Un Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo

In Memory of My Town
Jose P. Rizal
(1876)
 In Memory of My Town | 1

When early childhood’s happy days

In memory I see once more
Along the lively verdant shore
That meets a gently murmuring sea;
When I recall the whisper soft
Of zephyrs dancing on my brow
With cooling sweetness, even now
New luscious life is born on me.
 In Memory of My Town | 2

When I behold the lily white

That sways to do the wind’s command,
While gently sleeping on the sand
The stormy water rests awhile;
When from the flowers there softly breathes
A bouquet ravishingly sweet,
Out-poured the newborn dawn to meet,
As on us she begins to smile.
 In Memory of My Town | 3

With sadness I recall…recall

Thy face, in precious infancy
Oh mother, friend most dear to me,
Who gave to life a wondrous charm.
I yet recall a village plain,
My joy, my family, my boon,
Besides the freshly cool lagoon,
The spot for which my heart beats
warm.
 In Memory of My Town | 4

Ah yes! My footsteps insecure

In your dark forests deeply sank;
And there by every river’s bank
I found refreshment and delight;
Within that rustic temple prayed
With childhood’s simple faith
unfeigned
While cooling breezes, pure,
unstained,
Would send my heart on rapturous
flight.
 In Memory of My Town | 5

I saw the Maker in the grandeur

Of your ancient hoary wood,
Ah, never in your refuge could
A mortal by regret by smitten;
And while upon your sky of blue
I gaze, no love or tenderness
Could fail, for here on nature’s
dress
My happiness itself was written.
 In Memory of My Town | 6

Ah, tender childhood, lovely town,

Rich fount of my felicities,
Oh those harmonious melodies
Which put to fight all dismal hours,
Come back to my heart once more!
Come back, gentle hours, I yearn!
Come back as the birds return,
At the budding of the flowers!
 In Memory of My Town | 7

Alas, farewell! Eternal vigil I keep

For thy peace, thy bliss, and
tranquility,
O Genius of good, so kind!
Give me these gifts, with charity.
To thee are my fervent vows,-
To thee I cease not to sigh
These to learn, and I call to the sky
To have thy sincerity.
A La Juventud Filipina
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
 Hold high the brow serene,
O youth, where now you stand;
Let the bright sheen
Come now, thou genius grand,
Of your grace be seen,
And bring down inspiration;
Fair hope of my fatherland! With thy mighty hand,
Swifter than the wind's violation,
Raise the eager mind to higher station.
 Come down with pleasing
light
Of art and science to the fight,
O youth, and there untie
The chains that heavy lie,
Your spirit free to blight
See how in flaming zone
Amid the shadows thrown,
The Spaniard 'a holy hand
A crown's resplendent band
Proffers to this Indian land.
Thou, who now wouldst rise
On wings of rich emprise,
Seeking from Olympian skies
Songs of sweetest strain,
Softer than ambrosial rain;
Thou, whose voice divine
Rivals Philomel's refrain
And with varied line
Through the night benign
Frees mortality from pain;
He wrote A La Juventud Filipina in Manila
in 1879 when he was 18 years old and is
studying at University of Santo Tomas
when he realized that not all fault lay on
the side of the friars, most of them lies on
the Filipinos.
He wrote the poem to send a message to
every Filipino youth that they are the hope
of the motherland
Rizal's poem made the educated
Filipino youth realize their importance
to the Philippines
He enunciated from this poem that the
Philippines is a nation distinct from
Spain at the same time making two
graceful reference to Spain as the
source of country's well being
Mi Primera Inspiracion
My First Inspiration
Jose P. Rizal
(1874)
Mi Primera Inspiracion (My First Inspiration)
● First poem written in Ateneo
● Dedicated to his mother Dona Teodora on her birthday celebration
Mi Primera Inspiracion (My First Inspiration)

Why falls so rich a spray

of fragrance from the bowers

of the balmy flowers Why from woods and vales

upon this festive day? do we hear sweet measures ringing

that seem to be the singing

of a choir of nightingales?
Mi Primera Inspiracion (My First Inspiration)
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?

