Dr. Rizal's Himno al Trabajo
Edwin Bael
LABOR DAY 2017
By Sir Edwin D Bael, KGOR
In celebration of Labor Day in the Philippines (May 1, 2017), let’s take some time to consider:
HIMNO AL TRABAJO (HYMN TO LABOR)
By Jose Rizal, 1888
Coro:
¡Por la patria en la Guerra,
por la patria en la paz,
velará el Filipino,
vivirá y morirá.
Chorus:
For the homeland in war time,
For the homeland in peace time,
The Filipino shall guard and stand fast,
Shall survive and shall breathe his last!
(English translation by EDB)
Himno Al Trabajo was a poem written by Dr Jose Rizal in 1888 as response to a request of his friends from Lipa, Batangas who wanted a hymn during the elevation of the then municipality of Lipa to a city in January 1888 through the Becerra Law. The hymn is praise to the zeal and industry of the Lipeños.
But as was his wont, acting local but thinking global, Dr. Rizal used general terms applicable to the nation vis-à-vis the world. He has the chorus above introducing every stanza of the poem.
Notice that in this formulation of the chorus, labor is part of the nation, willing to watch over it until the last breath. It is not a sector seeking to defeat another sector (the capitalists) and dominate the nation through dictatorship of the proletariat. But as safeguard watchers, labor is part of the patriots who shall defend the country at all times, against all enemies foreign and domestic, whatever their ideologies and class may be.
The poem is composed of lyrical conversations of men, wives, maidens and children – conversations that show patriotism, where Rizal posed the educative challenge: to give priority to “la patria, familia, y hogar” (country, family, home - in that order) contrary to the contemporary focus on me, myself and mine.
There is the educational focus of “inculcando el amor por la patria, virtud y saber” (inculcating love for country, virtue and wisdom) which is far from the present educational focus on what makes for employment and money.
There is the honoring of labor as basis of the country’s wealth and vigor, as the nation’s blood, life, and ardor, by which we can hold high the serene forehead. This is contrary to the present way of the elite looking at labor as a cost that must be minimized as much as possible to increase personal and corporate profits; and treat them as commodities or chattel for export and then give them lip service of being called “mga bagong bayani”.
There is the concept of new generations being worthy of their forbears through glory and honor very much contrary to the present predisposition to forget, disregard, and disrespect heritage (as the Supreme Court has done in throwing to the garbage the concept of cultural heritage of the blood of so many heroes in the Luneta in addition to Rizal, in favor of the unfettered private corporate profits of DMCI in Torre de Manila).
In this poem, the men uphold labor as sustainer of country, family, and home; they encourage others to work the land for progress no matter how hard the labor or implacable the sun. The wives, inspiring their husbands before and after work, take care of the home and inculcate love in their children for country, virtue, and wisdom; even more, they know how to finish the work of their men should circumstances be adverse. Note, of course, we can calibrate and contemporize this in accord with constitutional guarantees of gender equality. But remember, it was written in 1888.
The young women (doncellas) praise labor as fount of the nation’s wealth and vigor; they hold it as proof of life and passion, and evidence of any young man’s protestations of love, for only by labor may they sustain progeny. Alas, young men are not given a stanza here for presumably they are to nobly respond to the expectations of the young women. But then there is no stanza for girls; the last stanza is for boys, who yearn for the adults to teach them the intricacies and difficulties of work, so that when fatherland calls, they’ll know how to conclude their forbears’ enterprises and revere them with glory and honor.
Here’s the original Spanish text of Dr. Rizal and my English translation:
Himno Al Trabajo
(Original) In Spanish by Jose Rizal, 1888
[Coro]
¡Por la patria en la Guerra,
por la patria en la paz,
velará el Filipino,
vivirá y morirá
HOMBRES:
Ya el Oriente de luz se colora,
¡Sus! Al campo, la tierra á labrar,
que el trabajo del hombre sostiene
á la patria, familia y hogar.
Dura puede mostrarse la tierra;
implacables, los rayos del sol. . .
¡Por la patria, la esposa y los hijos
todo fácil será á nuestro amor!
[Coro]
ESPOSAS:
Animosos partid al trabajo
que la esposa el hogar vela fiel,
inculcando el amor á los hijos
por la patria, virtud y saber.
Cuando traiga la noche el descanso,
la ventura os aguarda al entrar;
y si el hado es adverso, la esposa
la tarea sabrá continuar.
[Coro]
DONCELLAS:
¡Salve! ¡Salve! ¡Loor la Trabajo,
de la patria riqueza y vigor!
Por él yergue la frente serena,
es su sangre, su vida y su ardor.
Si algún joven pregona su afecto,
el trabajo su fé probará;
¡solo el hombre que lucha y se fana,
sostener á su prole sabrá!
[Coro]
NIÑOS:
Enseñadnos las dunas;
vuestra huellas queremos seguir,
que mañana, al llamarnos la patria,
vuestra empresa podamos concluir.
Y dirá los ancianos al vernos:
--¡De sus padres, mirad, dignos son!
Á los muertos no honra incienso
como un hijo de Gloria y honor....
Hymn to Labor
English translation by Edwin D. Bael 1 May 2017
CHORUS:
For the homeland in war time,
For the homeland in peace time,
The Filipino shall guard and stand fast,
Shall survive and shall breathe his last!
MEN:
Already, colors paint the eastern sky,
Set off! To the fields and work the land,
For man’s work does sustain and supply
Family, descendants, home and homeland.
Hard labor though the earth brings,
Implacable may rays of the sun be...
For the country, wife and offsprings
To and with our love, all will be easy.
(Chorus)
WIVES:
Part for work with lively inspiration,
For wife staunchly safeguards dwelling,
Inculcating in the children devotion
For the nation, virtue, understanding.
When night brings about relaxation,
Fortune welcomes you upon entry;
And if fate and destiny be contrary,
The wife will know the task to carry on.
(Chorus)
MAIDENS:
Hail! Hail! Praise to labor,
Of the country’s wealth and vigor!
Through it the serene forehead rises
It’s the nation’s blood, life, and ardor.
If some young man proffers his affection
His faith by labor will prove and champion:
For only a man who fights and is fervent
Will know how to give offsprings provision.
(Chorus)
BOYS:
Teach us the dunes and wilderness;
Your tracks we wish and want to follow,
For when the country calls tomorrow,
We can conclude your enterprises.
And seeing us, the ancients will say:
"Look, of their forbears, they are worthy!
For incense honors not the dead
Like a son with honor and glory.
tomv...@rogers.com
Thank you so much Sir Edwin for sharing the hymn and thought provoking notations.
NON OMNIS MORIAR
Sir Dr. Tom G. Virey, KGOR
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Terry Gallagher
WHAT A GREAT TRANSLATION!! terryg