Sta. Cruz, Manila
4 Trinidad Street, Sta. Cruz, Manila, 9 June 1884
MR. JOSE RIZAL Y MERCADO
MY DEAR NAMESAKE, ESTEEMED FRIEND, AND CO-BABYLONIAN COMRADE,
I have your esteemed letter of 29 April last and taking advantage of the departure of the mail boat tomorrow, I will now answer it.
By this date our friend Ceferino de Leon must have given you already affectionate and repeated embraces, as the local newspapers say that the ship on which he left arrived at Barcelona on the 25 of last month. This young man carries a letter of mine addressed to you in which, among other things, I said that my cousin Miciano had made some observations on your melodrama Junto al Pasig which were resolved a few days after that letter was written. On account of my numerous duties it had not been possible for me to transmit the result to you in due time. But now I am going to have the pleasure to report on it. Let me tell you to begin with that being jealous as always of your literary reputation, I interviewed our friend Mr. Valentin Bautista, who has a copy of the melodrama and the rules on poetry, to consult him about the observations made by my cousin. He replied that the omission of one syllable was due to the mistake of the copyist who has omitted the word ser, inasmuch as in the copy in his possession it says, “Espiritu, ser sublime!”
With regard to the other observation on your having rhymed the word cima (which through carelessness I had written with an “s” in my letter), friend Bautista says that a poet is allowed to make such a variation of accentuation in words, that is to say, you have used poetic license.
I have transmitted this to my cousin in a letter as a reply to his observations. He replied that he was repenting, as I do, for having written you at once the observations he had made without consulting other copies of the melodrama, for he admits that the omission of a syllable was the fault of the clerk; but with reference to the variation of accent, he did not want to give in until after he had read Bautista’s letter that I am copying below. Bautista said that he wrote that letter in the midst of his numerous duties in the store and consequently only the pen moved and not reason.
MR. JOSE M. CECILIO
[Bautista’s Letter to Cecilio]
In return, friend Pepe, for the letter I received enclosed in yours that I am answering, I send you this which I hope will satisfy your desire and fulfills mine.
I told you, I remember, in a casual meeting, without consulting textbooks, that our compatriot and friend Rizal, in rhyming in his melodrama Junto al Pasig with the term cima the objective opima, expressing opima, that is, making long a short syllable, converting a word accented on the antepenultimate syllable into a common term, he had made use of poetic license. So I told you in defense of the absent friend, extolled author of that melodrama, and now I repeat it to you however much it may displease your kind cousin Miciano. As we do not suppose him to be like some men who, moved by sentiments of odious egoism, persist in their obvious error, making discussion superfluous and every reasoning sterile, I believe he would be convinced if you indicate to him tactfully what I have expressed to you in this letter on the aforesaid point.
All dictionaries, dear Pepe, from that of the Academy of the Spanish Language to the very rich one of the philologist Dominguez, bring in their respective pages the terms sistole and diastole, which in medicine are applied to the systaltic movement that expands and contracts the heart, serve in poetry to designate certain figures of speech which consist in making short the first long syllable and vice versa the second. If despite the dictionaries, their definition does not satisfy you and you want an evident proof that such figures are comprised in poetic license, take the trouble of picking up a book entitled Curso elemental de retorica y poetica by Mr. Raymundo de Miguel, professor of rhetoric and poetics in Madrid, 5th edition. You examine page 166 and there you will find the following: ”Licencias poeticas” (Poetic license) – Spanish poetry admits besides the ellipsis exactly the same licenses as in Latin. Such are: The synalepha, syneresis, diaeresis, systole, and diastole. The synalepha… The systole consists in making short a long syllable, like impio for impio, sincero for sincero. The diastole, on the contrary, consists in making long a short syllable, like oceano for oceano, feretro for feretro.” Also I remember, Pepe, that Mr. Salva expresses himself in identical terms in discussing poetic licenses. I believe this explanation is sufficient to prove that my humble opinion in favor of the absent friend Rizal is based on the unanimous opinion of various respectable and very competent authorities on the subject. However, if despite such opinions, there is someone who would insist on saying that a poet who, like the praiseworthy Rizal, is not permitted to express or write opima for opima, you decide the case with your prudent judgment and ignore me if I am mistaken. You know I esteem you sincerely as ever,
Your very affectionate friend and sincere servant,
VALENTIN BAUTISTA
Binondo, 8 May 1884
P.S.
