Interpretation: Our Mother Tongue

IF truly a people dearly love
The tongue to them by Heaven sent,
They'll surely yearn for liberty
Like a bird above in the firmament.

In this first stanza we note that Rizal considers a people's mother tongue as a gift from heaven. Growing up in the Catholic faith where language, according to the Bible, originated from the fall of the Tower of Babel, the poet must certainly have considered the Filipino language as a unique blessing to a unique people who, if they only realize the value of the treasure they hold in the tips of their tongues, would surely yearn for the freedom to build an identity for themselves, free from the influence of foreign lands.

BECAUSE by its language one can judge
A town, a barrio, and kingdom;
And like any other created thing
Every human being loves his freedom.

Here the poet explains why language is linked to the need for freedom, why language is more than just a group of words people use to communicate to each other. It is, according to Rizal, the standard by which outsiders judge a community, a culture, a civilization.

ONE who doesn't love his native tongue,
Is worse than putrid fish and beast;
AND like a truly precious thing
It therefore deserves to be cherished.

In this third stanza we find the origin of Rizal's well-known proverb, "He who does not love his own language is worse than an animal and smelly fish. ("Ang hindi magmahal sa sariling wika, daig pa ang hayop at malansang isda.") He then further stresses that a nation's language is a treasure to be valued and cherished.

THE Tagalog language's akin to Latin,
To English, Spanish, angelical tongue;
For God who knows how to look after us
This language He bestowed us upon.

It is only right for Filipinos to consider Tagalog not as a lower form of language; it is "akin to English, Spanish" and even to the language of angels. It can be supposed from this stanza, then, that the regard people have for their native tongue has a great influence on the regard they have for their own identity as a nation. Tagalog is a language given by God, as are Latin, English and Spanish. It is, therefore, not to be treated as one inferior to other tongues. Filipinos, likewise, ought not to feel inferior to other nations and should desire freedom for they, like everyone else, are capable of upholding their identity themselves.

AS others, our language is the same
With alphabet and letters of its own,
It was lost because a storm did destroy
On the lake the bangka in years bygone.

Letters unique only to the Filipino language could be traced back to Baybayin. The origins and disappearance of the use of this alphabet is a long chapter in history.

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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."

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Interpretation: To the Child Jesus

Jose Rizal wrote the poem To the Child Jesus (in other references, Child Jesus) when he was 14 years old. A rather short poem only eight lines long, it follows the traditional Spanish pattern of poetry:

Why have you come to earth,
Child-God, in a poor manger?
Does Fortune find you a stranger
from the moment of your birth?

The poem begins with Rizal addressing the child Jesus and asking him why he had chosen a lowly manger as the place through which he would enter the world of humanity. He further enriches this question by asking whether Fortune - in this case it could mean wealth or power or prestige or all of the above - had decided to stay far away from the Lord the moment he decided to become a man.

Alas, of heavenly stock
now turned an earthly resident!
Do you not wish to be president
but the shepherd of your flock?

 "Alas" is a word expressing concern, grief, sorrow or pity and is commonly used in traditional poetry. When Rizal adds this expression to the second half of his poem, he signifies that he, Rizal, as a man and having the perspective of a mere human being, finds a part of himself that grieves over how much the divine has given up in the process of his incarnation. He then ends the poem with a rather rhetorical question: Wouldn't you rather be Lord above the earth than be a mere shepherd of simple sheep like the rest of us?

Early in a Filipino child's education, he is taught the basic truths and tenets of Christianity. It is highly probable that as a child, Rizal had already felt deeply for his country and hand great dreams for his motherland. It was easy for his young mind to connect the life and suffering of Jesus, God incarnate, to the present struggles of the nation against oppression, as Rizal believed in non-violence and clearly found a firm ally in the person of Christ.

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Interpretation: A Poem That Has No Title

To my Creator I sing
Who did soothe me in my great loss;
To the Merciful and Kind
Who in my troubles gave me repose.

Rizal opens the poem in thanksgiving. The entire poem is generally about God and is speaking in the second person to God. However, it is important to observe the order in which these verses are written. That he begins by referring to God as the one who soothed him in his great loss and gave him repose in his troubles, could very well signify that the life of the hero was in fact full of pain and difficulty, and that it was in these dark moments that he felt God's presence the most.

Thou with that pow'r of thine
Said: Live! And with life myself I found;
And shelter gave me thou
And a soul impelled to the good
Like a compass whose point to the North is bound.

Here Rizal goes back in time to the days before he was born. With artistic reference to God's power to create everything out of nothing and to speak all beings into existence (Genesis), the author pictures his birth as a result of God's command for him to "Live!" He also acknowledges that his soul is "impelled to the good" and we read this with a very obvious yet tenuous sense of gratitude as well.

Thou did make me descend
From honorable home and respectable stock,
And a homeland thou gavest me
Without limit, fair and rich
Though fortune and prudence it does lack.

