IF truly a people dearly love <br />The tongue to them by Heaven sent, <br />They'll surely yearn for liberty <br />Like a bird above in the firmament. <br /> <br />BECAUSE by its language one can judge <br />A town, a barrio, and kingdom; <br />And like any other created thing <br />Every human being loves his freedom. <br /> <br />ONE who doesn't love his native tongue, <br />Is worse than putrid fish and beast; <br />AND like a truly precious thing <br />It therefore deserves to be cherished. <br /> <br />THE Tagalog language's akin to Latin, <br />To English, Spanish, angelical tongue; <br />For God who knows how to look after us <br />This language He bestowed us upon. <br /> <br />AS others, our language is the same <br />With alphabet and letters of its own, <br />It was lost because a storm did destroy <br />On the lake the bangka 1 in years bygone.<br /><br />Jose Rizal<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/our-mother-tongue/
