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