Rizal here says that God allowed him to be born into an honorable and respectable family, and into a country that had no limit (which could refer to having limitless potential, ability, greatness... or even in the more "physical" sense of the word, having limitless resources, beauty, wonder). He closes the verse with the only line in the poem that expresses sadness. We see here the burden that the hero continues to carry in his heart - that of our nation's lack of fortune and prudence - which he, no doubt, was still fighting for when he wrote this composition.

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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.

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Interpretation: Education Gives Luster to Motherland

Wise education, vital breath
Inspires an enchanting virtue;
She puts the Country in the lofty seat
Of endless glory, of dazzling glow,
And just as the gentle aura's puff
Do brighten the perfumed flower's hue:
So education with a wise, guiding hand,
A benefactress, exalts the human band.

In this first stanza, Rizal expresses that education is what builds up a country and allows her to rise above the rest in matters of honor and a good name. He likens a guided and relevant education to the vibrance of a flower.

Man's placid repose and earthly life
To education he dedicates
Because of her, art and science are born
Man; and as from the high mount above
The pure rivulet flows, undulates,
So education beyond measure
Gives the Country tranquility secure.

From the time of a man's birth to the moment of his death, he is constantly engaged in the journey of learning. This can come in the form of a formal education and a structured curriculum, or in the essence of daily living. And in this continued journey, people begin to discover and innovate, create and recreate, giving birth to great discoveries and breathtaking wonders. Rizal likens eduction to a rivulet, a stream, a brook, that provides a certain peace as the water endlessly flows.

Where wise education raises a throne
Sprightly youth are invigorated,
Who with firm stand error they subdue
And with noble ideas are exalted;
It breaks immortality's neck,
Contemptible crime before it is halted:
It humbles barbarous nations
And it makes of savages champions.

Knowledge and wisdom enliven and embolden the young. With the sword of education they are able to identify errors and correct them. They are able to find fault in the seemingly faultless fabric of earthly knowledge and smother it with truth. They are well-respected for the ideas they bring to the world.

A good education is an effective remedy to the problem of criminal acts and unlawful pursuits. Even nations who wish nothing more than to divide, conquer, and control are silenced when they open their ears to the voice of wisdom, which stops hatred in its tracks and promotes the welfare of the people. Even savages, turn into champions when they are afforded a good education.

And like the spring that nourishes
The plants, the bushes of the meads,
She goes on spilling her placid wealth,
And with kind eagerness she constantly feeds,
The river banks through which she slips,
And to beautiful nature all she concedes,
So whoever procures education wise
Until the height of honor may rise.
From her lips the waters crystalline
Gush forth without end, of divine virtue,

Knowledge is likened to a spring that nourishes everything its water touches. The spring of knowledge is everlasting; there is no end to it.

And prudent doctrines of her faith
The forces weak of evil subdue,
That break apart like the whitish waves
That lash upon the motionless shoreline:
And to climb the heavenly ways the people
Do learn with her noble example.

In the education and enlightenment of the soul, man is able to overcome the powers of evil, which in this stanza, are likened to the waves that lash upon the shore. Yet when man opens his eyes to the divine revelation and acquires knowledge in matters of the spirit, he is able to defeat the oppression of evil and "climb the heavenly ways."

In the wretched human beings' breast
The living flame of good she lights
The hands of criminal fierce she ties,
And fill the faithful hearts with delights,
Which seeks her secrets beneficent
And in the love for the good her breast she incites,
And it's th' education noble and pure
Of human life the balsam sure.

Here, education is likened to a balsam, producing medicinal effects to the many afflictions of the human race, which are generally and singularly rooted in the propensity for evil. The acquisition of good wisdom enables man to magnify his passion for good and continually shun temptation.

And like a rock that rises with pride
In the middle of the turbulent waves
When hurricane and fierce Notus roar
She disregards their fury and raves,
That weary of the horror great
So frightened calmly off they stave;
Such is one by wise education steered
He holds the Country's reins unconquered.

An educated man does not sway when trials come. He stands firm in the midst of trouble and remains courageous in times of despair. Great horrors cannot frighten him as they do other people. Education provides her country with strong and respectable citizens who are ready to fight for her honor no matter the cost.

His achievements on sapphires are engraved;
The Country pays him a thousand honors;
For in the noble breasts of her sons
Virtue transplanted luxuriant flow'rs;
And in the love of good e'er disposed
Will see the lords and governors
The noble people with loyal venture
Christian education always procure.

The achievements of an educated man are not forgotten, and he passes his wisdom on to the generations that come after him. He becomes a beacon to his family and sets a good example for the youth. In this stanza, Rizal also stresses the great importance of a Christian education, as opposed to one that lacks the spiritual aspect, which he obviously considers an essential cornerstone.

And like the golden sun of the morn
Whose rays resplendent shedding gold,
And like fair aurora of gold and red
She overspreads her colors bold;
Such true education proudly gives
The pleasure of virtue to young and old
And she enlightens out Motherland dear
As she offers endless glow and luster.

