Ten Centuries of Spanish Poetry ― An Anthology in English Verse With Original Texts, from the Xith Century to the Generation of 1898

Ten Centuries of Spanish Poetry introduces readers to the dazzling array of poetry Spain has produced since the eleventh century. Editor Eleanor L. Turnbull has selected the best translations of each work or, if none were available, translated them herself. She also provides a concise introduction to each poet or genre that traces the evolution of Spanish literature. First published in 1955 under the guidance of Spanish poet, critic, and educator Pedro Salinas, this delightful collection begins with the earliest works of Spanish literature-simple songs of love and grief - and the twelfth-century epic about Rodrigo Diaz de Bivar-El Cid; goes on to include the religious works of Gonzalo de Berceo, the elegiac ode of Jorge Manrique, medieval ballads and songs, the ecologues and sonnets of Garcilaso de la Vega, the mystical poetry of Fray Luis de Leon and Saint John of the Cross, and the cultismo works of Luis de Gongora; and concludes with poems by such recognized masters as Lope de Vega, Calderon de la Barca, and Miguel de Unamuno.

Eleanor L. Turnbull (1875–1964) became interested in Spanish poetry through the works of Pedro Salinas, who gave a series of poetry lectures at the Johns Hopkins University in 1937. Encouraged by Salinas, she enrolled in the Summer Language School at Middlebury College and began translating Spanish poetry in earnest. All together, she published nine books of Spanish poetry, which were praised by scholars and critics for their clarity and elegance.