No symbol is more closely identified with the University of the Philippines than the statue of the Oblation. The naked figure of a young man in a symbolic gesture of sacrificial offering of service to country and humanity has become a landmark in every campus of the University.
The Oblation, a masterpiece of Filipino sculptor Guillermo E. Tolentino, was commissioned in 1935 by President Rafael Palma, first Filipino president of the University. His order was for professor Tolentino to translate the second stanza of Rizal's "Last Farewell" into a monument which would be the identifying landmark of the University.
Rizal's "Last Farewell", Second Stanza
*Spanish (original)*
En campos de batalla,
luchando con delirio,
Otros te dan sus vidas,
sin duda, sin pesar,
El sitio nada importa:
cipres, laurel o lirio,
Cadalso o campo abierto,
combate o cruel martirio,
Lo mismo es si lo piden
la patria y el hogar.
- Jose Rizal
*English*
In barricades imbattled;
fighting with delirium,
others donate you their lives
without doubts, without gloom,
The site doesn't matter;
cypress, laurel or lily;
gibbet or open field,
combat or cruel martyrdom,
are equal if demanded
by country and home.
- Translated by Nick Joaquin
