CALLIOPE'S SONG.To the sweet sound of my harmonious lyre,Shepherds, I pray you lend attentive ear,The hallowed breath of the Castalian choirBreathing therein and in my voice ye'll hear:Lo! it will make you wonder and admireWith souls enraptured and with happy fear,What time I do recount to you on earthThe geniuses that Heaven claims for their worth.It is my purpose but of those to singOf whose life Fate hath not yet cut the thread,Of those who rightly merit ye should bringTheir ashes to this place when they are dead,Where, despite busy Time on hasty wing,Through this praiseworthy duty renderèdBy you, for countless years may live their fame,Their radiant work, and their renownèd name.And he who doth with righteous title meritOf high renown to win a noble store,Is DONALONSO;[118]he 'tis doth inheritFrom holy Phoebus heavenly wisdom's flower,In whom shineth with lofty glow the spiritOf warlike Mars, and his unrivalled power,LEIVAhis surname in whose glorious soundItaly, Spain herself, hath lustre found.Arauco's wars and Spanish worth hath sungAnother who the name ALONSOhath.Far hath he wandered all the realms amongWhere Glaucus dwells, and felt his furious wrath;His voice was not untuned, nor was his tongue,For full of strange and wondrous grace were both,Wherefore ERCILLA[119]doth deserve to gainMemorial everlasting in this plain.Of JUAN DESILVA[120]I to you declareThat he deserves all glory and all praise,Not only for that Phoebus holds him dear,But for the worth that is in him always;Thereto his works a testimony clearWill be, wherein his intellect doth blazeWith brightness which illumineth the eyesOf fools, dazzling at times the keen and wise.Be the rich number of my list increasedBy him to whom Heaven doth such favour showThat by the breath of Phoebus is his breastSustained, and by Mars' valour here below;Thou matchest Homer, if thou purposestTo write, thy pen unto such heights doth go,DIEGOOSORIO,[121]that to all mankindTruly is known thy loftiness of mind.By all the ways whereby much-speaking fameA cavalier illustrious can praise,By these it doth his glorious worth proclaim,His deeds the while setting his name ablaze;His lively wit, his virtue doth inflameMore than one tongue from height to height to raiseFRANCISCO DEMENDOZA'S[122]high career,Nor doth the flight of time bring them to fear.Happy DONDIEGO, DESARMIENTO[123]bright,CARVAJALfamous, nursling of our choir,Of Hippocrene the radiance and delight,Youthful in years, old in poetic fire;Thy name will go from age to age, despiteThe waters of oblivion, rising higher,Made famous by thy works, from grace to grace,From tongue to tongue, and from race unto race.Now chief of all I would to you displayRipeness of intellect in tender years,Gallantry, skill that no man can gainsay,A bearing courteous, worth that knows no fears;One that in Tuscan, as in Spanish, mayHis talent show, as he who did rehearseThe tale of Este's line and did enthral,And he is DONGUTIERRECARVAJAL.[124]LUIS DEVARGAS,[125]thou in whom I seeA genius ripe in thy few tender days,Strive thou to win the prize of victory,The guerdon of my sisters and their praise;So near are thou thereto, that thou to meSeemest triumphant, for in countless waysVirtuous and wise, thou strivest that thy fameMay brightly shine with clear and living flame.Honour doth Tagus' beauteous bank receiveFrom countless heavenly spirits dwelling there,Who make this present age wherein we live,Than that of Greeks and Romans happier;Concerning them this message do I giveThat they are worthy of sepulture here,And proof thereof their works have to us given,Which point us out the way that leads to Heaven.Two famous doctors first themselves present,In Phoebus' sciences of foremost name,The twain in age alone are different,In character and wit they are the same;All near and far they fill with wonderment,They win amongst their fellows so much fameBy their exalted wisdom and profoundThat soon they needs must all the world astound.The name that cometh first into my song,Of the twain whom I now to praise make bold,Is CAMPUZANO,[126]great the great among,Whom as a second Phoebus ye can hold;His lofty wit, his more than human tongue,Doth a new universe to us unfoldOf Indies and of glories better far,As better than gold is wisdom's guiding star.Doctor SUÁREZis the next I sing,And SOSA[127]is the name he adds thereto—He who with skilful tongue doth everythingThat free from blemish is and best, pursue;Whoso should quench within the wondrous springHis thirst, as he did, will not need to viewWith eye of envy learnèd Homer's praise,Nor his who sang to us of Troy ablaze.Of Doctor BAZA,[128]if of him I mightSay what I feel, I without doubt maintain,That I would fill all present with delight;His learning, virtue, and his charm are plainFirst have I been to raise him to the heightWhere now he stands, and I am she who fainWould make his name eternal whilst the LordOf Delos shall his radiant light afford.If fame should bring the tidings to your earOf the strange works a famous mind displays,Conceptions lofty, well-ordered, and clear,Learning that would the listener amaze;Things that the thought checketh in mid career,And tongue cannot express, but straightway stays—Whene'er ye are in trouble and in doubt'Tis the Licentiate DAZA[129]leads you out.Master GARAI'S[130]melodious works inciteMe to extol him more than all beside;Thou, fame, excelling time of hasty flight,His celebration deem a work of praise;Fame, thou wilt find the fame he gives more brightThan is thine own in spreading far and wideHis praise, for thou must, speaking of his fame,From many-tongued to truthful change thy name.That intellect, which, leaving far behindMan's greatest, doth to the divine aspire,Which in Castilian doth no pleasure find—The heroic verse of Rome doth him inspire;New Homer in Mantuan new combinedIs Master CÓRDOVA.[131]Worthy his lyreOf praise in happy Spain, in every land,Where shines the sun, where ocean laves the strand.Doctor FRANCISCODÍAZ,[132]I can wellAssure my shepherds here concerning thee,That with glad heart and joy unspeakableThey can thy praises sing unceasingly;And if I do not on thy praises dwell—The highest is thy due, and worthily—'Tis that our time is short, nor do I knowHow I can e'er repay thee what I owe.LUJÁN,[133]who with thy toga meritedDost thine own Spain and foreign lands delight.Who with thy sweet and well-known muse dost spreadThy fame abroad to Heaven's loftiest height,Life shall I give thee after thou art dead,And I shall cause, in swift and rapid flight,The fame of thine unequalled mind to rollAnd spread from ours unto the opposing pole.His lofty mind doth a Licentiate show,And worth,—'tis a beloved friend of yours—I mean JUAN DEVERGARA,[134]whom ye know,An honour to this happy land of ours;By a clear open pathway he doth go,'Tis I that guide aright his steps and powers.Unto his height to rise is my reward,His mind and virtue joy to me afford.That my bold song may praise and glory gain,Another shall I name to you, from whomMy song to-day shall greater force attainAnd to the height of my desire shall come;And this it is that maketh me refrainFrom more than naming him and finding roomTo sing how lofty genius hath been sungBy DONALONSO DEMORALES'[135]tongue.Over the rugged steep unto the faneWhere dwelleth fame, there climbs and draweth nearA noble youth, who breaks with might and mainThough every hindrance, though 'tis fraught with fear,And needs must come so nigh that it is plainThat fame doth in prophetic song declareThe laurel which it hath prepared ere now,HERNANDOMALDONADO,[136]is for thy brow.Adorned with noble laurel here ye seeHis learned brow, who hath such glory foundIn every science, every art, that heO'er all the globe is even now renowned;Oh golden age, oh happy century,With such a man as this worthily crowned!What century, what age doth with thee vie,When MARCOANTONIO DE LAVEGA[137]'s nigh?A DIEGOis the next I call to mind,Who hath in truth MENDOZA[138]for his name,Worthy that history should her maker findIn him alone, and soar as soars his fame;His learning and his virtue, which, enshrinedIn every heart, the whole world doth acclaim,Absent and present both alike astound,Whether in near or distant nations found.High Phoebus an acquaintance doth possess—Acquaintance say I? Nay, a trusty friend,In whom alone he findeth happiness,A treasurer of knowledge without end;'Tis he who of set purpose doth repressHimself, so that his all he may not spend,DIEGODURÁN,[139]in whom we ever find,And shall find, wisdom, worth, and force of mind.But who is he who sings his agoniesWith voice resounding, and with matchless taste?Phoebus, and sage Arion, Orpheus wise,Find ever their abode within his breast;E'en from the realms where first the dawn doth rise,Unto the distant regions of the west.Is he renowned and loved right loyally,For, LÓPEZMALDONADO,[140]thou art he.Who could the praises, shepherds mine, reciteOf him ye love, a shepherd crowned by fame,Brightest of all the shepherds that are bright,Who is to all known by FILIDA'Sname?The skill, the learning and the choice delight,The rare intelligence, the heart aflame,Of LUIS DEMONTALVO[141]aye assureGlory and honour whilst the heavens endure.His temples now let holy Ebro bindWith ivy evergreen and olive white,And with acanthus golden, may he findIn joyous song his fame forever bright:The fruitful Nile hath his renown resigned,For Ebro's ancient worth to such a heightPEDRO DELIÑÁN'S[142]subtle pen doth lift,Sum of the bliss which is Apollo's gift.I think upon the lofty soul and rareBy DONALONSO DEVALDÉS[143]possessed,And am spurred on to sing and to declareThat he excels the rarest and the best;This hath he shown already, and more clearBy the elegance and grace wherewith his breastHe doth reveal, with bitter pangs distraught,Praising the ill that cruel Love hath wrought.Before an intellect in wonder bow,Wherein all that the wish can ask is found.An intellect, that though it liveth nowOn earth, is with the pomp of Heaven crowned;All that I see and hear and read and knowOf PEDRO DEPADILLA[144]the renowned,Whether he treat of peace or war's alarm,Brings fresh delight and wonder by its charm.GASPARALFONSO,[145]thou who wingst thy flightUnto the immortal realms, so orderestThat I can scarce thy praises all recite,If I must praise thee as thou meritest;The pleasing, fruitful plants that on the heightOf our renowned Parnassus find their nest,All offer wealthy laurels for a crownTo circle and adorn thy brows alone.Of CRISTOVAL DEMESA[146]I can sayThat to your vale he will an honour be;While he is living, nay, when life awayHath fled, still ye can praise him fittingly;His lofty weighty style can win to-dayRenown and honour, and the melodyOf his heroic verse, though silent fameRemain, and I remember not his name.DONPEDRO DERIBERA[147]doth, ye know,Wealth to your banks, and beauty, shepherds, bring,Wherefore give him the honour that ye owe,For I will be the first his praise to sing:His virtue, his sweet muse doth clearly showA noble subject, where, on noisy wing,Fame, hundred thousand fames, their powers might spendAnd strive his praises only to extend.Thou, who didst bring the treasure manifoldOf verse in a new form the shores untoOf the fair fruitful stream, whose bed of goldMaketh it famous wheresoe'er it flow,Thy glorious fame I promise to upholdWith the applause and reverence that we oweTo thee, CALDERA,[148]and thy peerless mind;With laurel, ivy, I thy brows shall bind.Let fame, and let the memory I possess,For ever famous make the memoryOf him who hath transformed to lovelinessThe glory of our Christian poesy;The knowledge and the charm let all confess,From the dayspring to where the day doth die,Of great FRANCISCO DEGUZMÁN,[149]whose areThe arts of Phoebus as the arts of war.Of the Captain SALCEDO[150]'tis quite clearThat his celestial genius doth attainUnto the point most lofty, keen and rare,That can be fancied by the thought of man;If I compare him, him I do compareUnto himself—Comparisons, 'tis plain,Are useless, and to measure worth so true,All measures must be faulty, or askew.By reason of the wit and curious graceOf TOMÁS DEGRACIÁN,[151]I pray, permitThat I should choose within this vale a placeWhich shall his virtue, knowledge, worth, befit;And if it run with his deserts apace,'Twill be so lofty and so exquisiteThat few, methinks, may hope with him to vie,His genius and his virtues soar so high.Fain would BAPTISTA DEVIVAR[152]you praise,Sisters, with unpremeditated lyre;Such grace, discretion, prudence, he displays,That, muses though ye be, ye can admire;He will not hymn Narcissus in his laysNor the disdains that lonely Echo tire,But he will sing his cares which had their birth'Twixt sad forgetfulness and hope of mirth.Now terror new, now new alarm and fearCometh upon me and o'erpowereth me,Only because I would, yet cannot bearUnto the loftiest heights of dignityGrave BALTASAR, who doth as surname wearTOLEDO,[153]though my fancy whispereth meThat of his learned quill the lofty flightMust bear him soon to the empyrean height.There is a mind wherein experience showsThat knowledge findeth fitting dwelling-place,Not only in ripe age amidst the snows,But in green years, in early youthful days;With no man shall I argue, or opposeA truth so plain, the more because my praise,If it perchance unto his ears be brought,Thine honour hath, LOPE DEVEGA,[154]sought.Now holy Betis to my fancy's eyePresents himself with peaceful olive crowned,Making his plaint that I have passed him by,—His angry words now in my ears resound—He asks that in this narrative, where ISpeak of rare intellects, place should be foundFor those that dwell upon his banks, and soWith voice sonorous I his will shall do.But what am I to do? For when I seekTo start, a thousand wonders I divine.Many a Pindus' or Parnassus' peak,And choirs of lovelier sisters than the nine,Whereat my lofty spirits faint and weakBecome, and more when by some strange designI hear a sound repeated as in echo,Whene'er the name is namèd of PACHECO.