“Crisostomo Ibarra was an egoist who only decided to provoke rebellion when he was hurt in his interests, his person, his loves and all the other things he held sacred. With men like him, success cannot be expected in their undertakings.”
– Jose Rizal to Jose Alejandrino
from Floro Quibuyen's "Rizal and the Revolution" (1997)
...since we're already on a roll, let's map Noli Me Tangere Chapter 62
Intramuros/Fort Santiago
Estero de Binondo/Calle Anloague (currently Juan Luna St.)
Puente de Espana (Currently Binondo-Intramuros Bridge)
Governor General's Palace (Malacanang Palace)
Entry point Pasig to Estero de Pandacan/Beata River
Estero de Pandacan - Elias describes this to Ibarra as the river that Francisco Balagtas wrote about.
Exit Point Estero de Pandacan/Beata River
Jesuit House in Sta. Ana (Xavier House)
Malapad-na-Bato
Pasig sentry
Pasig River to Laguna Lake exit. Patrols start chasing them
Elias tries to change course to Binangonan
Pasig patrol reinforcement arrives
Elias paddles towards Talim Island
Elias and Ibarra separate.
They traveled more or less 45 km on that banca on the night of Dec. 22 to Dec 23
Ibarra would then row another 8-10km on that banca to reach the shore (not on Talim Island).
This also means that Elias swam 8-10 km to reach the shore of San Diego. Somehow they both managed to reach their meeting place at the balete tree in Ibarra's forest at San Diego on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24.
Rizal wasn't playing with this climax hell of a journey.
On How MCAI Elias Was Designed Not To Fall In Love With Maria Clara
(unlike book! elias who had a major major crush on her and ibarra)
TLDR. It's because MCAI Salome exists.
let me explain...
1.) Salome's Age
Book Salome - Teenager (there was an age gap). She lived alone in the hut where she was born. She has relatives in Mindoro who want her to transfer there in order to be more protected and watched over. Elias brings her some fish he has caught and has shared his life story with her. She was kind of like Elias's confidant. He only visits during the daytime tho so that others won't gossip about the girl.
MCAI Salome - Grown woman (no clear age gap).She maintained a hut in the forest where Elias occasionally came home to. She is unmarried but sleeps with Elias when they could..
2.) Elias being aware of her feelings
Book Elias - treated her as a good friend and vice versa whom he visits and brings food for during the daytime
MCAI Elias - He and Salome were actual lovers who lived and slept together like husband and wife when they had the opportunity.
3.) Elias and Settling Down
Book Elias - haunted by guilt (of his past) and his life is always on the run. This causes him to keep Salome off at a distance even if he does acknowledge their feelings for each other. Salome is more like Elias's private secret, ngl.
MCAI Elias - he and Salome live together and even the bandits/remontados know about it. Salome also know who the bandits are.
4.) Elias's debt of gratitude to Ibarra
Book Elias - His past and his debt of gratitude to Ibarra compel him to stay in town/in the country
MCAI Elias - His duty to the country and his debt of gratitude to Ibarra compels him to stay. He's a lot more vocal of his idealogies in the show (compared to in the book where only Ibarra and Pablo knew about it). MCAI Elias already made himself known as a kind of freedom fighter.
5.) Mentioning Maria Clara
Book Elias - mentions Maria Clara to Salome (with a lot of longing and sighing)
Book Elias also reminisces an unnamed colegiala that he admired in his youth as he helps Ibarra escape at the ending.
In my opinion, Elias's character has always revolved around his envy of Ibarra, about how he believes they had similar origins but totally led different way of lives. This was why he was attracted to Maria Clara right at the first instance of their meeting during the picnic. Maria Clara was of the same "breeding" as the unnamed colegiala he once liked.
Elias's attraction to Maria Clara was also the key driving force on why he was so gobsmacked when Ibarra saved him from the crocodile. Crisostomo should have been Elias's rival in his heart for his longing for the friendship (or love) of Maria Clara, however due to Ibarra's actions, Elias incurred a debt of gratitude to him.
This caused Elias to research about Ibarra and seek him out, and try befriend him. Elias and Ibarra grew deeper in fellowship/friendship/understanding, but Elias still retained that bit of envy for Ibarra in his heart as seen after the revelation about their grandfathers when he ranted about how Ibarra was rich and got everything Elias did not have .
These were all resolved in Elias adding Maria Clara's picture to Ibarra's satchel, him supporting both of them in Ibarra's and Maria Clara's farewell azotea scene; and Elias urging Ibarra to escape to another country and live long during their final dialogues on the boat.
All of these were not in MCAI. Like in other onscreen adaptations, the Maria Clara x Elias subplot was disregarded as a whole (causing Elias to look way more noble and purer of heart than he originally was).
6) To be fair, how would MCAI Elias have even thought about MCAI Maria Clara when MCAI Salome was awesome like this?
clarita's got nothing on our fiesty empowered salome lol
IN SUMMARY
MCAI Elias cannot fall in love with Maria Clara in the show because
He already had a hot lover SALOME of similar age and maturity as him whom he already sleeps with (like husband and wife) ...compared to Book Elias's platonic relationship with a teenagerSalome who was devoted to him.
Unlike Book Elias whose taste in women still stayed within the mestiza/colegiala bounds, MCAI Elias had a more indio preference.
MCAI Elias was way more idealogical and has a more blanket "I fight for the country" stance unlike Book Elias who (initially) just wanted retribution for his family and betterment for his fellow oppressed.
Sorry guys, MCAI Elias just did not have a crush on Maria Clara and wasn't even involved in the ride or die dynamics between her and Ibarra just like this scene in the book.
Book Elias was just inexplicably intertwined with Maria Clara and Ibarra more than any other screen adaptation ever could portray.
An Attempt at Finding the Inspiration for Noli Me Tangere's "Town of San Diego"
As learners of Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, we have often been told that the town featured in the story was fictional.
TLDR = YES IT IS FICTIONAL BUT I STILL TRIED.
Here is what we know about San Diego.
Ch 6 Tiago
Se le consideraba uno de los más ricos propietarios de Binondo y uno de los más importantes cosecheros de azúcar por sus terrenos en la Pampanga y en la laguna de Bay[34], principalmente en el pueblo de San Diego, cuyo canon o arriendo cada año subía. San Diego era el pueblo favorito suyo por sus agradables baños, famosa gallera[35] y los recuerdos que de él conserva; allí pasaba, cuando menos, dos meses del año
Casose con una hermosa joven de Santa Cruz que le ayudó
a hacer su fortuna y le dio su posición social. Doña Pía Alba no se contentó con comprar azúcar, café y añil: quiso sembrar y cosechar, y compró el nuevo matrimonio terrenos en San Diego, datando de ahí sus amistades con el padre Dámaso y don Rafael Ibarra, el más rico capitalista del pueblo
Ch 10 The Town of San Diego
CH 21 Light and Shadows
Notable Land Features of San Diego
is a town located on the Shores of Laguna Lake. It must be a lakeshore town.
Tracks of arable land and ricefields
Has many baths
A monstrous crystal snake-like River that widens and meanders
The riverbed stretches between two elevated banks
A peninsula of forest in that sea of cultivated land.
A stream passes thru this "peninsula of ancient forest"
Pero lo que siempre llama la atención es una que diríamos península de bosque en aquel mar de terrenos labrados.
But what always catches the eye is what we might call a peninsula of forest in that sea of cultivated land.
