fray luis de león

this blog (from myspace) is from last fall in my first semester of grad school. i still occasionally read some fray luis. he was a poet in Spain's renaissance in the 15th century. in this photo, you see a picture of me under a statue of him in Salamanca where he studied. well, i'm studying too. for a golden age poetry exam this afternoon and i happened to be focusing on one of his poems, "En La Ascención" about the ascention of christ. it's pretty awesome, so i thought i'd put it on here:


¿Y dejas, Pastor santo, And you leave, holy Shepherd,

tu grey en este valle hondo, escuro, your flock in this deep, dark valley,

con soledad y llanto; with solitude and crying;

y tú, rompiendo el puro and you, breaking the pure

aire, te vas al inmortal seguro? air, leave to the secure immortal?

Los antes bienhadados The previously well found

y los agora tristes y afligidos, and now sorrowful and afflicted,

a tus pechos criados, at your breasts brought up,

de ti desposeídos, of you dispossessed,

¿a dó convertirán ya sus sentidos? to where will they turn their senses?

¿Qué mirarán los ojos, What will their eyes look to,

que vieron de tu rostro la hermosura, those that saw the beauty of your face,

que no les sea enojos? that will not be but troublesome to them?

Quien oyó tu dulzura To he who heard your sweetness

¿qué no tendrá por sordo y desventura? What will not be deafness, misfortune?

Aqueste mar turbado This turbulent sea

¿quién le pondrá ya freno?, ¿quién concierto of whom will it be calmed? Who to arrange

al viento fiero, airado? the fierce and angry wind?

Estando tú encubierto, Being you concealed,

¿qué Norte guiará la nave al puerto? What North will guide the ship to port?

¡Ay!, nube envidiosa Ay!, envious cloud

aun deste breve gozo, ¿qué te aquejas? even of brief delight, What to grieve?

¿dó vuelas presurosa? Where do you fly with such haste?

¡cuán rica tú te alejas! How rich as you move away!

¡cuán pobres y cuán ciegos, ¡ay!, nos dejas! How poor and blind, ay!, you leave us!

i guess it's never occured to me the kind of emotions that must have been going on in that moment. the people that spent their lives with him and lived for only a few days outside of his light. to have to realize that they were about to return to that darkness (although this time with new-found light and hope). it must have been quite a painful moment. anyone (jeremy) that has thoughts on the translation can help me out.