By some great serendipity from the universe,I encountered the beautiful adaptation of Jose Rizal's
Mi Último Adiós translated by
Teodoro Locsin Sr., publisher and editor-in-chief of the revered magazine, Philippine Free Press. I found it in
Felice Prudente Sta. Maria's book: A Cultural Worker's First Manual, a great book that cultureholics like me should have.It's available online, at
Anvil Publishing, although I got mine for a steal just for 50 pesos in National Bookstore Angeles City!
I first heard this famous poem recited in Spanish by a quiet boy in a class of eleven year olds in 1993,grade five to be exact. In that sleepy afternoon, we forgot everything we were thinking of (cartoons, crushes, and Mcdonalds). But it wasn't sound and fury. It was color, passion, and most of all love.
I remember the whole class, including our guro (teacher) in Sibika at Kultura (Civics and Culture), was shock at the love and ardor our classmate. For a solemn boy, he bellowed out each line like a Shakespearean actor. We weren't well versed in the Spanish language, but that didn't stop our classmate give his heartfelt interpretation. Every pore of the being of the writer came alive in the poem. We felt the pain and heroism of Rizal in those few minutes my classmate stood in the platform.
Despite the fact that Jose Rizal was in prison, he never forgot his love for humanity and our native land. I'm sharing this magnum opus with you in remembering the sacrifices and bravery of all heroes even unsung ones who fought for our freedom we Filipinos all share today.
With that said, I ask you to read "
Mi Último Adiós" aloud, maybe in
Spanish (If you can) and this wonderful version in English. Maybe your dog will listen, or a cat will meow with you. You may recite it while Bach's Cello Suite No.1 plays in the background, low volume. Or you can do it in a quiet room or the bathroom perhaps where the silence can ease you out from your shyness. You may do it badly, or hesitate with each verse of the poem, but still finish it proudly.
Jorge Luis Borges said it best when it came to poetry:
“Truly fine poetry must be read
aloud. A good poem does not allow itself to be read in a low voice or silently.
If we can read it silently, it is not a valid poem: a poem demands
pronunciation. Poetry always remembers that it was an oral art before it was a
written art. It remembers that it was first song.” And that is what "Mi Ultimo Adios" is all about. A song from the noble heart of Jose Rizal.
Here it is. The
Aslan heart of Rizal for our country.
Mi Último Adiós
(My Last Farewell)
Written by: Jose Rizal
Adaptation by:
Teodoro Locsin Sr.
Land that I love
farewell!
I shall die as the
east grows red.
If the dawn lacks
color, I shall make it glow.
I shall paint the
dawn with my blood.
Would that my country
were free from pain!
How good to die that
you might live.
To fall if you could
rise,
And sleep forever
under your skies!
May some flower bloom
where my body lies!
Kiss it; you kiss my
soul.
I shall feel the
touch of your lips in my tomb.
Be warmed by your
breath as by a flame.
Let the moon watch
over me,
pure and serene.
When the dawn comes,
let the wind softly complain.
If a bird lights on
the cross, let it sing its song.
Let the sun shine,
the rain come, a friend mourn.
Pray for me and all
the fallen.
Pray for the mothers
whose children go hungry.
Pray for widows,
orphans, prisoners under torture.
Pray for all the
living who are in pain.
When the night comes
and my grave in darkness lies,
Break not the peace,
kneel before mystery.
If you hear the sound
of music, be not afraid.
It is I.
When my death is
forgotten, my grave unmarked,
Let the plow turn the
earth where I die.
May my dust make
fertile the fields!
Where the grass grows
thickly, there I dwell.
In the air, over the
hills and valleys of the land,
I shall linger ― a
ghost, a whisper, a sigh,
A fragrance, a splash
of color, shaft of light,
In the faith I shall
go to die.
Land that I love,
whose grief is my own,
I leave you father,
mother, all my affections.
I go where there are
no slaves, no oppressors.
I go where faith does
not kill.
Farewell to all I
love; peace has been waiting long.
Farewell sweet
foreigner, my true love, my delight.
All that I cherish,
farewell ― dear earth, dear life.
I die, I shall rest.
It is well.
