To the Flowers of Heidelberg is poem of loneliness, longing, and homesickness written by Filipino nationalist José Rizal when he was in Heidelberg, Germany to complete his studies in ophthalmology. He wrote this poem in April 1886, when the winter snow had melted to give way to another glorious spring. Rizal was fascinated by the explosion of flowers in Heidelberg. Yet, among all the blooms competing for attention, he was drawn to the forget-me-not, which reminded him of the equally beautiful flowers in his hometown, Calamba, Laguna. Forget-me-nots were known to fringe the banks of the Neckar River in Heidelberg.

This poem perfectly captures the feeling of longing and homesickness among those whose work or studies take them oceans and time zones away from home. In the rare quiet times afforded by short breaks in regular mad rush of activity, those of us who now live and work in foreign countries find our minds and hearts drifting back to the familiar and comforting scents and scenes of home.

The poem was originally written in Spanish as ‘A las flores del Heidelberg’ and has been translated in English by many. One of the most famous and widely-accepted translations was in fact done by Philippine National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin.

The version you are about to listen to is a LIT CRITTER translation of Rizal’s poem.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://thelitcritter.com/2021/04/10/to-the-flowers-of-heidelberg/