Al Heroe Nacional

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The original version of the poem could not be found, so as the full version of the translated one.
To the National Hero

(Al Heroe Nacional)
Written by: Cecilio Apostol
Translated by: Alfredo S. Veloso
Immortal hero! Legendary colossus!

Emerge from the ossuary’s abyss
Where you sleep the slumber of glory
Come: our love that your memory inflames,
Calls you from the shadowy eternity
To crown with flowers your memory.
This is the date, the funeral day,

In which the blood tyrant
Made you suffer the last torment,
As if, in breaking the earthen amphora,
The essence that in the amphora is enclosed
Would not impregnate the wind.
Midday, clarify
Bewildering and triumphant,
Chase, brilliant, nudity,
Image of the truth!
Your intense transparence all
Penumbra exiles.
Without the potency that your volcano
Encloses, oh midday,
To the abyss would roll,
Lifeless heavenly body, the earth.
Fulgent and ardent hour during

Which the sun’s bonfire
Diffuses around the atmosphere
The breath from the crucible
The whole earth feels

Transfixed in flames;
Around the fertile countryside
Strong winds howl,
And trunks and branches
And effective elixir make.
Midday, exaltation
Of the creative power
To your inspiring light
Imagination burns.
How many select productions
Of brilliant permanence,
That in art and in science
The human mind engendered,
Carry the refulgent stamp
Of your ardor and predominance!
In the uncertain hours,

While anxious people struggle
To reach the happy
Repose of the last summit,
Infuse in them with your learning
Serene intensity
And the essential propriety
Of your inherent energy,
Oh divine Midday.
Plenitude and clarity!
MEANING AND MORAL OF THE PIECE

This poem is generally a tribute by Apostol to the late hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. This is all about how
Apostol admire Dr. Jose Rizal because of his dedication and patriotic actions he made to make
the country obtain the freedom and peace they deserve. Aside from that, the poem reflects how
he clearly explain the legacy that Rizal left especially for us Filipinos and to the following
generations. Furthermore, this piece depicts the situation and the cruelty that Rizal experienced
before he was executed in the Bagumbayan now called Luneta Park. The execution of Rizal
incited the Filipinos to continue fighting to their independence.
SUMMARY
Spanish Version:
No llores de la tumba en el misterio
del español el triunfo momentaneo,
que si una bala destrozo tu craneo
tu Idea, en cambio, destruyo un imperio!
English version:
Weep not over the silence of your tomb
Over the fleeting Spanish triumph
For if a bullet destroyed your cranium
Your idea, in turn, destroyed an empire!
- Al Heroe Nacional (Apostol, 1898)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A patriot by sentiment, a lawyer by profession, and a man of letters by avocation, Cecilio
Apostol was a colossus in Spanish-Filipino poetry. He was recognized not only in the
Philippines but also throughout the Hispanic world as "the greatest Filipino epic poet writing in
Spanish." According to Claro M. Recto, Apostol was "the greatest writer of both prose and
poetry."
He was born in Sta. Cruz Manila on November 22, 1877, to Jose P. Apostol and
Marcelina de los Reyes. He began writing poems as early as when he was in the third grade. In
school programs, he used to declaim verses that he himself wrote. Aside from poetry, he loved
art. At home and in school, he used to paint landscapes, flowers, birds and people. His first
published poem was El Terror de los Mares Indicos in El Comercio. After his elementary
education, he enrolled at the Ateneo Municipal where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in
1894. He later took up law at the University of Santo Tomas. However, he joined the Revolution
in 1896 before finishing his law course.He also joined the editorial staff of the newspaper, La
Independencia, and used either Catulo or Isagani as his pen names.When peace was restored, he
continued his journalistic carrer and worked in various newspapers, such as La Fraternidad, La
Democrecia, La Patria, and El Renocimiento. Finishing his law studies after the Revolution, he
passed the bar and was appointed assistant fiscal of Manila in 1908.
During his spare time, he dedicated himself to poetry, painting and linguistics. He learned
several foreign languages, translated Bonifacio's Decalogue into French and the Ilocano epic
Lam-ang into Spanish. Apostol's patriotic poem, Mi Raza, won first prize in the national literary
contest sponsored by the Club International in 1902. In it he demonstrated evidence of his
supremacy over all Filipino poets in Spanish. His poetical masterpiece A Rizal (To Rizal), is still
unsurpassed in epic sweep and patriotic fire. The poems of Apostol have been compiled by
Professor Jaime C. de Veyra and published under the title Pentelicas (Manila, 1941). Included in
this collection are: Al Heroe Nacional, Mi Raza, A La Bandera, La Siesta, Sobre El Plinto
(dedicated to Mabini), Paisaie Filipino, A Emilio Jacinto, Los Martires Anonimos de la Pairia,
and El Solo de la Independencia.
Apostol's fame was acclaimed in practically all Spanish-speaking countries of the world.
His poems, together with his biography, appeared in the World Anthology of Spanish Poetry and
in the world-famous Enciplopedia España, and in many other books. In recognition of his
poetical genius, Apostol was made a corresponding member of the Royal Academy of the
Spanish Literature. Some of his poems have been translated into German. Upon the
establishment of the Commonwealth in 1935, this great poet-lawyer was asked to become one of
President Quezon's legal advisers. He refused the lucrative offer, and a few months later he
retired from his position as Manila's assistant fiscal without claiming the customary retirement
privileges. He joined the law office of Don Vicente Francisco and distinguished himself there as
a brief writer and legal researcher. On September 17, 1938, Apostol died of cerebral hemorrhage
at his home in Caloocan at the age of 61. He was survived by his wife Margarita San Jose and six
children.

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DISCLAIMER!!

To the National Hero

Immortal hero! Legendary colossus!

This is the date, the funeral day,

Fulgent and ardent hour during

The whole earth feels

In the uncertain hours,

MEANING AND MORAL OF THE PIECE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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