Malay Visitors in Leitmeritz (Austria)

From an Austrian Newspaper in the late 18th century.
 

Two gentlemen from the Philippines arrived here recently on a visit to Dr. Bluementritt. They are both members of the Tagalog branch of the Malay race, and are surely the first of their people to set foot on the soil of Leitmeritz. Under the trusty guidance of Prof Blumentritt and Mr Robert Kutschak they saw all the sights in our town and after they had been introduced to the Mayor, Mr Gebhardt, entered their names in the townÆs memorial book. On Saturday evening they attended a meeting of the Lietmeritz Mountaineer Society and the chairman, Mr J Krombholz welcomed the guest from distant lands. One of the gentlemen is not only a well-known poet but also an artist, replied with a speech that was both witty and thoughful, and which was greeted by the assembly with applause.

 

 
 
 

--Newspaper as far away as the capital Prague picked up the story. The two gentlemen were Dr. Jose Rizal and Maximo Viola. Rizal speech delivered in German was well phrased that the audience could not believe that he had been learning German only eleven months. Bluementritt later confided to Viola that Rizal was the greatest son of the Philippines, and that he was like a rare comet that appeared only once or twice in centuries.


July 1, 1902
US CONGRESS

The first organic act, known as the Philippine Bill of 1902, was passed by the U.S. Congress. It called for the management of Phillipine affairs, upon restoration of peace, by establishing the first elective Philippine Assembly and the Taft Commission comprising the lower and upper house, respectively, of the Philippine Legislature. The passage of the Act may be attributed in part to José Rizal and his stirring last farewell to his beloved country immortalized in his poem, Mi Ultimo Adios, that he wrote in his cell at Fort Santiago on the eve of his execution by the Spaniards on December 30, 1896. At first, there was strong opposition to the passage of the bill from misinformed members of the House, some of whom referred to the Filipinos as "barbarians" incapable of self government.

Thereupon, Congressman Henry A. Cooper of Wisconsin took the floor and recited Rizal's last farewell before a skeptical House. Silence soon pervaded the floor as Cooper, eyes moist with tears and voice deep with emotion, recited the poem stanza by stanza. Soon after his recitation, Cooper thunderously asked his colleagues might there be a future for such a barbaric, uncivilized people who had given the world a noble man as Rizal. The vote was taken on the bill, and passed the House.

