June 20, 2011

Farewell

Of all the mementos and historical artifacts in the "Rizal in Ateneo, Ateneo in Rizal" exhibit (see yesterday's post), this small, unassuming alcohol burner caught my fancy the most. The day before his execution on December 30, 1896, Jose Rizal was visited in prison by his mother, sisters and nephews and he whispered to his sister Trinidad that there was something hidden inside the burner. When it was given to his family, they discovered a folded piece of paper on which a poem was handwritten by Rizal. Untitled and unsigned, it is known popularly as "Mi Ultimo Adios" (My Last Farewell). The images in the background are of a replica of Rizal's prison cell inside the Rizal Shrine in Fort Santiago, Intramuros. The alcohol burner is on loan to the Ateneo Art Gallery from the family of Estanislao Herbosa, a nephew of Jose Rizal from his sister Lucia.

alcohol burner where Jose Rizal's Mi Ultimo Adios was found

For those interested in reading the poem, here are a few links:

23 comments:

  1. OlivierJune 20, 2011 at 6:12 AM

    merci pour ce bout de l'histoire de ton pays, c'est intéressant.

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  2. brattcatJune 20, 2011 at 8:39 AM

    what a story!

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  3. Montreal Photo DailyJune 20, 2011 at 10:24 AM

    Fabulous post... great story.
    Have a nice day!

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  4. Leif HagenJune 20, 2011 at 12:11 PM

    Quite an interesting artifact! Hope you'll have a good start to your week!
    Cheerio, Hilda!

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  5. TameraJune 20, 2011 at 4:17 PM

    I remember visiting Fort Santiago as a child. I thought it was grim and scary!

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  6. LayrayskiJune 20, 2011 at 7:50 PM

    I'm happy I was able to visit intramuros. :) There was letter on one of his shoes also, right?

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  7. Photo CacheJune 21, 2011 at 3:22 AM

    a great post. i didn't realize the lamp was this big. obviously i haven't been to the intramuros.

    i remember that poem. we had to learn that by heart in spanish class and have to recite stanza.

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  8. Chattahoochee Valley DailyJune 22, 2011 at 7:09 AM

    Interesting ...

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  9. B i r g i t t aJune 22, 2011 at 7:20 PM

    Hilda this was a pretty but sad story I am glad to hear about it - thanks for sharing!

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  10. Louis la VacheJune 27, 2011 at 7:34 AM

    Fascinating, Hilda.
    ;-D

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  11. Oakland Daily PhotoJune 30, 2011 at 2:34 PM

    Thanks for the education. I enjoyed comparing the translations of Rizal's farewell poem. Quite a deifference.

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  12. KaoriJune 30, 2011 at 11:04 PM

    Hi Hilda! Hope you are well. This is a very interesting post. I don't know if I could write such a poem when facing death...but then I can't write a poem anyway so I guess it wouldn't matter :-)

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  13. AnonymousJuly 2, 2011 at 5:58 PM

    What a sad story. It is unimaginable really.

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  14. lunarossaJuly 8, 2011 at 10:25 PM

    So touching and beautiful, Hilda. Although well translated, the Spanish original really gets you to his heart. Thanks for posting this. Hope you are well. Ciao. A.

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  15. Ken MacJuly 13, 2011 at 11:55 PM

    I'm glad your'e not saying farewell!

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  16. Lucas KainJuly 22, 2011 at 6:37 PM

    Indeed, my heart froze for a second there. But we haven't heard from you in a month! Don't leave us. :(

    ___
    Story telecom

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  17. PJJuly 23, 2011 at 11:47 AM

    Don't scare me like that!

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  18. LayrayskiJuly 25, 2011 at 1:28 AM

    Hilda, is there a reason you titled your last post farewell?

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  19. Oakland Daily PhotoSeptember 6, 2011 at 8:40 AM

    Hey, Hilda,
    We're still missing you. Please let us know what's going on. Hope you're planning on returning to your blog.
    Carolyn

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  20. Stevenson QSeptember 28, 2011 at 11:08 AM

    I miss you so much Hilda! I hope you will be back very soon! We're all waiting for your next post! God Bless you and be safe! Sunod Sunod ang Bagyo :(

    Steven^^

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  21. BuckNovember 1, 2011 at 8:59 AM

    A sad story, but I'm glad to learn it. Such deep meaning from something simple.

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  22. AnonymousNovember 8, 2011 at 6:29 PM

    Very atmospheric... in every way!

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  23. alexNovember 18, 2011 at 1:07 AM

    hope all is well.

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Thanks for visiting and letting me know!