TO THE FLOWERS OF

HEIDELBERG
By: Dr. Jose Rizal

TO THE FLOWERS OF
HEIDELBERG
Rizal was attending lectures and conferences in
ophthalmology (February 3, 1886-April 26,1886)
Written on April 22, 1886 in Heidelberg,
Germany
Rizal visited different scenic spots in Heidelberg
one of them was Neckar River.
Forget-me-nots bloomed during this time of
year along the banks of the Neckar River.
These flowers made him think of their flowers in
Calamba.

TO THE FLOWERS OF
HEIDELBERG
Rizal was homesick at that time and
expressed his emotions through this
poem.
Philippines 1886:
before the publication of Noli Me
Tangere
Filipinos were being oppressed by the
Spaniards

What is poem all about

Expression of his sadness
Expressed his unconditional love for
his family, his countrymen and the
nation he dreams to be.
expressed prayer for the wellbeing of
his native land.
Valuing the beauty of nature

Go to mycountry, go, O foreign Rizal requests for the flowers to

flowers,sown by the traveler
speak to the Philippines for him
along theroad,and under that
blue heaventhat watches over my
lovedones,recount the
devotionthe pilgrim nurses for his
native sod!

Go and say that when dawn

Opened your chalices for the first
time
Beside the icy Neckar,
You saw him silent beside you,
Thinking of her constant vernal
clime.
Say that when dawn which steals
your aroma
Was whispering playful love songs
to your young
Sweet petals, he, too, murmured
Canticles of love in his native
tongue;
That in the morning when the sun
first traces
The topmost peak of Koenigssthul
in gold
And with a mild warmth raises
To life again the valley, the glade,
the forest,

Rizal speaks about his

countrymens diligence as they
wake up at dawn to start their
work
Rizal reflects about his country
and that he is connected with
his country through the sun.

And tell of that day

When he collected you along the
way
Among the ruins of a feudal
castle,
On the banks of the Neckar, or in
a forest nook.
Recount the words he said
As, with great care,
Between the pages of a worn-out
book
He pressed the flexible petals
that he took.

Rizal describes his plan for the

flowers to carry his message to
his country

Carry, carry, O flowers,

My love to my loved ones,
Peace to my country and its
fecund loam,
Faith to its men and virtue to its
women,
Health to the gracious beings
That dwell within the sacred
paternal home.

Rizal gives his message to his

countrymen:
Peace to the country
Faith to men
Virtue to women
And good health

When you reach that shore,

Deposit the kiss I gave you
On the wings of the wind above
That with the wind it may rove
And I may kiss all that I worship,
honor and love!

Rizal describes his will that his

kisses may be carried to
everything he loves

But O you will arrive there,

flowers,
And you will keep perhaps your
vivid hues;
But far from your native heroic
earth
To which you owe your life and
worth,
Your fragrances you will lose!
For fragrance is a spirit that never
can forsake
And never forgets the sky that
saw its birth

TO THE FLOWERS OF HEIDELBERG

AND RECENT EVENTS
Extra Judicial Killings
As of the 1st week of November 2016,
there have been over 4,800 deaths,
both from legitimate police operations
and vigilante-style or unexplained
killings

TO THE FLOWERS OF HEIDELBERG

AND RECENT EVENTS
Environmental Degradation
Philippines affected by more extreme tropical
cyclones
A new study finds hazardous tropical cyclones in the
Philippines are increasing in intensity causing
widespread damage and loss of life, which may be due
to rising sea-surface temperatures.

Devastation in Philippine bird paradise

Patches of tropical rainforest in the southern Philippines
harbour some of the world's rarest birds, but nature
lovers toting long-lens cameras now share them with
people wielding chainsaws, traps and torches.

TO THE FLOWERS OF HEIDELBERG

AND RECENT EVENTS
OFWs Situations
Number of OFWs deployed are increasing each year.
The number of OFWs in jail is increasing.
Countries where most OFWs are jailed are Malaysia and the Gulf
countries because of drug smuggling.

Filipinos face a lot of challenges as they seek a better

opportunity abroad. Some were exposed toviolence
from abusive employers, exploitation,incarceration
which sometimes leads todeath sentences
But amid hardships are the efforts to make things
better: OFWshelping each other, several nongovernmental organizations acting assupport groups,
and an entire nation seeking tosave a fellow Filipino.

TO THE FLOWERS OF HEIDELBERG

AND RECENT EVENTS
Family Values
Phil. teen pregnancy rate highest in Asia
The UN Population Fund says the Philippines is the
only country in the Asia-Pacific region where the
rate of teen pregnancies rose over the last two
decades.

Factors that instigate teenage pregnancy:

Lack of sexual education causes teens to get abortions as they
ultimately realize their inability to bear the responsibilities of
being a parent at such a young age.
The lack of attention and affection from family resulting in
depression forces them to seek love and support from other
people, especially members of the opposite sex.

TO THE FLOWERS OF HEIDELBERG

AND RECENT EVENTS
Love of Motherland

REFERENCES
http://www.joserizal.ph/tr11.html
http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/230676/j
ose-rizal-in-romantic-heidelberg-his-t
houghts-on-women/
http://ufreytag.michel-media.de/pag
e15.html
http://miultimoadiostula.blogspot.co
m/2005/05/to-flowers-of-heidelberg.h
tml
http://

REFERENCES
http://
youthproblemsinthephilippines.weebly.com/teena
ge-pregnancy.html
http://
www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/145814-numbers-sta
tistics-philippines-war-drugs
http://
newsinfo.inquirer.net/608736/dwindling-national
ism-among-youth-a-pressing-concern-pvao
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/tag/panatag-shoal
https://
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/1602290
82017.htm
https://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/ac0cb8dc136