[155]PACHECO'tis whom Phoebus calls his friend,On whom he and my sisters so discreetDid from his feeble tender years attendWith new affection and new converse sweet;I too his genius and his writings sendBy strange paths never trod by mortal feet,And ever have sent, till they rise on highUnto the loftiest place of dignity.Unto this pass I come, that, though I singWith all my powers divine HERRERA'S[156]praise,My wearied toil but little fruit will bring,Although to the fifth sphere my words him raise;But, should friendship's suspicions to me cling,Upon his works and his true glory gaze,HERNANDOdoth by learning all enthralFrom Ganges unto Nile, from pole to pole.FERNANDOwould I name to you againDECANGAS[157]surnamed, whom the world admires.Through whom the learning lives and doth sustainItself that to the hallowed bays aspires;If there be any intellect that fainWould lift its gaze to the celestial fires,Let it but gaze on him, and it will findThe loftiest and the most ingenious mind.Concerning CRISTÓVAL, who hath the nameOfDEVILLAROEL,[158]ye must believeThat he full well deserveth that his nameNe'er should oblivion's gloomy waters cleave;His wit let all admire, his worth acclaimWith awe, his wit and worth let all receiveAs the most exquisite we can discover,Where'er the sun doth shine, or earth doth cover.The streams of eloquence which did of oldFlow from the breast of stately Cicero,Which, gladdening the Athenian people bold,Did honour on Demosthenes bestow,The minds o'er whom Time hath already rolled—Who bore themselves so proudly long ago—Master FRANCISCO DEMEDINA,[159]nowLet them before thy lofty learning bow.Rightly thou canst, renownèd Betis, nowWith Mincio, Arno, and with Tiber vie,Uplift in happiness thy hallowed brow,And spread thee in new bosoms spaciously:Since Heaven wished, that doth thy bliss allow,Such fame to give thee, honour, dignity,As he doth bring unto thy banks so fair,BALTASAR DELALCÁZAR,[160]who dwells there.Another ye will see, summed up in whomApollo's rarest learning will ye see,Which doth the semblance of itself assume,When spread through countless others it may be;In him 'tis greater, in him it doth comeTo such a height of excellence that he,The Licentiate MOSQUERA[161]well can claimTo rival e'en Apollo's self in fame.Behold! yon prudent man who doth adornAnd deck with sciences his limpid breast,Shrinks not from gazing on the fountain bornIn wisdom's waters from our mountain's crest;In the clear peerless stream he doth not scornTo quench his thirst, and thus thou flourishest,DOMINGO DEBECERRA,[162]here on earth,For all recount the mighty doctor's worth.Words I might speak of famous ESPINEL[163]That pass beyond the wit of human kind,Concerning all the sciences that dwell,Nurtured by Phoebus' breath, within his mind;But since my tongue the least part cannot tellOf the great things that in my soul I find,I say no more save that he doth aspireTo Heaven, whether he take his pen or lyre.If ruddy Phoebus ye would fain espyWith blood-red Mars in equal balance weighed,On great CARRANZA[164]seek to cast an eye,In whom each hath his constant dwelling made;With such discretion, art, dexterity,Hath he his power o'er pen and lance displayedThat the dexterity once cleft apartHe hath brought back to science and to art.Of LÁZAROLUISIRANZO,[165]lyreThan mine must needs be tuned with better art,To sing the good that Heaven doth inspire,The worth that Heaven fosters in his heart:By Mars' and Phoebus' path he doth inspireTo climb unto the lofty heights apartWhere human thought scarce reacheth, yet, despiteFortune and fate, he will reach them aright.BALTASAR DEESCOBAR,[166]who doth adornThe famèd shores of Tiber's stream to-day,Whom the broad banks of hallowed Betis mourn,Their beauty lost when he is far away,A fertile wit, if he perchance returnTo his beloved native land, I payUnto his youthful and his honoured browThe laurel and the honour that I owe.JUANSANZ, calledDEZUMETA,[167]with what power,What honour, palm, or laurel shall be crowned,If from the Indian to the ruddy MoorNo muse as his so perfect can be found?Here I anew his fame to him restoreBy telling you, my shepherds, how profoundWill be Apollo's joy at any praiseWhich ye may bring to swell ZUMETA'Spraise.Unto JUAN DE LASCUEVAS[168]fitting placeGive, shepherds, whensoever in this spotHe shall present himself. His muse's graceAnd his rare wit this prize for him have wrought;His works I know, though Time may flee apace,In Time's despite, shall never be forgot,From dread oblivion they shall free his name,Which shall abide with bright and lofty fame.If him ye ever see, with honour greetThe famous man, of whom I now shall tell,And celebrate his praise in verses sweet,As one who doth therein so much excel;BIBALDOhe—to make my tale complete,ADAMBIBALDO[169]—who doth gild and swellThe glory of this happy age of oursWith the choice bloom of intellectual powers.E'en as is wont to be with varied flowersAdorned and wealthy made the flowery May,With many varied sciences and powersDONJUANAGUAYO'S[170]intellect is gay;Though I in praising him might pass the hours,I say but this, that I now but essay,And at another time I shall unfoldThings that your hearts with wonderment will hold.DONJUANGUTIÉRREZRUFO'S[171]famous nameI wish in deathless memory to live,That wise and foolish may alike acclaimIn wonderment his noble narrative;Let hallowed Betis give to him the fameHis style doth merit, let them glory giveTo him, who know, may Heaven with renownEqual unto his towering flight him crown.In DONLUIS DEGÓNGORA[172]I showA rare and lively wit that hath no peer,His works delight me, their wealth I bestowNot on myself alone, but everywhere;And if I merit aught, because ye knowMy love for you, see that your praises bearTo endless life his lofty love profoundDespite the flight of time and death's cruel wound.Let the green laurel, let the ivy green,Nay, let the sturdy holm-oak crown the browOf GONZALOCERVANTES,[173]for I weenWorthy of being crowned therewith art thou;More than Apollo's learning in thee seen,In thee doth Mars the burning ardour showOf his mad rage, yet with so just a measureThat through thee he inspireth dread and pleasure.Thou, who with thy sweet plectrum didst extolCelidon's name and glory everywhere,Whose wondrous and well-polished verses callThee unto laurels and to triumphs fair.GONZALOGRACIÁN,[174]take the coronal,Sceptre and throne from her who holds thee dear.In token that the bard of CelidonDeserveth to be Lord of Helicon.Thou, Darro, far renownèd stream of gold,How well thou canst thyself exalt on high,And with new current and new strength, behold,Thou canst e'en with remote Hydaspes vie!MATEO DEBERRÍO[175]maketh boldTo honour thee with every facultySo that through him e'en now the voice of fameDoth spread abroad through all the world thy name.Of laurel green a coronal entwine,That ye therewith the worthy brows may crownOf SOTOBARAHONA,[176]shepherds mine,A man of wisdom, eloquence, renown;Although the holy flood, the fount divineOf Helicon, should BARAHONAdrown,Mysterious chance! he yet would come to sightAs if he were upon Parnassus' height.Within the realms antarctic I might sayThat sovereign minds eternal fame attain,For if these realms abound in wealth to-day,Minds more than human also they contain;In many now I can this truth display,But I can give you plenteous store in twain,One from New Spain, he an Apollo new,The other, a sun unrivalled from Peru.FRANCISCO DETERRAZAS[177]is the nameOf one, renowned in Spain and in the West,New Hippocrene his noble heart aflameHath given to his happy native nest;Unto the other cometh equal fame,Since by his heavenly genius he hath blestFar Arequipa with eternal spring—DIEGOMARTÍNEZ DERIBERA[178]I sing.Beneath a happy star a radiance brightHere did flash forth, so rich in signal worthThat his renown its tiniest spark of lightFrom East to West hath spread o'er all the earth;And when this light was born, all valorous mightWas born therewith, PICADO[179]had his birth,Even my brother, Pallas' brother too,Whose living semblance we in him did view.If I must give the glory due to thee,Great ALONSO DEESTRADA,[180]thou to-dayDeservest that I should not hurriedlyThy wisdom and thy wondrous mind display;Thou dost enrich the land that ceaselesslyTo Betis doth a bounteous tribute pay,Unequal the exchange, for no rewardCan payment for so fair a debt afford.DONJUAN, Heaven gave thee as the rare delightOf this fair country with no grudging hand,ÁVALOS'glory, and RIBERA'S[181]light,Honour of Spain, of every foreign land,Blest Spain, wherein with many a radiance brightThy works shall teach the world to understandAll that Nature can give us, rich and free,Of genius bright and rare nobility.He who is happy in his native land,In Limar's limpid waters revelling,The cooling winds and the renownèd strandWith his divinest verses gladdening,—Let him come, straightway ye will understandFrom his spirit and discretion why I sing,For SANCHO DERIBERA[182]everywhereIs Phoebus' self and Mars without a peer.A Homer new this vale of high renownDid once upon a time from Betis wrest,On whom of wit and gallantry the crownWe can bestow—his greatness is confessed;The Graces moulded him to be their own,Heaven sendeth him in every grace the best,Your Tagus' banks already know his fame,PEDRO DEMONTESDOCA[183]is his name.Wonder the illustrious DIEGO DEAGUILAR[184]In everything the wish can ask inspires,A royal eagle he, who flieth farUnto a height whereto no man aspires;His pen 'mongst thousands wins the spoil of war,For before it the loftiest retires,Guanuco will his style, his valour tellOf such renown; Guanuco knows it well.A GONZALOFERNÁNDEZ[185]draweth near,A mighty captain in Apollo's host.In whose heroic name that hath no peer,SOTOMAYORto-day doth make his boast;His verse is wondrous and his wisdom clearWhere'er he is beheld from coast to coast,And if his pen doth so much joy afford,He is no less renownèd by his sword.HENRIQUEGARCÉS[186]the Peruvian landEnricheth. There with sweet melodious rhyme,With cunning, skilful, and with ready hand,In him the hardest task did highest climb;New speech, new praise he to the Tuscan grandHath given in the sweet Spanish of our time;Who shall the greatest praises from him take,E'en though Petrarch himself again awake?FERNÁNDEZ DEPINEDA'S[187]talent rareAnd excellent, and his immortal veinMake him to be in no small part the heirOf Hippocrene's waters without stain;Since whatsoe'er he would therefrom, is ne'erDenied him, since such glory he doth gainIn the far West, let him here claim the partHe now deserveth for his mind and art.And thou that hast thy native Betis made,With envy filled, to murmur righteously,That thy sweet tuneful song hath been displayedUnto another earth, another sky,Noble JUAN DEMESTANZA,[188]undismayedRejoice, for whilst the fourth Heaven shall supplyIts light, thy name, resplendent in its worth,Shall be without a peer o'er all the earth.All that can e'er in a sweet vein be foundOf charm, ye will in one man only find,Who bridleth to his muse's gladsome soundThe ocean's madness and the hurrying wind;For BALTASAR DEORENA[189]is renowned,From pole to pole his fame, swift as the wind,Doth run, and from the East unto the West,True honour he of our Parnassus' crest.A fruitful and a precious plant I knowThat hath been to the highest mountain foundIn Thessaly transplanted thence, and, lo!A plant ere this with happy fruitage crowned;Shall I be still nor tell what fame doth showOf PEDRO DEALVARADO[190]the renowned?Renowned, yet no less brightly doth he shine,For rare on earth is such a mind divine.Thou, who with thy new muse of wondrous graceArt of the moods of love, CAIRASCO,[191]singing,And of that common varying fickleness,Where cowards 'gainst the brave themselves are flinging;If from the Grand Canary to this placeThou art thy quick and noble ardour bringing,A thousand laurels, for thou hast deserved,My shepherds offer, praises well-deserved.What man, time-honoured Tormes, would denyThat thou canst e'en the Nile itself excel,If VEGAin thy praises can outvieE'en Tityrus who did of Mincio tell?DAMIÁN,[192]I know thy genius riseth highTo where this honour doth thine honours swell,For my experience of many yearsThy knowledge and thy virtue choice declares.Although thy genius and thy winning grace,FRANCISCOSÁNCHEZ,[193]were to give me leave,If I dared form the wish to hymn thy praise,Censure should I for lack of skill receive;None but a master-tongue, whose dwelling placeIs in the heavens, can be the tongue to achieveThe lengthy course and of thy praises speak,For human tongue is for this task too weak.The things that an exalted spirit show,The things that are so rare, so new in style,Which fame, esteem, and knowledge bring to viewBy hundred thousand proofs of wit and toil,Cause me to give the praises that are dueTo DONFRANCISCO DE LASCUEVAS,[194]whileFame that proclaims the tidings everywhere,Seeks not to linger in her swift career.At such a time as this I would have crownedMy sweet song gladly, shepherds, with the praiseOf one whose genius doth the world astound,And could your senses ravish and amaze;In him the union and the sum is foundOf all I have praised and have yet to praise;FRAYLUIS DELEÓN[195]it is I sing,Whom I love and adore, to whom I cling.What means, what ways of praise shall I achieve,What pathways that yon great MATÍAS'nameMay in the world for countless ages live,Who hath ZUÑIGA[196]for his other name?Unto him all my praises let me give,Though he is man and I immortal am,Because his genius truly is divine,Worthily praise and honour in him shine.Turn ye the thought that passeth speedilyUnto Pisuerga's lovely banks divine,Ye will see how the lofty minds wherebyThey are adorned, enrich this tale of mine;And not the banks alone, but e'en the sky,Wherein the stars resplendent ever shine,Itself assuredly can honour claim,When it receives the men whom now I name.Thou, DAMASIO DEFRÍAS,[197]canst aloneThy praises utter, for, although our chief,Even Apollo's self should praise thee, noneBut could be in thy praises all too brief;Thou art the pole-star that hath ever shoneCertain and sure, that sendeth sweet reliefFrom storm, and favouring gales, and safe to shoreBrings him who saileth wisdom's ocean o'er.ANDRÉSSANZ DELPORTILLO,[198]send to meThat breath, I pray, whereby Phoebus doth moveThy learned pen, and lofty fantasy,That I may praise thee as it doth behove;For my rough tongue will never able be,Whate'er the ways it here may try and prove,To find a way of praising as I wouldAll that I feel and see in thee of good.Happiest of minds, thou towerest in thy flightAbove Apollo's highest, with thy raySo bright, thou givest to our darkness light,Thou guidest us, however far we stray;And though thou dost now blind me with thy lightAnd hast my mind o'erwhelmèd with dismay,Glory beyond the rest I give to thee,For, SORIA,[199]glory thou hast given to me.If, famous CANTORAL,[200]so rich a meedOf praise thy works achieve in every part,Thou of my praises wilt have little need,Unless I praise thee with new mode and art;With words significant of noble deed,With all the skill that Heaven doth impart,I marvel, praise in silence, thus I reachA height I cannot hope to gain by speech.If I to sing thy praise have long delayed,Thou, VACA Y DEQUIÑONES,[201]mayst forgiveThe past forgetfulness I have displayedAnd the repentance I now show receive,For with loud cries and proclamation madeO'er the broad world this task I shall achieveIn open and in secret, that thy fameShall spread abroad, and brightly gleam thy name.Thy rich and verdant strand no juniperEnricheth, nor sad cypress; but a crownOf laurels and of myrtles it doth wear,Bright Ebro, rich in waters and renown,As best I can, I now thy praise declare,Praising that bliss which Heaven hath sent downUnto thy banks, for geniuses more brightDwell on thy banks e'en than the stars of night.Two brothers witnesses will be thereto,Two daysprings they, twin suns of poesy,On whom all that it could of art bestowAnd genius, Heaven lavished bounteously;Thoughts of wise age, though still in youthful glow,Converse mature, and lovely fantasy,Fashion a worthy, deathless aureolaFor LUPERCIOLEONARDO DEARGENSOLA.