Here are other real places mentioned in NMT that are near and within Laguna province
Murillo Velarde Map 1734
Sta. Cruz - Provincial Capital of Laguna
Antipolo - Province on the northern part of Laguna Lake
Mt. Makiling - Mountain near Laguna
Bay - Town in Laguna
Calamba - Town in Laguna
Sto. Tomas - Barangay in Binan, Laguna
Binangonan - Town on the Northern Part of Laguna Lake
Talim Island - Island in the Middle of Laguna Lake
Where could San Diego be based from?
GUESS 1 Brgy. San Diego, San Pablo City, Laguna.
This town bears the same name, and it's also located in the Laguna. It is surrounded by many minor lakes. However no river passes through it.
It is also does not have a shore facing Laguna Lake. It is way too inland.
Even if it has the same name as the featured town of the novel, San Diego is not the inspiration for book San Diego
GUESS 2 Los Banos
This town has numerous baths and hot springs, which the Dominicans encouraged for medicinal purposes (remember that Capitan Tiago loved San Diego for its baths). Los Banos also has 5 tributaries to the Laguna Lake.
Los Banos also has Tadlac Lake / Alligator Lake! It's the round as fck maar lake that you can see in the map. The Molawin River even runs in the foot of Mt. Makiling
.
CH 10 The Town of San Diego
Un sombrío sendero franquea trabajosamente la espesura y conduce a un arroyo formado de varias fuentes termales, como muchas de las faldas del Makiling.
A gloomy path laboriously crosses the thicket and leads to a stream formed from several hot springs, like many on the slopes of Makiling.
*this might also imply that San Diego is not Los Banos.
^Los Banos view to the East, you can see the Dampalit Creek
&Los Banos view to the West. There are 2 more creeks and the Maahas river beyond it.
GUESS 3 Calamba
This place is Rizal's hometown. He grew up here. This place does have lots of agricultural lands and fields. It also has 2 major rivers which are the San Juan River and the San Cristobal River. It also has many creeks.
This aerial view kind of matches a bit of the description in the book.
CH 10 The Town of San Diego
Cuando en un día sereno los muchachos se suben al último cuerpo de la torre de la iglesia, que el musgo y las plantas viajeras adornan, entonces prorrumpen en alegres exclamaciones, provocadas por la hermosura del panorama que se ofrece a su vista... Allá está el río, monstruosa serpiente de cristal, dormida en la verde alfombra; de distancia en distancia rizan su corriente pedazos de roca esparcidos en el arenoso lecho; allá el cauce se estrecha entre dos elevadas orillas, a las que se agarran haciendo contorsiones árboles de raíces desnudas; aquí se forma una suave pendiente y el río se ensancha y remansa.
When on a clear day the boys climb to the top of the church tower, adorned with moss and migratory plants, they burst into joyful exclamations, moved by the beauty of the panorama before them... There is the river, a monstrous serpent of crystal, asleep on the green carpet; from distance to distance, its current ripples with pieces of rock scattered on the sandy bed; There the riverbed narrows between two high banks, to which trees with bare roots cling, contorting themselves; here a gentle slope forms and the river widens and slows.
And it would make sense that Rizal would base his fictional town from his hometown, in fact it would have been easier for us if that had been the case.
However, in Ch. 51 The Family of Elias, Elias also mentions Calamba multiple times
«Eso pudo exclamar mi padre —continuó Elías fríamente —. Los hombres habían descuartizado al salteador y enterrado el tronco, pero los miembros fueron esparcidos y colgados en diferentes pueblos. Si vais alguna vez de Calamba a Santo Tomás, encontraréis todavía un miserable árbol de lomboy donde colgó pudriéndose una pierna de mi tío: la Naturaleza lo ha maldecido y el árbol ni crece ni da fruto. Lo mismo hicieron con los otros miembros, pero la cabeza, la cabeza, como lo mejor del individuo, como lo que más fácilmente se reconoce, ¡la colgaron delante de la cabaña de la madre!».
“That’s what my father might have exclaimed,” Elias continued coldly. “The men had dismembered the bandit and buried his torso, but the limbs were scattered and hung up in different villages. If you ever travel from Calamba to Santo Tomás, you’ll still find a wretched lomboy tree where one of my uncle’s legs hung rotting: Nature has cursed it, and the tree neither grows nor bears fruit. They did the same with the other limbs, but the head—the head, the best part of the individual, the part most easily recognizable—they hung it up in front of his mother’s hut!”
Un día desapareció; en vano la busqué por todas partes, en vano pregunté por ella, hasta que seis meses después supe que por aquella época, después de una crecida del lago, se había encontrado en la playa de Calamba, entre unos arrozales, el cadáver de una joven ahogada o asesinada; tenía, según dicen, un cuchillo clavado en el pecho. Las autoridades de aquel pueblo hicieron publicar el hecho en los pueblos vecinos; nadie se presentó a reclamar el cadáver; ninguna joven había desaparecido.
One day she disappeared; I searched everywhere for her in vain, I asked about her in vain, until six months later I learned that around that time, after a flood of the lake, the body of a young woman, either drowned or murdered, had been found on the beach of Calamba, among some rice paddies; she had, they say, a knife stuck in her chest. The authorities of that town publicized the fact in the neighboring towns; no one came forward to claim the body; no young woman had disappeared.
Calamba being mentioned in the novel means that it's a totally different town from San Diego.
GUESS 4 Cabuyao
Like other Laguna lakeside tows, Cabuyao also boasts a big river, the Cabuyao River. It runs through town like a snake and probably was pretty majestic during the Spanish Colonial Period
The Cabuyao river also passes between a patch of forest near the town. They have many creeks as well.
This is the aerial view from their spanish era church, the St. Polycarp Parish Church
GUESS 5 Sta. Rosa
Sta. Rosa also boasts of a great big river. It also opens between two wide riverbanks.
This is an areal view from their spanish era church which is the Santa Rosa de Lima Church.
...so
The fictional San Diego town has features that almost all Laguna lakeshore towns have. I feel like San Diego is a mixture of both Calamba and Los Banos. It is safe to say that Rizal took inspiration from these towns and the others.
I have to admit that I bit off more than I could chew in this research. I realized that all I've done was examine the Laguna lakeshore towns that are near Talim Island.
Why Talim Island? Coz it's where Elias and Ibarra were separated after the Chase on the Lake. Therefore, if Elias had to swim from Talim Island to somwhere, then it has gotta be a town within that yellow box, because those are the nearest to the island and the most prosperous.
Well... my takeaway from this whole endeavor is that Laguna is frkn pretty. They have lots of history. They have so many rivers and creeks, no wonder the land is fertile. They also have amazing baroque churches. They are places worth visiting in the future.
I might never find the town of San Diego in a real map but I guess, the real treasure is learning about the many towns and the province that Rizal held dear in his heart.
i know i already replied to @feeniewriight's post (x)
but i'll still put this here
SOME RARE DETAILS ABOUT IBARRA THAT YOU PROBABLY DON'T KNOW ABOUT
As a Spanish mestizo pre-1885*, like the Spanish and other creoles, he was exempted from paying the tribute tax and forced labor, if im not mistaken. Funny tho coz he was already like 1/8th Spanish. (it's unfair, i know lol).
*starting from 1885, the tributo tax system was abolished, replaced by the cedula personal (income tax)
Their ancestry came from the Basque region, meaning they were Spanish-French. They have their own language separate from Castillian. Politically, they are marginalized and often suppressed. Many Basques settled here in the PH.
He was also estimated to be 21 years old at the start of the novel, so he was already a legal adult and he could do whatever he wanted.
This also means that he could not have been a cabeza de barangay yet (min. age for that principales position was 25 years old). Also, as someone from the spanish-mestizo racial class, he could not theoretically be elected gobernadorcillo (mayor).
We do not know what licentiate he obtained in Europe.
