To the Flowers of Heidelberg 1ST STANZA

INTERPRETATION:
by Dr. José Rizal RIZAL IN THIS PARAGRAPH POETICALLY REQUESTS THE
(English version of “A las flores de Heidelberg”)
FLOWERS OF HEIDELBERG TO SPEAK OF HIM IN THE
PHILIPPINES.
Go to my native land, go, foreign flowers,
Sown by the traveler on his way,
2ND TO 4TH STANZA
And there, beneath its azure sky,
INTERPRETATION:
Where all my afflictions lie;
THESE THREE PARAGRAPHS MENTIONS THE TIMES OF
There from the weary pilgrim say
DAY STARTING FROM DAWN AND THE BREAK OF
What faith is his in that land of ours!
SUNLIGHT.
HE BEAUTIFULLY ASKED THE FLOWERS TO BEAR
Go there and tell how when the dawn,
WITNESS TO HIS UNDYING CONCERN FOR HIS
Her early light diffusing,
MOTHERLAND WHEN AT DAWN HE SINGS TO THE
Your petals first flung open wide;
FLOWERS NATIVE SONGS IN EXCHANGE OF THEIR GIFT
His steps beside chill Neckar drawn,
OF NATURAL PERFUME.
You see him silent by your side
AND IN THE MORNING UNDER THE SOFT LIGHT OF THE
EARLY SUN HE REFLECTS STILL OF HIS MOTHERLAND
Upon its Spring perennial musing,
WHERE THE SAME SUN NOW IS AT ITS HIGHEST...
Say how when morning's light,
AS IF HE IS CONNECTED WITH HIS MOTHERLAND
All your fragrance stealing,
THROUGH THE SUN.
Whispers to you as in mirth,
Playful songs of Love's delight,
5TH TO 6TH STANZA
He, too, murmurs his love's feeling
INTERPRETATION:
In the tongue he learned at birth.
RIZAL POETICALLY DESCRIBES HIS PLAN FOR THE
FLOWERS TO CARRY HIS MESSAGE TO HIS
That when the sun of Koenigsthul's height
MOTHERLAND. HE PLUCKS THEM AND PRESERVES
Pours out its golden flood,
THEM IN HIS BOOK
And with its slowly warming light
Gives life to vale and grove and wood,
7TH STANZA
He greets that sun, here only Upraising,
INTERPRETATION:
Which in his native land is at its zenith blazing.
HIS FIRST MESSAGE TO THE COUNTRY IS PEACE, VIRTUE
TO WOMEN, AND COURAGE TO MEN.
And tell there of that day he stood,
Near to a ruin'd castle gray,
8TH STANZA
By Neckar's banks, or shady wood,
INTERPRETATION :
And pluck'd you beside the way
HE POETICALLY DESCRIBES HIS WILL THAT HIS KISSES ON
THE FLOWER MAY BE CARRIED BY THE WIND TO HIS
Tell, too, the tale to you addressed,
LOVED ONES.
And how with tender care,
Your bending leaves he press'd
9TH STANZA
Twist pages of some volume rare.
INTERPRETATION :
(HERE IS THE PARADOX: RIZAL USED THE FLOWERS OF
Bear then, O flowers, love's message bear;
HEIDELBERG AS HIS SYMBOL OF HIS LOVE FOR HIS
My love to all the love'd one's there,
MOTHERLAND. THE BEAUTY OF THE FLOWERS IS
Peace to my country - faithful land -
COMPARABLE TO THE WAY HE LOOKS AT OUR
Faith whereon its sons may stand,
COUNTRY THAT ANYONE WHO WILL SEE THE FLOWER
And virtue for its daughters's care;
MAY GET IN TOUCH WITH RIZAL'S CONCERN FOR HIS
All those beloved creatures greet,
MOTHERLAND. THOUGH NOBLE THIS MAY SEEM TO BE,
That still around home's altar meet.
RIZAL IN THE LAST STANZA REFLECTED ON ITS UTTER
FUTILITY SINCE THE FLOWER WILL NO LONGER BE THE
And when you come home unto its shore,
SAME WHEN IT REACHES THE COUNTRY. ITS BEAUTY
This kiss I now on you bestow,
AND PERFUME, WHICH SHOULD REFLECT RIZAL'S
Fling where the winged breezes blow;
INTENTIONS FOR THE COUNTRY, WILL LONG BE GONE.
That borne on them it may hover o'er
WHY? FOR IT IS FAR FROM ITS FATHERLAND.)
All that I love, esteem, and adore.

