Official Entry Form - Miguel de Benavides Library - University of ...

Note: The explanations below should give the participants an idea of the substance of the poem/s to be submitted.
Background of the Exhibit
The UST Miguel de Benavides Library’s contribution to the commemoration of the
400 th year anniversary of the foundation of the University is an exhibit entitled Lumina
Pandit: an Exhibition of Historical Treasures. Why “Lumina Pandit?” “Lumina” is a Latin
word which means “light” or “lights;” the words luminary, luminous, derive from it. “Pandit”
is also Latin from the verb “pandere,” the basic meaning of which is, to spread, to grow, to
expand. Consequently, the University of Santo Tomas can be conceived as the instrument
through which light is spread in our land.
Classical as well as Biblical literature are to be counted as the origins of this phrase:
1. Classical
The great Roman poet Vergil uses these words in Book 6 of his epic Aenid,
line 255: “…ecce autem primi sub lumina solis et ortus”
line 267: “… brachia pandit”
It is also found in other Latin writers such as M.T. Cicero, Lucretius, Claudius
Claudianus.
From these, it passed to English literature and it is found in Milton’s “Paradise Lost.”
2. Biblical
• The Bible uses the word lumen, lumina and pandere very frequently: in the
Old Testament where it is written that God created the light, and the
luminaries, and into the New Testament where Jesus’ birth was announced to
the gentiles by a star.
• Without light there is no creation; only light reveals the contours of the
creature blurred by darkness. Jesus Christ is the light of the world.
• St. Thomas Aquinas, patron of the University is portrayed with a brilliant sun
on his chest. The mother of St. Dominic of Guzman, the founder of the Order
of Preachers (Dominicans) is said to have had a dream where she saw a dog
with a torch in its mouth. He himself is represented with a star over his
forehead.
The University of Santo Tomas was conceived to spread the light. Its 400 years of
existence contains lights and shadows. Its light expands through the Philippines and beyond.
Those who feel heirs to the spirit of the founder think that:
- study expands faith horizons and fosters gratitude to the creator;
- knowledge of truth banishes ignorance and cultivates justice;
- the creation and sustenance of the University honors the republic and profits its
citizens.
MIGUEL DE BENAVIDES LIBRARY

University of Santo Tomas
Miguel de Benavides Library
POETRY WRITING CONTEST
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OFFICIAL ENTRY FORM
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