The Ibarra's family fortune most likely came from the production and export of Philippine indigo in San Diego. This is thanks to Don Saturnino's hard work.
His Don title seems to be either coz he finished a licentiate or coz all his family were referred to as Don'.
Don Filipo (the vice mayor/teniente mayor) was the one who invited him to join the tribunal meeting.
He and Capitan Basilio played chess during the forest picnic to decide whether they should continue the generations-long court case between both their families. Ibarra was winning but he got too excited after he received the approval for his school. He made a bad move which caused Capitan Basilio to win. This means that the court case would be dropped. Ibarra was fine with this.
He tours his estate and the town on horseback.
In his household chemistry lab, he was experimenting which substances would cause bamboo to burn.
When he went away from San Diego after meeting with the Governor-General, he and Capitan Basilio made a business partnership to sell copra. This was supposed to be his additional surprise for Maria Clara after convincing the Archbishop to lift his excommunication.
He and Elias were both alumni of the same Jesuit training house for their primary education (Xavier House, Sta. Ana, Manila), tho they never met there.
Simoun is possibly derived from the arabic word for dry desert storm. (prof. caroline s. hau pointed this out)
"We would be fearful to clasp a damsel's hands which are reeking with blood, even if this were the blood of an infidel or a giant."
Finally found the line where Rizal's chauvinism kind of shines.
from ch. 20 The Meeting in the Tribunal, spoken by one of the young cabezas de barangay from the "Liberal" Faction
note how the young cabeza de barangay immediately assume that these violent killer princesses (in the stories) will just be seduced by the tikbalangs.
so to these young liberal minded (or ilustrado) guys, women in stories should just stay put, be nice and sweet and wait for some kindly man who would never raise a hand at them.
This is ilustrado feminist logic at its finest (le sigh)
as per Pilosopong Tasyo, ch.26: "Women, in order to be good, need to have been at least a maiden or a mother."
The school was actually built on ibarra's estate, just outside his house.
That means the freak derrick/kabriya incident happened just outside his house. This also means that Elias was able to sneak inside while Ibarra was trying to fix his appearance and talk to him despite the commotion and lunch banquet preparation happening outside.
(Head in hands coz MCAI positioned the construction site to be somewhere near the mountains and not within the vicinity of his house.)
Taken from the Spanish original version and inputted into Google Translate. Quotes in parenthesis are from Soledad Lacson-Locsin translation.
terms to note and their placement in the story/themes
Aguas - water
Lago - lake, always referring to Laguna Lake
Rio - referring to either Estero de Binondo, Pasig River, Beata River/Estero de Pandacan and the 'fictional' River of San Diego
Arroyo - Stream / Creek / Brook that runs in the forest owned by the Ibarras
la playa, las orillas, la ribera - shores or banks or river banks
At the end of these notes are the summaries on which parts of the story and characters' lives these water forms were involved.
Water (?)
CH 13 Storm Signals
No os enfadéis, señor —contestó palideciendo y temblando —; no lo enterré entre los chinos. ¡Más vale ahogarse que estar entre los chinos, dije para mí, y arrojé el muerto al agua!
"Don't be angry, sir," he replied, turning pale and trembling; "I didn't bury him among the Chinese. Better to drown than be among the Chinese, I said to myself, and I threw the dead man into the water!"
-"water" will be used later to refer to different bodies of water
Bai Lake / Laguna de Bay
CH.1 A Reunion / A Party
A pesar de que sus cabellos empezaban a encanecer, parecía conservarse bien su robusta naturaleza. Sus correctas facciones, su mirada poco tranquilizadora, sus anchas quijadas y sus hercúleas formas le daban el aspecto de un patricio romano disfrazado, y sin quererlo, os acordaréis de uno de aquellos tres monjes de que habla Heine en sus Dioses en el destierro, que por el equinoccio de septiembre, allá en Tirol, pasaban a media noche en barca un lago, y cada vez depositaban en la mano del pobre barquero una moneda de plata fría como el hielo, que lo dejaba lleno de espanto.
Although his hair was beginning to turn gray, his robust physique seemed to be well preserved. His well-proportioned features, his unsettling gaze, his broad jaw, and his Herculean build gave him the appearance of a Roman patrician in disguise, and you might inadvertently recall one of those three monks that Heine mentions in his Gods in Exile, who, around the September equinox in Tyrol, would cross a lake by boat at midnight, each time placing in the poor ferryman's hand a silver coin as cold as ice, which filled him with dread.
CH. 6 Tiago
Se le consideraba uno de los más ricos propietarios de Binondo y uno de los más importantes cosecheros de azúcar por sus terrenos en la Pampanga y en la laguna de Bay[34], principalmente en el pueblo de San Diego, cuyo canon o arriendo cada año subía. San Diego era el pueblo favorito suyo por sus agradables baños, famosa gallera[35] y los recuerdos que de él conserva; allí pasaba, cuando menos, dos meses del año.
He was considered one of the wealthiest landowners in Binondo and one of the most important sugar growers because of his lands in Pampanga and on the Bay Lagoon,[34] mainly in the town of San Diego, whose rent increased every year. San Diego was his favorite town because of its pleasant baths, famous cockfighting arena,[35] and the memories he kept of it; he spent at least two months of the year there.
CH 19 Adventures of the Schoolmaster
El lago duerme tranquilo rodeado de sus montañas, con esa hipocresía de los elementos, como si la noche anterior no hubiese hecho coro a la tempestad. A los primeros reflejos de luz, que despiertan en las aguas a los genios fosforescentes, se
dibujan a lo lejos, casi en el confín del horizonte, parduscas siluetas: son las barcas de los pescadores que recogen la red; cascos y paraos[100] que tienden sus velas.
Dos hombres vestidos de riguroso luto contemplan silenciosos el agua desde una altura; uno de ellos es Ibarra y el otro es un joven de aspecto humilde y fisonomía melancólica.
—¡Aquí es! —decía este último—, aquí fue arrojado el cadáver de su padre.
¡Aquí nos condujo el sepulturero al teniente Guevara y a mí!
Ibarra estrechó con efusión la mano del joven.
The lake sleeps peacefully surrounded by its mountains, with that hypocrisy of the elements, as if the previous night had not joined in the chorus of the tempest. At the first reflections of light, which awaken the phosphorescent spirits in the waters, brownish silhouettes appear in the distance, almost at the edge of the horizon: they are the boats of the fishermen hauling in their nets; hulls and boats[100] unfurling their sails.
Two men dressed in mourning silently gazed at the water from a height; one was Ibarra, and the other a young man of humble appearance and melancholic expression.
"Here it is!" the latter said, "here his father's body was thrown.
Here the gravedigger led Lieutenant Guevara and me!"
Ibarra shook the young man's hand warmly.
CH 20 The Tribunal Meeting
Además, para que vean nuestros vecinos que somos gente espléndida y nos sobra dinero — continuó don Filipo levantando la voz y lanzando una rápida mirada al grupo de los viejos —, propongo, primero, cuatro hermanos mayores para los dos días de fiesta y, segundo, que cada día se arrojen al lago doscientas gallinas fritas, cien capones rellenados y cincuenta lechones, como lo hacía Sila, contemporáneo de Cicerón de quien acaba de hablar Capitán Basilio.
Furthermore, so that our neighbors may see that we are generous people and have more than enough money — continued Don Filipo, raising his voice and casting a quick glance at the group of old men — I propose, first, four older brothers (hermano mayors) for the two days of celebration and, second, that each day two hundred fried chickens, one hundred stuffed capons and fifty suckling pigs be thrown into the lake, as Sulla, a contemporary of Cicero, about whom Captain Basilio just spoke, used to do.
