Our Mother TongueA poem originally in Tagalog written by Rizal when he was only eight years oldIF truly a people dearly loveThe tongue to them by Heaven sent,They’ll surely yearn for libertyLike a bird above in the firmament.BECAUSE by its language one can judgeA town, a barrio, and kingdom;And like any other created thingEvery human being loves his freedom.ONE who doesn’t love his native tongue,Is worse than putrid fish and beast;AND like a truly precious thingIt therefore deserves to be cherished.THE Tagalog language’s akin to Latin,To English, Spanish, angelical tongue;For God who knows how to look after usThis language He bestowed us upon.

AS others, our language is the sameWith alphabet and letters of its own,It was lost because a storm did destroyOn the lake the bangka 1 in years bygone.