The day after the death of José Palma (1876—1903), El Renacimiento featured his last verses, an unfinished poem that was entitled “El dolor era el pensamiento fijo de su mente” (Pain was the lasting thought of his mind). This article analyzes the poetic and human career of José Palma within a context, that of the “Philippine Generation of ’98”, especially the revolutionary success which was aborted by an American colonial alienation. Hence, at present, the works of the author of the Philippine national anthem are practically unknown, even if almost one hundred million Filipinos sing the national anthem every day in translated versions. Consequently, the poetics and historical context that generated the Himno Nacional Filipino are compromised. In order to comprehend the cultural scenario during which the Philippine Revolution arose, this paper will analyze the poetic features that distinguished José Palma’s works, and the gloomy conundrum exposed in his literary testament.