¿Qué vamos a hacer nosotros con cuatro hermanos mayores? — prosiguió el anciano —. ¿Qué quieren decir esas gallinas, capones y lechones arrojados al lago?
«¡Hambuguería!» dirán nuestros vecinos, y luego ayunaremos medio año.
"What are we going to do with four older brothers? (hermano mayors)" the old man continued. "What do those chickens, capons, and piglets thrown into the lake mean?
'Hambugueria!' (Boasts!) our neighbors will say, and then we'll fast for half a year."
Una quinta parte del dinero recaudado se puede emplear para distribuir algunos premios, por ejemplo, al mejor chico de la escuela, al mejor pastor, labrador, pescador, etcétera. Podremos organizar regatas en el río y en el lago, carreras de caballos, levantar cucañas e instituir otros juegos en que puedan tomar parte nuestros campesinos.
One-fifth of the money raised can be used to distribute prizes, for example, to the best boy in the school, the best shepherd, farmer, fisherman, and so on. We can organize regattas on the river and the lake, horse races, greased pole climbing contests, and institute other games in which our farmers can participate.
CH 22 Light and Shadows
Si ahora vamos a la casa de María Clara, un hermoso nido entre naranjos e ilang-ilang, alcanzaremos aún a los dos jóvenes asomados a una ventana que da vistas al lago. Sombreábanla flores y enredaderas que trepaban en cañas y alambres, esparciendo un ligero perfume.
Sus labios murmuraban palabras más suaves que el susurro de las hojas y más perfumadas que el aire impregnado de aromas que vaga por el jardín. Era la hora en que las sirenas del lago, aprovechándose de las sombras del rápido crepúsculo de la tarde, asomaban por encima de las olas sus alegres cabecitas para admirar y saludar con sus cantos al sol moribundo
If we go now to Maria Clara's house, a beautiful nest among orange trees and ylang-ylang, we will still find the two young people leaning out of a window overlooking the lake. Flowers and vines that climbed reeds and wires shaded it, spreading a light fragrance.
Her lips murmured words softer than the rustling of leaves and more fragrant than the scent-laden air that drifts through the garden. It was the hour when the sirens of the lake, taking advantage of the shadows of the swift twilight, raised their cheerful little heads above the waves to admire and greet the dying sun with their songs.
CH 23 A Fishing Expedition
Todavía brillaban las estrellas en la bóveda de zafir y las aves dormitaban aún en las ramas, cuando una alegre comitiva recorría ya las calles del pueblo, dirigiéndose al lago, a la alegre luz de las antorchas de brea que llaman comúnmente huepes.
The stars were still shining in the sapphire vault and the birds were still dozing on the branches, when a cheerful procession was already walking through the streets of the town, heading towards the lake, by the cheerful light of the tar torches commonly called huepes.
—¿Está el lago tranquilo? ¿Creéis que vamos a tener buen tiempo?
— preguntaban las madres.
"Is the lake calm? Do you think we're going to have good weather?" the mothers asked.
Las bancas se iban alejando lentamente de la playa reflejando la luz de los faroles en el espejo del lago, completamente tranquilo. En el oriente aparecían las primeras tintas de la aurora.
The benches slowly receded from the beach, reflecting the lantern light on the perfectly still surface of the lake. In the east, the first hues of dawn were appearing.
Éstos eran dos, colocados a cierta distancia uno del otro: ambos pertenecían a Capitán Tiago. Desde lejos veíanse algunas zarzas posadas sobre las puntas de las cañas del cercado, en actitud contemplativa, mientras que algunas aves blancas, que los tagalos llaman kalaway, volaban en distintas direcciones, rozando con sus alas la superficie del lago y llenando el aire con estridentes graznidos. María Clara siguió con la vista a las garzas que, al aproximarse las bancas, echáronse a volar en dirección hacia el vecino monte
There were two of them, placed some distance apart: both belonged to Captain Tiago. From afar, some brambles could be seen perched on the tips of the reeds of the fence, in a contemplative pose, while some white birds, which the Tagalogs call kalaway, flew in different directions, skimming the surface of the lake with their wings and filling the air with strident cries. María Clara watched the herons, which, as the bancas approached, took flight in the direction of the neighboring hill.
—¿Estáis seguros de que no se ha visitado desde hace cinco días?
—¡Segurísimos! La última vez fue para la vigilia de Todos los Santos.
—Pues entonces o el lago está encantado o yo saco algo.
León introdujo la caña en el agua, pero el asombro se pintó en su semblante.
"Are you sure it hasn't been visited for five days?"
"Absolutely! The last time was for All Saints' Eve."
"Well then, either the lake is enchanted or I'm going to catch something." Leon dipped his fishing rod into the water, but astonishment spread across his face.
El reptil intentó un último esfuerzo, arqueó el cuerpo, batió el suelo con la potente cola y, escapándose, se lanzó de un salto al lago, fuera del corral, arrastrando a su domador. El piloto era hombre muerto. Un grito de horror se escapó de todos los pechos.
Rápido como el rayo, cayó otro cuerpo al agua; apenas tuvieron tiempo de ver que era Ibarra. María Clara no se desmayó porque las filipinas no saben aún desmayarse.
The reptile made one last effort, arching its body, beating the ground with its powerful tail, and, escaping, leaped into the lake, out of the corral, dragging its tamer with it. The pilot was a dead man. A cry of horror escaped from every chest.
Quick as lightning, another body fell into the water; they barely had time to see that it was Ibarra. María Clara didn't faint because Filipinas don't yet know how to faint.
—¡Si no volvías…! —murmuró María Clara, pálida y temblando aún.
—¡Si no volvía y me seguías —contestó el joven completando su
pensamiento —, en el fondo del lago habría yo estado en familia!
Ibarra no se olvidaba de que allí yacían los restos de su padre.
“If you hadn’t come back…!” murmured María Clara, pale and still trembling.
“If I hadn’t come back and you had followed me,” replied the young man, completing her thought, “I would have been at the bottom of the lake with my family!” Ibarra hadn’t forgotten that his father’s remains lay there.
CH 25 Elias and Salome
Es una pequeña pero pintoresca choza, construida a orillas del lago sobre una altura que la salva de las crecidas de éste, entre frondosos cañaverales, bongas y cocoteros. Florecitas rojas, como kamantigi y maravilla, crecían a los pies del rústico y grosero muro hecho de piedras vivas sin tallar, como la especie de escalera que conduce al lago.
It is a small but picturesque hut, built on the shores of the lake on a rise that protects it from the lake's floods, amidst lush reeds, bongas, and coconut palms. Small red flowers, like kamantigi and marvel, grew at the foot of the rustic and rough wall made of unhewn stones, like a kind of staircase that leads down to the lake.
De cuando en cuando miraba hacia el lago, cuyas aguas estaban bastante alborotadas, suspendía su trabajo y escuchaba atenta; al no descubrir nada, volvía de nuevo a su costura con un ligero suspiro.
From time to time she would glance towards the lake, whose waters were quite turbulent, pause her work and listen attentively; discovering nothing, she would return to her sewing with a slight sigh.
CH 26 Bisperas of the Fiesta
Al igual que estas veneradas lámparas, salen de su escondite las labores de la joven: velos hechos al crochet, alfombritas, flores artificiales; aparecen antiguas bandejas de cristal cuyo fondo figura un lago en miniatura con pececitos, caimanes, moluscos, algas, corales y rocas de vidrio de brillantes colores.
Like these revered lamps, the young woman's work emerges from its hiding place: crocheted veils, small rugs, artificial flowers; antique glass trays appear, their bottoms depicting miniature lakes with small fish, alligators, mollusks, algae, corals, and brightly colored glass rocks.
