Eagle Flight A Filipino Novel Adapted from Noli Me Tangere

José Rizal

Description

In that horrible drama, the Philippine revolution, one man of the purest and noblest character stands out pre-eminently - Jose Rizal - poet, artist, philologue, novelist, above all, patriot; his influence might have changed the whole course of events in the islands, had not a blind and stupid policy brought about the crime of his death.

Informations

• Publié par: Pub One Info
• Date de parution: 23 octobre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9782819906285
• Langue: English

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INTRODUCTION
JOSÉ RIZAL
In that horrible drama, the Philippine revolution,one man of the purest and noblest character stands outpre-eminently – José Rizal – poet, artist, philologue, novelist,above all, patriot; his influence might have changed the wholecourse of events in the islands, had not a blind and stupid policybrought about the crime of his death.
This man, of almost pure Tagalo race, was born in1861, at Calamba, in the island of Luzon, on the southern shore ofthe Laguna de Bay, where he grew up in his father's home, under thetutorage of a wise and learned native priest, Leontio.
The child's fine nature, expanding in the troublouslatter days of a long race bondage, was touched early with the fireof genuine patriotism. He was eleven when the tragic consequencesof the Cavité insurrection destroyed any lingering illusions of hispeople, and stirred in them a spirit that has not yet beenallayed.
The rising at Cavité, like many others in theislands, was a protest against the holding of benefices by friars –a thing forbidden by a decree of the Council of Trent, butauthorized in the Philippines, by papal bulls, until such time asthere should be a sufficiency of native priests. This time nevercame. As the friars held the best agricultural lands, and had avoice – and that the most authoritative – in civil affairs, theredeveloped in the rural districts a veritable feudal system,bringing in its train the arrogance and tyranny that likeconditions develop. It became impossible for the civil authoritiesto carry out measures in opposition to the friars. "The Governmentis an arm, the head is the convent," says the old philosopher ofRizal's story.
The rising at Cavité miscarried, and vengeance fell.Dr. Joseph Burgos, a saintly old priest, was put to death, andthree other native priests with him, while many prominent nativefamilies were banished. Never had the better class of Filipinosbeen so outraged and aroused, and from this time on their purposewas fixed, not to free themselves from Spain, not to secede fromthe church they loved, but to agitate ceaselessly for reforms whichnone of them longer believed could be realized without theexpulsion of the friars. In the school of this purpose, and withthe belief on the part of his father and Leontio that he wasdestined to use his life and talents in its behalf, José wastrained, until he left his home to study in Manila. At the Collegeof the Jesuits he carried off all the honors, with specialdistinction in literary work. He wrote a number of odes; and amelodrama in verse, the work of his thirteenth year, wassuccessfully played at Manila. But he had to wear his honors as anIndian among white men, and they made life hard for him. Hespecially aroused the dislike of his Spanish college mates by anode in which he spoke of his patria. A Tagalo had no native land,they contended – only a country.
At twenty Rizal finished his course at Manila, and afew months later went to Madrid, where he speedily won the degreesof Ph.D. and M.D.; then to Germany – taking here another degree,doing his work in the new language, which he mastered as he wentalong; to Austria, where he gained great skill as an oculist; toFrance, Italy, England – absorbing the languages and literature ofthese countries, doing some fine sculpture by way of diversion. Butin all this he was single-minded; he never lost the voice of hiscall; he felt more and more keenly the contrast between the hardlot of his country and the freedom of these lands, and he bore itill that no one of them even knew about her, and the cancer eatingaway her beauty and strength. At the end of this period of study hesettled in Berlin, and began his active work for his country.
Four years of the socialism and license of theuniversities had not distorted Rizal's political vision; heremained, as he had grown up, an opportunist. Not then, nor at anytime, did he think his country ready for self-government. He saw asher best present good her continued union to Spain, "through astable policy based upon justice and community of interests." Heasked only for the reforms promised again and again by theministry, and as often frustrated. To plead for the lifting of thehand of oppression from the necks of his people, he now wrote hisfirst novel, "Noli Me Tangere."
The next year he returned to the Philippines to findhimself the idol of the natives and a thorn in the flesh of friarsand greedy officials. The reading of his book was proscribed. Hestayed long enough to concern himself in a dispute of histownspeople with the Dominicans over titles to lands; then findinghis efforts vain and his safety doubtful, he left for Japan. Herehe pursued for some time his usual studies; came thence to America,and then crossed to England, where he made researches in theBritish Museum, and edited in Spanish, "Sucesos de las IslasFilipinas," by Dr. Antonio de Morga, an important work, neglectedby the Spaniards, but already edited in English by DeanStanley.
