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                                          Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz

En que satisface un recelo                                                              In which she satisfies suspicion
con la retórica del llanto                                                                     with the rhetoric of weeping

Esta tarde, mi bien, cuando te hablaba,                                           This afternoon, my love, while we were talking,
como en tu rostro y tus acciones vía                                                and in your face and acts I clearly saw
que con palabras no te persuadía,                                                   that with my words I never would convince you,
que el corazón me vieses deseaba;                                                I wished my heart could overcome your doubts;
y Amor, que mis intentos ayudaba,                                                  and Love, who all my efforts was assisting,
venció lo que imposible parecía:                                                     achieved what so impossible had seemed:
pues entre el llanto, que el dolor vertía,                                           for in my tears, which in my grief were spilling,
el corazón deshecho destilaba.                                                      a heart unloosed, dissolved, came trickling out.

Baste ya de rigores, mi bien, baste;                                                Enough, my love, of cruelty, enough;
no te atormenten más celos tiranos,                                                 let brutal jealousy no more torment you,
ni el vil recelo tu quietud contrasten                                                 or let low fears your mind's peace countermand

con sombras necias, con indicios vanos,                                        with foolish fantasies, with empty signs,
pues ya en líquido humor viste y tocaste                                         for in a liquid form you've seen and touched
mi corazón deshecho entre tus manos.                                           my heart unloosed, dissolved between your hands.
 
 
 

En que da moral censura a una rosa,                                                          In which she warns a rose,
y en ella a sus semejantes                                                                       and through the rose, people

Rosa divina que en gentil cultura                                                              Divine rose cultivated with such grace
eres, con tu fragante sutileza,                                                                   you are, with all your fragrant subtlety,
magisterio purpúreo en la belleza,                                                            a scarlet master class in loveliness,
enseñanza nevada a la hermosura;                                                           a snowy course that beauty demonstrates;
amago de la humana arquitectura,                                                             of human architecture duplicate,
ejemplo de la vana gentileza,                                                                   example of all vain gentility,
en cuyo ser unió naturaleza                                                                      in whose existence nature aptly joined
la cuna alegre y triste sepultura:                                                               the happy crib to sad sepulchre's gates:
¡cuán altiva en tu pompa, presumida,                                                       how haughty in your pomp, presumptuously
soberbia, el riesgo de morir desdeñas,                                                   and haughtily you scorn the risks of death,
y luego desmayada y encogida                                                               and later faint, with shrivelled petals tucked,
de tu caduco ser das mustias señas,                                                        of your declining state give withered signs,
con que con docta muerte y necia vida,                                                   whereby, by your wise death and foolish life,
viviendo engañas y muriendo enseñas.                                                   alive you fool, and dying you instruct.
 
 

                                                                 Lope de Vega

Rimas sacras, Soneto XVIII                                                             Sacred Poems, Sonnet XVIII XVIII

¿Qué tengo yo que mi amistad procuras?                                  What have I that my friendship you should seek?
¿Qué interés se te sigue, Jesús mío,                                         What wealth from it, my Jesus, could you gain
que a mi puerta, cubierto de rocío,                                             so that at my front door, bedecked with dew,
pasas las noches del invierno escuras?                                     you spend dark winter nights in snow and sleet?

¡Oh, cuánto fueron mis entrañas duras,                                       How hard was I within my deepest core
pues no te abrí! ¡Qué estraño desvarío                                       to never let you in! How strangely mad
si de mi ingratitud el yelo frío                                                       if of my callousness the frigid ice
secó las llagas de tus plantas puras!                                        dried up the bleeding wounds of your pure feet!

¡Cuántas veces el ángel me decía:                                            How many times the angel said to me,
Alma, asómate agora a la ventana,                                            "Soul, come now to the window and look out:
verás con cuánto amor llamar porfía!                                        you'll see with how much love he knocks again!"

¡Y cuántas, hermosura soberana:                                             And, oh, how many times, beauty divine,
Mañana le abriremos -respondía-,                                            "Tomorrow he may enter," I'd respond,
para lo mismo responder mañana!                                            only tomorrow to respond the same!
 

                                                                Anónimo

A Cristo crucificado                                                                              To Christ on the Cross

No me mueve, mi Dios, para quererte                                        I am not moved, my God, to give you love
el cielo que me tienes prometido;                                              by thought of heaven that you´ve promised me;
ni me mueve el infierno tan temido                                             nor am I moved by thoughts of dreaded hell
para dejar por eso de ofenderte.                                                for that alone, to cease offending thee.

Tú me mueves, señor; muéveme el verte                                   You are what moves me, Lord: I'm moved to see
clavado en una cruz y escarnecido;                                           you on a cross and mocked with every breath;
muéveme ver tu cuerpo tan herido;                                            I'm moved to see your body racked with wounds;
muévenme tus afrentas y tu muerte.                                            I'm moved by your affronts and by your death.

Muéveme, en fin, tu amor, y en tal manera                                 I'm moved, in sum, by love for you so great
que aunque no hubiera cielo, yo te amara,                                 that I would love you were not heaven there,
y aunque no hubiera infierno, te temiera.                                    and I would fear you, if there were no hell.

No tienes que me dar porque te quiera,                                    You need give me no prize to love you thus,
pues aunque cuanto espero no esperara,                                   for even if what I hope I hoped not,
lo mismo que te quiero te quisiera.                                            as I now love you I would love you still.
 

                                                    Francisco de Quevedo
A un hombre de gran nariz                                                             To a man with a big nose

Erase un hombre a una nariz pegado,                                        Once there was a man stuck to a nose,
érase una nariz superlativa,                                                        it was a nose more marvellous than weird,
érase una alquitara medio viva,                                                   it was a nearly living web of tubes,
érase un peje espada mal barbado;                                            it was a swordfish with an awful beard,

era un reloj de sol mal encarado,                                                it was a sundial doomed to face the shade,
érase un elefante boca arriba,                                                    an elephant that looked up to the sky,
érase una nariz sayón y escriba,                                                it was a nose of hangman and of scribe,
un Ovidio Nasón mal narigado.                                                   Ovidius Naso nostrilled all awry,

Erase el espolón de una galera,                                                it was the bowsprit of a mighty ship,
érase una pirámide de Egito,                                                    like Egypt's pyramid it pierced the sky,
las doce tribus de narices era;                                                  it was of noses all of the twelve tribes;

érase un naricísimo infinito                                                         it was in noseness trully infinite,
frisón archinariz, caratulera,                                                        an archnose shudder, and a frightening mask,
sabañón garrafal, morado y frito.                                                a monstrous chilblain, purpley and fried.
 

Otra versión (posiblemente la original)                                         Translation of the alternate final tercet
del terceto final:                                                                         (possibly the original):

érase un naricísimo infinito,                                                        it was in noseness truly infinite,
muchísimo nariz, nariz tan fiera,                                                  an awful lot of nose, a nose so fierce
que en la cara de Anás fuera delito.                                           that on Annas' face would be a crime.