CONTINUATION OF

Historical interpretation
• There exists no manuscript of the poem handwritten
by Rizal
• The poem was first published in 1906, in a book by
Hermenegildo Cruz
• Cruz said he received the poem from Gabriel Beato
Francisco, who claimed to have received it in 1884
from Rizal’s close friend, Saturnino Raselis
• Rizal never mentioned writing this poem anywhere in
his writings; he never mentioned of having a close
friend by the person of Raselis
• The poem was written in Tagalog and referred to the
word”kalayaan”. But it was documented in Rizal’s
letters that he first encountered the word through
Marcelo H. del Pilar’s translation of Rizal’s essay El Amor
Patrio, where it was spelled as “kalayahan”
• While Rizal’s native tongue was Tagalog, he was
educated in Spanish, starting from his mother,
Teodora Alonso
• Rizal expressed disappointment in his difficulty in
expressing himself in his native tongue
• The poem’s spelling is also suspect such as the use of
“k” and “w” to replace “c” and “u”, respectively was
suggested by Rizal as an adult
• If the poem was really written during his time, it
should use the original Spanish orthography that was
pevalent during his time.
Sources:

Candelaria, JL. P. and Alporha, V.C. (2018). Readings in

Philippine History. Philippines: Rex Book Store, Inc.

https://prezi.com/p/yqr33b78_aho/philippine-history-
spaces-for-conflict-controversies/