Fernando M.

Maramag
Biography & Poem
Moonlight on Manila bay

A light serene, ethereal glory, rests

Its beams on each cresting wave;
The silver touches of the moonlight lave
The deep's bare bosom that the breeze molests;
While lingering whispers deepen as the wavy crests
Roll with weird rhythm, now gay, now gently grave;
And floods of lambent light appear the sea to pave -
All cast as spell that heeds not time's behests.
Not always such the scene: the din of fight
Has swelled the murmur of the peaceful air;
Here East and West have oft displayed their might;
Dark battle clouds have dimmed this scene so fair;
Here bold Olympia, one historical night,
Presaging freedom, claimed a people's care.
Numerous Filipinos who dominate motivation are recorded as a hard copy abstract
work but fascinating Fernando Mamuri Maramag stands and admirable for me for
being a Filipino poet, journalist, editor, essayist, and teacher. He was born on January
21, 1893 in Ilagan, Isabela. His father was Rafael Maramag and his mother was
Victoria Mamuri, a Spanish mestiza. At the age of 15, Maramag went to study at the
Philippine Normal School (now Philippine Normal University). He later transferred to
the University of the Philippines where he graduated. In UP, Maramag wrote for the
school paper and soon became the editor-in-chief.

During his stay in UP, he became classmates with Jose Hilario and Pilar Hidalgo Lim.
When he was 21, Maramag became the principal at the prestigious Instituto de
Manila. He also taught as an English professor at UP and at San Juan de Letran.
Maramag married Constancia Ablaza. They had six children.

I find his poetry shows peace from freedom and making a better place for the future
children. Appreciating the scenery of the beautiful place in the crowded society, that
after chaos you can still find peace from within.

Maramag worked as an editor for various publications including The Manila Tribune,
Rising Philippines, The Philippines Herald, and the National Weekly. Maramag also
worked for the Philippine government as the chief of the publications division of the
Department of Justice. He later served as the technical assistant to Manuel L. Quezon,
then President of the Philippine Senate.

Maramag died on October 23, 1936. On January 21, 1983, a commemorative marker
was installed in his hometown in Isabela to honor his contributions to Philippine
literature.

"Fernando M. Maramag was born in Iligan, isabela in 1893. He is considered the country's first
important poet in English. Records show that his works dominated The College Folio from
December 1910 to November 1912, and R. Dato's Filipino Poetry (1924). A poer and essayist,
Maramag's translated Ibanag folk songs into English, such as the "Cagayanon labor Song", "A
Translation of an Orphan's Song", and "Cagayano Peasant Song". His poems include "To a Youth",
"The Aetheist", and "Moonlight on Manila Bay". His essays were anthologized in Leopoldo Yabes's
Filipino Essays in English 1910-1954 (1954). He passed away on October 23, 1936." [Source:
Philippine Literature: An Introduction to Poetry, Fiction and Drama by Baritugo, Caranguian,
Punsalan, Solmerano]