Angela Manalang-Gloria was born in 1915 in Guagua Pamapanga, however she moved

to Albay, beginning her studying at Benedictine sisters. A child fond of art and music, Angela
moved in Manila where she continued studying at St. Scholastica, graduating salutatorian in
1925. A girl who dreams to be a musician, Angela focused on her piano skills throughout school.
However this changed when she arrived in UP. Angela took liberal arts and graduated summa
cum laude with an A.B. in philosophy. In UP working in the paper Philippine Collegian,Angela
met her husband Celedenio P. Gloria. World War II came ending the life of Celedenio. Angela
changed from being an idealist to being a pragmatist. Philippine Literature has lost her then.

In this poem “Soledad”, Angela is depicting love standing against the will of society. This
is depicted by a girl persona, breaking the rules of a church order. The poem is set with meter
and rhymes making it pleasant to the ears, a classic structure with a classic message of all-out
love. The persona probably belongs to the upper class of the society committing a sin by
breaking one of their vows, -loving a man of the lower class. The causes and effects of the
forbidden love were paralleled to the religion because of the tradition of Philippines that time.
Strong phrases like “it was a sacrilege” or "she shattered every mullioned pane" were used to
depict the persona’s forbidden love.The contradiction of love and society was exaggerated to
the extent of heaven and hell. Love amidst all odds was portrayed in this poem; thus, the title
"soledad" or solitude (a state of being alone). The poem also tells us that love requires sacrifices
such as facing all the consequences of such feeling. However,Angela believes that even with
those hardships there could be still eternal bliss. Most of poem's beauty is encompassed by the
last two lines, an irony so dramatic yet true. (Elementary – St Agnes Academy, valedictorian)

Soledad
Angela C. Manang-Gloria

It was a sacrilege, the neighbors cried,

The way she shattered every mullioned pane
To let a firebrand in. They tried in vain
To understand how one so carved from pride
And glassed in dream could have so flung aside
Her graven days, or why she dared profane
The bread and wine of life for one insane
Moment with him. The scandal never died.

But no one guessed that loveliness would claim

Her soul's cathedral burned by his desires,
Or that he left her aureoled in flame. . .
And seeing nothing but her blackened spires,
The town condemned this girl who loved too well
And found her heaven in the depths of hell.
  Sacrilege – a violation against a sacred object, any transgression against the virtue of the
religion.
 Mullioned pane – window (closed)
 Firebrand – a person who stirs up trouble
 Profane – irreverence, degrade, improper (profane the name of God)
 Aureoled – halo
 Spires – top part.

Idealist – a person who cherishes or pursues high or noble principle

Pragmatist – a world is a practical place, matter of fact way of approaching or assessing
situations or of solving problems