The poem ends in a splash of color as the author likens a good education to lights of the sun and the aurora. Great wisdom picks no favorites; young and old benefit from it and delight in its joys. Rizal closes the verse with an image of his country with the sun overhead, a sun that embodies the virtues and wonders of a good education, which he dreams for every citizen to enjoy.

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Interpretation: Sa Aking mga Kabata

Kapagka ang baya’y sadyang umiibig

Sa langit salitang kaloob ng langit

Sanlang kalayaan nasa ring masapi

Katulad ng ibong nasa himpapawid

This first stanza in Rizal's poem shows that long before he sprouted the first fruits of his youth, he had already placed distinguished value in the importance of one's mother tongue.  According to these verses, if a nation's people wholeheartedly embrace and love their native language, that nation will also surely pursue liberty.  He likens this idea to a bird soaring freely in the vast, eternal sky above.

Ipinapakita sa unang talata na kahit noong bata pa lamang si Rizal ay nakita na niya ang kahalagahan ng wikang pambansa. Ayon sa kanya, kung taos-pusong mamahalin ng mga tao ang kanilang pambansang wika ay taos-puso rin nilang ipaglalaban ang kanilang kalayaan. Ito raw ay parang isang ibong lumilipad nang malaya sa himpapawid.


Pagka’t ang salita’y isang kahatulan
Sa bayan, sa nayo't mga kaharian
At ang isang tao’y katulad, kabagay
Ng alin mang likha noong kalayaan.

Language here is likened to a people born into freedom.  In Rizal's time, Filipinos were held in slavery by Spain.  Rizal, however, believed that if the people treasured and loved and used their mother tongue, it would become a symbol of relative freedom, and of identity.

Ang wika ay ihinahalintulad ni Rizal sa mamamayang ipinanganak sa kalayaan. Sa panahon noon, ang Pilipinas ay naging alipin sa kamay ng mga Kastila. Ganunpaman, sinasabi ni Rizal sa talatang ito na kahit na ang bansa ay parang nasa bilangguan ng mga dayuhan, ang kanilang pagmamahal at pagtatangkilik sa sariling wika ay magiging simbolo na rin ng kanilang pagkatao ang pagka-Pilipino.


Ang hindi magmahal sa kanyang salita
Mahigit sa hayop at malansang isda
Kaya ang marapat pagyamanin kusa
Na tulad sa inang tunay na nagpala

It is here in these lines of verse that we find Rizal's famous quote: "He who does not love his own language is worse than an animal and smelly fish."  He further adds that Filipinos must work to make the language richer, and likens this endeavor to a mother feeding her young.  The native tongue is now compared to a helpless child that must be nurtured in order to grow and flourish.

Dito sa pangatlong saknong nating makikita ang isa sa mga pinakatanyag na kasabihan ni Rizal. Ayon sa kanya, ang wika raw kay nangangailangan ng pag-aaruga, gaya ng pag-alaga ng ina sa kanyang anak. Ihinahalintulad niya ang pambansang wika sa isang sanggol na kailangang alagaan at mahalin.


Ang wikang Tagalog tulad din sa Latin,
Sa Ingles, Kastila, at salitang anghel,
Sapagkat ang Poong maalam tumingin
Ang siyang naggagawad, nagbibigay sa atin.

The Tagalog language is, according to these lines, equal in rank to Latin, English, Spanish, and even the language of the angels.  It is not inferior to any other language, nor must it be considered so.  For it is God who has bestowed upon the Filipinos this gift, just as he has blessed the other nations and lands with their native tongues.

Ayon kay Rizal, ang wikang Tagalog ay singhalaga ang sintulad lamang ng wikang Latin, Ingles, Kastila, at salitang anghel. Hindi ito dapat minamaliit kapag ikinukumpara sa wika ng ibang mas mauunlad na bansa, sapagkat iisa lamang ang Diyos na nagbigay-bunga sa lahat ng wika ng mundo.


Ang salita nati’y tulad din sa iba
Na may alfabeto at sariling letra,
Na kaya nawala’y dinatnan ng sigwa
Ang lunday sa lawa noong dakong una.

These last lines may very well be referring to the Alibata, or the old Filipino alphabet whose characters are unique in every essence, finding no likeness in any other alphabet.  The Tagalog language, according to Rizal, has letters and characters of its very own, similar to the way other "elite tongues" do.  These letters, however, were overthrown by strong waves and lost, like fragile, fickle boats in the stormy sea, many long years ago.

Ang wika ng mga Pilipino, tulad nga iba pang wika, ay mayroon ding sariling alpabeto. Maaaring tinutukoy ni Rizal dito ang Alibata o ang lumang alpabetong Pilipino, na talaga namang nag-iisa ang walang katulad. Ngunit, ayon kay Rizal, ang mga letra ng ating katutubong alpabeto ay parang natangoy sa malalaking alon, na parang mga bangka.

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