Rizal

First Inspiration
Why falls so rich a spray

of fragrance from the bowers
of the balmy flowers
upon this festive day?
Why from woods and vales

do we hear sweet measures ringing
that seem to be the singing
of a choir of nightingales?
Why in the grass below

do birds start at the wind's noises,
unleashing their honeyed voices
as they hop from bough to bough?
Why should the spring that glows

its crystalline murmur be tuning
to the zephyr's mellow crooning
as among the flowers it flows?
Why seems to me more endearing,

more fair than on other days,
the dawn's enchanting face
among red clouds appearing?
The reason, dear mother, is

they feast your day of bloom:
the rose with its perfume,
the bird with its harmonies.
And the spring that rings with laughter

upon this joyful day
with its murmur seems to say:
"Live happily ever after!"
And from that spring in the grove

now turn to hear the first note
that from my lute I emote
to the impulse of my love.
The word "inspiration" has two levels of meaning: the conventional one we use every day and the root
meaning rarely used in modern language but always present as a connotation of the other: (1)
Stimulation of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity, and (2) The act of breathing in;
the inhalation of air into the lungs.
This poem speaks to (2) in the first stanza: the breathing in of sweet aromas on what is declared to be a
"festive day." The second stanza moves to the sweet, musical sound of birds singing in the woods and
vales on such a day. The third stanza, of course, begins to merge the two images in a subtle way: the
birds "start" to sing (or are startled into singing) by the sound of the wind blowing. The wind would
supply them breath for singing, but it also seems to "inspire" their singing, as in (1) above; that is, it
stimulates them to a high level of activity. In the fourth stanza, the spring of water tunes its murmur
likewise to the sound of the breezes (zephyrs) as it flows along among the flowers.
Hence, in this first half of the poem we have music of birds and brook "inspired" by the wind; that is, the
very air we breathe. And also we breathe the fragrance of the flowers (among which the brook flows),
for it is borne on the wind. The imagery of these first four stanzas is, thus, neatly tied together, giving us
a sense of the festivity of a beautiful spring day in nature. The poem could be complete at this point; it
would be a sweet little nature poem, a song.
But the poem moves in a different direction now. Why does this day seem so much brighter, more
beautiful than others? Why is morning brighter today? The next two stanzas answer this question. The
poem, it turns out, is addressed to the speaker's mother, and it is her day of "blooming" (birthday,
probably). The perfume of the flowers, the songs of the birds, and the sound of the bubbling brook all
celebrate her day, they "feast" in her honor. They wish her all the best: "Live happily ever after."
Now the poem becomes more fragile, more understated. For one's "dear mother" is also one's
inspiration--there at one's first breath in life, there to move one toward creative acts or ideas. But to say
that in so many words would be trite and sentimental. So in the last stanza the speaker acts out the
feeling. Joining the music of the brook (and of the birds and the winds), the speaker will play upon a
lute. The mother is asked to turn from Nature to Human art, from the birds and the brook to the sound
of the lute expressing emotion wordlessly. And what is the "inspiration" that moves the lutist to play?
Why, "the impulse of my love." The speaker's love for the mother. The mother's love reflected in her
child.
This is the first sound of music, which is inspired by the mother/child love; but, indeed, the whole poem-
-the music of its verses--has already been inspired also in the same way.
I think you should be warned, however, that is not THE interpretation of Rizal's poem (indeed, it is an
interpretation of a translation, which may or may not accurately reflect the original--especially with its
carefully, but somewhat laboriously rhymed stanzas, ABBA). Therefore, this is MY interpretation. There
will be as many as there are readers, and one's written interpretation never adequately conveys one's
experience of the poem--which will always be beyond words. It is, furthermore, merely AN
interpretation. There will be as many others as there are readers. I am curious: what is YOUR
interpretation. That's what's important to you. I hope mine may have been helpful to you, but it cannot
be definitive.
Best wishes.

Rizal

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First Inspiration

Why falls so rich a spray

Why from woods and vales

Why in the grass below

Why should the spring that glows

Why seems to me more endearing,

The reason, dear mother, is

And the spring that rings with laughter

And from that spring in the grove

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