Rue de Champagne, Brussels
Father Sanchez – Mandaya, Mandayak, and Dayaks – “I envy the Mandayas for their penal code” – Mandaya terms in Tagalog lexicon – The cup of rice in the marriage ceremony of the Mandayas, Japanes, and ancient Tagalogs – Letters to Rizal being read by the government – Rizal will translate Kern’s works – Of great effect if the Filipinos see our names together – Books on history and geography – Rizal’s annotations to Morga widely read and sought.
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38 Rue de Philippe de Champagne, Brussels
26 May 1890
Jose Rizal
My Brother,
Yesterday I received your pleasing letter and today your very interesting pamphlet on the Mandayas.[1] I have already read it and it seems to me very worthy of attention.
I presume that Father Sanchez of whom you speak so many times is the same one who was my professor of literature. If it is so, I congratulate you. Father Sanchez is a profound observer, but slightly pessimistic and always thinks of the bad side of things. When we were in college, we referred to his as a dark spirit. The students used to call him Paniki, a species of bat.
Many words appearing in your work attract my attention:
Page 3. sundan. In Tagalog it is also called sundang, a kind of sword of this shape:
[Sketch]
Page 3. The name balarao appears also in Morga, page 265, as bararao.
Page 3. Does not an analogy exist perhaps between Mandaya and Dayak?[2] Is it not Mandaya used in place of Mandayak?
The Spaniards never pronounce the final k or g as in Tagalog.
In these days I envy the Mandayas for their penal code. We have fallen so low with our civil guard, judicial blandishment, bribery, etc. that often I ask myself whether it is worthwhile to do good or bad in our country. The virtuous man is sent to exile more frequently and more easily than the intriguer.
The courtship of the Mandayas is the same as that of the ancient Taglogs. The marriage ceremony has a great similarity to that of the Japanese in which both bride and groom together also partake of a dish of rice.
Page 6. Tagai-tagai. Tagay in Tagalog means to pour wine.
Page 6. Bridges of this kind are also used in Japan. See the works of Hubar or Humbert on Japan.
Page 7. Silib. Silip in Tagalog means to peep through a narrow opening.
Page 7. Bagani. In Tagalog: Bayani
Page 9. The fruit o Magubahay may be the saga [3] in Tagalog, which in medicine is called tequisiti or tequiriti and is of this size and shape:
[sketch]
Puduagnon – daug, Tagalog, daig, to conquer. The Bisayans change the I of the Tagalos into O, as kanon for kanin, itom for itim.
Yesterday I talked much about you to a family and I told them how happy I was at Leitmeritz when I visited with you. Then your letter came and what a coincidence! You also remembered me, writing me on the anniversary of my visit. Viola has not written me since 1888. Neither do I write him, as I do not wish to cause him harm. In general, I do not write to persons that I like. Many Spaniards who correspond with me send me their letters through a third person and request me to do the same, because they believe that their letters are being opened by government officials. Those Spaniards are Peninsular Spaniards who live in Manila.
I accept with pleasure your proposal that I translate Kern’s works. I believe that it will produce a great effect if the Filipinos see our names together. We can always do this whenever we write on science. Tell me what I have to do and I will do my best.
Recently I acquired the following works: Raffles, Java, and Beauvoir, Voyage around the World. If you need such works, write me. I also have The Complete Works of Herder, which I bought for a song. If you like Herder,[4] I will send you his 38 volumes.
It seems to me that you need not think of giving an exchange gift to the Filipinos, for if it were so, we would spend all of our life exchanging gifts. The Filipinos owe it to you. You need not think of anything but remain quiet. I do not know the poem El Salvaje but I would like to translate it.
It has been very hot here. We have had 32 degrees centigrade. The sun burns so intensely that I had to seek the shade.
I had sent to you only the first volume of Pages as the others deal with Kamtschatka, China, etc. I too have not read them, but if you like, I will send them to you. I am beginning to read Raffles and annotate it.
My Morga is very much sought and read. The first copies that were received in Manila were sold for 25 francs, although the price was only 12.50. I am getting ready for the new critics, but I presume that my opponents will be only of the stature of Barrantes. I await them with firmness and courage on the field of the ancient history of the Philippines.
I close my letter for I have to take a cup of chocolate.
Goodbye,
Yours,
Rizal
A thousand regards to the family.
01-531 [Family]
[1] A pagan tribe that inhabits the northern part of the Gulf of Davao, whose members are of light color, tall and with regular features, for which reason ethnographers have classified them with the Indonesians.
[2] The Dayaks live in Borneo – Indonesians of light color with a large amount of Chinese blood. According to ethnographers, the Tagalogs are of same ancestry.
[3] Saga ( Abrus precatorius L.) is a small vine that bears tiny red seeds with a black dot, often used as beads.
[4] Johann Gotfried von Herder (1744 – 1803), a German philosopher, theologian, poet, and literary critic of the Enlightenment. Contemporary of Goethe, Herder had emphasized that his conception of the nation encouraged democracy and the free self-expression of a people’s identity. To promote his concept of the Volk [People], he published letters and collected folk songs. These were published in 1773 as Voices of the Peoples in Their Songs ( Stimmen der Völker in ihren Liedern ).