But though, O flowers, you come unto that land,

And still perchance your colors hold;
So far from this heroic strand,
Whose soil frist bade your life unfold
Still here your fragrance will expand;
Your soul that never quits the earth
Whose light smiled on you at your birth.
TO THE FLOWERS OF HIEDELBERG may face. This poem is a true reflection that Rizal in a
foreign land missed his family and longs to be with them
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: In this poem, Jose Rizal as he asked in the poem the maidens to send his sweet
effectively employs natural imagery to express his kiss to those he whom he respects and loves. Looking
longing for the Philippines. He also wishes peace for his deeper, this poem can also tell a story of travel, that
country and countrymen, and subsequently compares a during the time of Rizal, travelers like merchants,
person far from his homeland to a flower losing its students, treasure hunters, and people from different
fragrance. walks of life only travel to cross the lands by sea. Lastly,
Rizal mentioned in this poem that “your fragrances you
VOCABULARY WATCH: will lose! For fragrance is a spirit that never can forsake,
 Sod- the surface of the ground, with the grass and never forgets the sky that saw its birth”. These lines
growing on it. illuminated the very essence of the poem - that death
 Vernal- of, relating to, or occurring in the spring cannot destroy dignity and “non omnis moriar” not
 Clime- a region considered with reference to its everything dies after death.
climate.
 Fecund- producing or capable of producing an
abundance of offspring or new growth; fertile.
 Nook- a corner or recess, especially one offering
seclusion or security.
 Koenigssthul (The King's Throne)- a 567 metre high
hill in the Odenwald Mountains and near
Heidelberg, in the German state of Baden-
Württemberg. From the summit of the Königstuhl
are good views over the city of Heidelberg and the
River Neckar.
 Chalice- a large cup or goblet, typically used for
drinking wine.

Rizal wrote this when he was at Germany. In France

and Germany, Rizal was well known and respected. But
he may have realized what good will their respects do
to his country. What good will this do to the Philippines
if he is serving foreign lands and not his own. His verses
had a single symbol--The flowers of Heidelberg. But it
symbolizes two realities. First, the flowers' beauty
symbolizes Rizal's love for his country, and second, the
flowers' reduced quality refers to Rizal's useless
presence in another country. Later he decided to return
to the country despite repeated warning from his
friends and relatives.

