Catherine Luarte

She complains of her lot, suggesting her aversion     Quejase de la suerte: insinúa su aversion a los

to vice and justifying her resort to the Muses             vicios, y justifica su divertimiento a las musas                                                                                           

In hounding me, world, what do you gain?                     En perseguirme, mundo, ¿que interesas? 

In what do I offend you, if I only seek                            ¿En que te ofendo, cuando solo intento 

To put things of beauty in my understanding                   poner bellezas en mi entendimiento 

And not my understanding in things of beauty?              y no mi entendimiento en las bellezas?

I esteem neither treasures nor riches,                               Yo no estimo tesoros ni riquezas; 

And thus find more contentment                                     y así, siempre me causa mas contento

Putting riches in my thoughts                                          poner riquezas en mi pensamiento 

Than in putting my thoughts in riches.                            que no mi pensamiento en las riquezas.

I prize not comeliness, which, vanquished,                     Y no estimo hermosura que, vencida, 

Becomes the civil spoils of time.                                     es despojo civil de las edades, 

Nor do perfidious riches agree with me,                         ni riqueza me agrada fementida,

Judging it better, in truth,                                                teniendo por mejor, en mis verdades,

To consume the vanities of life                                       consumir vanidades de la vida 

Than to consume my life in vanities.                              que consumir la vida en vanidades.

                          -Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz                                                    -Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz 

Source: https://eee.uci.edu/faculty/losh/resources/in-class/S8a.html 

This image reflects a kind of departure from the world and portrays peace as well as humility. The speaker in the poem wants to depart from avarice and seek knowledge and peace, just as the image depicts. 


Biographical information:

• Born in Mexico in 1651.
• Became a nun in 1667.  
• Strong advocate for women's rights.
• Wrote about both secular and nonsecular topics.
• A bishop published her critique of a preacher's sermon without her consent and admonished her for being interested in the secular. Her response was a defense of women's rights. 

Source: https://www.biography.com/people/sor-juana-in%C3%A9s-de-la-cruz-38178

Poem Analysis: 

Paraphrasing: The speaker asks what is wrong with seeking understanding and not beauty. She does not want riches, beauty, or the vanities of life and instead wants to gain knowledge. 

Figurative language: The author uses personification in the first line when she says, "In hounding me, world, what do you gain?" The author personifies the world as to portray it as a human force that pushes against her seeking of understanding and knowledge. It is clearer in the Spanish version, but we can see another instance of personification in the lines 9-10 when the speaker says, "I prize not comeliness, which, vanquished, becomes the civil spoils of time." The author personifies beauty as to compare the vincibility and short length of life of a human to the short length of time that beauty occupies.  

Form: Although it is better seen in the Spanish version, we can see that the rhyme scheme is specific to what the speaker addresses in each line. However, rhyme in this poem is not used to convey unity, but instead, when talking about her own aspiration, the author ends those lines with rhyming words. When talking about the vanities of the world, there are different rhyming words at the end of those lines.

Tone: The speaker takes on a tone of honesty. The tone of honesty is conveyed throughout the poem because the author is honest about what she aspires to do. The tone of the poem is not at all emotional and is a bit serious and straightforward. 

Theme: Avoiding the interests of society and enriching one's understanding is more beneficial than wasting time by pleasing society.