[202]With envy blest, in holy rivalryMethinks the younger brother doth aspireTo match the elder, since he riseth highTo where no human eye e'er riseth higher;Wherefore he writes and sings melodiouslyHistories countless with so sweet a lyreThat young BARTOLOMÉ[203]hath well deservedWhatever for LUPERCIOis reserved.If good beginning and a sequence fairInspire the hope of an illustrious closeIn everything, my mind may now declareThat thus thou shalt exalt o'er all its foes,COSMEPARIENTE.[204]Thus thou canst with rareConfidence to thy wise and noble browsPromise the crown that rightly hath been gainedBy thy bright intellect and life unstained.MURILLO,[205]thou dost dwell in solitude,Heaven thy companion, and dost there displayThat other muses, cleverer and more good,Ne'er leave thy Christian side and go away;Thou from my sisters didst receive thy food,And now thou dost, this kindness to repay,Guide us and teach us heavenly things to sing,Pleasing to Heaven, and this world profiting.Turia, who loudly didst of old proclaimThe excellence of the children born to thee,If thou shouldst hearken to the words I frame,Moved by no envy, by no rivalry.Thou wilt hear how by those whom I shall name,Thy fame is bettered; their presence with thee,Their valour, virtue, genius, are thy dower,And make thee o'er Indus and Ganges tower.DONJUANCOLOMA,[206]thou within whose breastHath been enclosed so much of Heaven's grace,Who hast with bridle stern envy repressed,And given to fame a thousand tongues to blaze,From Tagus to the kingdom fruitfulest,Abroad thy name and worth in words of praise,COUNT DEELDA, blest in all, thou dost bestowOn Turia greater fame than that of Po.He in whose breast a spring that is divineThrough him, doth ever copiously abound,To whom his choir of flashing lights incline,And rightly—they their Lord in him have found—Who should by all, from Ethiop 'neath the LineTo Eskimo, with name unique be crowned,DONLUISGARCERÁN[207]is peerless, bright,Grand Master of Montesa, world's delight.Within this famous vale he should receiveA place illustrious, an abode renowned,He to whom fame the name would gladly giveWherewith his intellect is fitly crowned;Be it the care of Heaven to achieveHis praise—from Heaven comes his worth profound—And laud what is beyond my facultiesIn DONALONSOREBOLLEDO[208]wise.DOCTORFALCÓN,[209]so lofty is thy flightThat thou beyond the lordly eagle highDost rise; thy genius unto Heaven's heightAscends, leaving this vale of misery;Wherefore I fear, wherefore I dread arightThat, though I praise thee, thou wilt yet espyCause of complaint in that for nights and daysMy voice and tongue I use not in thy praise.If e'en as fortune doth, sweet poesyHad but an ever-changing wheel possessed,Swifter in speed than Dian through the sky,Which was not, is not, ne'er shall be at rest,Thereon let MICERARTIEDA[210]lie—The wheel unchanged the while amid the test—And he would ever keep the topmost placeFor knowledge, intellect, and virtue's grace.The goodly shower of praises thou didst pourUpon the rarest intellects and best.Alone thou meritest and dost secure,Alone thou dost secure and meritest;GILPOLO,[211]let thy hopes be firm and sure,That in this vale thy ashes will find restIn a new tomb by these my shepherds reared,Wherein they will be guarded and revered.CRISÓOBAL DEVIRUES,[212]since thou dost vauntA knowledge and a worth like to thy years,Thyself the genius and the virtue chantWherewith thou fleest the world's beguiling fears;A fruitful land and a well-nurtured plant—In Spain and foreign lands I shall rehearseAnd for the fruit of thy exalted mindWin fame and honour and affection kind.If like unto the mind he doth displaySILVESTRE DEESPINOSA'S[213]praise must be,A voice more skilled were needed and more gayA longer time and greater faculty;But since my voice he guideth on the way,This guerdon true shall I bestow, that heMay have the blessing Delos' god doth bringTo the choice flood of Hippocrene's spring.The world adorning as he comes in viewAmongst them an Apollo I behold,GARCIAROMERO,[214]discreet, gallant too,Worthiest of being in this list enrolled;If dark Peneus' child, whose story trueHath been in Ovid's chronicles retold,Had found him in the plains of Thessaly,Not laurel, but ROMERO[215]would she be.It breaks the silence and the hallowed bound,Pierces the air, and riseth to the sky,The heavenly, hallowed, and heroic soundThat speaks in FRAYPEDRO DEHUETE'S[216]cry;Of his exalted intellect profoundFame sang, sings and shall sing unceasingly,Taking his works as witness of her songTo spread amazement all the world among.Needs must I now to the last end draw near,And of the greatest deed I e'er designedMake a beginning now, which shall, I fear,Move unto bitter wrath Apollo kind;Since, although style be wanting, I prepareTo praise with rustic and untutored mindTwo suns that Spain, the country of their birth,Illumine, and moreover all the earth.Apollo's hallowed, honourable lore,Discretion of a courtier mature,And years well-spent, experience, which a storeOf countless prudent counsels doth assure,Acuteness of intellect, a ready powerTo mark and to resolve whate'er obscureDifficulty and doubt before them comes,—Each of these in these twin suns only blooms.Now, shepherds, I in these two poets findAn epilogue to this my lengthy lay;Though I for them the praises have designedWhich ye have heard, I do not them repay;For unto them is debtor every mind,From them I win contentment every day,Contentment from them winneth all the earthE'en wonder, for 'tis Heaven gives them birth.In them I wish to end my melody,Yet I begin an admiration new,And if ye think I go too far, when ISay who they are, behold, I vanquish you;By them I am exalted to the sky,And without them shame ever is my due;'Tis LÁINEZ,[217]FIGUEROA[218]'tis I nameWorthy eternal and unceasing fame.
CALLIOPE'S SONG.To the sweet sound of my harmonious lyre,Shepherds, I pray you lend attentive ear,The hallowed breath of the Castalian choirBreathing therein and in my voice ye'll hear:Lo! it will make you wonder and admireWith souls enraptured and with happy fear,What time I do recount to you on earthThe geniuses that Heaven claims for their worth.It is my purpose but of those to singOf whose life Fate hath not yet cut the thread,Of those who rightly merit ye should bringTheir ashes to this place when they are dead,Where, despite busy Time on hasty wing,Through this praiseworthy duty renderèdBy you, for countless years may live their fame,Their radiant work, and their renownèd name.And he who doth with righteous title meritOf high renown to win a noble store,Is DONALONSO;[118]he 'tis doth inheritFrom holy Phoebus heavenly wisdom's flower,In whom shineth with lofty glow the spiritOf warlike Mars, and his unrivalled power,LEIVAhis surname in whose glorious soundItaly, Spain herself, hath lustre found.Arauco's wars and Spanish worth hath sungAnother who the name ALONSOhath.Far hath he wandered all the realms amongWhere Glaucus dwells, and felt his furious wrath;His voice was not untuned, nor was his tongue,For full of strange and wondrous grace were both,Wherefore ERCILLA[119]doth deserve to gainMemorial everlasting in this plain.Of JUAN DESILVA[120]I to you declareThat he deserves all glory and all praise,Not only for that Phoebus holds him dear,But for the worth that is in him always;Thereto his works a testimony clearWill be, wherein his intellect doth blazeWith brightness which illumineth the eyesOf fools, dazzling at times the keen and wise.Be the rich number of my list increasedBy him to whom Heaven doth such favour showThat by the breath of Phoebus is his breastSustained, and by Mars' valour here below;Thou matchest Homer, if thou purposestTo write, thy pen unto such heights doth go,DIEGOOSORIO,[121]that to all mankindTruly is known thy loftiness of mind.By all the ways whereby much-speaking fameA cavalier illustrious can praise,By these it doth his glorious worth proclaim,His deeds the while setting his name ablaze;His lively wit, his virtue doth inflameMore than one tongue from height to height to raiseFRANCISCO DEMENDOZA'S[122]high career,Nor doth the flight of time bring them to fear.Happy DONDIEGO, DESARMIENTO[123]bright,CARVAJALfamous, nursling of our choir,Of Hippocrene the radiance and delight,Youthful in years, old in poetic fire;Thy name will go from age to age, despiteThe waters of oblivion, rising higher,Made famous by thy works, from grace to grace,From tongue to tongue, and from race unto race.Now chief of all I would to you displayRipeness of intellect in tender years,Gallantry, skill that no man can gainsay,A bearing courteous, worth that knows no fears;One that in Tuscan, as in Spanish, mayHis talent show, as he who did rehearseThe tale of Este's line and did enthral,And he is DONGUTIERRECARVAJAL.[124]LUIS DEVARGAS,[125]thou in whom I seeA genius ripe in thy few tender days,Strive thou to win the prize of victory,The guerdon of my sisters and their praise;So near are thou thereto, that thou to meSeemest triumphant, for in countless waysVirtuous and wise, thou strivest that thy fameMay brightly shine with clear and living flame.Honour doth Tagus' beauteous bank receiveFrom countless heavenly spirits dwelling there,Who make this present age wherein we live,Than that of Greeks and Romans happier;Concerning them this message do I giveThat they are worthy of sepulture here,And proof thereof their works have to us given,Which point us out the way that leads to Heaven.Two famous doctors first themselves present,In Phoebus' sciences of foremost name,The twain in age alone are different,In character and wit they are the same;All near and far they fill with wonderment,They win amongst their fellows so much fameBy their exalted wisdom and profoundThat soon they needs must all the world astound.The name that cometh first into my song,Of the twain whom I now to praise make bold,Is CAMPUZANO,[126]great the great among,Whom as a second Phoebus ye can hold;His lofty wit, his more than human tongue,Doth a new universe to us unfoldOf Indies and of glories better far,As better than gold is wisdom's guiding star.Doctor SUÁREZis the next I sing,And SOSA[127]is the name he adds thereto—He who with skilful tongue doth everythingThat free from blemish is and best, pursue;Whoso should quench within the wondrous springHis thirst, as he did, will not need to viewWith eye of envy learnèd Homer's praise,Nor his who sang to us of Troy ablaze.Of Doctor BAZA,[128]if of him I mightSay what I feel, I without doubt maintain,That I would fill all present with delight;His learning, virtue, and his charm are plainFirst have I been to raise him to the heightWhere now he stands, and I am she who fainWould make his name eternal whilst the LordOf Delos shall his radiant light afford.If fame should bring the tidings to your earOf the strange works a famous mind displays,Conceptions lofty, well-ordered, and clear,Learning that would the listener amaze;Things that the thought checketh in mid career,And tongue cannot express, but straightway stays—Whene'er ye are in trouble and in doubt'Tis the Licentiate DAZA[129]leads you out.Master GARAI'S[130]melodious works inciteMe to extol him more than all beside;Thou, fame, excelling time of hasty flight,His celebration deem a work of praise;Fame, thou wilt find the fame he gives more brightThan is thine own in spreading far and wideHis praise, for thou must, speaking of his fame,From many-tongued to truthful change thy name.That intellect, which, leaving far behindMan's greatest, doth to the divine aspire,Which in Castilian doth no pleasure find—The heroic verse of Rome doth him inspire;New Homer in Mantuan new combinedIs Master CÓRDOVA.