After publishing this work, in Paris, Rizal returnedto Spain, where, in 1890, he began a series of brilliant pleas forthe Philippines, in the Solidaridad, a liberal journal published atBarcelona and afterward at Madrid. But he roused little sympathy orinterest in Spain, and his articles, repeated in pamphlets in thePhilippines, served to make his position more dangerous athome.
Disheartened but steadfast, he retired to Belgium,to write his second novel, "El Filibusterismo." "Noli Me Tangere"is a poet's story of his people's loves, faults, aspirations, andwrongs; "El Filibusterismo" is the work of a student of statecraft,pointing out the way to political justice and the development ofnational life. Inspired, it would seem, by his own creation of afuture for his country, he returned to the Solidaridad, where, in aseries of remarkable articles, he forecast the ultimate downfall ofSpain in the Philippines and the rise of his people. This was hiscrime against the Government: for the spirit which in a Spanish boywould not permit a Tagalo to have a patria, in a Spaniard growncould not brook the suggestion of colonial independence, even inthe far future.
And now having poured out these passionate pleas andsplendid forecasts, Rizal was homesick for this land of his. Hewent to Hong-Kong. Calamba was in revolt. His many friends at theEnglish port did everything to keep him; but the call was toopersistent. December 23d, 1891, he wrote to Despujols, thengovernor-general of the Philippines: "If Your Excellency thinks myslight services could be of use in pointing out the evils of mycountry and helping heal the wounds reopened by the recentinjustices, you need but to say so, and trusting in your honor as agentleman, I will immediately put myself at your disposal. If youdecline my offer, ... I shall at least be conscious of having doneall in my power, while seeking the good of my country, to preserveher union to Spain through a stable policy based upon justice andcommunity of interests."
The governor expressed his gratitude, promisedprotection, and Rizal sailed for Manila. But immediately after hislanding he was arrested on a charge of sedition, whose source madethe governor's promise impotent. Nothing could be proved againstRizal; but it was not the purpose of his enemies to have himacquitted. A half-way sentence was imposed, and he was banished toDapidan, on the island of Mindanao. Despujols was recalled toSpain.
In this exile Rizal spent four years, beloved by thenatives, teaching them agriculture, treating their sick (the poorwithout charge), improving their schools, and visited from time totime by patients from abroad, drawn here by his fame as an oculist.Among these last came a Mr. Taufer, a resident of Hong-Kong, andwith him his foster-child, Josephine Bracken, the daughter of anIrish sergeant. The pretty and adventurous girl and the banishedpatriot fell in love with each other.
These may well have been among the happiest years ofRizal's life. He had always been an exile in fact: now that he wasone in name, strangely enough he was able for the first time tolive in peace among his brothers under the skies he loved. He sang,in his pathetic content: "Thou dear illusion with thy soothing cup!I taste, and think I am a child again. Oh! kindly tempest, favoringwinds of heaven, That knew the hour to check my shifting flight,And beat me down upon my native soil,..."
Always about his philological studies, he began herea work that should be of peculiar interest to us: a treatise onTagalog verbs, in the English language. Did his knowledge ofAmerica's growing feeling toward Cuba lead him to foresee – as noone else seems to have done – her appearance in the Philippines, orwas he thinking of England?
At Hong-Kong, and in his brief stays at Manila,Rizal had established the Liga Filipina, a society of educated andprogressive islanders, whose ideas of needed reforms and methods ofattaining them were at one with his own. His banishment was awarning of danger and checked the society's activity.
The Liga was succeeded, in the sense only offollowed, by the Katipunan, – a native word also meaning league.The makers of this "league," though avowing the same purpose as themembers of the other, were men of very different stamp. Theirinitiation was a blood-rite: they sought immediate independence;they preached a campaign of force, if not of violence. That arecent reviewer should have connected Dr. Rizal's name with theKatipunan is difficult to understand. Not alone are his writings,acts, and character against such a possibility, but so also is thetestimony of the Spanish archives: for not only was it admitted athis final trial that he was not suspected of any connection withthe Katipunan, but his well-known disapproval of that society'spremature and violent action was even made a point against him. Hewas so much the more dangerous to the state because he had thesagacity to know that the times were not yet ripe for independence,and t