Kundiman (English Translation)

This poem is the English translation of ‘Kundiman’ from Tagalog. In the Philippines, a kundiman is a traditional Filipino love song sang by a young man to serenade the woman of his love. In the poem, however, the object of Rizal’s intense love was his Motherland. 

Now mute indeed are tongue and heart:
love shies away, joy stands apart.
Neglected by its leaders and defeated,
the country was subdued and it submitted.

But O the sun will shine again!
Itself the land shall disenchain;
and once more round the world with growing praise
shall sound the name of the Tagalog race.

We shall pour out our blood in a great flood
to liberate the parent sod;
but till that day arrives for which we weep,
love shall be mute, desire shall sleep.


For the original Tagalog version of this poem, see Kundiman (Tagalog Translation).

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