Kundiman (English Translation)
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.
Background
Jose Rizal wrote “Kundiman” in Tagalog in September 12,1891. A kundiman is actually a traditional Filipino love song used by a young man to serenade the woman of his love. The theme of Rizal’s “Kundiman” is his intense love for his Motherland. His words reflected his optimism that Philippines would be freed from injustice and bondage.
Meaning
The last verse should leave no doubt that Rizal believed that a bloody revolution was a distinct possibility. Compare this last verse and the first two verses of another kundiman of Rizal's "Alin Mang Lahi" , and then to a verse in his "Mi ultimo adios"
Jose Rizal’s nationalism did not only manifest itself in his novels and essays, but also in song, particularly the kundiman. The choice of the musical form was, of course, fitting—because more than just a song about love, the kundiman is a song about intense devotion.
In the melancholic Kundiman ni Rizal, he deplored the country’s state of oppression in the hands of colonizers. However, he still expressed the hope that someday, the name “Filipino” would be admired, even if bloodshed became necessary to reach that goal.
This song, like the novels Noli Me Tángere and El Filibusterismo, was used by Spanish prosecutors to build a case against Rizal. In fact, the line, “Ibubuhos namin ang dugo’y ibabaha,” was used as evidence during his trial.