CH 49 An Enigma
—Si me podéis conceder, señor, algunas horas de conversación, paseaos luego la tarde a orillas del lago y embarcaos en mi banca, pues tengo que hablaros de graves asuntos — dijo Elías alejándose después de ver el movimiento de cabeza del joven.
—If you can grant me, sir, a few hours of conversation, then take a stroll along the lake shore in the afternoon and join me on my banca, for I have to speak to you of serious matters— said Elias, walking away after seeing the young man nod his head.
CH 50 The Voice of the Persecuted
Antes de ocultarse el sol, ponía Ibarra el pie en la banca de Elías a la orilla del lago. El joven parecía contrariado.
Before sunset, Ibarra placed his foot on Elias's banca by the lake. The young man seemed annoyed (upset).
Elías hablaba con pasión, con entusiasmo; sus ojos brillaban y el timbre de su voz resonaba vibrante. Siguió una solemne pausa: la banca, no impelida por el remo, parecía mantenerse tranquila sobre las aguas; la luna resplandecía majestuosa en un cielo de zafiro; algunas luces brillaban a lo lejos en la ribera.
Elias spoke with passion, with enthusiasm; his eyes shone and the timbre of his voice resounded vibrantly. A solemn pause followed: the bench, not propelled by the oar, seemed to remain still on the waters; the moon shone majestically in a sapphire sky; some lights twinkled in the distance on the shore.
Además, cuando veo que vos que amáis vuestro país, vos cuyo padre descansa debajo de estas tranquilas olas, vos que os habéis visto provocado, insultado y perseguido, conserváis tales opiniones a pesar de todo y de vuestra ilustración, empiezo a dudar de mis convicciones y admito la posibilidad de que el pueblo se equivoque. He de decir a esos desgraciados que han puesto su confianza en los hombres que la pongan en Dios o en sus brazos. Os doy de nuevo las gracias y mandad a dónde os debo conducir.
Furthermore, when I see that you, who love your country, you whose father rests beneath these tranquil waves, you who have been provoked, insulted, and persecuted, maintain such opinions despite everything and your education, I begin to doubt my convictions and admit the possibility that the people may be mistaken. I must tell those unfortunate souls who have placed their trust in men to place it in God or in His arms. I thank you again and tell you where I should take you.
CH 51 The Family of Elias
Un día desapareció; en vano la busqué por todas partes, en vano pregunté por ella, hasta que seis meses después supe que por aquella época, después de una crecida del lago, se había encontrado en la playa de Calamba, entre unos arrozales, el cadáver de una joven ahogada o asesinada; tenía, según dicen, un cuchillo clavado en el pecho.
One day she disappeared; I searched everywhere for her in vain, I asked about her in vain until six months later I learned that around that time, after a flood of the lake, the body of a young woman, drowned or murdered, had been found on the beach of Calamba, among some rice paddies; she had, they say, a knife stuck in
her chest.
Y dicho esto, volvió a conducir la banca, remando en dirección a una espesura en la playa. Durante la larga travesía permaneció silencioso; parecía no ver otra cosa que los millares de diamantes que con el remo sacaba y devolvía al lago donde desaparecían misteriosos entre las azules ondas.
Por fin llegó; un hombre salió de la espesura y se le acercó.
—¿Qué digo al Capitán? —preguntó.
—Dile que Elías, si no muere antes, cumplirá su palabra — contestó tristemente.
—Entonces, ¿cuándo te reunirás con nosotros?
—Cuando vuestro Capitán crea que ha llegado la hora del peligro.
—¡Está bien, adiós!
—¡Si no muero antes! —murmuraba Elías.
And with that, he took the helm again, rowing toward a thicket on the beach. During the long crossing, he remained silent; he seemed to see nothing but the thousands of diamonds he scooped up with his oar and returned to the lake, where they mysteriously vanished among the blue waves.
At last, he arrived; a man emerged from the thicket and approached him.
"What should I say to the Captain?" he asked.
"Tell him that Elias, if he doesn't die first, will keep his word," he replied sadly.
"Then when will you rejoin us?"
"When your Captain believes the time of danger has come."
"Very well, goodbye!"
"If I don't die first!" Elias murmured.
CH 61 The Catastrophe / The Conspiracy
Elías abandonó el monte, huyó y descendió al mar, a la playa que recorría agitado; pero allá a lo lejos, en medio de las aguas, donde la luz de la luna parecía levantar una niebla, creyó ver elevarse y mecerse una sombra, la sombra de su hermana con el pecho ensangrentado, la cabellera suelta esparcida al aire.
Elías cayó de rodillas en la arena. —¡Tú también! —murmuró extendiendo los brazos.
Elias left the mountain, fled, and descended to the sea, to the beach* he walked along, agitated; but far away, in the middle of the waters, where the moonlight seemed to raise a mist, he thought he saw a shadow rise and sway, the shadow of his sister, her chest bleeding, her hair loose and spread in the air. Elijah fell to his knees on the sand.
"You too!" he murmured, stretching out his arms.
*some lakes can be considered "seas." Elias's "al mar" here is most definitely the shores and waters of laguna lake that that were found on San Diego town.
CH 62 The Chase on The Lake
El guardia civil del Pásig tampoco sospechaba nada, y no fueron molestados. Comenzaba a amanecer cuando llegaron al lago, manso y tranquilo como un gigantesco espejo. La luna palidecía y el Oriente se teñía con rosadas tintas. A cierta distancia columbraron una masa gris que avanzaba poco a poco.
The Civil Guard officer from Pasig suspected nothing either, and they weren't bothered. Dawn was breaking when they reached the lake, calm and still like a gigantic mirror. The moon was fading, and the east was tinged with pink hues. At a distance, they glimpsed a gray mass slowly advancing.
La caza duraba; la barquilla de Ibarra estaba ya lejos, el nadador se aproximaba a la orilla, distante unas cincuenta brazas. Los remeros estaban ya cansados, pero Elías lo estaba también, pues sacaba la cabeza a menudo y cada vez en distinta dirección, como para desconcertar a sus perseguidores. Ya no señalaba la traidora estela el paso del buzo. Por última vez le vieron cerca de la orilla a unas diez brazas, hicieron fuego… después pasaron minutos y minutos; nada volvió a aparecer sobre la superficie y tranquila y desierta del lago
The chase continued; Ibarra's boat was already far away, the swimmer was approaching the shore, some fifty fathoms distant. The rowers were already tired, but so was Elias, for he often surfaced, each time in a different direction, as if to confound his pursuers. The treacherous wake no longer marked the diver's passage. For the last time, they saw him near the shore, about ten fathoms away. They fired a fire… then minutes and minutes passed; nothing more appeared on the calm, deserted surface of the lake.
CH 63 Padre Damaso Explains
En vano se amontonan sobre una mesa los preciosos regalos de boda; ni los brillantes en sus estuches de terciopelo azul, ni los bordados de piña, ni las piezas de seda atraen las miradas de María Clara. La joven mira, sin ver ni leer, el periódico que da cuenta de la muerte de Ibarra, ahogado en el lago.
In vain the precious wedding gifts are piled on a table; neither the diamonds in their blue velvet cases, nor the pineapple embroideries, nor the silk pieces attract Maria Clara's gaze. The young woman stares, without seeing or reading, at the newspaper that reports Ibarra's death, drowned in the lake.
