SONG OF MARIA CLARA
This poem shows how wonderful everything is in one's own Native Land. Every single thing that comprises it is wonderful that even death is gratifying. Rizal also emphasizes how much Maria Clara loves her motherland and how important is the role of every woman for the country, specifically mothers. It is true that the love of the mother is a kind of love that makes everything else more beautiful than even the most beautiful wonders elsewhere. Sweet are the hours in one's own Native Land, All there is friendly o'er which the sun shines above; Vivifying is the breeze that wafts over her fields; Even death is gratifying and more tender is love. Ardent kissed on a mother's lips are at play, On her lap, upon the infant child's awakening, The extended arms do seek her neck to entwine, And the eyes at each other's glimpse are smiling. It is sweet to die in one's own Native Land, All there is friendly o'er which the sun shines above; And deathly is the breeze for