[131]Worthy his lyreOf praise in happy Spain, in every land,Where shines the sun, where ocean laves the strand.Doctor FRANCISCODÍAZ,[132]I can wellAssure my shepherds here concerning thee,That with glad heart and joy unspeakableThey can thy praises sing unceasingly;And if I do not on thy praises dwell—The highest is thy due, and worthily—'Tis that our time is short, nor do I knowHow I can e'er repay thee what I owe.LUJÁN,[133]who with thy toga meritedDost thine own Spain and foreign lands delight.Who with thy sweet and well-known muse dost spreadThy fame abroad to Heaven's loftiest height,Life shall I give thee after thou art dead,And I shall cause, in swift and rapid flight,The fame of thine unequalled mind to rollAnd spread from ours unto the opposing pole.His lofty mind doth a Licentiate show,And worth,—'tis a beloved friend of yours—I mean JUAN DEVERGARA,[134]whom ye know,An honour to this happy land of ours;By a clear open pathway he doth go,'Tis I that guide aright his steps and powers.Unto his height to rise is my reward,His mind and virtue joy to me afford.That my bold song may praise and glory gain,Another shall I name to you, from whomMy song to-day shall greater force attainAnd to the height of my desire shall come;And this it is that maketh me refrainFrom more than naming him and finding roomTo sing how lofty genius hath been sungBy DONALONSO DEMORALES'[135]tongue.Over the rugged steep unto the faneWhere dwelleth fame, there climbs and draweth nearA noble youth, who breaks with might and mainThough every hindrance, though 'tis fraught with fear,And needs must come so nigh that it is plainThat fame doth in prophetic song declareThe laurel which it hath prepared ere now,HERNANDOMALDONADO,[136]is for thy brow.Adorned with noble laurel here ye seeHis learned brow, who hath such glory foundIn every science, every art, that heO'er all the globe is even now renowned;Oh golden age, oh happy century,With such a man as this worthily crowned!What century, what age doth with thee vie,When MARCOANTONIO DE LAVEGA[137]'s nigh?A DIEGOis the next I call to mind,Who hath in truth MENDOZA[138]for his name,Worthy that history should her maker findIn him alone, and soar as soars his fame;His learning and his virtue, which, enshrinedIn every heart, the whole world doth acclaim,Absent and present both alike astound,Whether in near or distant nations found.High Phoebus an acquaintance doth possess—Acquaintance say I? Nay, a trusty friend,In whom alone he findeth happiness,A treasurer of knowledge without end;'Tis he who of set purpose doth repressHimself, so that his all he may not spend,DIEGODURÁN,[139]in whom we ever find,And shall find, wisdom, worth, and force of mind.But who is he who sings his agoniesWith voice resounding, and with matchless taste?Phoebus, and sage Arion, Orpheus wise,Find ever their abode within his breast;E'en from the realms where first the dawn doth rise,Unto the distant regions of the west.Is he renowned and loved right loyally,For, LÓPEZMALDONADO,[140]thou art he.Who could the praises, shepherds mine, reciteOf him ye love, a shepherd crowned by fame,Brightest of all the shepherds that are bright,Who is to all known by FILIDA'Sname?The skill, the learning and the choice delight,The rare intelligence, the heart aflame,Of LUIS DEMONTALVO[141]aye assureGlory and honour whilst the heavens endure.His temples now let holy Ebro bindWith ivy evergreen and olive white,And with acanthus golden, may he findIn joyous song his fame forever bright:The fruitful Nile hath his renown resigned,For Ebro's ancient worth to such a heightPEDRO DELIÑÁN'S[142]subtle pen doth lift,Sum of the bliss which is Apollo's gift.I think upon the lofty soul and rareBy DONALONSO DEVALDÉS[143]possessed,And am spurred on to sing and to declareThat he excels the rarest and the best;This hath he shown already, and more clearBy the elegance and grace wherewith his breastHe doth reveal, with bitter pangs distraught,Praising the ill that cruel Love hath wrought.Before an intellect in wonder bow,Wherein all that the wish can ask is found.An intellect, that though it liveth nowOn earth, is with the pomp of Heaven crowned;All that I see and hear and read and knowOf PEDRO DEPADILLA[144]the renowned,Whether he treat of peace or war's alarm,Brings fresh delight and wonder by its charm.GASPARALFONSO,[145]thou who wingst thy flightUnto the immortal realms, so orderestThat I can scarce thy praises all recite,If I must praise thee as thou meritest;The pleasing, fruitful plants that on the heightOf our renowned Parnassus find their nest,All offer wealthy laurels for a crownTo circle and adorn thy brows alone.Of CRISTOVAL DEMESA[146]I can sayThat to your vale he will an honour be;While he is living, nay, when life awayHath fled, still ye can praise him fittingly;His lofty weighty style can win to-dayRenown and honour, and the melodyOf his heroic verse, though silent fameRemain, and I remember not his name.DONPEDRO DERIBERA[147]doth, ye know,Wealth to your banks, and beauty, shepherds, bring,Wherefore give him the honour that ye owe,For I will be the first his praise to sing:His virtue, his sweet muse doth clearly showA noble subject, where, on noisy wing,Fame, hundred thousand fames, their powers might spendAnd strive his praises only to extend.Thou, who didst bring the treasure manifoldOf verse in a new form the shores untoOf the fair fruitful stream, whose bed of goldMaketh it famous wheresoe'er it flow,Thy glorious fame I promise to upholdWith the applause and reverence that we oweTo thee, CALDERA,[148]and thy peerless mind;With laurel, ivy, I thy brows shall bind.Let fame, and let the memory I possess,For ever famous make the memoryOf him who hath transformed to lovelinessThe glory of our Christian poesy;The knowledge and the charm let all confess,From the dayspring to where the day doth die,Of great FRANCISCO DEGUZMÁN,[149]whose areThe arts of Phoebus as the arts of war.Of the Captain SALCEDO[150]'tis quite clearThat his celestial genius doth attainUnto the point most lofty, keen and rare,That can be fancied by the thought of man;If I compare him, him I do compareUnto himself—Comparisons, 'tis plain,Are useless, and to measure worth so true,All measures must be faulty, or askew.By reason of the wit and curious graceOf TOMÁS DEGRACIÁN,[151]I pray, permitThat I should choose within this vale a placeWhich shall his virtue, knowledge, worth, befit;And if it run with his deserts apace,'Twill be so lofty and so exquisiteThat few, methinks, may hope with him to vie,His genius and his virtues soar so high.Fain would BAPTISTA DEVIVAR[152]you praise,Sisters, with unpremeditated lyre;Such grace, discretion, prudence, he displays,That, muses though ye be, ye can admire;He will not hymn Narcissus in his laysNor the disdains that lonely Echo tire,But he will sing his cares which had their birth'Twixt sad forgetfulness and hope of mirth.Now terror new, now new alarm and fearCometh upon me and o'erpowereth me,Only because I would, yet cannot bearUnto the loftiest heights of dignityGrave BALTASAR, who doth as surname wearTOLEDO,[153]though my fancy whispereth meThat of his learned quill the lofty flightMust bear him soon to the empyrean height.There is a mind wherein experience showsThat knowledge findeth fitting dwelling-place,Not only in ripe age amidst the snows,But in green years, in early youthful days;With no man shall I argue, or opposeA truth so plain, the more because my praise,If it perchance unto his ears be brought,Thine honour hath, LOPE DEVEGA,[154]sought.Now holy Betis to my fancy's eyePresents himself with peaceful olive crowned,Making his plaint that I have passed him by,—His angry words now in my ears resound—He asks that in this narrative, where ISpeak of rare intellects, place should be foundFor those that dwell upon his banks, and soWith voice sonorous I his will shall do.But what am I to do? For when I seekTo start, a thousand wonders I divine.Many a Pindus' or Parnassus' peak,And choirs of lovelier sisters than the nine,Whereat my lofty spirits faint and weakBecome, and more when by some strange designI hear a sound repeated as in echo,Whene'er the name is namèd of PACHECO.[155]PACHECO'tis whom Phoebus calls his friend,On whom he and my sisters so discreetDid from his feeble tender years attendWith new affection and new converse sweet;I too his genius and his writings sendBy strange paths never trod by mortal feet,And ever have sent, till they rise on highUnto the loftiest place of dignity.Unto this pass I come, that, though I singWith all my powers divine HERRERA'S[156]praise,My wearied toil but little fruit will bring,Although to the fifth sphere my words him raise;But, should friendship's suspicions to me cling,Upon his works and his true glory gaze,HERNANDOdoth by learning all enthralFrom Ganges unto Nile, from pole to pole.FERNANDOwould I name to you againDECANGAS[157]surnamed, whom the world admires.Through whom the learning lives and doth sustainItself that to the hallowed bays aspires;If there be any intellect that fainWould lift its gaze to the celestial fires,Let it but gaze on him, and it will findThe loftiest and the most ingenious mind.Concerning CRISTÓVAL, who hath the nameOfDEVILLAROEL,[158]ye must believeThat he full well deserveth that his nameNe'er should oblivion's gloomy waters cleave;His wit let all admire, his worth acclaimWith awe, his wit and worth let all receiveAs the most exquisite we can discover,Where'er the sun doth shine, or earth doth cover.The streams of eloquence which did of oldFlow from the breast of stately Cicero,Which, gladdening the Athenian people bold,Did honour on Demosthenes bestow,The minds o'er whom Time hath already rolled—Who bore themselves so proudly long ago—Master FRANCISCO DEMEDINA,[159]nowLet them before thy lofty learning bow.Rightly thou canst, renownèd Betis, nowWith Mincio, Arno, and with Tiber vie,Uplift in happiness thy hallowed brow,And spread thee in new bosoms spaciously:Since Heaven wished, that doth thy bliss allow,Such fame to give thee, honour, dignity,As he doth bring unto thy banks so fair,BALTASAR DELALCÁZAR,[160]who dwells there.Another ye will see, summed up in whomApollo's rarest learning will ye see,Which doth the semblance of itself assume,When spread through countless others it may be;In him 'tis greater, in him it doth comeTo such a height of excellence that he,The Licentiate MOSQUERA[161]well can claimTo rival e'en Apollo's self in fame.Behold! yon prudent man who doth adornAnd deck with sciences his limpid breast,Shrinks not from gazing on the fountain bornIn wisdom's waters from our mountain's crest;In the clear peerless stream he doth not scornTo quench his thirst, and thus thou flourishest,DOMINGO DEBECERRA,[162]here on earth,For all recount the mighty doctor's worth.Words I might speak of famous ESPINEL[163]That pass beyond the wit of human kind,Concerning all the sciences that dwell,Nurtured by Phoebus' breath, within his mind;But since my tongue the least part cannot tellOf the great things that in my soul I find,I say no more save that he doth aspireTo Heaven, whether he take his pen or lyre.If ruddy Phoebus ye would fain espyWith blood-red Mars in equal balance weighed,On great CARRANZA[164]seek to cast an eye,In whom each hath his constant dwelling made;With such discretion, art, dexterity,Hath he his power o'er pen and lance displayedThat the dexterity once cleft apartHe hath brought back to science and to art.Of LÁZAROLUISIRANZO,[165]lyreThan mine must needs be tuned with better art,To sing the good that Heaven doth inspire,The worth that Heaven fosters in his heart:By Mars' and Phoebus' path he doth inspireTo climb unto the lofty heights apartWhere human thought scarce reacheth, yet, despiteFortune and fate, he will reach them aright.BALTASAR DEESCOBAR,[166]who doth adornThe famèd shores of Tiber's stream to-day,Whom the broad banks of hallowed Betis mourn,Their beauty lost when he is far away,A fertile wit, if he perchance returnTo his beloved native land, I payUnto his youthful and his honoured browThe laurel and the honour that I owe.JUANSANZ, calledDEZUMETA,[167]with what power,What honour, palm, or laurel shall be crowned,If from the Indian to the ruddy MoorNo muse as his so perfect can be found?Here I anew his fame to him restoreBy telling you, my shepherds, how profoundWill be Apollo's joy at any praiseWhich ye may bring to swell ZUMETA'Spraise.Unto JUAN DE LASCUEVAS[168]fitting placeGive, shepherds, whensoever in this spotHe shall present himself. His muse's graceAnd his rare wit this prize for him have wrought;His works I know, though Time may flee apace,In Time's despite, shall never be forgot,From dread oblivion they shall free his name,Which shall abide with bright and lofty fame.If him ye ever see, with honour greetThe famous man, of whom I now shall tell,And celebrate his praise in verses sweet,As one who doth therein so much excel;BIBALDOhe—to make my tale complete,ADAMBIBALDO[169]—who doth gild and swellThe glory of this happy age of oursWith the choice bloom of intellectual powers.E'en as is wont to be with varied flowersAdorned and wealthy made the flowery May,With many varied sciences and powersDONJUANAGUAYO'S[170]intellect is gay;Though I in praising him might pass the hours,I say but this, that I now but essay,And at another time I shall unfoldThings that your hearts with wonderment will hold.DONJUANGUTIÉRREZRUFO'S[171]famous nameI wish in deathless memory to live,That wise and foolish may alike acclaimIn wonderment his noble narrative;Let hallowed Betis give to him the fameHis style doth merit, let them glory giveTo him, who know, may Heaven with renownEqual unto his towering flight him crown.In DONLUIS DEGÓNGORA[172]I showA rare and lively wit that hath no peer,His works delight me, their wealth I bestowNot on myself alone, but everywhere;And if I merit aught, because ye knowMy love for you, see that your praises bearTo endless life his lofty love profoundDespite the flight of time and death's cruel wound.Let the green laurel, let the ivy green,Nay, let the sturdy holm-oak crown the browOf GONZALOCERVANTES,[173]for I weenWorthy of being crowned therewith art thou;More than Apollo's learning in thee seen,In thee doth Mars the burning ardour showOf his mad rage, yet with so just a measureThat through thee he inspireth dread and pleasure.Thou, who with thy sweet plectrum didst extolCelidon's name and glory everywhere,Whose wondrous and well-polished verses callThee unto laurels and to triumphs fair.GONZALOGRACIÁN,[174]take the coronal,Sceptre and throne from her who holds thee dear.In token that the bard of CelidonDeserveth to be Lord of Helicon.Thou, Darro, far renownèd stream of gold,How well thou canst thyself exalt on high,And with new current and new strength, behold,Thou canst e'en with remote Hydaspes vie!MATEO DEBERRÍO[175]maketh boldTo honour thee with every facultySo that through him e'en now the voice of fameDoth spread abroad through all the world thy name.Of laurel green a coronal entwine,That ye therewith the worthy brows may crownOf SOTOBARAHONA,[176]shepherds mine,A man of wisdom, eloquence, renown;Although the holy flood, the fount divineOf Helicon, should BARAHONAdrown,Mysterious chance! he yet would come to sightAs if he were upon Parnassus' height.Within the realms antarctic I might sayThat sovereign minds eternal fame attain,For if these realms abound in wealth to-day,Minds more than human also they contain;In many now I can this truth display,But I can give you plenteous store in twain,One from New Spain, he an Apollo new,The other, a sun unrivalled from Peru.FRANCISCO DETERRAZAS[177]is the nameOf one, renowned in Spain and in the West,New Hippocrene his noble heart aflameHath given to his happy native nest;Unto the other cometh equal