Public-domain ebook

A Spanish Anthology A Collection of Lyrics from the Thirteenth Century Down to the Present Time

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Subjects

Spanish poetry

In: Poetry

Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #41810.

About this book

The volume is a scholarly anthology that gathers Spanish lyric poetry from the thirteenth century through the nineteenth, arranged chronologically and introduced by J. D. M. Ford, a Harvard Romance professor. Its front matter explains that the selection was first tested in Harvard’s Spanish classes, and the editor has taken liberties with orthography, changing s to z where early manuscripts show the latter, to present a cleaner text. The contents list reveals a sweeping panorama: medieval cantigas by Gonzalo de Berceo, courtly love verses of Juan de Mena, the golden‑age sonnets of Garcilaso de la Vega and Lope Vega, Baroque mysticism of San Juan de la Cruz, Enlightenment fables of Samaniego, and Romantic songs by Bécquer and Espronceda. The anthology also includes the editor’s notes on sources, offering a useful guide for readers who wish to trace the evolution of Spanish verse.

The anthology’s voice is that of an early‑twentieth‑century academic, combining careful textual criticism with a didactic tone aimed at English‑speaking students of Romance languages. Its style ranges from the plain, devotional language of medieval cantigas to the ornate, metaphysical diction of the Baroque and the emotionally charged lyricism of the Romantic era. Readers who enjoy tracing literary development, scholars interested in comparative poetics, and anyone drawn to the rich variety of Spanish poetic forms, from sonnets and villancicos to romances and fables, will find this collection rewarding.

Who appears in this book

J. D. M. FordMiddle‑aged male professor, spectacles, dark hair, tweed jacket, scholarly demeanor, early 1900s attire
Garcilaso de la VegaRenaissance nobleman, dark curls, trimmed beard, doublet with slashed sleeves, sword at side, poised
San Juan de la CruzCarmelite friar, bald head, simple brown habit, humble expression, 16th‑century monastic setting

The opening · free to read

Use of the present Anthology in the Spanish classes at Harvard University has shown that Spanish verse appeals to the imagination of the English-speaking student. On that account, the editor now ventures to offer this book for general academic use. The volume should not be without a certain popular value also, since many poems are included in it that through translations have been introduced into English literature, and, like Longfellow’s version of the Coplas of Manrique, have there made their fortune.

Indulgence is asked in cases where the readings of a particular text may not seem satisfactory. Access to the manuscripts or to rare early editions alone could justify the alteration of passages which even in the best editions available seem to have faulty readings. The editor has taken the liberty, however, of changing s to z in the older texts, where it was clear that the appearance of the former letter (as in rason, desir, etc.) was due to a common mistake of the first editors, who confused the z and the cursive s of their manuscripts.

Errors of judgment in the selection of the poems were perhaps inevitable. At any rate, the editor does not believe himself exempt from such errors. Of the anthologies of Spanish verse already in existence he has found it particularly useful to consult the following:

M. Menéndez y Pelayo: Antología de poetas líricos castellanos, Madrid, 1890 and since.

Id.: Antología de poetas hispano-americanos, Madrid, 1893.

F. Wolf: Floresta de rimas modernas castellanas, Paris, 1837.