River - Rio
CH 1 A Reunion / A Party
Al contemplar estos cuadros que excitan el apetito e inspiran ideas bucólicas, acaso piense alguno que el maligno dueño de la casa conocía muy bien el carácter de la mayor parte de los que se han de sentar a la mesa, y para velar un poco su pensamiento ha colgado del plafón preciosas lámparas de China, jaulas sin pájaros, esferas de cristal azogado, rojas, verdes y azules, plantas aéreas marchitas, pescados disecados e inflados, que llaman botetes, etcétera, cerrando el todo por el lado que mira al río con caprichosos arcos de madera, medio chinescos, medio europeos, y dejando ver en una grande azotea, emparrados y glorietas alumbrados escasamente por farolitos de papel de todos colores.
Looking at these pictures that whet the appetite and inspire bucolic thoughts, one might think that the wicked owner of the house knew very well the character of most of those who are to sit at the table, and to veil his thoughts a little, he has hung from the ceiling precious Chinese lamps, cages without birds, red, green, and blue silver-tinted glass spheres, withered air plants, stuffed and inflated fish, which they call bottlenose, etc., closing the whole on the side that faces the river with whimsical wooden arches, half Chinese, half European, and revealing on a large rooftop trellises and arbors dimly lit by little paper lanterns of all colors.
CH 5 A Star in the Night
Ibarra subió a su cuarto que da al río*, dejóse caer sobre un sillón, mirando el espacio que se ensanchaba delante de él gracias a la abierta ventana
Ibarra went up to his room overlooking the river*, plopped down on an armchair, gazing at the space that widened before him thanks to the open window
*Estero de Binondo
CH 7 An Idyll in the Azotea
El cielo era azul: una fresca brisa, que olía a rosa, agitaba las hojas y las flores de las enredaderas — por esto se estremecían los caballos-de-ángel —, las plantas aéreas, los pescados secos y las lámparas de China. El ruido del saguán[53], que removía las turbias aguas del río*, el paso de los coches y carros por el puente de Binondo llegaban distintamente hasta ellos, pero no lo que murmuraba la tía.
The sky was blue: a fresh breeze, smelling of roses, stirred the leaves and flowers of the vines—this is why the angel-horses trembled—the air plants, the dried fish, and the Chinese lanterns. The noise of the gate[53], which stirred the turbid waters of the river,* the passing of cars and carts over the Binondo bridge** reached them distinctly, but not what the aunt was murmuring.
*Estero de Binondo
**Puente de San Fernando
En sueños te veía de pie en la playa de Manila, mirando al lejano horizonte, envuelta en la tibia luz de la temprana aurora; oía un lánguido y melancólico canto, que despertaba en mí adormecidos sentimientos y evocaba en la memoria de mi corazón los primeros años de mi niñez, nuestras alegrías, nuestros juegos, todo el pasado feliz que animaste mientras estabas en el pueblo.
In dreams I saw you standing on the beach in Manila, gazing at the distant horizon, enveloped in the warm light of early dawn; I heard a languid and melancholy song, which awakened dormant feelings within me and evoked in my heart's memory the early years of my childhood, our joys, our games, all the happy past that you enlivened while you were in the village.
En las noches de luna, de aquella soñolienta luna, bogando en una barca en el Rhin, me preguntaba si acaso no me podría engañar mi fantasía para verte entre los álamos de la orilla, en la roca de la Loreley o en medio de las ondas, cantando en el silencio de la noche, como la joven hada de los consuelos ¡para alegrar la soledad y la tristeza de aquellos arruinados castillos
On moonlit nights, under that sleepy moon, rowing in a boat on the Rhine, I wondered if perhaps my imagination might deceive me, making me see you among the poplars on the bank, on the Lorelei rock, or amidst the waves, singing in the silence of the night, like the young fairy of consolation, to brighten the loneliness and sadness of those ruined castles
Escogías los más hermosos sigüeyes[54] para jugar al siklot, buscabas en el río las más redondas y finas piedrecitas de diferentes colores para que jugásemos al sintak[55] tú eras muy torpe, perdías siempre y por castigo te daba el bantil[56] con la palma de mi mano, pero procuraba no pegarte fuerte pues te tenía compasió
You chose the most beautiful sigüeyes[54] to play siklot, you searched the river for the roundest and finest pebbles of different colors so we could play sintak[55] you were very clumsy, you always lost and as punishment I hit you with the bantil[56] with the palm of my hand, but I tried not to hit you hard because I felt sorry for you
CH 8 Memories
La Escolta[63] le pareció menos hermosa a pesar de que un gran edificio con cariátides ocupaba el sitio de los antiguos camarines. El nuevo Puente de España llamó su atención; las casas de la orilla derecha del río entre cañaverales y árboles, allá donde la Escolta termina y la Isla del Romero comienza, le recordaron las frescas mañanas, cuando en banca[64] pasaban por allí para ir a los baños de Uli-Uli.
La Escolta [63] seemed less beautiful to him, even though a large building with caryatids occupied the site of the old dressing rooms. The new Puente de España caught his attention; the houses on the right bank of the river, among reeds and trees, where the Escort ends and Isla del Romero begins, reminded him of the cool mornings when they would pass by on bancas[64] to go to the baths of Uli-Uli.
CH 10 The Town of San Diego
Allá está el río, monstruosa serpiente de cristal, dormida en la verde alfombra; de distancia en distancia rizan su corriente pedazos de roca esparcidos en el arenoso lecho; allá el cauce se estrecha entre dos elevadas orillas, a las que se agarran haciendo contorsiones árboles de raíces desnudas; aquí se forma una suave pendiente y el río se ensancha y remansa.
Allá, más a lo lejos, una casita construida al borde desafía la altura, los vientos y el abismo, y, por sus delgados arigues[72], diríase una monstruosa zancuda que espía al reptil para acometerle Troncos de palmeras o árboles con corteza, aún movedizos y vacilantes, unen ambas orillas, y si son malos puentes, son en cambio magníficos aparatos gimnásticos para hacer equilibrio, lo que no es de desdeñar: los chicos se divierten desde el río en que se bañan, con las angustias de la mujer que pasa con el cesto en la cabeza, o del anciano que va temblando y deja caer el báculo en el agua
There lies the river, a monstrous serpent of crystal, asleep on the green carpet; from distance to distance, its current ripples with pieces of rock scattered on the sandy bed; there the channel narrows between two high banks, to which trees with bare roots cling, contorting themselves; here a gentle slope forms and the river widens and slows. There, farther away, a small house built on the edge defies the height, the winds, and the abyss, and, by its slender rafters, it seems a monstrous wading bird spying on the reptile, ready to attack.
Palm trunks or tree trunks with bark, still swaying and
wavering, connect both banks, and if they are poor bridges, they are on the other hand magnificent gymnastic apparatuses for practicing balance, which is not to be underestimated: the children have fun from the river where they bathe, with the anxieties of the woman who passes with the basket on her head, or of the old man who trembles and drops his staff into the water
Después, sin saberse cómo, desapareció. La gente lo
creía ya encantado, cuando un olor fétido que partía del vecino bosque llamó la atención de unos pastores; rastreáronlo y encontraron al viejo en estado de putrefacción, colgado de la rama de un balití[73]. En vida ya daba miedo por su voz profunda, cavernosa, aquellos ojos hundidos y aquella risa sin sonido, pero ahora, tras suicidarse, turbaba el sueño de las mujeres. Algunas tiraron las alhajas al río y quemaron la ropa, y desde que el cuerpo fue enterrado al pie del mismo balití, ya no hubo persona que por allí quisiese aventurar.