Rizal described his beloved native land by mentioning

his adoration of its clear blue skies that signifies peace
and good climate. He wants the maidens to extend his
message of love, longing and continuous safeguard to
the native land that his humble heart remains faithful to
the land where he grew up. It can be seen that on the
second stanza that Rizal grew seeing dawn as the
beginning of every single community activities that
reflects the culture of Calamba as a farming land and
that harvest starts at dawn. Hence, it can also magnify
the Filipino attitude of being industrious. Rizal also
expressed his appreciation for nature’s indescribable
beauty and inevitable allure of fresh scent that starts
from the sweet caress of dawn until sunrise. He longed
for his hometown as he appreciated the beauty of the
foreign land, Heidelberg.
Rizal through this poem articulated his unconditional
love for his family, his countrymen and the nation he
dreams to be. Nevertheless, he only wished eternal
peace for land, that no man shall be harmed and
everyone adheres to common good. As he wrote, he
never forgot to remind the women of his land to be
strong and courageous for the trials and challenges they
 To The Philippine Youth
by Dr. José Rizal
(English version of “A La Juventud Filipina”)
Raise your unruffled brow
On this day, Filipino youth!
Resplendent shines
Your courage rich,
Handsome hope of my motherland!
Fly, grand genius
And infuse them with noble sentiment
That vigorously rushes,
More rapid than the wind,
Its virgin mind to the glorious goal.
Descend to the arena
With the pleasant light of arts and sciences,
And unbind, Youth,
The heavy chain
That fetters your poetic genius.
See that in the bright zone
With pious and learned hand,
Offers the son of this native land
Resplendent crown.
You who ascend
On wings of your rich fantasy,
Seeking from Olympus in the clouds
Tenderest poetry,
Sweeter than nectar and ambrosia;
You of the celestial accent,
Melodious rival of the nightingale,
Who with varied melodies
Dissipate the mortal’s bitter pain
In the night serene;
You who animate the hand rock
With the impulse of your mind,
And with prepotent hand makes eternal
The pure memory
Of the refulgent genius;
And you, who with magic brushes
Are wont to transfer to simple canvas
The varied enchantment of Phoebus, beloved of
Apollo divine,
And the mantle of nature.
Run! For the sacred flame
Of the genius awaits to be crowned with laurels,
Spreading fame
With trumpet proclaiming
O’er the wide sphere the mortal’s name.
Day, oh happy day,
Philippines genteel, for your soil!
Bless the Almighty,
Who with loving desire
Sends you fortune and consolation.
The first line, "unfold, oh timid flower," implies that the
youth is silent, maybe daunted, and consequently has not
yet gone into full bloom for whatever reason there is that
may have silenced them. In the beginning stanza, Rizal
encourages the youth, by telling them to hold their heads
high for they possess talents and skills and abilities that
would make their country proud.
The second verse can be rearranged in contemporary
English to say: "Oh genius great, soar high; and fill their
mind with noble thoughts. May their virgin mind fly and
find the honor's glorious seat more rapidly than the wind."
Here, Rizal calls to genious to fill young minds with noble
thoughts and hopes that as they release their thinking
from the chains that bind, they may be able to soar swiftly
high where the joy of honor is.
Contrary to the second verse, which talked about
ascending and soaring to the heights, this third stanza now
talks about descent, and a downward motion of the great
genius to fill the earthly strokes of art and science with
their magnificent ideas. Again, Rizal calls them to break the
chains that bind their intellect. "Poetic genius" here does
not necessarily pertain to the talent of writing poetry.
Instead, the term "poetic" is simply an adjective to
describe genius, meaning that it is deep and mystifying
and heavy with meaning.
Rizal challenges the youth, that in their pursuit of
knowledge and wisdom they may humble the hand of
Spain, whose proud chin did not look kindly upon the
people whom they labelled as "Indios" and whom they
treated with contempt. He dreams that in their journey to
intellectual greatness they may humble even the proudest
nations that look down on them and rightfully deserve "a
crown that shines, even where shadows stand.
5TH AND 6TH STANZA
In these two stanzas, Rizal calls the youth to seek the
beauty of poetry and music, which he himself values
greatly as essentials in every manner of life. He claims that
poetry is "more sweet than divine honey," and that music
can "dissipate man's sorrow's blight."
Speaking to the youth, Rizal says that by the very impulse
of their mind, they are capable of bringing to life or
animating even someting as lifeless and unmoving as a
hard rock. He continues to say that the youth is able, to
immortalize their thoughts and their words through the
help of great genius (as he has done himself. This stanza
can be arranged in a more contemporary English structure
as follows: "You can animate the hard rock at the impulse
of your mind; and transform, with the great power of your
mind, the pure memory of great genius into immortality."
Rizal here addresses the youth, comparing their abilities to
a magic brush that can capture even the most majestic
views and the most glorious charms on a blank canvas.
The last stanza is a charge, urging the youth to run, for a
glorious crown awaits them. The "sphere" here pertains to
the world, showing that Rizal believed the Filipino youth is
as brilliant as those in any other nation, and is able to
contend with even the strongest powers if they only set
their mind to making most of what they already have.
An Interpretation to Rizal’s Poem Entitled “To the Is a poem written in Spanish by Filipino writer and
Filipino Youth” national hero Jose Rizal, first presented in 1879 in
Manila, while he was studying at the University of Santo
Tomas..
What was Rizal's wish for the Filipino youths? What do
Filipino youths need to possess according to Rizal? Did Written when Rizal was 8 years old (1860) before he
he hope for the youths to be genius or brave? These went to Binan to begin his formal schooling under
main questions seek to investigate the reasons for Dr. Maestro Justiniano Cruz
Jose P. Rizal in writing his popular poem, "A La Juventud • Pointed out the nationalistic significance of the
Filipina". Mother tongue in the life of our people. If a country
really loves her God-given tongue, she will surely yearn
Jose Rizal was 18 years old when he wrote the prize- for freedom like the birds in the firmament
winning poem, A La Juventud Filipina, an immortal
poem which is so much cherished by every Filipinos,
especially the youths. What does this poem tell about?
The poem’s theme, “Grow, O Timid Flower”, simply
shows persuasion. To ‘grow’ sounds compelling from
Rizal who always wanted to make everyone rise amid
the cruelty that dominates under the leadership of
Spain. Using the word ‘timid’, he described the Filipino
youths of his age as cowards who learn nothing but
submit themselves to wills of the Spaniards. Definitely,
Rizal wrote the poem out from disappointment. No
matter what, he still sees the hope for every Filipinos.
Like a flower opening from its overnight closure, he
expected the youths to grow and shine.

Rizal mentioned “Spaniard’s holy land” and “crown’s

resplendent band” in the 4th stanza of his poem
showing good attributes to the Spaniards. These words
were chosen to balance his thoughts of criticizing them
in the 3rd stanza, where Spaniards put "chains" to every
Filipinos. Rizal called to untie the chains and prevail the
youths' “spirit free”.

In the poem, he advocated for rising and waking up.

Did Rizal ever think of arm struggle? Though he wanted
to make Filipinos spread around the flame, go for the
sacred fire, and use one’s divine voice, Rizal was
seemingly unclear about his specific moves to save the
country. As we all know about him, Rizal neither
introduced arm struggle or a bloody revolution to claim
for victory. Instead, he advocated for an immortal
strength, one that must use his intellect.

All of Rizal’s dreams to the Filipino youths are simply a

replica to what he has done throughout his life. He was
more bias towards using one’s own intelligence to fight
against the flaming zone created by the Spaniards. He
even portrayed a pen as mightier than a sword. On the
8th stanza, he even wanted to transform the clear
accent of every Filipinos, which is the voice of freedom
of every Filipinos, to a magical art using a brush that is
to be simply portrayed on a canvas.

Simply speaking, Rizal wants to communicate the means

of making peaceful process to achieve freedom. This is
an immortal messaged directed to the present and the
future. It is imperative that we must fulfill our
responsibilities as we use our skills, knowledge, talent,
and strength in advancing our country.