fame,Since by his heavenly genius he hath blestFar Arequipa with eternal spring—DIEGOMARTÍNEZ DERIBERA[178]I sing.Beneath a happy star a radiance brightHere did flash forth, so rich in signal worthThat his renown its tiniest spark of lightFrom East to West hath spread o'er all the earth;And when this light was born, all valorous mightWas born therewith, PICADO[179]had his birth,Even my brother, Pallas' brother too,Whose living semblance we in him did view.If I must give the glory due to thee,Great ALONSO DEESTRADA,[180]thou to-dayDeservest that I should not hurriedlyThy wisdom and thy wondrous mind display;Thou dost enrich the land that ceaselesslyTo Betis doth a bounteous tribute pay,Unequal the exchange, for no rewardCan payment for so fair a debt afford.DONJUAN, Heaven gave thee as the rare delightOf this fair country with no grudging hand,ÁVALOS'glory, and RIBERA'S[181]light,Honour of Spain, of every foreign land,Blest Spain, wherein with many a radiance brightThy works shall teach the world to understandAll that Nature can give us, rich and free,Of genius bright and rare nobility.He who is happy in his native land,In Limar's limpid waters revelling,The cooling winds and the renownèd strandWith his divinest verses gladdening,—Let him come, straightway ye will understandFrom his spirit and discretion why I sing,For SANCHO DERIBERA[182]everywhereIs Phoebus' self and Mars without a peer.A Homer new this vale of high renownDid once upon a time from Betis wrest,On whom of wit and gallantry the crownWe can bestow—his greatness is confessed;The Graces moulded him to be their own,Heaven sendeth him in every grace the best,Your Tagus' banks already know his fame,PEDRO DEMONTESDOCA[183]is his name.Wonder the illustrious DIEGO DEAGUILAR[184]In everything the wish can ask inspires,A royal eagle he, who flieth farUnto a height whereto no man aspires;His pen 'mongst thousands wins the spoil of war,For before it the loftiest retires,Guanuco will his style, his valour tellOf such renown; Guanuco knows it well.A GONZALOFERNÁNDEZ[185]draweth near,A mighty captain in Apollo's host.In whose heroic name that hath no peer,SOTOMAYORto-day doth make his boast;His verse is wondrous and his wisdom clearWhere'er he is beheld from coast to coast,And if his pen doth so much joy afford,He is no less renownèd by his sword.HENRIQUEGARCÉS[186]the Peruvian landEnricheth. There with sweet melodious rhyme,With cunning, skilful, and with ready hand,In him the hardest task did highest climb;New speech, new praise he to the Tuscan grandHath given in the sweet Spanish of our time;Who shall the greatest praises from him take,E'en though Petrarch himself again awake?FERNÁNDEZ DEPINEDA'S[187]talent rareAnd excellent, and his immortal veinMake him to be in no small part the heirOf Hippocrene's waters without stain;Since whatsoe'er he would therefrom, is ne'erDenied him, since such glory he doth gainIn the far West, let him here claim the partHe now deserveth for his mind and art.And thou that hast thy native Betis made,With envy filled, to murmur righteously,That thy sweet tuneful song hath been displayedUnto another earth, another sky,Noble JUAN DEMESTANZA,[188]undismayedRejoice, for whilst the fourth Heaven shall supplyIts light, thy name, resplendent in its worth,Shall be without a peer o'er all the earth.All that can e'er in a sweet vein be foundOf charm, ye will in one man only find,Who bridleth to his muse's gladsome soundThe ocean's madness and the hurrying wind;For BALTASAR DEORENA[189]is renowned,From pole to pole his fame, swift as the wind,Doth run, and from the East unto the West,True honour he of our Parnassus' crest.A fruitful and a precious plant I knowThat hath been to the highest mountain foundIn Thessaly transplanted thence, and, lo!A plant ere this with happy fruitage crowned;Shall I be still nor tell what fame doth showOf PEDRO DEALVARADO[190]the renowned?Renowned, yet no less brightly doth he shine,For rare on earth is such a mind divine.Thou, who with thy new muse of wondrous graceArt of the moods of love, CAIRASCO,[191]singing,And of that common varying fickleness,Where cowards 'gainst the brave themselves are flinging;If from the Grand Canary to this placeThou art thy quick and noble ardour bringing,A thousand laurels, for thou hast deserved,My shepherds offer, praises well-deserved.What man, time-honoured Tormes, would denyThat thou canst e'en the Nile itself excel,If VEGAin thy praises can outvieE'en Tityrus who did of Mincio tell?DAMIÁN,[192]I know thy genius riseth highTo where this honour doth thine honours swell,For my experience of many yearsThy knowledge and thy virtue choice declares.Although thy genius and thy winning grace,FRANCISCOSÁNCHEZ,[193]were to give me leave,If I dared form the wish to hymn thy praise,Censure should I for lack of skill receive;None but a master-tongue, whose dwelling placeIs in the heavens, can be the tongue to achieveThe lengthy course and of thy praises speak,For human tongue is for this task too weak.The things that an exalted spirit show,The things that are so rare, so new in style,Which fame, esteem, and knowledge bring to viewBy hundred thousand proofs of wit and toil,Cause me to give the praises that are dueTo DONFRANCISCO DE LASCUEVAS,[194]whileFame that proclaims the tidings everywhere,Seeks not to linger in her swift career.At such a time as this I would have crownedMy sweet song gladly, shepherds, with the praiseOf one whose genius doth the world astound,And could your senses ravish and amaze;In him the union and the sum is foundOf all I have praised and have yet to praise;FRAYLUIS DELEÓN[195]it is I sing,Whom I love and adore, to whom I cling.What means, what ways of praise shall I achieve,What pathways that yon great MATÍAS'nameMay in the world for countless ages live,Who hath ZUÑIGA[196]for his other name?Unto him all my praises let me give,Though he is man and I immortal am,Because his genius truly is divine,Worthily praise and honour in him shine.Turn ye the thought that passeth speedilyUnto Pisuerga's lovely banks divine,Ye will see how the lofty minds wherebyThey are adorned, enrich this tale of mine;And not the banks alone, but e'en the sky,Wherein the stars resplendent ever shine,Itself assuredly can honour claim,When it receives the men whom now I name.Thou, DAMASIO DEFRÍAS,[197]canst aloneThy praises utter, for, although our chief,Even Apollo's self should praise thee, noneBut could be in thy praises all too brief;Thou art the pole-star that hath ever shoneCertain and sure, that sendeth sweet reliefFrom storm, and favouring gales, and safe to shoreBrings him who saileth wisdom's ocean o'er.ANDRÉSSANZ DELPORTILLO,[198]send to meThat breath, I pray, whereby Phoebus doth moveThy learned pen, and lofty fantasy,That I may praise thee as it doth behove;For my rough tongue will never able be,Whate'er the ways it here may try and prove,To find a way of praising as I wouldAll that I feel and see in thee of good.Happiest of minds, thou towerest in thy flightAbove Apollo's highest, with thy raySo bright, thou givest to our darkness light,Thou guidest us, however far we stray;And though thou dost now blind me with thy lightAnd hast my mind o'erwhelmèd with dismay,Glory beyond the rest I give to thee,For, SORIA,[199]glory thou hast given to me.If, famous CANTORAL,[200]so rich a meedOf praise thy works achieve in every part,Thou of my praises wilt have little need,Unless I praise thee with new mode and art;With words significant of noble deed,With all the skill that Heaven doth impart,I marvel, praise in silence, thus I reachA height I cannot hope to gain by speech.If I to sing thy praise have long delayed,Thou, VACA Y DEQUIÑONES,[201]mayst forgiveThe past forgetfulness I have displayedAnd the repentance I now show receive,For with loud cries and proclamation madeO'er the broad world this task I shall achieveIn open and in secret, that thy fameShall spread abroad, and brightly gleam thy name.Thy rich and verdant strand no juniperEnricheth, nor sad cypress; but a crownOf laurels and of myrtles it doth wear,Bright Ebro, rich in waters and renown,As best I can, I now thy praise declare,Praising that bliss which Heaven hath sent downUnto thy banks, for geniuses more brightDwell on thy banks e'en than the stars of night.Two brothers witnesses will be thereto,Two daysprings they, twin suns of poesy,On whom all that it could of art bestowAnd genius, Heaven lavished bounteously;Thoughts of wise age, though still in youthful glow,Converse mature, and lovely fantasy,Fashion a worthy, deathless aureolaFor LUPERCIOLEONARDO DEARGENSOLA.[202]With envy blest, in holy rivalryMethinks the younger brother doth aspireTo match the elder, since he riseth highTo where no human eye e'er riseth higher;Wherefore he writes and sings melodiouslyHistories countless with so sweet a lyreThat young BARTOLOMÉ[203]hath well deservedWhatever for LUPERCIOis reserved.If good beginning and a sequence fairInspire the hope of an illustrious closeIn everything, my mind may now declareThat thus thou shalt exalt o'er all its foes,COSMEPARIENTE.[204]Thus thou canst with rareConfidence to thy wise and noble browsPromise the crown that rightly hath been gainedBy thy bright intellect and life unstained.MURILLO,[205]thou dost dwell in solitude,Heaven thy companion, and dost there displayThat other muses, cleverer and more good,Ne'er leave thy Christian side and go away;Thou from my sisters didst receive thy food,And now thou dost, this kindness to repay,Guide us and teach us heavenly things to sing,Pleasing to Heaven, and this world profiting.Turia, who loudly didst of old proclaimThe excellence of the children born to thee,If thou shouldst hearken to the words I frame,Moved by no envy, by no rivalry.Thou wilt hear how by those whom I shall name,Thy fame is bettered; their presence with thee,Their valour, virtue, genius, are thy dower,And make thee o'er Indus and Ganges tower.DONJUANCOLOMA,[206]thou within whose breastHath been enclosed so much of Heaven's grace,Who hast with bridle stern envy repressed,And given to fame a thousand tongues to blaze,From Tagus to the kingdom fruitfulest,Abroad thy name and worth in words of praise,COUNT DEELDA, blest in all, thou dost bestowOn Turia greater fame than that of Po.He in whose breast a spring that is divineThrough him, doth ever copiously abound,To whom his choir of flashing lights incline,And rightly—they their Lord in him have found—Who should by all, from Ethiop 'neath the LineTo Eskimo, with name unique be crowned,DONLUISGARCERÁN[207]is peerless, bright,Grand Master of Montesa, world's delight.Within this famous vale he should receiveA place illustrious, an abode renowned,He to whom fame the name would gladly giveWherewith his intellect is fitly crowned;Be it the care of Heaven to achieveHis praise—from Heaven comes his worth profound—And laud what is beyond my facultiesIn DONALONSOREBOLLEDO[208]wise.DOCTORFALCÓN,[209]so lofty is thy flightThat thou beyond the lordly eagle highDost rise; thy genius unto Heaven's heightAscends, leaving this vale of misery;Wherefore I fear, wherefore I dread arightThat, though I praise thee, thou wilt yet espyCause of complaint in that for nights and daysMy voice and tongue I use not in thy praise.If e'en as fortune doth, sweet poesyHad but an ever-changing wheel possessed,Swifter in speed than Dian through the sky,Which was not, is not, ne'er shall be at rest,Thereon let MICERARTIEDA[210]lie—The wheel unchanged the while amid the test—And he would ever keep the topmost placeFor knowledge, intellect, and virtue's grace.The goodly shower of praises thou didst pourUpon the rarest intellects and best.Alone thou meritest and dost secure,Alone thou dost secure and meritest;GILPOLO,[211]let thy hopes be firm and sure,That in this vale thy ashes will find restIn a new tomb by these my shepherds reared,Wherein they will be guarded and revered.CRISÓOBAL DEVIRUES,[212]since thou dost vauntA knowledge and a worth like to thy years,Thyself the genius and the virtue chantWherewith thou fleest the world's beguiling fears;A fruitful land and a well-nurtured plant—In Spain and foreign lands I shall rehearseAnd for the fruit of thy exalted mindWin fame and honour and affection kind.If like unto the mind he doth displaySILVESTRE DEESPINOSA'S[213]praise must be,A voice more skilled were needed and more gayA longer time and greater faculty;But since my voice he guideth on the way,This guerdon true shall I bestow, that heMay have the blessing Delos' god doth bringTo the choice flood of Hippocrene's spring.The world adorning as he comes in viewAmongst them an Apollo I behold,GARCIAROMERO,[214]discreet, gallant too,Worthiest of being in this list enrolled;If dark Peneus' child, whose story trueHath been in Ovid's chronicles retold,Had found him in the plains of Thessaly,Not laurel, but ROMERO[215]would she be.It breaks the silence and the hallowed bound,Pierces the air, and riseth to the sky,The heavenly, hallowed, and heroic soundThat speaks in FRAYPEDRO DEHUETE'S[216]cry;Of his exalted intellect profoundFame sang, sings and shall sing unceasingly,Taking his works as witness of her songTo spread amazement all the world among.Needs must I now to the last end draw near,And of the greatest deed I e'er designedMake a beginning now, which shall, I fear,Move unto bitter wrath Apollo kind;Since, although style be wanting, I prepareTo praise with rustic and untutored mindTwo suns that Spain, the country of their birth,Illumine, and moreover all the earth.Apollo's hallowed, honourable lore,Discretion of a courtier mature,And years well-spent, experience, which a storeOf countless prudent counsels doth assure,Acuteness of intellect, a ready powerTo mark and to resolve whate'er obscureDifficulty and doubt before them comes,—Each of these in these twin suns only blooms.Now, shepherds, I in these two poets findAn epilogue to this my lengthy lay;Though I for them the praises have designedWhich ye have heard, I do not them repay;For unto them is debtor every mind,From them I win contentment every day,Contentment from them winneth all the earthE'en wonder, for 'tis Heaven gives them birth.In them I wish to end my melody,Yet I begin an admiration new,And if ye think I go too far, when ISay who they are, behold, I vanquish you;By them I am exalted to the sky,And without them shame ever is my due;'Tis LÁINEZ,[217]FIGUEROA[218]'tis I nameWorthy eternal and unceasing fame.