Mi Primera Inspiracion (My First Inspiration)
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.

Mi Primera Inspiracion (My First Inspiration)
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!

Mi Primera Inspiracion (My First Inspiration)
F - reedom

I - ndulgence

R - eminiscence

S - olemn

T - hankfulness
Mi Primera Inspiracion (My First Inspiration)
● Illustrates Rizal’s Love for his two mothers (mother nature and Dona Lolay)
Through Education Our Motherland Receives Light
“Por La Educacion Recibe Lustre La Patria”
(April 1, 1876)
Wise education, vital breath,
infuses an enchanting virtue.
She lifts the Nation to the high seat
of dazzling and immortal glory.
And as to the breath of a fresh wind
the hues of the sweet flower revive,
thus education, a benefactor,
with lavish hand exalts humanity.
For her mortal sacrifices
existence and a calm repose;
through her are born both art and science,
which crown a man with beauteous laurel.
And as from the top of a tall mountain
spring the pure waters of a torrent,
so education, unstinting, lavishes
on the land where she lives enduring peace.
Where education rears her throne
exuberant youth robust shall grow
to crush down error with a firm foot
and be enlarged with great ideas.
Education the neck of vice shall break;
black crime shall pale and fade before her;
barbarous tribes she shall subdue,
transforming savages into champions.
And as the river that nourishes
the crops and shrubbery of the lowlands
bestows its placid wealth of waters
to irrigate with constant zeal
the banks through which it undulates,
denying beautiful nature nothing;
so he who gains wise education
shall hoist himself to the heights of honor.
The crystalline waters of heavenly virtue
spring from her lips without surcease
and the prudent doctrines of her faith
debilitate the forces of evil
that shatter like the silvery waves
beating against unmoving shores;
and mortals learn by her example
how to climb the heavenly trails.
Within the breasts of hapless mortals
she kindles the living flame of good;
she binds the hands of the wild criminal;
and faithfully pours out consolation
to those who seek her kindly mysteries,
inflaming their hearts with a love for good.
And thus is education, so noble
and perfect, the sure balm of life.
And like the rock that rises proudly His deeds shall be inscribed in sapphire;
amid the turmoil of the waves his land shall pay him a thousand honors;
when storm and the savage South Wind clamor,for in the noble breasts of his children
disdaining the fury of the waves virtue transplanted healthy flowers.
which, weary at last of horrifying, And by the love for good consumed
beat a retreat of sinister calm; its governors and leaders shall serve
such is he whom education directs: the nation that in steady venture
ably shall he hold the reins of state. pursues a Christian education.
As from the blond sun of the morning
gold emanates in splendid rays,
and as the fair dawn of gold and crimson
scatters its refulgent colors:
thus good education proudly offers
the bliss of virtue to the living,
and to our beloved illustrious land
offers immortal light and glory.
- Rizal wrote this poem at the age of 15 at the Ateneo de Municipal
on April 1, 1876.
- This poem proved that he valued education so much that may give
the power of the country to survive from any forces in the struggles of
societal freedom . Through education, it creates the virtue of power to
human race. This gives security and peace to the motherland as the
Filipinos would learn the sciences and arts as the basis to calm down
the life of the society.
Alianza Intima Entre la Religion
y la Buena Educacion
(Intimate Alliance Between Religion and Good
Education)
JOSE P. RIZAL
(1876)
 Background
In 1876, Rizal started writing poems on
various topics – wars, childhood memories,
education, and religion.
Rizal wrote this poem during the summer of
April 1876, before entering his fifth year in
Ateneo Municipal in June.
This is a 4-stanza poem that correlates
Religion and 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 the 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 it 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 the angered sea.
 As the heaven’s dew the meadow feeds
and strengthen
So that blooming flowers all the earth
Embroider 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.
 Implication

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 us 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.