Hymn To Labor
Chorus:
For the Motherland in war,
For the Motherland in peace,
Will the Filipino keep watch,
He will live until life will cease!
The chorus shows how loyal a Filipino can be to his or her country, whether at a crisis or
calmness of their land. Despite witnessing or experiencing hardships and distraught, they will keep
watching and moving to do good for the country. Betrayal is inherently avoided since their will lies upon
their love for the nation until they die.
MEN:
Now the East is glowing with light,
Go! To the field to till the land,
For the labour of man sustains
Fam'ly, home and Motherland.
Hard the land may turn to be,
Scorching the rays of the sun above...
For the country, wife and children
All will be easy to our love.
As the breadwinner of the family, men are the people who are most relied on for a family to
survive back then. The stanza indicates that these workers, specifically farmers, prepare early to work. It
is not for the money but for the benefits that the currency can give for their loved ones and the
Motherland. It’s commendable to know that they are not selfish to not honor their land despite lacking
resources at times. Hence, for them, labor is both patriotic and a necessary act for the survival of the
many.
WIVES:
Go to work with spirits high,
For the wife keeps home faithfully,
Inculcates love in her children
For virtue, knowledge and country.
When the evening brings repose,
On returning joy awaits you,
And if fate is adverse, the wife,
Shall know the task to continue.
If husbands are the breadwinner, the wives act as the light of the house. They are mostly the
ones who gives support to both husband and children. As their husbands stay at the field, they lecture the
youth about good manners and right conduct. Also, they plant knowledge that will soon help them live in
the country.
This stanza also shows how love is first found in our family. How smiles are mostly adored
within the warm and comfort of our home. Lastly, how a family is willing to wait for you after a long day
at work.
For the last two stanzas, it indicates that the wife continues the work of the man if he officially
departed. Hence, she’ll both carry the job of a breadwinner and a mother.
MAIDENS:
Hail! Hail! Praise to labour,
Of the country wealth and vigor!
For it brow serene's exalted,
It's her blood, life, and ardor.
If some youth would show his love
Labor his faith will sustain :
Only a man who struggles and works
Will his offspring know to maintain.
As a maiden or women who waits for a fair man to marry her, they encourage all young
men to find interest in labor and work hard for the goodness of the nation. Of course, they do not
want to marry a man who is lousy and unreliable. They want a man who is passionate and brave to carry
on a job that will ensure the future of their children.
CHILDREN:
Teach, us ye the laborious work
To pursue your footsteps we wish,
For tomorrow when country calls us
We may be able your task to finish.
And on seeing us the elders will say:
"Look, they're worthy 'f their sires of yore!"
Incense does not honor the dead
As does a son with glory and valor.
“Children are the hopes of our nation,” as Rizal had stated. In this stanza, it presents how
apparent it is to strive hard for the approval and high regards of the elders in our culture. Mostly, children
would follow their parents’ footsteps to make them proud. However, they are aware that their actions can
soon be helpful for the time that they must face the world on their own, without the presence of the older
ones. Hence, if the youth are taught on the significance of labor in their lives, they also will know how to
survive and happily live in their Motherland.