CALLIOPE'S SONG.
To the sweet sound of my harmonious lyre,Shepherds, I pray you lend attentive ear,The hallowed breath of the Castalian choirBreathing therein and in my voice ye'll hear:Lo! it will make you wonder and admireWith souls enraptured and with happy fear,What time I do recount to you on earthThe geniuses that Heaven claims for their worth.
It is my purpose but of those to singOf whose life Fate hath not yet cut the thread,Of those who rightly merit ye should bringTheir ashes to this place when they are dead,Where, despite busy Time on hasty wing,Through this praiseworthy duty renderèdBy you, for countless years may live their fame,Their radiant work, and their renownèd name.
And he who doth with righteous title meritOf high renown to win a noble store,Is DONALONSO;[118]he 'tis doth inheritFrom holy Phoebus heavenly wisdom's flower,In whom shineth with lofty glow the spiritOf warlike Mars, and his unrivalled power,LEIVAhis surname in whose glorious soundItaly, Spain herself, hath lustre found.
Arauco's wars and Spanish worth hath sungAnother who the name ALONSOhath.Far hath he wandered all the realms amongWhere Glaucus dwells, and felt his furious wrath;His voice was not untuned, nor was his tongue,For full of strange and wondrous grace were both,Wherefore ERCILLA[119]doth deserve to gainMemorial everlasting in this plain.
Of JUAN DESILVA[120]I to you declareThat he deserves all glory and all praise,Not only for that Phoebus holds him dear,But for the worth that is in him always;Thereto his works a testimony clearWill be, wherein his intellect doth blazeWith brightness which illumineth the eyesOf fools, dazzling at times the keen and wise.
Be the rich number of my list increasedBy him to whom Heaven doth such favour showThat by the breath of Phoebus is his breastSustained, and by Mars' valour here below;Thou matchest Homer, if thou purposestTo write, thy pen unto such heights doth go,DIEGOOSORIO,[121]that to all mankindTruly is known thy loftiness of mind.
By all the ways whereby much-speaking fameA cavalier illustrious can praise,By these it doth his glorious worth proclaim,His deeds the while setting his name ablaze;His lively wit, his virtue doth inflameMore than one tongue from height to height to raiseFRANCISCO DEMENDOZA'S[122]high career,Nor doth the flight of time bring them to fear.
Happy DONDIEGO, DESARMIENTO[123]bright,CARVAJALfamous, nursling of our choir,Of Hippocrene the radiance and delight,Youthful in years, old in poetic fire;Thy name will go from age to age, despiteThe waters of oblivion, rising higher,Made famous by thy works, from grace to grace,From tongue to tongue, and from race unto race.
Now chief of all I would to you displayRipeness of intellect in tender years,Gallantry, skill that no man can gainsay,A bearing courteous, worth that knows no fears;One that in Tuscan, as in Spanish, mayHis talent show, as he who did rehearseThe tale of Este's line and did enthral,And he is DONGUTIERRECARVAJAL.[124]
LUIS DEVARGAS,[125]thou in whom I seeA genius ripe in thy few tender days,Strive thou to win the prize of victory,The guerdon of my sisters and their praise;So near are thou thereto, that thou to meSeemest triumphant, for in countless waysVirtuous and wise, thou strivest that thy fameMay brightly shine with clear and living flame.
Honour doth Tagus' beauteous bank receiveFrom countless heavenly spirits dwelling there,Who make this present age wherein we live,Than that of Greeks and Romans happier;Concerning them this message do I giveThat they are worthy of sepulture here,And proof thereof their works have to us given,Which point us out the way that leads to Heaven.
Two famous doctors first themselves present,In Phoebus' sciences of foremost name,The twain in age alone are different,In character and wit they are the same;All near and far they fill with wonderment,They win amongst their fellows so much fameBy their exalted wisdom and profoundThat soon they needs must all the world astound.
The name that cometh first into my song,Of the twain whom I now to praise make bold,Is CAMPUZANO,[126]great the great among,Whom as a second Phoebus ye can hold;His lofty wit, his more than human tongue,Doth a new universe to us unfoldOf Indies and of glories better far,As better than gold is wisdom's guiding star.
Doctor SUÁREZis the next I sing,And SOSA[127]is the name he adds thereto—He who with skilful tongue doth everythingThat free from blemish is and best, pursue;Whoso should quench within the wondrous springHis thirst, as he did, will not need to viewWith eye of envy learnèd Homer's praise,Nor his who sang to us of Troy ablaze.
Of Doctor BAZA,[128]if of him I mightSay what I feel, I without doubt maintain,That I would fill all present with delight;His learning, virtue, and his charm are plainFirst have I been to raise him to the heightWhere now he stands, and I am she who fainWould make his name eternal whilst the LordOf Delos shall his radiant light afford.
If fame should bring the tidings to your earOf the strange works a famous mind displays,Conceptions lofty, well-ordered, and clear,Learning that would the listener amaze;Things that the thought checketh in mid career,And tongue cannot express, but straightway stays—Whene'er ye are in trouble and in doubt'Tis the Licentiate DAZA[129]leads you out.
Master GARAI'S[130]melodious works inciteMe to extol him more than all beside;Thou, fame, excelling time of hasty flight,His celebration deem a work of praise;Fame, thou wilt find the fame he gives more brightThan is thine own in spreading far and wideHis praise, for thou must, speaking of his fame,From many-tongued to truthful change thy name.
That intellect, which, leaving far behindMan's greatest, doth to the divine aspire,Which in Castilian doth no pleasure find—The heroic verse of Rome doth him inspire;New Homer in Mantuan new combinedIs Master CÓRDOVA.[131]Worthy his lyreOf praise in happy Spain, in every land,Where shines the sun, where ocean laves the strand.
Doctor FRANCISCODÍAZ,[132]I can wellAssure my shepherds here concerning thee,That with glad heart and joy unspeakableThey can thy praises sing unceasingly;And if I do not on thy praises dwell—The highest is thy due, and worthily—'Tis that our time is short, nor do I knowHow I can e'er repay thee what I owe.
LUJÁN,[133]who with thy toga meritedDost thine own Spain and foreign lands delight.Who with thy sweet and well-known muse dost spreadThy fame abroad to Heaven's loftiest height,Life shall I give thee after thou art dead,And I shall cause, in swift and rapid flight,The fame of thine unequalled mind to rollAnd spread from ours unto the opposing pole.
His lofty mind doth a Licentiate show,And worth,—'tis a beloved friend of yours—I mean JUAN DEVERGARA,[134]whom ye know,An honour to this happy land of ours;By a clear open pathway he doth go,'Tis I that guide aright his steps and powers.Unto his height to rise is my reward,His mind and virtue joy to me afford.
That my bold song may praise and glory gain,Another shall I name to you, from whomMy song to-day shall greater force attainAnd to the height of my desire shall come;And this it is that maketh me refrainFrom more than naming him and finding roomTo sing how lofty genius hath been sungBy DONALONSO DEMORALES'[135]tongue.
Over the rugged steep unto the faneWhere dwelleth fame, there climbs and draweth nearA noble youth, who breaks with might and mainThough every hindrance, though 'tis fraught with fear,And needs must come so nigh that it is plainThat fame doth in prophetic song declareThe laurel which it hath prepared ere now,HERNANDOMALDONADO,[136]is for thy brow.
Adorned with noble laurel here ye seeHis learned brow, who hath such glory foundIn every science, every art, that heO'er all the globe is even now renowned;Oh golden age, oh happy century,With such a man as this worthily crowned!What century, what age doth with thee vie,When MARCOANTONIO DE LAVEGA[137]'s nigh?
A DIEGOis the next I call to mind,Who hath in truth MENDOZA[138]for his name,Worthy that history should her maker findIn him alone, and soar as soars his fame;His learning and his virtue, which, enshrinedIn every heart, the whole world doth acclaim,Absent and present both alike astound,Whether in near or distant nations found.
High Phoebus an acquaintance doth possess—Acquaintance say I? Nay, a trusty friend,In whom alone he findeth happiness,A treasurer of knowledge without end;'Tis he who of set purpose doth repressHimself, so that his all he may not spend,DIEGODURÁN,[139]in whom we ever find,And shall find, wisdom, worth, and force of mind.
But who is he who sings his agoniesWith voice resounding, and with matchless taste?Phoebus, and sage Arion, Orpheus wise,Find ever their abode within his breast;E'en from the realms where first the dawn doth rise,Unto the distant regions of the west.Is he renowned and loved right loyally,For, LÓPEZMALDONADO,[140]thou art he.
Who could the praises, shepherds mine, reciteOf him ye love, a shepherd crowned by fame,Brightest of all the shepherds that are bright,Who is to all known by FILIDA'Sname?The skill, the learning and the choice delight,The rare intelligence, the heart aflame,Of LUIS DEMONTALVO[141]aye assureGlory and honour whilst the heavens endure.
His temples now let holy Ebro bindWith ivy evergreen and olive white,And with acanthus golden, may he findIn joyous song his fame forever bright:The fruitful Nile hath his renown resigned,For Ebro's ancient worth to such a heightPEDRO DELIÑÁN'S[142]subtle pen doth lift,Sum of the bliss which is Apollo's gift.
I think upon the lofty soul and rareBy DONALONSO DEVALDÉS[143]possessed,And am spurred on to sing and to declareThat he excels the rarest and the best;This hath he shown already, and more clearBy the elegance and grace wherewith his breastHe doth reveal, with bitter pangs distraught,Praising the ill that cruel Love hath wrought.
Before an intellect in wonder bow,Wherein all that the wish can ask is found.An intellect, that though it liveth nowOn earth, is with the pomp of Heaven crowned;All that I see and hear and read and knowOf PEDRO DEPADILLA[144]the renowned,Whether he treat of peace or war's alarm,Brings fresh delight and wonder by its charm.
GASPARALFONSO,[145]thou who wingst thy flightUnto the immortal realms, so orderestThat I can scarce thy praises all recite,If I must praise thee as thou meritest;The pleasing, fruitful plants that on the heightOf our renowned Parnassus find their nest,All offer wealthy laurels for a crownTo circle and adorn thy brows alone.
Of CRISTOVAL DEMESA[146]I can sayThat to your vale he will an honour be;While he is living, nay, when life awayHath fled, still ye can praise him fittingly;His lofty weighty style can win to-dayRenown and honour, and the melodyOf his heroic verse, though silent fameRemain, and I remember not his name.
DONPEDRO DERIBERA[147]doth, ye know,Wealth to your banks, and beauty, shepherds, bring,Wherefore give him the honour that ye owe,For I will be the first his praise to sing:His virtue, his sweet muse doth clearly showA noble subject, where, on noisy wing,Fame, hundred thousand fames, their powers might spendAnd strive his praises only to extend.
Thou, who didst bring the treasure manifoldOf verse in a new form the shores untoOf the fair fruitful stream, whose bed of goldMaketh it famous wheresoe'er it flow,Thy glorious fame I promise to upholdWith the applause and reverence that we oweTo thee, CALDERA,[148]and thy peerless mind;With laurel, ivy, I thy brows shall bind.
Let fame, and let the memory I possess,For ever famous make the memoryOf him who hath transformed to lovelinessThe glory of our Christian poesy;The knowledge and the charm let all confess,From the dayspring to where the day doth die,Of great FRANCISCO DEGUZMÁN,[149]whose areThe arts of Phoebus as the arts of war.
Of the Captain SALCEDO[150]'tis quite clearThat his celestial genius doth attainUnto the point most lofty, keen and rare,That can be fancied by the thought of man;If I compare him, him I do compareUnto himself—Comparisons, 'tis plain,Are useless, and to measure worth so true,All measures must be faulty, or askew.
By reason of the wit and curious graceOf TOMÁS DEGRACIÁN,[151]I pray, permitThat I should choose within this vale a placeWhich shall his virtue, knowledge, worth, befit;And if it run with his deserts apace,'Twill be so lofty and so exquisiteThat few, methinks, may hope with him to vie,His genius and his virtues soar so high.
