leep in thy lap, O land of enchantment!

If in the deep, rich grass that covers my rest in thy bosom,
Some day thou seest upspring a lowly, tremulous blossom,
Lay there thy lips, 'tis my soul; may I feel on my forehead
descending,
Deep in the chilly tomb, the soft, warm breath of thy kisses.
Let the calm light of the moon fall around me, and dawn's
fleeting splendor;
Let the winds murmur and sigh, on my cross let some bird tell
its message;
Loosed from the rain by the brazen sun, let clouds of soft
vapor
Bear to the skies, as they mount again, the chant of my spirit.
There may some friendly heart lament my parting untimely,
And if at eventide a soul for my tranquil sleep prayeth,
Pray thou too, O my fatherland! for my peaceful reposing.
Pray for those who go down to death through unspeakable
torments;
Pray for those who remain to suffer such torture in prisons;
Pray for the bitter grief of our mothers, our widows,
our orphans;
Oh, pray too for thyself, on the way to thy final redemption.

When our still dwelling-place wraps night's dusky mantle
about her,
Leaving the dead alone with the dead, to watch till the
morning,
Break not our rest, and seek not to lay death's mystery open.
If now and then thou shouldst hear the string of a lute or
a zithern,
Mine is the hand, dear country, and mine is the voice that
is singing.

When my tomb, that all have forgot, no cross nor stone marketh,
There let the laborer guide his plough, there cleave the
earth open.
So shall my ashes at last be one with thy hills and thy
valleys.
Little 'twill matter then, my country, that thou shouldst
forget me!
I shall be air in thy streets, and I shall be space in thy
meadows.
I shall be vibrant speech in thine ears, shall be fragrance
and color,
Light and shout, and loved song forever repeating my message.

Rizal's own explanation of the lofty purpose of his searching story
of his Tagalog fatherland was in these words of his dedicatory preface:

TO MY COUNTRY

The records of human suffering make known to us the existence of
ailments of such nature that the slightest touch irritates and causes
tormenting pains. Whenever, in the midst of modern civilizations,
I have tried to call up thy dear image, O my country! ei