English
They ask me to play on a lyre
That long has been still and decayed,
But never a note have I played,
Nor can I the Muse re-inspire.
"To the Flowers of Heidelberg"
by José Rizal
(English version of "A las flores de Heidelberg" translated by Charles Derbyshire)
Go to my native land, go, foreign flowers,
Sown by the traveler on his way,
And there, beneath its azure sky,
Where all my afflictions lie;
Whenever people of a country truly love
The language which by heav'n they were taught to use
That country also surely liberty pursue
By the spreading beach where the sands are soft and fine,
At the foot of the mount in its mantle of green
I have built my hut in the pleasant grove's confine;
"To The Philippine Youth"
by José Rizal
(English version of "A La Juventud Filipina" translated by Charles Derbyshire)
Hold high the brow serene,
O youth, where now you stand;
Let the bright sheen
Of your grace be seen,
Fair hope of my fatherland!
Sweet the hours in the native country,
where friendly shines the sun above!
Life is the breeze that sweeps the meadows;
At Dapitan, the sandy shore
And rocks aloft on mountain crest
Form thy throne, O refuge blest,
That we from childhood days have known,
"The Song of the Traveller"
by José Rizal
(English version of "El Canto del Viajero" translated by Arthur Ferguson)
Like to a leaf that is fallen and withered,
Tossed by the tempest from pole unto pole;
Thus roams the pilgrim abroad without purpose,
Chorus
For our country in war
For our country in peace
The Filipino will be ready,
While he lives and when he dies.
Dear Mary, giving comfort and sweet peace
To all afflicted mortals; thou the spring
Whence flows a current of relief, to bring