Fain would BAPTISTA DEVIVAR[152]you praise,Sisters, with unpremeditated lyre;Such grace, discretion, prudence, he displays,That, muses though ye be, ye can admire;He will not hymn Narcissus in his laysNor the disdains that lonely Echo tire,But he will sing his cares which had their birth'Twixt sad forgetfulness and hope of mirth.
Now terror new, now new alarm and fearCometh upon me and o'erpowereth me,Only because I would, yet cannot bearUnto the loftiest heights of dignityGrave BALTASAR, who doth as surname wearTOLEDO,[153]though my fancy whispereth meThat of his learned quill the lofty flightMust bear him soon to the empyrean height.
There is a mind wherein experience showsThat knowledge findeth fitting dwelling-place,Not only in ripe age amidst the snows,But in green years, in early youthful days;With no man shall I argue, or opposeA truth so plain, the more because my praise,If it perchance unto his ears be brought,Thine honour hath, LOPE DEVEGA,[154]sought.
Now holy Betis to my fancy's eyePresents himself with peaceful olive crowned,Making his plaint that I have passed him by,—His angry words now in my ears resound—He asks that in this narrative, where ISpeak of rare intellects, place should be foundFor those that dwell upon his banks, and soWith voice sonorous I his will shall do.
But what am I to do? For when I seekTo start, a thousand wonders I divine.Many a Pindus' or Parnassus' peak,And choirs of lovelier sisters than the nine,Whereat my lofty spirits faint and weakBecome, and more when by some strange designI hear a sound repeated as in echo,Whene'er the name is namèd of PACHECO.[155]
PACHECO'tis whom Phoebus calls his friend,On whom he and my sisters so discreetDid from his feeble tender years attendWith new affection and new converse sweet;I too his genius and his writings sendBy strange paths never trod by mortal feet,And ever have sent, till they rise on highUnto the loftiest place of dignity.
Unto this pass I come, that, though I singWith all my powers divine HERRERA'S[156]praise,My wearied toil but little fruit will bring,Although to the fifth sphere my words him raise;But, should friendship's suspicions to me cling,Upon his works and his true glory gaze,HERNANDOdoth by learning all enthralFrom Ganges unto Nile, from pole to pole.
FERNANDOwould I name to you againDECANGAS[157]surnamed, whom the world admires.Through whom the learning lives and doth sustainItself that to the hallowed bays aspires;If there be any intellect that fainWould lift its gaze to the celestial fires,Let it but gaze on him, and it will findThe loftiest and the most ingenious mind.
Concerning CRISTÓVAL, who hath the nameOfDEVILLAROEL,[158]ye must believeThat he full well deserveth that his nameNe'er should oblivion's gloomy waters cleave;His wit let all admire, his worth acclaimWith awe, his wit and worth let all receiveAs the most exquisite we can discover,Where'er the sun doth shine, or earth doth cover.
The streams of eloquence which did of oldFlow from the breast of stately Cicero,Which, gladdening the Athenian people bold,Did honour on Demosthenes bestow,The minds o'er whom Time hath already rolled—Who bore themselves so proudly long ago—Master FRANCISCO DEMEDINA,[159]nowLet them before thy lofty learning bow.
Rightly thou canst, renownèd Betis, nowWith Mincio, Arno, and with Tiber vie,Uplift in happiness thy hallowed brow,And spread thee in new bosoms spaciously:Since Heaven wished, that doth thy bliss allow,Such fame to give thee, honour, dignity,As he doth bring unto thy banks so fair,BALTASAR DELALCÁZAR,[160]who dwells there.
Another ye will see, summed up in whomApollo's rarest learning will ye see,Which doth the semblance of itself assume,When spread through countless others it may be;In him 'tis greater, in him it doth comeTo such a height of excellence that he,The Licentiate MOSQUERA[161]well can claimTo rival e'en Apollo's self in fame.
Behold! yon prudent man who doth adornAnd deck with sciences his limpid breast,Shrinks not from gazing on the fountain bornIn wisdom's waters from our mountain's crest;In the clear peerless stream he doth not scornTo quench his thirst, and thus thou flourishest,DOMINGO DEBECERRA,[162]here on earth,For all recount the mighty doctor's worth.
Words I might speak of famous ESPINEL[163]That pass beyond the wit of human kind,Concerning all the sciences that dwell,Nurtured by Phoebus' breath, within his mind;But since my tongue the least part cannot tellOf the great things that in my soul I find,I say no more save that he doth aspireTo Heaven, whether he take his pen or lyre.
If ruddy Phoebus ye would fain espyWith blood-red Mars in equal balance weighed,On great CARRANZA[164]seek to cast an eye,In whom each hath his constant dwelling made;With such discretion, art, dexterity,Hath he his power o'er pen and lance displayedThat the dexterity once cleft apartHe hath brought back to science and to art.
Of LÁZAROLUISIRANZO,[165]lyreThan mine must needs be tuned with better art,To sing the good that Heaven doth inspire,The worth that Heaven fosters in his heart:By Mars' and Phoebus' path he doth inspireTo climb unto the lofty heights apartWhere human thought scarce reacheth, yet, despiteFortune and fate, he will reach them aright.
BALTASAR DEESCOBAR,[166]who doth adornThe famèd shores of Tiber's stream to-day,Whom the broad banks of hallowed Betis mourn,Their beauty lost when he is far away,A fertile wit, if he perchance returnTo his beloved native land, I payUnto his youthful and his honoured browThe laurel and the honour that I owe.
JUANSANZ, calledDEZUMETA,[167]with what power,What honour, palm, or laurel shall be crowned,If from the Indian to the ruddy MoorNo muse as his so perfect can be found?Here I anew his fame to him restoreBy telling you, my shepherds, how profoundWill be Apollo's joy at any praiseWhich ye may bring to swell ZUMETA'Spraise.
Unto JUAN DE LASCUEVAS[168]fitting placeGive, shepherds, whensoever in this spotHe shall present himself. His muse's graceAnd his rare wit this prize for him have wrought;His works I know, though Time may flee apace,In Time's despite, shall never be forgot,From dread oblivion they shall free his name,Which shall abide with bright and lofty fame.
If him ye ever see, with honour greetThe famous man, of whom I now shall tell,And celebrate his praise in verses sweet,As one who doth therein so much excel;BIBALDOhe—to make my tale complete,ADAMBIBALDO[169]—who doth gild and swellThe glory of this happy age of oursWith the choice bloom of intellectual powers.
E'en as is wont to be with varied flowersAdorned and wealthy made the flowery May,With many varied sciences and powersDONJUANAGUAYO'S[170]intellect is gay;Though I in praising him might pass the hours,I say but this, that I now but essay,And at another time I shall unfoldThings that your hearts with wonderment will hold.
DONJUANGUTIÉRREZRUFO'S[171]famous nameI wish in deathless memory to live,That wise and foolish may alike acclaimIn wonderment his noble narrative;Let hallowed Betis give to him the fameHis style doth merit, let them glory giveTo him, who know, may Heaven with renownEqual unto his towering flight him crown.
In DONLUIS DEGÓNGORA[172]I showA rare and lively wit that hath no peer,His works delight me, their wealth I bestowNot on myself alone, but everywhere;And if I merit aught, because ye knowMy love for you, see that your praises bearTo endless life his lofty love profoundDespite the flight of time and death's cruel wound.
Let the green laurel, let the ivy green,Nay, let the sturdy holm-oak crown the browOf GONZALOCERVANTES,[173]for I weenWorthy of being crowned therewith art thou;More than Apollo's learning in thee seen,In thee doth Mars the burning ardour showOf his mad rage, yet with so just a measureThat through thee he inspireth dread and pleasure.
Thou, who with thy sweet plectrum didst extolCelidon's name and glory everywhere,Whose wondrous and well-polished verses callThee unto laurels and to triumphs fair.GONZALOGRACIÁN,[174]take the coronal,Sceptre and throne from her who holds thee dear.In token that the bard of CelidonDeserveth to be Lord of Helicon.
Thou, Darro, far renownèd stream of gold,How well thou canst thyself exalt on high,And with new current and new strength, behold,Thou canst e'en with remote Hydaspes vie!MATEO DEBERRÍO[175]maketh boldTo honour thee with every facultySo that through him e'en now the voice of fameDoth spread abroad through all the world thy name.
Of laurel green a coronal entwine,That ye therewith the worthy brows may crownOf SOTOBARAHONA,[176]shepherds mine,A man of wisdom, eloquence, renown;Although the holy flood, the fount divineOf Helicon, should BARAHONAdrown,Mysterious chance! he yet would come to sightAs if he were upon Parnassus' height.
Within the realms antarctic I might sayThat sovereign minds eternal fame attain,For if these realms abound in wealth to-day,Minds more than human also they contain;In many now I can this truth display,But I can give you plenteous store in twain,One from New Spain, he an Apollo new,The other, a sun unrivalled from Peru.
FRANCISCO DETERRAZAS[177]is the nameOf one, renowned in Spain and in the West,New Hippocrene his noble heart aflameHath given to his happy native nest;Unto the other cometh equal fame,Since by his heavenly genius he hath blestFar Arequipa with eternal spring—DIEGOMARTÍNEZ DERIBERA[178]I sing.
Beneath a happy star a radiance brightHere did flash forth, so rich in signal worthThat his renown its tiniest spark of lightFrom East to West hath spread o'er all the earth;And when this light was born, all valorous mightWas born therewith, PICADO[179]had his birth,Even my brother, Pallas' brother too,Whose living semblance we in him did view.
If I must give the glory due to thee,Great ALONSO DEESTRADA,[180]thou to-dayDeservest that I should not hurriedlyThy wisdom and thy wondrous mind display;Thou dost enrich the land that ceaselesslyTo Betis doth a bounteous tribute pay,Unequal the exchange, for no rewardCan payment for so fair a debt afford.
DONJUAN, Heaven gave thee as the rare delightOf this fair country with no grudging hand,ÁVALOS'glory, and RIBERA'S[181]light,Honour of Spain, of every foreign land,Blest Spain, wherein with many a radiance brightThy works shall teach the world to understandAll that Nature can give us, rich and free,Of genius bright and rare nobility.
He who is happy in his native land,In Limar's limpid waters revelling,The cooling winds and the renownèd strandWith his divinest verses gladdening,—Let him come, straightway ye will understandFrom his spirit and discretion why I sing,For SANCHO DERIBERA[182]everywhereIs Phoebus' self and Mars without a peer.
A Homer new this vale of high renownDid once upon a time from Betis wrest,On whom of wit and gallantry the crownWe can bestow—his greatness is confessed;The Graces moulded him to be their own,Heaven sendeth him in every grace the best,Your Tagus' banks already know his fame,PEDRO DEMONTESDOCA[183]is his name.
Wonder the illustrious DIEGO DEAGUILAR[184]In everything the wish can ask inspires,A royal eagle he, who flieth farUnto a height whereto no man aspires;His pen 'mongst thousands wins the spoil of war,For before it the loftiest retires,Guanuco will his style, his valour tellOf such renown; Guanuco knows it well.
A GONZALOFERNÁNDEZ[185]draweth near,A mighty captain in Apollo's host.In whose heroic name that hath no peer,SOTOMAYORto-day doth make his boast;His verse is wondrous and his wisdom clearWhere'er he is beheld from coast to coast,And if his pen doth so much joy afford,He is no less renownèd by his sword.
HENRIQUEGARCÉS[186]the Peruvian landEnricheth. There with sweet melodious rhyme,With cunning, skilful, and with ready hand,In him the hardest task did highest climb;New speech, new praise he to the Tuscan grandHath given in the sweet Spanish of our time;Who shall the greatest praises from him take,E'en though Petrarch himself again awake?
FERNÁNDEZ DEPINEDA'S[187]talent rareAnd excellent, and his immortal veinMake him to be in no small part the heirOf Hippocrene's waters without stain;Since whatsoe'er he would therefrom, is ne'erDenied him, since such glory he doth gainIn the far West, let him here claim the partHe now deserveth for his mind and art.
And thou that hast thy native Betis made,With envy filled, to murmur righteously,That thy sweet tuneful song hath been displayedUnto another earth, another sky,Noble JUAN DEMESTANZA,[188]undismayedRejoice, for whilst the fourth Heaven shall supplyIts light, thy name, resplendent in its worth,Shall be without a peer o'er all the earth.
All that can e'er in a sweet vein be foundOf charm, ye will in one man only find,Who bridleth to his muse's gladsome soundThe ocean's madness and the hurrying wind;For BALTASAR DEORENA[189]is renowned,From pole to pole his fame, swift as the wind,Doth run, and from the East unto the West,True honour he of our Parnassus' crest.
A fruitful and a precious plant I knowThat hath been to the highest mountain foundIn Thessaly transplanted thence, and, lo!A plant ere this with happy fruitage crowned;Shall I be still nor tell what fame doth showOf PEDRO DEALVARADO[190]the renowned?Renowned, yet no less brightly doth he shine,For rare on earth is such a mind divine.
Thou, who with thy new muse of wondrous graceArt of the moods of love, CAIRASCO,[191]singing,And of that common varying fickleness,Where cowards 'gainst the brave themselves are flinging;If from the Grand Canary to this placeThou art thy quick and noble ardour bringing,A thousand laurels, for thou hast deserved,My shepherds offer, praises well-deserved.
What man, time-honoured Tormes, would denyThat thou canst e'en the Nile itself excel,If VEGAin thy praises can outvieE'en Tityrus who did of Mincio tell?DAMIÁN,[192]I know thy genius riseth highTo where this honour doth thine honours swell,For my experience of many yearsThy knowledge and thy virtue choice declares.
