The Original Version of The Poem Could Not Be Found, So As The Full Version of The Translated One

 

DISCLAIMER!! The original version of the poem could not be found, so as the full version of the translated one. To the National Hero (Al Heroe Nacional) Written by: Cecilio Apostol Translated by: Alfredo S. Veloso

Immortal hero! Legendary colossus! Emerge from the ossuary’s abyss Where you sleep the slumber of glory Come: our love that your memory inflames, Calls you from the shadowy eternity To crown with flowers your memory. This is the date, the funeral day, In which the blood tyrant Made you suffer the last torment, As if, in breaking the earthen amphora, The essence that in the amphora is enclosed Would not impregnate the wind. Midday, clarify Bewildering and triumphant, Chase, brilliant, nudity, Image of the truth! Your intense transparence all Penumbra exiles. Without the potency that your volcano Encloses, oh midday, To the abyss would roll, Lifeless heavenly body, the earth. Fulgent and ardent hour during Which the sun’s bonfire Diffuses around the atmosphere The breath from the crucible The whole earth feels Transfixed in flames; Around the fertile countryside

 

Strong winds howl, And trunks and branches And effective elixir make. Midday, exaltation Of the creative power  To your inspiring light Imagination burns. How many select productions Of brilliant permanence, That in art and in science The human mind engendered, Carry the refulgent stamp Of your ardor and predominance! In the uncertain hours, While anxious people struggle To reach the happy Repose of the last summit, Infuse in them with your learning Serene intensity And the essential propriety Of your inherent energy, Oh divine Midday. Plenitude and clarity! MEANING AND MORAL OF THE PIECE

This poem is generally a tribute by Apostol to the late hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. This is all about ab out how Apostol admire Dr. Jose Rizal because of his dedication and patriotic actions he made to make the country obtain the freedom and peace they deserve. Aside from that, the poem reflects how he clearly explain the legacy that Rizal left especially for us Filipinos and to the following generations. Furthermore, this piece depicts the situation and the cruelty that Rizal experienced  before he was executed in the Bagumbayan now called Luneta Park. The execution of Rizal incited the Filipinos to continue fighting to their independence. independen ce.

 

SUMMARY Spanish Version:

 No llores de la tumba en el misterio del español español el triunfo momentaneo, que si una bala destrozo tu craneo tu Idea, en cambio, destruyo un imperio! English version:

Weep not over the silence of yo ur tomb Over the fleeting Spanish triumph For if a bullet destroyed your cranium Your idea, in turn, destroyed an empire! -

A l He He ro e Na Na ci o n al  (Apostol, 1898)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

A patriot by sentiment, a lawyer by profession, and a man of letters by avocation, Cecilio was a co colo loss ssus us in Sp Spani anish sh-F -Fil ilip ipin ino o poetr poetry. y. He was was re reco cogni gnize zed d no nott only only in th thee Apostol  was Philippines but also throughout the Hispanic world as "the greatest Filipino epic poet writing in Spanish." According to Claro M. Recto, Apostol was "the " the greatest writer of both prose and   poetry.""  poetry. He was born in Sta. Cruz Manila on November 22, 1877, to Jose P. Apostol and Marcelina Marce lina de los Reyes. He began writing poems as early as when he was in the third grade. In school programs, he used to declaim verses that he himself wrote. Aside from poetry, he loved art. At home and in school, he used to paint landscapes, flowers, birds and people. His first  published poem was El Terror de los Mares Indicos in El Comercio. After his elementary education, he enrolled at the Ateneo Municipal where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1894. He later took up law at the University of Santo Tomas. However, he joined the Revolution in 1896 before finishing his law course.He also joined the editorial staff of the newspaper, La Independencia, and used either Catulo or Isagani as his pen names.When peace was restored, he continued conti nued his journalist journalistic ic carrer and worked in various various newspapers newspapers,, such as La Fraternidad Fraternidad,, La Democrecia, La Patria, and El Renocimiento. Finishing his law studies after the Revolution, he  passed the bar and was appointed assistant fiscal of Manila in 1908. During his spare time, he dedicated himself to poetry, painting and linguistics. He learned several foreign languages, translated Bonifacio's Decalogue into French and the Ilocano epic

 

Lam-ang into Spanish. Apostol's patriotic poem, Mi Raza, won first prize in the national literary contest sponsored by the Club International in 1902. In it he demonstrated evidence of his supremacy over all Filipino poets in Spanish. His poetical masterpiece A Rizal (To Rizal), is still unsurpassed in epic sweep and patriotic fire. The poems of Apostol have been compiled by Professor Jaime C. de Veyra and published under the title Pentelicas (Manila, 1941). Included in this collection are: Al Heroe Nacional, Mi Raza, A La Bandera, La Siesta, Sobre El Plinto (dedi (dedicated cated Mabin i), Paisaie Filipino, Filipino, A Emilio Emilio Jacinto, Jacinto, Los Martires Martires Anonimos de la Pairia, and El SolotodeMabini), la Independencia. Apostol's fame was acclaimed in practically all Spanish-speaking countries of the world. His poems, together with his biography, appeared in the World Anthology of Spanish Poetry and in the world-famous Enciplopedia España, and in many other books. In recognition of his  poetical genius, Apostol was made a corresponding member of the Royal Academy of the Span Spanis ish h Lite Litera ratu ture re.. Some Some of his his poem poemss ha have ve be been en tr tran ansl slat ated ed in into to Germ German an.. Upon Upon th thee establishment of the Commonwealth in 1935, this great poet-lawyer was asked to become one of  President Quezon's legal advisers. He refused the lucrative offer, and a few months later he retired from his position as Manila's assistant fiscal without claiming the customary retirement  privileges. He joined the law office of Don Vicente Francisco and a nd distinguished himself there as a brief writer and legal researcher. On September 17, 1938, Apostol died of cerebral hemorrhage at his home in Caloocan at a t the age of 61. He was survived by his wife Margarita San Jose and six children.