The Spanish Renaissance comes to life in its greatest poems, rendered here with passionate fervour and a stylistic brilliance. Edith Grossman's new translations of forty great poems are presented with facing-page Spanish, an introduction and biographies of the poets. Included are: Jorge Manrique (not translated since Longfellow); Garcilaso de la Vega, a soldier and courtier who wrote love poetry; Fray Luis de Leon, who was twice denounced before the Inquisition; San Juan de la Cruz, whose poems are the finest exemplars of Christian mysticism; Luis de Gongora, the great sensualist; Lope de Vega, the rival to Cervantes; Francisco de Quevado, the ultimate Baroque poet and Sor Juana, the nun whose poetry embodied the voice of Mexico.