Then, without anyone knowing how, he disappeared. People thought he was already bewitched, when a foul odor coming from the nearby forest caught the attention of some shepherds; they tracked it down and found the old man in a state of decomposition, hanging from the branch of a balití tree.[73] In life he was already frightening because of his deep, cavernous voice, those sunken eyes, and that soundless laugh, but now, after committing suicide, he disturbed the sleep of the women. Some threw his jewelry into the river and burned his clothes, and since the body was buried at the foot of that same balití tree, no one dared venture there.
CH 21 The Story of A Mother
Sisa llegó al fin a su casita. Entró en ella, muda, silenciosa; la recorrió, salió, echó a andar en todas direcciones. Corrió después a casa del viejo Tasio, llamó a la puerta, pero el viejo no estaba allí. La infeliz volvió a su casa y empezó a llamar a gritos:
«¡Basilio! ¡Crispín!», deteniéndose a cada momento y aplicando el oído con atención.
El eco repetía su voz; el dulce susurro del agua en el vecino río, la música de las hojas de las cañas eran las únicas voces de la soledad. Volvió a llamar, subía a una altura, bajaba a un barranco, descendía al río; sus ojos erraban con expresión siniestra, se iluminaban de cuando en cuando con vivos resplandores, después se oscurecían, como el cielo en una noche de tormenta; diríase que la luz de la razón chisporroteaba y estaba próxima a apagarse.
Sisa finally reached her little house. She went inside, mute and silent; she looked around, went out, and wandered in every direction. Then she ran to old Tasio's house, knocked on the door, but the old man wasn't there. The unhappy woman returned to her house and began to call out loudly: "Basilio! Crispín!" stopping every moment and straining her ears.
The echo repeated her voice; the sweet murmur of the water in the nearby river, the music of the reed leaves were the only sounds of solitude. She called out again, climbing to a height, descending to a ravine, going down to the river; her eyes wandered with a sinister expression, occasionally lighting up with vivid flashes, then darkening
like the sky on a stormy night; it seemed as if the light of reason
was flickering and about to go out.
CH 24 In the Wood
El padre Salví vio desde su escondite a María Clara, a Victoria y a Sinang, recorriendo el río. Las tres andaban con la vista en el espejo de las aguas, buscando el misterioso nido de la garza; iban mojadas hasta la rodilla, dejando adivinar tras los anchos pliegues de sus sayas de baño las graciosas curvas de sus piernas. Llevaban la cabellera suelta y los brazos desnudos, y cubría el busto una camisa de anchas rayas y alegres colores. Las tres jóvenes, a la vez que buscaban un imposible, recogían flores y legumbres que crecían en la orilla.
El Acteón religioso contemplaba, pálido e inmóvil, a aquella púdica Diana: sus ojos, que brillaban en las oscuras órbitas, no se cansaban de admirar aquellos blancos y bien modelados brazos, aquel cuello elegante en el comienzo del pecho; los diminutos y rosados pies, que jugaban con el agua, despertaban en su empobrecido ser extrañas sensaciones y hacían soñar en nuevas ideas a su ardiente cerebro.
From his hiding place, Father Salví saw María Clara, Victoria, and Sinang walking along the river (the stream). The three of them gazed at the mirror of the water, searching for the mysterious heron's nest; they were wet up to their knees, the graceful curves of their legs visible beneath the wide folds of their bathing skirts. Their hair was loose and their arms bare, and their bosoms were covered by shirts with wide stripes and cheerful colors. While searching for the impossible, the three young women gathered flowers and vegetables that grew on the riverbank (the shore).
The religious Actaeon gazed, pale and motionless, at that chaste Diana: his eyes, which shone in their dark sockets, never tired of admiring those white and well-formed arms, that elegant neck at the beginning of her breast; her tiny, pink feet, which played with the water, awakened strange sensations in his impoverished being and made his ardent brain dream of new ideas.
*this "river" is also called a stream or "arroyo" in the same chapter. facepalm
CH 62 The Chase on the Lake
—Perderemos algunos minutos —dijo en voz baja —, debemos entrar en el río Beata para disimular que soy de Peña Francia. Veréis el río que cantó Francisco Baltazar.
El pueblo dormía a la luz de la luna. Crisóstomo se levantó para admirar la paz sepulcral de la naturaleza. El río era estrecho y sus orillas formaban llano, sembrado de zacate
“We’ll lose a few minutes,” he said softly, “we must go into the *Beata River to disguise the fact that I’m from Peña Francia. You’ll see the river that Francisco Baltazar sang about.”
The town slept in the moonlight. Crisóstomo got up to admire the sepulchral peace of nature. The river was narrow, and its banks formed a plain, sown with zacate.
*Pandacan Estero / Estero de Pandacan
EPILOGUE
Vivirán probablemente aún nuestros conocidos del pueblo de San Diego, si es que no se han muerto en la explosión del vapor «Lipa», que hacía el viaje a la provincia. Como nadie se cuidó de saber quiénes fueron los infelices que en aquella catástrofe murieron, a quiénes pertenecieron las piernas y brazos desparramados en la isla de la Convalecencia[229] y en las orillas del río, ignoramos por completo si entre ellos iba algún conocido de nuestros lectores. Estamos satisfechos, como el Gobierno y la prensa de entonces, con saber que el único fraile que en el vapor estaba se ha salvado y no pedimos más. Lo principal para nosotros es la vida de los virtuosos sacerdotes, cuyo reinado en Filipinas conserve Dios para bien de nuestras almas.
Our acquaintances from the town of San Diego are probably still alive, if they haven't perished in the explosion of the steamship "Lipa," which was traveling to the province. Since no one bothered to find out who the unfortunate souls were who died in that catastrophe,
to whom the legs and arms scattered on Convalecencia Island[229] and along the riverbanks belonged, we have no idea whether any of our readers' acquaintances were among them. We are satisfied, like the Government and the press of the time, to know that the only friar on board the steamship survived, and we ask for nothing more. What is most important to us is the life of the virtuous priests, whose reign in the Philippines may God preserve for the good of our souls.
Stream - Arroyo
CH 7 An Idyll in the Azotea
Éramos aún niños: fuimos con tu madre a bañarnos en aquel arroyo bajo la sombra de los cañaverales. En las orillas crecían muchas flores y plantas cuyos extraños nombres me decías en latín y en castellano, pues entonces ya estudiabas en el Ateneo.
We were still children: we went with your mother to bathe in that stream under the shade of the reeds (bamboo clumps). On the banks
grew many flowers and plants whose strange names you told me in Latin and Spanish, for you were already studying at the Ateneo.
CH 10 El Pueblo / The Town of San Diego
Aquel bosque era respetado; acerca de él existían extrañas leyendas, pero la más verosímil y por lo mismo, menos creída y sabida, parece ser la siguiente: Un sombrío sendero franquea trabajosamente la espesura y conduce a un arroyo formado de varias fuentes termales, como muchas de las faldas del Makiling
That forest was respected; strange legends existed about it, but the most plausible, and therefore least believed and known, seems to be the following: A shadowy path laboriously crosses the thicket and leads to a stream formed by several hot springs, like many on the slopes of Makiling
CH 21 Light and Shadows
Los jóvenes la desean en el arroyo que corre en el vecino bosque, cerca del balití; por eso nos levantaremos temprano, para que no nos alcance el sol
The young men (people) desire her (want it) in the stream that runs through the neighboring forest, near the balití; that is why we will rise early, so that the sun does not reach us.
CH 23 A Fishing Expedition
¿Y cuando volvíamos a casa? —añadía otra sin dejar concluir a la primera —.
Encontrábamos los puentes de caña destrozados y entonces teníamos que vadear los arroyos… ¡los picaros!
"And when we got back home?" added another, interrupting the first. "We'd find the reed (bamboo) bridges destroyed, and then we had to wade through the streams... those rascals!"
