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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.
EXPLANATION:
Since his childhood, even as other children dreamed of childish things, Rizal dreamed
of seeing his country free, esteemed, and with head held high.
EXPLANATION:
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.
7th 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
EXPLANATION:
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.
EXPLANATION:
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.
EXPLANATION:
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.