     MI ULTIMO ADIOS
          por Jose Rizal y Alonso
Adios, Patria adorada, region del sol querida,
Perla del Mar de Oriente, nuestra perdido Eden!
A darte voy alegre la triste mustia vida,
Y fuera mas brillante, mas fresca, mas florida,
Tambien por ti la diera, la diera por tu bien.
En campos de batalla, luchando con delirio
Otros te dan sus vida sin dudas, sin pesar;
El sitio nada importa, cipres, laurel o lirio,
Cadalso o campo abierto, combate o cruel martirio,
Lo mismo es si lo piden La Patria y el hogar.
Yo muero cuando veo que el cielo se colora
Y al fin anuncia el dia tras lobrego capuz;
Si grana necesitas para tenir tu aurora,
Vierte la sangre mia, derramala en buen hora
Y dorela un reflejo de su naciente luz
Mis suenos cuando apenas muchaco adolescente,
Mis suenos cuando joven ya lleno de vigor,
Fueron el verte un dia, joya del Mar de Oriente
Secos los negros ojos, alta la tersa frente,
Sin ceno, sin arrugas, sin mancha de rubor.
Ensueno de mi vida, mi ardiente vivo anhelo,
Salud te grita el alma que pronto va a partir!
Salud! ah, que es hermoso caer por darte vuelo,
Morir por darte vidda, morir bajo tu cielo,
Y en tu encantada tierra la eternidad dormir.
Si sobre mi sepulcro vieres brotar un dia
Entre la espesa yerba sencilla, humilde flor,
Acercala a tus labios y besa el alma mia,
Y sienta yo en mi frente bajo la tumba fria
De tu ternura el soplo, de tu halito el calor.
Deja la luna verme con luz tranquila y suave;
Deja que el alba envie su resplandor fugaz,
Deja gemir al viento con su murmullo grave,
Y si desciende y posa sobre mi cruz un ave
Deja que el ave entone su cantico de paz.
Deja que el sol ardiendo las lluvias evapore
Y al cielo tornen puras con mi clamor en pos,
Deja que un ser amigo mi fin temprano llore
Y en las serenas tardes cuando por mi alguien ore
Ora tambien, Oh Patria, por mi descanso a Dios!
Ora por todos cuantos murieron sin ventura,
Por cuantos padecieron tormentos sin igual,
Por nuestros pobres madres que gimen su amargura;
Por huerfanos y viudas, por presos en tortura
Y ora por ti que veas tu redencion final.
Y cuando en noche oscura se envuelva el cementerio
Y solos solo muertos quedan velando alli
No turbes su reposo, no turbes el misterio
Tal vez acordes oigas de citara o salterio,
Soy yo, querida Patria, yo que te canto a ti.
Y cuando ya mi tumba de todos olvidada
No tenga cruz ni piedra que marquen su lugar,
Deja que la are el hombre, la esparza con la azada,
Y mis cenizas antes que vuelvan a nada,
El polvo de tu alfombra que vayan a formar.
Entonces nada importa me pongas en olvido,
Tu atmosfera, tu espacio, tus valles cruzare,
Vibrante y limpia nota sere para tu oido,
Aroma, luz, colores, rumor, canto, gemido
Constante repitiendo la esencia de mi fe.
Mi Patria idolatrada, dolor de mis dolores,
Querida Filipinas, oye el postrer adios.
Ahi, te dejo todo, mis padres, mis amores.
Voy donde no hay esclavos, verdugos ni opresores,
Donde la fe no mata, donde el que reina es Dios.
Adios, padres y hermanos, trozos del alma mia;
Amigos de la infancia en el perdido hogar,
Dad gracias que descanso del fatigoso dia.
Adios, dulce extranjera, mi amiga, mi alegria!
Adios, queridos seres. Morir es descansar.

 



 

Rizal spent almost half of his adult life abroad and later explained...
(from the book First Filipino by Guererro)

I sight for my distant country, now I remember home, and now
my thoughts turn to rest. I have already wandered through so
many countries; I have observed so many customs; I have met \so many people, that I have almost lost any idea of the ideal, I have not seem more than the surface appearance of good and evil. I have loved but I have smothered my heart's desire, I have overruled them I life goes on like this, my heart will end of dying." It was all the fault of the Malay
wanderlust in his blood, as told in his letter to Dr

Bluementritt. He added that he was not yet Europeanized, to
use the expression of the Filipinos in Madrid. He always
wanted to go back to the land of our ancestors. " A goat
always acts like a goat, he said..


We all descended from the ancient seafarers. You will feel this call
from the sea and this urge is that propels us across the ocean. I like to travel in space and time. This is my time to look back (lingon)

Para na pala, sorry ale..napasarap ang kuwento ko
Bluementritt/Dimasalang

Abot tayo ng Avenida Rizal

Itong maman tsuper ay nakatingin sa backview mirror noon panahon
ating nunu pa. Pasensinya lahat kulang pa ako sa boundary. Lipat ako
ang viaje sa Dapitan. Laong-Laang o sa Luneta. Bangonbayan yata yoon ngunit Avenida Rizal din yong. Ayoko sa Espana Boulevard, extension yata ng Kastila yong. Sa monumento na lang dahil dulo ng Rizal Avenue doon iba nga lang ang daan ni Andres pero taga Tondo kasi siya. Mga driver doon ay sobra ang tapang. Sa Luneta ay kwel lang ang tao ngunit nabaril din siya. Itong mga  sangunon jeep galing sa Espana ay kaskarero masyado.

Sa San Andres Bukid na lang. Ay mabuti bumalik na ako sa bukid. Mahirap ang buhay ng driver.
phix7@yahoo.com Nestor Palugod Enriquez
Nestor Palugod Enriquez