Mi último adiós
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"Mi último adiós" (Spanish for "My Last Farewell") is a poem written by Philippine national hero Jose Rizal on the eve of his execution on December 30, 1896. Although the poem was untitled, this title served as an artifice useful as a quick reference. This poem was one of the last notes he wrote before his execution. Another that he had written before his death was found in his shoe but because the text could not be read it remains a mystery.
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[edit] Title
Rizal did not inscribe a title to his poem. Mariano Ponce, Rizal's friend and fellow reformist, titled it Mi Último Pensamiento in the copies he distributed, but this did not catch on. Here is a copy of news story taken from The Inquirer dated December 30, 2002:
On the afternoon of Dec. 29, 1896, a day before his execution, Dr. Jose Rizal was visited by his mother, Teodora Alonzo, sisters Lucia, Josefa, Trinidad, Maria and Narcisa, and two nephews. When they took their leave, Rizal told Trinidad in English that there was something in the small alcohol stove (cocinilla), not alcohol lamp (lamparilla). The stove was given to Narcisa by the guard when the party was about to board their carriage in the courtyard. At home, the Rizal ladies recovered from the stove a folded paper. On it was written an unsigned, untitled and undated poem of 14 five-line stanzas. The Rizals reproduced copies of the poem and sent them to Rizal's friends in the country and abroad. In 1897, Mariano Ponce in Hong Kong had the poem printed with the title "Mi Ultimo Pensamiento." Fr. Mariano Dacanay, who received a copy of the poem while a prisoner in Bilibid(jail), published it in the first issue of La Independencia on Sept. 25, 1898 with the title "Ultimo Adios." N.B. The stove was not delivered until after the execution. Rizal needed it to light the room and to be able to write the poem and his other parting words. VGPas 10/21/08.
Thus did Rizal's untitled, undated and unsigned last poem became popularly known as "Ultimo Adios," or "Mi Ultimo Adios." The poem has become internationally renowned.
[edit] Political impact
After the transfer of possession to the United States as a result of the Spanish-American War, the Philippines was perceived as a community of "barbarians" incapable of self-government. Lobbying for management of Philippine affairs, U.S. Representative Henry Cooper recited the poem before the U.S. House of Representatives. Realizing the nobility of the author, his fellow congressmen enacted the Philippine Bill of 1902 (renamed Jones Law) enabling self-government, although relative complete autonomy would not be granted until 1946.
[edit] Translations
There are at least 35 English translations known and published (in print) of this poem as of December 2005. The most popular is that of American Charles Derbyshire (dated 1911) and is inscribed on bronze. Also on bronze at the Rizal Park in Manila but less known is the translation by Filipino National Artist, novelist and journalist Nick Joaquin (1944). The latest translation is in Czech made by a Czech diplomat and addressed at the session of the senate.
It could be the most translated patriotic swan song in the world. Aside from the 35 English versions and interpretations into 46 Filipino languages, this poem has been translated into at least 38 other languages: Indonesian, Bengali, Bulgarian, Burmese, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Fijian, French, German, Greek, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Igbo (Nigeria), Italian, Japanese, Javanese, Korean, Latin, Maori, Norwegian, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Sanskrit, Sinhalese (Sri Lanka), Somali, Tahitian, Thai, Tongan, Turkish, Urdu (Pakistan), Vietnamese, Wolof (Senegal), and Yoruba (Nigeria).
[edit] References
- Mauro Garcia (1961). 'Translations of Mi Ultimo Adios,' in Historical Bulletin Manila. Philippine Historical Association.
- Hilario, Frank A (2005). indios bravos! Jose Rizal as Messiah of the Redemption. Lumos Publishing House.
- Multiple Authorship (1990). Mi Ultimo Adios in Foreign and Local Translations (2 vol). National Historical Institute.
- Sung by various Artists of Spanish language as a Tribute (more information needed!)
[edit] See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mi Ultimo Adiós |
- Original Ultimo Adios Manuscript
- Modern English translation by Edwin Agustín Lozada, May 2001
- Modern English translation by Víctor Eliazo, November 1998
[edit] Resources
- Recital of US Congressman Henry Cooper before the House of Congress
- Details of Jose Rizal's last night