By ear: Your good cousin and my very dear sir states in one of the paragraphs of his letter, among other things, exclamation and question marks: “I have seen that through poetic license, a word, a syllable is suppressed, etc., but to change the accent of a word by taking away its natural harmony, never! How stupid! If that were so, where then would the authority of the Royal Academy be? This same illustrious Academy of the Language has in its dictionary the term diastole whose definition on the subject of poetry deals with the alteration of the accent as a figure of speech. It makes no contrary indication in this sense. Then it recognizes the existence of this figure and this recognition, its proper definition, does it not become an implicit sanction of the use of the said figure as an exceptional case? Enough.”
I will gladly comply with your request concerning the amorous atmosphere around O…, but I must warn you that there is a standing bet between the brother-in-law of this Ch. and that young lady. It is this: She, that she will not be your wife and he, that she will be.
According to what I have been told by D.V.M., lawyer and recently married to N., that if he did not want to go after O., it was because one day he asked her what qualifications she expected her husband to have and she said that she needed a man who was a doctor of medicine, licentiate in law, agronomist, etc. “Well then, the one who possesses these qualifications is Mr. Rizal, who is said to be her fiancé. For this reason, if Mr. Rizal is not explicitly loved, he exists in the mind of this young lady.” Tell me, Namesake, if there is good logic in this.
This young lady is very fond of riding horseback. At night she practices on our street and one night she invited me to ride and I told her I did not know how. I told her to be very careful as she might fall and when you come, she would then be useless. She replied that you would not find her any more. Then in reply I said to her that heaven not permit that anything should happen to her as you prayed hard for her health and happiness.
I have not yet talked with Titay, but indeed with Captain Jose, who told me he has not received those two letters that you mentioned. He received only one which he answered, sending it to Barcelona.
Do you know what V. says? You have put one over Manrique of II Trovatore inasmuch as he has only one Leonor while you have two.
Leonor of the walled City, by dint of going back and forth the house of Mrs. Facunda on San Marcelino Street at her mother’s orders has succeeded to put on a little weight. Poor mother, she does not guess right the best way to cure her daughter! Don’t you think that it would suit her better a trip to that country while you are there? I believe so. I have no scruple whatever in this prescription; but according to what I have been told this family is going to Calamba.
Poor C. She returns to her parents because the dear one lost his job and lacking means to live on in this country, he was obliged to return to Spain leaving behind, not money, but a tiny boy who is called not Nicolas but Manuel like the father.
Pololeng is still single and attends almost all dances. She is still good-looking.
Our friend Zamora lost his dear father recently. This poor man died of serosity. They say: “Misfortune never comes alone; it is always accompanied.”
M. suffered two wedding reverses: One with friend V. which was dropped on account of physical disability; another with T., Filipino also. This gentleman after promising to marry her, went to a province to settle some accounts and when he returned here, he was already married to another woman. Does this knavery seem mild to you?
Mentang, Tentay, and Oñang send you their sincere regards. The first one requests me to tell you to look for her letter addressed to Barquillo Street in reply to your condolence for the death of her father and brother.
As to the Jugo girls, I see them at the window some afternoons when I pass in front of their house, and I believe they are well.
I advance my sincere congratulations on your forthcoming graduation in medicine and I regret not to be able to attend the act of your investiture in order to give you a tight embrace.
Be kind enough to tell Ceferino to devote some of his leisure hours to writing me and to receive my affectionate regards and those of my parents and Pep.
Compadres Teong, Rosauro, Miguela, Tincho, and other relatives send you their sincerest regards.
It is not known whether Pichon and Mariano Lopez are going to that capital city because they are not decided. At any rate Galicano is going, but it is not known when.
Friend Dadivas sends you his compliments.
Gella also, now a real landlord of students, sends you his regards.
Receive those of my father and brother and my most affectionate and fond regards with a Babylonian embrace.
From your very affectionate chronicler,
JOSE M. CECILIO
03-102 [Reformists]