Entonces trataron de abordar a la orilla, en aquel bosque de árboles seculares, perteneciente a Ibarra. Allí, a la sombra y junto al cristalino arroyo, almorzarían entre las flores o debajo de improvisadas tiendas.
Then they tried to board (disembark) at the riverbank (shore), in that (near the) forest of ancient trees, belonging to Ibarra. There, in the shade and beside the crystal-clear stream, they would have lunch among the flowers or under makeshift tents.
CH 24 In the Wood
Llegado al sitio, el padre Salví despachó su vehículo y se internó solo en el bosque. Un sombrío sendero franquea trabajosamente la espesura y conduce a un arroyo, formado por varias fuentes termales como muchas de las faldas del Makiling.
Upon arriving at the site, Father Salví abandoned (dismissed) his vehicle and ventured alone into the forest. A shadowy path laboriously cuts through the thicket and leads to a stream, formed by several hot springs, like many on the slopes of Makiling.
Algún tiempo estuvo vagando entre las espesas enredaderas, evitando las espinas que le agarraban por el hábito de guingón como para detenerlo, las raíces de los árboles que salían del suelo haciendo tropezar a cada momento al no acostumbrado caminante. Detúvose repentinamente: alegres carcajadas y frescas voces llegaron a sus oídos y las voces y las carcajadas partían del arroyo y se acercaban cada vez más.
For some time he wandered among the thick vines, avoiding the thorns that gripped him (his cotton habit) like a snare, as if to stop him, and the roots of the trees that sprouted (portruding) from the ground, tripping the unaccustomed traveler at every turn. He stopped suddenly: joyful laughter and fresh (young) voices reached his ears, and the voices and laughter seemed to come from the stream and draw ever nearer.
A alguna distancia de allí vio en medio del arroyo una especie de baño, bien cercado, cuyo techo lo formaba un frondoso cañaveral; de él salían alegres y femeniles acentos. Adornábanle hojas de palma, flores y banderolas. Más allá vio un puente de caña y a lo lejos a los hombres bañándose, mientras una multitud de criados y criadas bullían alrededor de improvisados kalanes, atareados en desplumar gallinas, lavar arroz, asar lechón, etcétera.
Y allí, en la orilla opuesta, en un claro que habían hecho, se reunían muchos hombres y mujeres bajo un techo de lona colgado en parte de las ramas de los árboles seculares, en parte de estacas uevamente
levantadas.
Some distance away, he saw in the middle of the stream a kind of bathing area, well enclosed, its roof formed by a lush reed bed; from it came cheerful, feminine sounds. Palm leaves, flowers, and pennants adorned it. Further on, he saw a reed bridge and, in the distance, men bathing, while a multitude of servants bustled around makeshift huts, busy plucking chickens, washing rice, roasting suckling pig, and so on.
And there, on the opposite bank, in a clearing they had made, many men and women gathered under a canvas roof hung partly from the branches of ancient trees, partly from newly erected stakes.
CH 64 Noche Buena
Pasaron el arroyo que murmuraba dulcemente; las espinas de las cañas, caídas en el barro de la orilla, se hundían en sus pies desnudos: Basilio no se detenía para arrancarlos.
A su gran sorpresa vio que su madre se internaba en la espesura y entraba por la puerta de madera, que cierra la tumba del viejo español al pie del balití.
They crossed the babbling brook; the thorns of the reeds, fallen in the mud on the bank, dug into their bare feet: Basilio didn't stop to pull them out.
To his great surprise, he saw his mother disappear into the thicket and enter through the wooden door that closes the old Spaniard's tomb at the foot of the balití tree.
Cuando Basilio volvió en sí, halló a su madre sin sentido. La llamó, prodigole los más tiernos nombres y, viendo que ni respiraba ni despertaba, levantose, fue al arroyo a sacar un poco de agua en un cucurucho de hojas de plátano y roció con ella el pálido rostro de su madre. Pero la loca no hizo el menor movimiento, sus ojos
continuaron cerrados.
When Basilio regained consciousness, he found his mother unconscious. He called to her, showering her with the most tender names, and seeing that she neither breathed nor awoke, he got up, went to the stream to draw some water in a cone of banana leaves, and sprinkled it on his mother's pale face. But the madwoman didn't move the slightest; her eyes remained closed.
¡Escucha! —continuó en voz más débil—; habré muerto también antes que venga el día… A veinte pasos de aquí, a la otra orilla del arroyo, hay mucha leña amontonada; tráela, haz una pira, pon nuestros cadáveres encima, cúbrelos y prende fuego, mucho fuego, hasta que nos convirtamos en cenizas…
“Listen!” he continued in a weaker voice; “I too will be dead before daybreak… Twenty paces from here, on the other side (bank) of the stream, there is a great pile of firewood; bring it here, make a pyre, place our bodies on top, cover them, and light a fire, a great fire, until we are reduced to ashes…”
Here are the Events and themes surrounding such bodies of water
Lago: Laguna Lake
Resting place / Dumping Ground of Don Rafael
Maria Clara's and Salome's house were lakeshore properties
Where Don Filipo proposed to throw elaborate fiesta food
Fishing Expedition / Crocodile Incident / First Meeting of Elias and Ibarra
Transportation highway (Elias x Ibarra first boat ride)
The body of Elias's twin sister was found on the shores of the Calamba side of Laguna Lake
Where Elias lost himself running to after he discovered the truth about Ibarra's ancestor
Chase on the Lake / Separation of Elias and Ibarra
Where Ibarra was rumored to have "died."
Rio: San Diego River
Run through San Diego town
Where women threw their jewelry to prevent bad luck because of Ibarra's ancestor dying near it
Pilosopong Tasyo and Sisa live near here
Rio: Estero de Binondo, Manila
Tiago's house in Anloague St., Binondo faced this river
Fonda de Lala, where Ibarra stayed in after he returned from Europe, also faced this river.
First and Last Meetings of Ibarra and Maria Clara (Idyll in the Azotea and A Wedding for Maria Clara)
Rio: Pasig River
Route taken by Elias and Ibarra as they escaped from Intramuros to Laguna Lake
Many San Diego residents died here as mentioned in the Epilogue
Rio: Beata River / Estero de Pandacan
A branch of the Pasig River entered by Elias during the Pasig River Escape (Chase on the Lake chapter) in order to mislead the guardia civil patrols
Other Rivers
The Rhine: River in Germany where Ibarra imagined Maria Clara waiting for him.
Lake Gallilee: While it was not directly mentioned in the show, Maria Clara received from Capitan Tiago a reliquary that contained a supposed splinter of St. Peter's boat when he was still a fisherman from the Sea (Lake) of Gallilee.
Arroyo: San Diego Stream/Creek
Flows through the Ibarra Forest Property and passes by the infamous Balete tree where Ibarra's ancestor died and was buried.
The Forest picnic happened near this stream
Characters often bathe in this stream.
Basilio fetched water to give to dead Sisa.
Elias and Sisa died and were burned by Basilio on the side of the creek that was opposite the Balete tree.
Basilio and Ibarra's first meeting place (both in NMT and El Fili).
........
FINAL THOUGHTS
This was mind-opening for me, ngl. It made me appreciate the areas surrounding the Laguna Lake, how there are so many rivers that feed into it, how thera are so many other little lakes, hot springs and baths around it. It was also fascinating to learn that Mt. Makiling, Mt. Banahaw and Taal Lake are all so near this ancient Lake. I kinda want to visit the place.
resources used
noli me tangere - spanish
noli me tangere - leon ma. guerrero translation
noli me tangere - soledad lacson-locsin translation
