Fray Luis Ponce de León (Belmonte, Castile, Spain, 1527 – Madrigal de las Altas Torres, Castile, Spain, 23 August 1591) was a Spanish lyric poet, Augustinian friar and theologian and academic, active during the Spanish Golden Age.
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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. Both of his parents had Jewish ancestry, so he would have been considered to be of converso lineage.
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. He was proficient in Greek, Hebrew, and Latin.
Fray Luis entered the University of Salamanca at the age of fourteen, in 1541, to Salamanca to study Canon Law under the care of his uncle Francisco. In 1543 or 1544 he joined the Augustinian Order, and professed as a monk at the convent of San Pedro. 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 the University of Salamanca as a licentiate and Master of Theology, and in the following year he obtained a chair in Theology at the same university; 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.
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 Inquisition documenting Fray Luis’allegedly heretical opinions. His translation into Spanish and commentary of the Song of Solomon was the biggest evidence presented for their case against him. Another charge touched on his criticizing the text of the Vulgate.
As a result, he was imprisoned at Valladolid from March 1572 until December 1576, fell ill and remained in bad health throughout his imprisonment. Though he suffered greatly from his isolation and less than desirable conditions, Fray Luis continued to actively write and study during his confinement.
At the end of 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.
Tradition has it that he began his university lecture, on the first day after returning from four years' imprisonment with the words Dicebamus hesterna die ("As we were saying yesterday....").
He returned to the academic environment of the University of Salamanca as a professor of Biblical exegesis and held the chairs of Moral Philosophy and Biblical Studies.
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 this time imprisoned. He was absolved two years later.
He died at the age of 64 on 23 August, 1591, in Madrigal de las Altas Torres, Ávila, and is buried in Salamanca in the Convent of San Agustín. Ten days before his death he was elected vicar-general of the Augustinian order.
Between 1583 and 1585 he published the three books of his celebrated treatise, The Names of Christ, which he had written in prison. In 1583 also appeared the most popular of his prose works, The Perfect Wife, an instruction for newly married women.
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, The Names of Christ and The Perfect Wife. He also translated Horace's Odes into Spanish.
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.
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.
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.
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.
See two of his most well-known examples below: The Life Removed and Ode to Salinas.
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.
| La Vida Retirada | The Life Removed |
|---|---|
| ¡Qué descansada vida
la del que huye el mundanal ruïdo y sigue la escondida senda por donde han ido los pocos sabios que en el mundo han sido! |
How tranquil is the life
Of him who, shunning the vain world’s uproar, May follow, free from strife, The hidden path, of yore Trod by the few who conned true wisdom’s lore! |
| Que no le enturbia el pecho
de los soberbios grandes el estado, ni del dorado techo se admira, fabricado del sabio moro, en jaspes sustentado. |
For he with thoughts aloof
By proud men’s great estate is not oppressed, Nor marvels at the roof Of gold, built to attest The Moor’s skill and on jasper piles to rest. |
| No cura si la fama
canta con voz su nombre pregonera, ni cura si encarama la lengua lisonjera lo que condena la verdad sincera. |
He cares not though his name
Be raised aloft, to winds of rumour flung, He cares not for the fame Of cunning flatterer’s tongue, Not that which truth sincere would leave unsung. (Peers 165) |
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.
| Oda III - A Francisco de Salinas | Ode to Salinas |
|---|---|
| ¡Oh, desmayo dichoso!
¡Oh, muerte que das vida! ¡Oh, dulce olvido! ¡Durase en tu reposo, sin ser restituido jamás a aqueste bajo y vil sentido! |
O blessed swoon! O life-
bestowing death! O sweet oblivion! Would that I could linger in your bliss and never be restored to this lower, viler sense. |
| A este bien os llamo,
gloria del apolíneo sacro coro, amigos a quien amo sobre todo tesoro; que todo lo visible es triste lloro. |
Glory of Apollo's sacred choir,
I call you to this rapture, friends I love above all treasure, for all the rest is but sad plaint. |
| ¡Oh, suene de contino,
Salinas, vuestro son en mis oídos, por quien al bien divino despiertan los sentidos quedando a lo demás amortecidos! |
O let your strains ring
always in my ears, Salinas, by which my senses wake to heavenly good while to all else they stay asleep. (Trans. M. Smith) |
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed (1913). "Luis de León". Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company.