “we” infers that
Rizal is trying to point out that despite his physical distance from the Philippines; he is
still united with the Filipino people. As Rizal describes how the “poorer and more
miserable she is, the more one suffers for her, the more she is idolized and adored until
there is even pleasure in suffering for her” (p. 1), I recall the events of Semana Santa,
or Holy Week, in the Philippines. The Filipino evening news recaps images of Filipinos in
the motherland carrying a life-size, wooden cross, as well as a man, who is supposed to
represent Jesus, being whipped and crowned with real thorns. My dad clarified the
meaning of the dramatization. To share in the suffering of Jesus is a way of
reciprocating His love for us. Thus, Rizal is inferring that just as Jesus whose “entire
love was given to the world for the salvation of mankind” (p. 3), the Filipino people
likewise, must suffer for the Philippines in order to save it from Spanish rule and
domination. Rizal has great command over a persuasive rhetoric. Not only does he
incorporate family and religion into his paper, but he also equates patriotism to
heroism. This theme runs throughout the text, but is most evident near the end when
he creates the image of a father who has left his children to defend his country during a
time of war. Although this father as well as other soldiers and leaders all “go out and
die! Rizal reminds the reader that there is victory in death. The sons who “lend
themselves to defend the land of their forefathers” are “fierce and proud”.
Nevertheless, while I commend his writing style, I also question who Rizal is referring to
when he states that “some have sacrificed their youth, their pleasures; others have
dedicated to her the splendours of their genius” (p. 3). In a class and gender based
society such as the Philippines, who decides which Filipinos make physical sacrifices and
which make intellectual contributions for the country? Does Rizal only call on fathers
and sons to fight while women stay at home and tend to the children? How about the
intellects of the country? Can other members of the working class follow in the steps of
Andres Bonifacio and engage in intellectual and political discussions about how to
defend the Philippines?
 Interpretation
In his memoirs as a student, later published as Reminiscences, he spoke of
the time spent in his sophomore year at the Ateneo as being essentially the
same as his first year, except that this year, he felt within himself the stirrings of
“patriotic sentiments” and of an “exquisite sensibility”1. He might have been only
referring to the sense that the Philippines, was a colony of Spain, and as such,
the Philippines was a part of Spain. If this were the case, his patriotism was
therefore directed toward Spain for being the Philippines’ mother country. Seen
in another light, these words may have evidenced Rizal’s moment of epiphany,
his own portent of a future time when he would awake to the tragedies that
were the lot of his fellow indios, the rightful heirs of the Filipinas their
motherland.
 NAGA COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC.
College of Criminal Justice Education
Division of Graduate School
M.T. Villanueva Avenue,
Naga City

1st Semester 2019-2020

COMPILATION AND INTERPRETATION OF Dr. JOSE

RIZAL’S POEMS

Submitted to:

Marlen F. Fortez

Submitted by:

Daniel M. Monte