Chapter II: Preface

Use of the present Anthology in the Spanish classes at Harvard University has shown that Spanish verse appeals to the imagination of the English-speaking student. On that account, the editor now ventures to offer this book for general academic use. The volume should not be without a certain popular value also, since many poems are included in it that through translations have been introduced into English literature, and, like Longfellow’s version of the _Coplas_ of Manrique, have there made their fortune.

Indulgence is asked in cases where the readings of a particular text may not seem satisfactory. Access to the manuscripts or to rare early editions alone could justify the alteration of passages which even in the best editions available seem to have faulty readings. The editor has taken the liberty, however, of changing _s_ to _z_ in the older texts, where it was clear that the appearance of the former letter (as in _rason_, _desir_, etc.) was due to a common mistake of the first editors, who confused the _z_ and the cursive _s_ of their manuscripts.

Errors of judgment in the selection of the poems were perhaps inevitable. At any rate, the editor does not believe himself exempt from such errors. Of the anthologies of Spanish verse already in existence he has found it particularly useful to consult the following:

M. Menéndez y Pelayo: _Antología de poetas líricos castellanos_, Madrid, 1890 and since.

Id.: _Antología de poetas hispano-americanos_, Madrid, 1893.

F. Wolf: _Floresta de rimas modernas castellanas_, Paris, 1837.