Although thy genius and thy winning grace,FRANCISCOSÁNCHEZ,[193]were to give me leave,If I dared form the wish to hymn thy praise,Censure should I for lack of skill receive;None but a master-tongue, whose dwelling placeIs in the heavens, can be the tongue to achieveThe lengthy course and of thy praises speak,For human tongue is for this task too weak.
The things that an exalted spirit show,The things that are so rare, so new in style,Which fame, esteem, and knowledge bring to viewBy hundred thousand proofs of wit and toil,Cause me to give the praises that are dueTo DONFRANCISCO DE LASCUEVAS,[194]whileFame that proclaims the tidings everywhere,Seeks not to linger in her swift career.
At such a time as this I would have crownedMy sweet song gladly, shepherds, with the praiseOf one whose genius doth the world astound,And could your senses ravish and amaze;In him the union and the sum is foundOf all I have praised and have yet to praise;FRAYLUIS DELEÓN[195]it is I sing,Whom I love and adore, to whom I cling.
What means, what ways of praise shall I achieve,What pathways that yon great MATÍAS'nameMay in the world for countless ages live,Who hath ZUÑIGA[196]for his other name?Unto him all my praises let me give,Though he is man and I immortal am,Because his genius truly is divine,Worthily praise and honour in him shine.
Turn ye the thought that passeth speedilyUnto Pisuerga's lovely banks divine,Ye will see how the lofty minds wherebyThey are adorned, enrich this tale of mine;And not the banks alone, but e'en the sky,Wherein the stars resplendent ever shine,Itself assuredly can honour claim,When it receives the men whom now I name.
Thou, DAMASIO DEFRÍAS,[197]canst aloneThy praises utter, for, although our chief,Even Apollo's self should praise thee, noneBut could be in thy praises all too brief;Thou art the pole-star that hath ever shoneCertain and sure, that sendeth sweet reliefFrom storm, and favouring gales, and safe to shoreBrings him who saileth wisdom's ocean o'er.
ANDRÉSSANZ DELPORTILLO,[198]send to meThat breath, I pray, whereby Phoebus doth moveThy learned pen, and lofty fantasy,That I may praise thee as it doth behove;For my rough tongue will never able be,Whate'er the ways it here may try and prove,To find a way of praising as I wouldAll that I feel and see in thee of good.
Happiest of minds, thou towerest in thy flightAbove Apollo's highest, with thy raySo bright, thou givest to our darkness light,Thou guidest us, however far we stray;And though thou dost now blind me with thy lightAnd hast my mind o'erwhelmèd with dismay,Glory beyond the rest I give to thee,For, SORIA,[199]glory thou hast given to me.
If, famous CANTORAL,[200]so rich a meedOf praise thy works achieve in every part,Thou of my praises wilt have little need,Unless I praise thee with new mode and art;With words significant of noble deed,With all the skill that Heaven doth impart,I marvel, praise in silence, thus I reachA height I cannot hope to gain by speech.
If I to sing thy praise have long delayed,Thou, VACA Y DEQUIÑONES,[201]mayst forgiveThe past forgetfulness I have displayedAnd the repentance I now show receive,For with loud cries and proclamation madeO'er the broad world this task I shall achieveIn open and in secret, that thy fameShall spread abroad, and brightly gleam thy name.
Thy rich and verdant strand no juniperEnricheth, nor sad cypress; but a crownOf laurels and of myrtles it doth wear,Bright Ebro, rich in waters and renown,As best I can, I now thy praise declare,Praising that bliss which Heaven hath sent downUnto thy banks, for geniuses more brightDwell on thy banks e'en than the stars of night.
Two brothers witnesses will be thereto,Two daysprings they, twin suns of poesy,On whom all that it could of art bestowAnd genius, Heaven lavished bounteously;Thoughts of wise age, though still in youthful glow,Converse mature, and lovely fantasy,Fashion a worthy, deathless aureolaFor LUPERCIOLEONARDO DEARGENSOLA.[202]
With envy blest, in holy rivalryMethinks the younger brother doth aspireTo match the elder, since he riseth highTo where no human eye e'er riseth higher;Wherefore he writes and sings melodiouslyHistories countless with so sweet a lyreThat young BARTOLOMÉ[203]hath well deservedWhatever for LUPERCIOis reserved.
If good beginning and a sequence fairInspire the hope of an illustrious closeIn everything, my mind may now declareThat thus thou shalt exalt o'er all its foes,COSMEPARIENTE.[204]Thus thou canst with rareConfidence to thy wise and noble browsPromise the crown that rightly hath been gainedBy thy bright intellect and life unstained.
MURILLO,[205]thou dost dwell in solitude,Heaven thy companion, and dost there displayThat other muses, cleverer and more good,Ne'er leave thy Christian side and go away;Thou from my sisters didst receive thy food,And now thou dost, this kindness to repay,Guide us and teach us heavenly things to sing,Pleasing to Heaven, and this world profiting.
Turia, who loudly didst of old proclaimThe excellence of the children born to thee,If thou shouldst hearken to the words I frame,Moved by no envy, by no rivalry.Thou wilt hear how by those whom I shall name,Thy fame is bettered; their presence with thee,Their valour, virtue, genius, are thy dower,And make thee o'er Indus and Ganges tower.
DONJUANCOLOMA,[206]thou within whose breastHath been enclosed so much of Heaven's grace,Who hast with bridle stern envy repressed,And given to fame a thousand tongues to blaze,From Tagus to the kingdom fruitfulest,Abroad thy name and worth in words of praise,COUNT DEELDA, blest in all, thou dost bestowOn Turia greater fame than that of Po.
He in whose breast a spring that is divineThrough him, doth ever copiously abound,To whom his choir of flashing lights incline,And rightly—they their Lord in him have found—Who should by all, from Ethiop 'neath the LineTo Eskimo, with name unique be crowned,DONLUISGARCERÁN[207]is peerless, bright,Grand Master of Montesa, world's delight.
Within this famous vale he should receiveA place illustrious, an abode renowned,He to whom fame the name would gladly giveWherewith his intellect is fitly crowned;Be it the care of Heaven to achieveHis praise—from Heaven comes his worth profound—And laud what is beyond my facultiesIn DONALONSOREBOLLEDO[208]wise.
DOCTORFALCÓN,[209]so lofty is thy flightThat thou beyond the lordly eagle highDost rise; thy genius unto Heaven's heightAscends, leaving this vale of misery;Wherefore I fear, wherefore I dread arightThat, though I praise thee, thou wilt yet espyCause of complaint in that for nights and daysMy voice and tongue I use not in thy praise.
If e'en as fortune doth, sweet poesyHad but an ever-changing wheel possessed,Swifter in speed than Dian through the sky,Which was not, is not, ne'er shall be at rest,Thereon let MICERARTIEDA[210]lie—The wheel unchanged the while amid the test—And he would ever keep the topmost placeFor knowledge, intellect, and virtue's grace.
The goodly shower of praises thou didst pourUpon the rarest intellects and best.Alone thou meritest and dost secure,Alone thou dost secure and meritest;GILPOLO,[211]let thy hopes be firm and sure,That in this vale thy ashes will find restIn a new tomb by these my shepherds reared,Wherein they will be guarded and revered.
CRISÓOBAL DEVIRUES,[212]since thou dost vauntA knowledge and a worth like to thy years,Thyself the genius and the virtue chantWherewith thou fleest the world's beguiling fears;A fruitful land and a well-nurtured plant—In Spain and foreign lands I shall rehearseAnd for the fruit of thy exalted mindWin fame and honour and affection kind.
If like unto the mind he doth displaySILVESTRE DEESPINOSA'S[213]praise must be,A voice more skilled were needed and more gayA longer time and greater faculty;But since my voice he guideth on the way,This guerdon true shall I bestow, that heMay have the blessing Delos' god doth bringTo the choice flood of Hippocrene's spring.
The world adorning as he comes in viewAmongst them an Apollo I behold,GARCIAROMERO,[214]discreet, gallant too,Worthiest of being in this list enrolled;If dark Peneus' child, whose story trueHath been in Ovid's chronicles retold,Had found him in the plains of Thessaly,Not laurel, but ROMERO[215]would she be.
It breaks the silence and the hallowed bound,Pierces the air, and riseth to the sky,The heavenly, hallowed, and heroic soundThat speaks in FRAYPEDRO DEHUETE'S[216]cry;Of his exalted intellect profoundFame sang, sings and shall sing unceasingly,Taking his works as witness of her songTo spread amazement all the world among.
Needs must I now to the last end draw near,And of the greatest deed I e'er designedMake a beginning now, which shall, I fear,Move unto bitter wrath Apollo kind;Since, although style be wanting, I prepareTo praise with rustic and untutored mindTwo suns that Spain, the country of their birth,Illumine, and moreover all the earth.
Apollo's hallowed, honourable lore,Discretion of a courtier mature,And years well-spent, experience, which a storeOf countless prudent counsels doth assure,Acuteness of intellect, a ready powerTo mark and to resolve whate'er obscureDifficulty and doubt before them comes,—Each of these in these twin suns only blooms.
Now, shepherds, I in these two poets findAn epilogue to this my lengthy lay;Though I for them the praises have designedWhich ye have heard, I do not them repay;For unto them is debtor every mind,From them I win contentment every day,Contentment from them winneth all the earthE'en wonder, for 'tis Heaven gives them birth.
In them I wish to end my melody,Yet I begin an admiration new,And if ye think I go too far, when ISay who they are, behold, I vanquish you;By them I am exalted to the sky,And without them shame ever is my due;'Tis LÁINEZ,[217]FIGUEROA[218]'tis I nameWorthy eternal and unceasing fame.
Scarce had the fair nymph ended the last accents of her delightful song, when the flames which were divided, uniting once more, enclosed her in the midst, and straightway, as they were gradually consumed, the glowing fire in a little while vanished, and the discreet muse from before the eyes of all, at a time when already the bright dawn was beginning to reveal her cool and rosy cheeks over the spacious sky, giving glad tokens of the coming day. And straightway the venerable Telesio, setting himself on Meliso's tomb, and surrounded by all the pleasing company who were there, all lending him a pleasing attention and strange silence, began to speak to them in this wise:
'What you have seen this past night in this very spot and with your eyes, discreet and gallant shepherds, and fair shepherdesses, will have given you to understand how acceptable to Heaven is the laudable custom we have of performing these yearly sacrifices and honourable funeral rites, for the happy souls of the bodies which by your decree deserved to have burial in this famous valley. I say this to you, my friends, in order that henceforth with more fervour and diligence you may assist in carrying out so holy and famous a work, since you now see how rare and lofty are the spirits of which the beauteous Calliope has told us, for all are worthy not only of your, but of all possible praises. And think not that the pleasure is small I have felt in learning from so true a narrationhow great is the number of the men of divine genius who live in our Spain to-day; for it always has been and is held by all foreign nations that the spirits are not many, but few, that in the science of poetry show that they are of lofty spirit, the real fact being as different as we see, since each of those the nymph has named excels the most subtle foreigner, and they would give clear tokens of it, if poetry were valued as highly in this Spain of ours as it is in other regions. And so for this reason the renowned and clear intellects that excel in it, because of the little esteem in which the princes and the common people hold them, by their minds alone communicate their lofty and strange conceptions, without daring to publish them to the world, and I hold for my part that Heaven must have ordained it in this way because the world does not deserve, nor does our heedless age, to enjoy food so pleasant to the soul. But, since it seems to me, shepherds, that the little sleep of the past night and our long ceremonies will have made you somewhat wearied and desirous of repose, it will be well, after doing the little that remains to us to fulfil our purpose, for each to return to his hut or to the village, carrying in his memory what the muse has enjoined on us.'
And, saying this, he descended from the tomb, and crowning himself once more with new funereal branches, he went again round the pyre three times, all following him and accompanying him in some devout prayers he was uttering. This being done, all having him in their midst, he turned his grave face to each side, and, bowing his head, and showing a grateful countenance and eyes full of love, he took leave of all the company, who, going some by one and some by another side of the four outlets that place had, in a little while all dispersed and divided, only those of Aurelio's village remaining, and with them Timbrio, Silerio, Nisida, and Blanca, with the famous shepherds, Elicio, Thyrsis, Damon, Lauso, Erastro, Daranio, Arsindo, and the four hapless ones, Orompo, Marsilio, Crisio, and Orfenio, with the shepherdesses Galatea, Florisa, Silveria and her friend Belisa, for whom Marsilio was dying. All these then being together, the venerable Aurelio told them that it would be well to depart at once from that place in order to reach the stream of palms in time to spend the noon-tide heat there, since it was so suitable a spot for it. What Aurelio was saying seemed good to all, and straightway they went with peaceful steps towards where he said. But as the fair appearance of the shepherdess Belisa would not permit Marsilio's spirits to rest, he would fain, if he had been able, and it had been allowed him, have approached her and told her of the injustice she used towards him; but, not to break through the respect which was due to Belisa's modesty, the mournful swain was more silent than his desire required. Love produced the same effects and symptoms in the souls of the lovers Elicio and Erastro, who each for himself would fain have told Galatea what she well knew already. At this moment Aurelio said:
'It does not seem to me well, shepherds, that you should show yourselves so greedy as not to be willing to respond to and repay what you owe to the larks and nightingales and to the other painted little birds that amongst these trees are delighting and gladdening you by their untaught wondrous harmony. Play your instruments and uplift your sounding voices, and show them that your art and skill in music excel their native music, and with such a pastime we shall feel less the tedium of the journey and the rays of the sun which already seem to be threatening the violence with which they must needs strike the earth during this noon-tide heat.'
But little was necessary for Aurelio to be obeyed, for straightway Erastro played his pipe and Arsindo his rebeck, to the sound of which instruments, all giving the lead to Elicio, he began to sing in this wise: