Interpretation: Mi Ultimo Adios (My Last

Farewell)
Farewell, my adored Land, region of the sun caressed,
Pearl of the Orient Sea, our Eden lost,
With gladness I give you my Life, sad and repressed;
And were it more brilliant, more fresh and at its best,
I would still give it to you for your welfare at most.

These are the words of one about to die for his country. He expresses no regret but only gladness,
knowing that in giving his life, he is giving his country the greatest gift any citizen could offer.

On the fields of battle, in the fury of fight,

Others give you their lives without pain or hesitancy,
The place does not matter: cypress laurel, lily white,
Scaffold, open field, conflict or martyrdom's site,
It is the same if asked by home and Country.

Here Rizal says that it does not matter where one dies, but why one dies and to what purpose.
Whether it’s “scaffold, open field, conflict or martyrdom’s site,” all death hold the same honor if
given for home and Country.

I die as I see tints on the sky b'gin to show

And at last announce the day, after a gloomy night;
If you need a hue to dye your matutinal glow,
Pour my blood and at the right moment spread it so,
And gild it with a reflection of your nascent light!

Rizal’s execution was set at sunrise, thus the meaning of the first and second lines. He employs
the visual senses in his poetic use of color, and then in the third and fourth lines, adds the bright
red tint of his blood to the scene, and gilds it with golden sunlight. The use of these devices
ignites passion in the reader, as it is felt – a hundred times more so – in the writer, even without
explicit use of words signifying feeling.

My dreams, when scarcely a lad adolescent,

My dreams when already a youth, full of vigor to attain,
Were to see you, gem of the sea of the Orient,
Your dark eyes dry, smooth brow held to a high plane
Without frown, without wrinkles and of shame without stain.

Since his childhood, even as other children dreamed of childish things, Rizal dreamed of seeing
his country free, esteemed, and with head held high.

My life's fancy, my ardent, passionate desire,

Hail! Cries out the soul to you, that will soon part from thee;
Hail! How sweet 'tis to fall that fullness you may acquire;
To die to give you life, 'neath your skies to expire,
And in your mystic land to sleep through eternity!

Here, he showers her with praise. He is his life’s fancy, his ardent and passionate desire. He
shouts “Hail!” as many would to their God. He says in the third line that it is sweet to fall so that
his country may acquire fullness, and then continues on in the succeeding lines, “to die to give
you life.” But his joy does not end in the act of dying, but continues beyond the grave, where he
shall sleep in his country’s mystic land through eternity. As one dies for God, Rizal dies for
country. And as one looks forward to heaven, Rizal’s heaven – in these lines, at least – lies in
being buried in the land of his ancestors.

If over my tomb some day, you would see blow,

A simple humble flow'r amidst thick grasses,
Bring it up to your lips and kiss my soul so,
And under the cold tomb, I may feel on my brow,
Warmth of your breath, a whiff of your tenderness.

In this stanza, Rizal likens his soul to that of “a simple humble flower amidst thick grasses.” The
use of this comparison says a lot about how Rizal sees himself – timid, simple, humble,
surrounded by the unrelenting forces of society. He imagines that after his death, he will live on
in the bosom of his motherland, and never cease to enjoy her love, which he begs her to express
with a kiss.

Let the moon with soft, gentle light me descry,

Let the dawn send forth its fleeting, brilliant light,
In murmurs grave allow the wind to sigh,
And should a bird descend on my cross and alight,
Let the bird intone a song of peace o'er my site.

Rizal’s love for nature is again depicted in these next four lines. It is interesting that he
enumerates the moon, the dawn, the wind, and a bird to pay homage to his grave, yet does not
mention close friends or specific people. Perhaps it is a simple image of his reunion with nature
that he wants to bring to mind; perhaps it is also an expression of the loneliness and isolation that
he has felt and continues to feel in his fight for freedom.

Let the burning sun the raindrops vaporize

And with my clamor behind return pure to the sky;
Let a friend shed tears over my early demise;
And on quiet afternoons when one prays for me on high,
Pray too, oh, my Motherland, that in God may rest I.

