Luis de León  

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Spanish Inquisition, Spanish censorship

Fray Luis Ponce de León (born Belmonte, in Cuenca province, of the Castilian region of La Mancha, Spain, in 1527 – 23 August 1591 AD) was a Spanish lyric poet and an Augustinian canon, of the Spanish Golden Age.

Early life

Fray Luis entered the University of Salamanca at the age of fourteen and in 1544 joined the Augustinian order. In 1561 he obtained a chair in Theology at Salamanca; in 1571 he attained the chair of Sacred Letters as well. While at the University, he translated classical and biblical literature and wrote on religious themes. He was denounced to the Inquisition for translating the Song of Solomon, and for criticizing the text of the Vulgate. He was consequently imprisoned at Valladolid from March 1572 until December 1576; the charges against him were then abandoned, and he was released with an admonition. He returned to Salamanca as professor of Biblical exegesis and held the chairs of Moral Philosophy and Biblical Studies. He was again reported to the Inquisition in 1582, but without result.

The writer

Between 1583 and 1585 he published the three books of his celebrated treatise, De los nombres de Cristo, which he had written in prison. In 1583 also appeared the most popular of his prose works, La perfecta casada, an instruction for newly married women. Tradition has it that he began his lecture the first day after returning from four years' imprisonment with the words "As we were saying yesterday...." Ten days before his death, which occurred at Madrigal de las Altas Torres on 23 August 1591, he was elected vicar-general of the Augustinian order.

Fray Luis stopped from publishing his poems, which were not edited till 1631, when Quevedo printed them. The canon of Fray Luis's poetry, as fixed by Hispanists, consists of twenty-nine poems. Apart from those, he wrote mainly prose, most notably, Los nombres de Cristo and La perfecta casada. He also translated Horace's Odes into Spanish.

Life

Fray Luis de León was born Luis Ponce de León in Belmonte, Cuenca, Spain, in 1527 or 1528. His parents were Lope de León and Inés de Varela. His father practiced law, and it was due to his profession that the family moved to Madrid in 1534. Luis’ life was dominated by his devotion to religion and study, but he was also an active public figure. He obtained a very thorough and extensive education, and was devoted to the interpretation and translation of religious texts and ideas. Fray Luis was proficient in Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. In 1541, he was sent to Salamanca to study canon law under the care of his uncle Francisco and professed as an Augustinian monk at the convent of San Pedro in 1543. He was a Catholic, but both of his parents had Jewish ancestry, so he would have been considered to be of converso lineage. In 1552, Fray Luis graduated with a bachelor’s degree in theology from the University of Toledo and continued his education as a student of Hebrew and biblical interpretation at the University of Alcalá de Henares. In 1560 he graduated from Salamanca as a licentiate and master of theology.

In 1566 he was named administrator of the Augustinian College of San Guillermo in Salamanca, and in 1567 he took on the position of vice rector of the University. In 1571 Dominican professors Bartolomé de Medina and Castro put forth seventeen propositions to the Spanish Inquisition documenting Luis’ allegedly heretical opinions. His translation and commentary of Song of Songs was the biggest evidence presented for their case against Fray Luis. As a result, in 1572 he was imprisoned in Valladolid, fell ill and remained in bad health throughout his imprisonment.

During his confinement, Fray Luis continued to actively write and study, though he suffered greatly from his isolation and less than desirable conditions. In 1576, the tables turned, and Fray Luis was cleared of all charges and released from prison with an admonishment to be more careful and reserved in his publications and speech. He returned to the academic environment of the University of Salamanca as a professor. (Upon returning after his years of imprisonment, he is said to have begun his first lecture Dicebamus hesterna die, "As we were saying yesterday...") He was elected to the chair of Holy Scripture at the University of Salamanca in 1579, and went on to earn a master of the arts degree from the University of Sahagún. Fray Luis did not pay heed to the cautionary admonishments of the Inquisitorial committee after his earlier imprisonment. In 1582, he had another Inquisitional run-in, but was not imprisoned. He was absolved two years later. He died at the age of 64 in 1591, in Madrigal de las Altas Torres, Ávila, and is buried in Salamanca in the convent of San Agustín.

Major works

La Perfecta Casada (The Perfect Wife)

This book is Fray Luis’ interpretation of the Proverbs of Solomon, and was written as a moral exposition to his newly married young niece. It advises all young women on the proper behavior and duties of a married woman, both in regard to her husband and her children. The book quickly became a popular wedding gift to young women of the era, as it was an instruction manual for marriage. In addition, this book was a revolutionary defense of women’s roles in society at the time.

De los Nombres de Cristo (The Names of Christ)

Another well-known work, this was written as a guide to the layman about the essential principles of the church. It is written in dialogue form about three friends who discuss fourteen of the Scriptural names of Christ. The setting of the book is the countryside, and it takes place over two days. The predominant theme is the centrality and universality of Christ.

Cantar de los Cantares (translation of Song of Songs)

In 1561, he began translating the Song of Songs, a book of the Old Testament, into Spanish for his cousin, Isabel Osorio, a nun who could not read the Latin text, and wrote an accompanying commentary. At this time in Spain, translation of biblical texts into Spanish was not viewed favorably, so Fray Luis faced a certain amount of risk in the undertaking of this task. However, his detailed commentaries explaining portions of the Bible in Spanish were highly popular among his peers.

Exposición del Libro de Job (Commentary on the Book of Job)

This is another contribution made by Fray Luis to make Scripture available to those who could not read Latin. In other words, he wanted ordinary people to be exposed to the Biblical message. The story tells of Job's patience and suffering, and also serves as a correctional guide to man's behavior. It is written in both verse and dialogue, to make it both enjoyable and informative.

Twenty three original poems in Spanish

See two of his most well-known examples below: The Life Removed and Ode to Salinas.

Poetry Selections

The Life Removed

In the poem The Life Removed, of which an excerpt is shown below, Fray Luis, following the beatus ille theme introduced by Horace, expounds upon the notion of choice and its consequences. He says that those irrational men who aspire to power and wealth and are guided by the talk and opinion of others will not achieve the peace, happiness, and liberty assured to those who travel the hidden path. The poem continues on to mention a ship in a storm, and how the sailors aboard are motivated only by greed and ambition, and they will not meet the harmonious end of those who travel the hidden path.

Ode to Salinas

Another well-known poem composed by Fray Luis is an ode written for his friend Francisco de Salinas. They frequently spoke about art and poetry, and listened to music together. Salinas was an organist and composer, who shared Fray Luis's belief that music can make one more religious, and that it inspires man to contemplate spiritual matters. The ode, an excerpt of which is listed below, includes numerous positive images about music as a means to contemplate the divine and to overcome ignorance and foolishness.

See also

• Spanish Renaissance literature