The Philippine Literature

ni Jose P. Rizal

Kapagka ang baya’y sadyang umiibig

Sa kanyang salitang kaloob ng langit,

Sanglang kalayaan nasa ring masapit

Katulad ng ibong nasa himpapawid.

Pagka’t ang salita’y isang kahatulan

Sa bayan, sa nayo’t mga kaharian,

At ang isang tao’y katulad, kabagay

Ng alin mang likha noong kalayaan.

Ang hindi magmahal sa kanyang salita

Mahigit sa hayop at malansang isda,

Kaya ang marapat pagyamaning kusa

Na tulad sa inang tunay na nagpala.

Ang wikang Tagalog tulad din sa Latin

Sa Ingles, Kastila at salitang anghel,

Sapagka’t ang Poong maalam tumingin

Ang siyang naggawad, nagbigay sa atin.

Ang salita nati’y huwad din sa iba

Na may alfabeto at sariling letra,

Na kaya nawala’y dinatnan ng sigwa

Ang lunday sa lawa noong dakong una.

Isinalin sa Pilipino di kilala

To My Fellow Children

translated by Frank C. Laubach

Whenever people of a country truly love

The language which by heav’n they were taught to use

That country also surely liberty pursue

As does the bird which soars to freer space above.

For language is the final judge and referee

Upon the people in the land where it holds sway;

In truth our human race resembles in this way

The other living beings born in liberty.

Whoever knows not how to love his native tongue

Is worse than any best or evil smelling fish.

To make our language richer ought to be our wish

The same as any mother loves to feed her young.

Tagalog and the Latin language are the same

And English and Castilian and the angels’ tongue;

And God, whose watchful care o’er all is flung,

Has given us His blessing in the speech we calim,

Our mother tongue, like all the highest tht we know

Had alphabet and letters of its very own;

But these were lost — by furious waves were overthrown

Like bancas in the stormy sea, long years ago.