The mention here, of a friend, is the closest he gets to company. And the mention of God in the
fourth line is the closest he gets to praying for a spiritual heaven. That Rizal beseeches his
country to pray that his soul may rest in God is in line with the Roman Catholic belief that all
men are sinners and that salvation is to be earned and cannot be determined before the grave.

Pray thee for all the hapless who have died,

For all those who unequalled torments have undergone;
For our poor mothers who in bitterness have cried;
For orphans, widows and captives to tortures were shied,
And pray too that you may see your own redemption.

In these four lines he gives his motherland a list of the things he wishes her to pray for. He
remembers all of the martyrs who have suffered the same fate as he will, who have died for their
country; the mothers, wives, and children they have left behind who suffer no less for being
abandoned. He also, in a hopeful closing note, asks her to pray for herself.

And when the dark night wraps the cemet'ry

And only the dead to vigil there are left alone,
Don't disturb their repose, don't disturb the mystery:
If you hear the sounds of cittern or psaltery,
It is I, dear Country, who, a song t'you intone.

Clearly Rizal has not imagined that a monument would eventually be built over his grave and has
pictured his final resting place as a humble cemetery where he shall, even after death, sing a song
of devotion for his motherland.

And when my grave by all is no more remembered,

With neither cross nor stone to mark its place,
Let it be plowed by man, with spade let it be scattered
And my ashes ere to nothingness are restored,
Let them turn to dust to cover your earthly space.

In this next stanza, Rizal wishes to then be “plowed by man” when his grave is no longer
remembered, and be scattered as he returns to be part of the dust that covers the land he had died
for. What actually happens in real life, though, is an uncanny parallel. On December 30, 1896, on
the day of his execution, Rizal’s remains were buried in an unmarked grave in the Paco
Cemetery. Years later, however, his remains were exhumed and on December 30, 1912, they
were brought to their final resting place in the base of the monument at Luneta.

Then it doesn't matter that you should forget me:

Your atmosphere, your skies, your vales I'll sweep;
Vibrant and clear note to your ears I shall be:
Aroma, light, hues, murmur, song, moanings deep,
Constantly repeating the essence of the faith I keep.

The first line in this stanza begins following the assumption that our hero’s ashes have now been
spread over the land. Rizal envisions that once he has returned to her in this manner, it will no
longer matter if the country forgets him because he will be with her, everywhere, as dust in the
atmosphere, blowing in the skies, in the wind, and still singing songs and murmuring words of
devotion.

My idolized Country, for whom I most gravely pine,

Dear Philippines, to my last goodbye, oh, hearken
There I leave all: my parents, loves of mine,
I'll go where there are no slaves, tyrants or hangmen
Where faith does not kill and where God alone does reign.

Here we come to a more submissive yet hopeful tone. Rizal bids farewell to his one great love –
his country – and yet looks forward to being with God, where there are no slaves, tyrants or
hangmen.

Farewell, parents, brothers, beloved by me,

Friends of my childhood, in the home distressed;
Give thanks that now I rest from the wearisome day;
Farewell, sweet stranger, my friend, who brightened my way;
Farewell, to all I love. To die is to rest.

To close, Rizal now finally mentions specific people: parents, brothers, friends of his childhood.
In other translations, the fourth line reads, “Adios sweet-tender foreigner—my friend, my
happiness,” which historians have interpreted to allude to Josephine Bracken, the daughter of an
Anglo-Saxon father and a Chinese mother, whom many believe – although it is frequently
challenged – he secretly married an hour before his death.

Interpretation: Memories of My Town

Rizal wrote this poem in 1876, when he was 15 years old.
When I recall the days
That saw my childhood of yore
Beside the verdant shore
Of a murmuring lagoon;
When I remember the sighs
Of the breeze that on my brow
Sweet and caressing did blow
With coolness full of delight;

When I look at the lily white

Fills up with air violent
And the stormy element
On the sand doth meekly sleep;
When sweet 'toxicating scent
From the flowers I inhale
Which at the dawn they exhale
When at us it begins to peep;

In these first two stanzas, Rizal uses a literary device intended to prolong suspense. Every fifth
line begins with the word “When,” which indicates that there is a resulting effect following the
clause that tails it. These series of “when” lines look back to his childhood and the colorful
encounter with nature which was associated with those years.

I sadly recall your face,

Oh precious infancy,
That a mother lovingly
Did succeed to embellish.
I remember a simple town;
My cradle, joy and boon,
Beside the cool lagoon
The seat of all my wish.

Whose face does he recall? It is the face of infancy, his infancy, his innocence. He remembers it
with sadness because he misses it and longs for it – the simple life in a simple town – misses his
mother, who lavished him with love and untainted joy.

Oh, yes! With uncertain pace

I trod your forest lands,
And on your river banks
A pleasant fun I found;
At your rustic temple I prayed
With a little boy's simple faith
And your aura's flawless breath
Filled my heart with joy profound.

Here we see a more candid side of the young Rizal, unstudied as he walks through forest lands
and river banks, praying with a pure, untainted faith in the old churches of his hometown. That
he does not leave out prayer indicates his strong Catholic upbringing.

Saw I God in the grandeur

Of your woods which for centuries stand;
Never did I understand
In your bosom what sorrows were;
While I gazed on your azure sky
Neither love nor tenderness
Failed me, 'cause my happiness
In the heart of nature rests there.

He remembers nothing but pure joy during those moments of his childhood; during those days he
knew nothing of grief and pain, as evidenced in the lines, “Never did I understand in your bosom
what sorrows were.” The last three lines can be translated in plainer English as, “Neither love
nor tenderness failed me, because my happiness rests there in the heart of nature.”

Tender childhood, beautiful town,

Rich fountain of happiness,
Of harmonious melodies,
That drive away my sorrow!
Return thee to my heart,
Bring back my gentle hours
As do the birds when the flow'rs
Would again begin to blow!
This stanza is the highest emotional point of the entire poem. This is also the first time the
listener hears him in a tone of exclamation. It is here that Rizal expresses his longing for those
years to come back and stay with him.

But, alas, adieu! E'er watch

For your peace, joy and repose,
Genius of good who kindly dispose
Of his blessings with amour;
It's for thee my fervent pray'rs,
It's for thee my constant desire
Knowledge ever to acquire
And may God keep your candour!

In this conclusion, Rizal bids his town and his childhood memories farewell, and prays that his
town remains as vibrant and full of hope and happiness as he remembers it.

Interpretation: To the Virgin Mary

Jose Rizal, regardless of certain views later on in his life that were controversial and somewhat
contrary to the Roman Catholic faith, was brought up Catholic. He composed this sonnet during
his stay at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, when he was about 15 years old.
Mary, sweet peace, solace dear
Of pained mortal! You're the fount
Whence emanates the stream of succor,
That without cease our soil fructifies.

When spoken in modern English, this first stanza reads, “Mary, sweet peace and dear solace,
You are the fount of pained mortal. It is from you that the stream of succor emanates, which,
without ceasing, gives life to your soil.” It is clearly in praise of the Virgin Mary, whom Rizal
says in this verse is the reason for a prosperous yield, and without the help of whom no hard
working man can prosper. His high regard for the Virgin Mary is evident in these four lines.

From thy throne, from heaven high,

Kindly hear my sorrowful cry!
And may thy shining veil protect
My voice that rises with rapid flight.

These next four lines are more straight to the point. He prays to Mary who sits in what he
imagines is her glorious throne above, and begs her to hear his plea. This indicates a sense of
eagerness and desperation. “My voice that rises with rapid flight,” signifies a sense of urgency to
the words in his sorrowful cry.

Thou art my Mother, Mary, pure;

Thou'll be the fortress of my life;
Thou'll be my guide on this angry sea.
If ferociously vice pursues me,
If in my pains death harasses me,
Help me, and drive away my woes!
The last stanza sounds more like a prayer. It is evident in these verses that even though Rizal was
still at such a young age, he had felt and foreseen that life to him would be difficult.

Interpretation: Hymn to Labor

This composition by Rizal which was originally written in Spanish, in general speaks about how
every Filipino is willing to work hard, or labor, for his country.

Hymn to Labor was written in response to a request from Rizal’s comrades in Lipa, Batangas,
who then were in need of a hymn to sing during the ceremony in honor of Lipa being declared a
city in January 1888. More accurately, then, this song is intended to praise the hard work and
industry of the people of Lipa.

For the Motherland in war,

For the Motherland in peace,
Will the Filipino keep watch,
He will live until life will cease!

These first four lines of verses comprise the chorus. It signifies that every Filipino, in his
patriotism, will keep a watchful yet loving eye on his country with equal passion at wartime and
in times of peace. There will be no desertion especially during the more difficult times in the
country’s history, even if it means he pays for his loyalty with his life.

MEN:

Now the East is glowing with light,

Go! To the field to till the land,
For the labour of man sustains
Fam'ly, home and Motherland.
Hard the land may turn to be,
Scorching the rays of the sun above...
For the country, wife and children
All will be easy to our love.

The first stanza is sung by the men. This is the first of four societal groups identified in this
hymn, which signifies that all members of society without regard for gender or age, should
uphold and honor their country.

For the men, family and country are inspiration and motivation enough amidst exhausting labor.
Farming has long been the main occupation of men in the country especially during its early
years, and this verse gives a nod of approval to farmers who wake before the sunrise to tend their
land. They do it not for the money, but for what the income can do to benefit the greater good:
family, home, and Motherland.

(Chorus)

WIVES:
Go to work with spirits high,
For the wife keeps home faithfully,
Inculcates love in her children
For virtue, knowledge and country.
When the evening brings repose,
On returning joy awaits you,
And if fate is adverse, the wife,
Shall know the task to continue.

The role of a wife during the time of Rizal was plain and simple: she was the steward of the
home, the mother of the children. Modern thinking might dispense premature reaction to this
notion, however it only takes a few lines to see that Rizal was, in fact, also a feminist, ahead of
his time.

This verse pays tribute to mothers who dedicate their lives to the rearing and upbringing of their
children, teaching them the right values and morals to become upright citizens. Education and
formation, after all, begin and end in the home. In the last two lines, it is evident that, given the
precarious nature of life in a time when war is imminent, wives may lose their husbands and so it
is in their capable hands to carry out the business of men in the context of home and family,
should the men find themselves no longer able to do their duty.

(Chorus)

MAIDENS :

Hail! Hail! Praise to labour,

Of the country wealth and vigor!
For it brow serene's exalted,
It's her blood, life, and ardor.
If some youth would show his love
Labor his faith will sustain :
Only a man who struggles and works
Will his offspring know to maintain.

The third verse is sung by maidens, who salute to labor and encourage the young men to give
their lives to hard work and industry for the good of the nation. This is supposed to be sung with
joy and pride, signifying that no fair maiden wants a lazy young man who sits and waits for
nothing all the day long but instead cheers for that youth full of valor and expresses her
willingness to be that youth’s wife on account of his spirit, not merely his looks.

(Chorus)

CHILDREN:

Teach, us ye the laborious work

To pursue your footsteps we wish,
For tomorrow when country calls us
We may be able your task to finish.
And on seeing us the elders will say :
"Look, they're worthy 'f their sires of yore!"
Incense does not honor the dead
As does a son with glory and valor.

It is apparent in Filipino culture then and now, that children have high regard for the approval of
their elders. This verse underlines the importance of keeping the culture and tradition that is
handed down to them from the previous generation, and that they, in future, will hand down to
their own sons and daughters. It also expresses the children’s wish to pursue the footsteps of
those that have gone before them, in preparation for when the time comes for them to take
charge, however premature and unexpected that time may be.

Interpretation: To the Filipino 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.

The first line, "unfold, oh timid flower," implies that the youth is silent, maybe daunted, and
consequently has not yet gone into full bloom for whatever reason there is that may have
silenced them. In the beginning stanza, Rizal encourages the youth, by telling them to hold their
heads high for they possess talents and skills and abilities that would make their country proud.

The second verse can be rearranged in contemporary English to say: "Oh genius great, soar high;
and fill their mind with noble thoughts. May their virgin mind fly and find the honor's glorious
seat more rapidly than the wind." Here, Rizal calls to genious to fill young minds with noble
thoughts and hopes that as they release their thinking from the chains that bind, they may be able
to soar swiftly high where the joy of honor is.

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.

Contrary to the second verse, which talked about ascending and soaring to the heights, this third
stanza now talks about descent, and a downward motion of the great genius to fill the earthly
strokes of art and science with their magnificent ideas. Again, Rizal calls them to break the
chains that bind their intellect. "Poetic genius" here does not necessarily pertain to the talent of
writing poetry. Instead, the term "poetic" is simply an adjective to describe genius, meaning that
it is deep and mystifying and heavy with meaning.

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.

Rizal challenges the youth, that in their pursuit of knowledge and wisdom they may humble the
hand of Spain, whose proud chin did not look kindly upon the people whom they labelled as
"Indios" and whom they treated with contempt. He dreams that in their journey to intellectual
greatness they may humble even the proudest nations that look down on them and rightfully
deserve "a crown that shines, even where shadows stand."

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;

In these two stanzas, Rizal calls the youth to seek the beauty of poetry and music, which he
himself values greatly as essentials in every manner of life. He claims that poetry is "more sweet
than divine honey," and that music can "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;

Speaking to the youth, Rizal says that by the very impulse of their mind, they are capable of
bringing to life or animating even someting as lifeless and unmoving as a hard rock. He
continues to say that the youth is able, to immortalize their thoughts and their words through the
help of great genius (as he has done himself. This stanza can be arranged in a more
contemporary English structure as follows: "You can animate the hard rock at the impulse of
your mind; and transform, with the great power of your mind, the pure memory of great genius
into immortality."

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;

Rizal here addresses the youth, comparing their abilities to a magic brush that can capture even
the most majestic views and the most glorious charms on a blank canvas.

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.

The last stanza is a charge, urging the youth to run, for a glorious crown awaits them. The
"sphere" here pertains to the world, showing that Rizal believed the Filipino youth is as brilliant
as those in any other nation, and is able to contend with even the strongest powers if they only
set their mind to making most of what they already have.

Interpretation: To the Philippines

Aglowing and fair like a houri on high,
Full of grace and pure like the Morn that peeps
When in the sky the clouds are tinted blue,
Of th' Indian land, a goddess sleeps.

Rizal builds a description of his motherland using simile and metaphor. He likens her to an houri
which, by definition, is one of the beautiful maidens that in Muslim belief live with the blessed
in paradise (definition taken from Merriam-Webster). The second and third lines of this first
stanza comprise one versified sentence, and when arranged in the more modern tongue, goes,
"When the clouds are tinted blue in the sky, [she] peeps like the Morn, pure and full of grace."
Here he also likens his country to a sleeping goddess of the Indian land. One might ask why the
poet imagines his land to be in deep slumber; perhaps it is because he feels she has yet to be
acquainted with greatness and with equal respect as is given to other lands.

The light foam of the son'rous sea

Doth kiss her feet with loving desire;
The cultured West adores her smile
And the frosty Pole her flow'red attire.
The Philippines as an archipelago is described in this stanza as being kissed by the light foam of
the sea. The "feet" might well refer to her shores, of which she has a great multitude. Rizal
manages to include the truth about the country being conquered by the West, by saying that it
"adores her smile." And the rich flora and fauna of the land, the iced caps of the globe can only
dream to match.

With tenderness, stammering, my Muse

To her 'midst undines and naiads does sing;
I offer her my fortune and bliss:
Oh, artists! her brow chaste ring
With myrtle green and roses red
And lilies, and extol the Philippines!

Here the poet takes a position of humility and stands in awe and adoration of his motherland.
This is evident through his use of the words "tenderness" and "stammering." He calls upon
undines and naiads - different types of water nymphs in mythology - as well as all of nature,
represented by the three flowers: myrtle, roses and lilies, to "extol the Philippines."