This article concerns

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meani ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

Medieval Spain

The Medieval period covers 400 years of different poetry texts and can be broken up into five categories.

Primitive lyrics

Since the findings of the

Kharja A kharja or kharjah ( ar, خرجة tr. ''kharjah'' , meaning "final"; es, jarcha ; pt, carja ; also known as markaz), is the final refrain of a '' muwashshah'', a lyric genre of Al-Andalus (the Islamic Iberian Peninsula) written in Arabic or ...

s, which are mainly two, three, or four verses, Spanish lyrics, which are written in Mozarabic dialect, are perhaps the oldest of Romance Europe. The Mozarabic dialect has

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

origins with a combination of

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

and

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

fonts.

The epic

Many parts of '' Cantar de Mio Cid'', '' Cantar de Roncesvalles'', and ''

Mocedades de Rodrigo The ''Mocedades de Rodrigo'' is the name given to a late, anonymous Castilian '' cantar de gesta'', composed around 1360, that relates the origins and exploits of the youth of the legendary hero El Cid (Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar). There are 1164 s ...

'' are part of the epic. The exact portion of each of these works is disputed among scholars. The Minstrels, over the course of the 12th to the 14th centuries, were driving force of this movement. The Spanish epic likely emanated from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. There are also indications of Arabic and Visigoth. It is usually written in series of seven to eight syllables within rhyming verse.

Mester de clerecía

The cuaderna vía is the most distinctive verse written in

Alexandrine verse Alexandrine is a name used for several distinct types of verse line with related metrical structures, most of which are ultimately derived from the classical French alexandrine. The line's name derives from its use in the Medieval French '' Roma ...

, consisting of 12 syllables. Works during the 13th century include religious, epics, historical, advice or knowledge, and adventure themes. Examples of such themes include '' The Miracles of the Virgin Mary'', ''

Poema de Fernán González The ''Poema de Fernán González'' is a Castilian epic poem, specifically, a '' cantar de gesta'' of the Mester de Clerecía. Composed in a metre called the '' cuaderna vía'', it narrates the deeds of the historical Count of Castile, Fernán Go ...

'', ''

Book of Alexander A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical ar ...

'', '' Cato’s Examples'', and '' Book of Apolonio'', respectively. Some works vary and are not necessarily mester de clerecía, but are reflective of it. Such poems are of a discussion nature, such as '' Elena y María'' and '' Reason to Love''. Hagiographic poems include '' Life of St. María Egipciaca'' and '' Book of the Three Wise Men''. Mature works, like '' The Book of Good Love'' and '' Rhyming Book of the Palace'', were not included in the genre until the 14th century.

Collection of verse ( Cancionero)

During this movement, language use went from

Galician-Portuguese Galician-Portuguese ( gl, galego-portugués or ', pt, galego-português or ), also known as Old Portuguese or as Medieval Galician when referring to the history of each modern language, was a West Iberian Romance language spoken in the Middle ...

to Castilian. Octosyllable, twelve syllables, and verse of arte mayor were becoming the footing of verses. Main themes derive from Provençal poetry. This form of poetry was generally compilations of verses formed into books, also known as cancioneros. Main works include '' Cancionero de Baena'', '' Cancionero de Estuniga'', and '' Cancionero General''. Other important works from this era include parts of '' Dance of Death'', '' Dialogue Between Love and an Old Man'', verses of '' Mingo Revulgo'', and verses of the '' Baker Woman''.

Spanish ballads

The romanceros have no set number of octosyllables, but these poems are only parallel in this form. '' Romancero Viejo'' consists of the oldest poems in these epochs, which are anonymous. The largest amount of romances comes from the 16th century, although early works were from the 14th century. Many musicians of

used these poems in their pieces throughout the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

. Cut offs, archaic speech, and recurrent dialogue are common characteristics among these poems; however the type and focus were diverse. Lyrical romances are also a sizeable part of this era. During the 17th century, they were recycled and renewed. Some authors still stayed consistent with the original format. By the 20th century, the tradition still continued.

Notable Spanish poets

Early Middle Ages

* Mozarab

Jarcha A kharja or kharjah ( ar, خرجة tr. ''kharjah'' , meaning "final"; es, jarcha ; pt, carja ; also known as markaz), is the final refrain of a ''muwashshah'', a lyric genre of Al-Andalus (the Islamic Iberian Peninsula) written in Arabic or Mo ...

s, the first expression of Spanish poetry, in Mozárabe dialect *

Mester de Juglaría Mester de juglaría ("Ministry of jongleury") is a Spanish literature genre from the 12th and 13th centuries, transmitted orally by "juglares" who made their living by telling and singing these stories in public places and palaces while perform ...

** Cantar de Mio Cid * Mester de Clerecía **

Juan Ruiz Juan Ruiz (), known as the Archpriest of Hita (''Arcipreste de Hita''), was a medieval Castilian poet. He is best known for his ribald, earthy poem, ''Libro de buen amor'' (''The Book of Good Love''). Biography Origins He was born in Alcal ...

, Arcipreste de Hita ** Gonzalo de Berceo *

Troubadours A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a '' trobai ...

* Xohán de Cangas * Palla (troubadour) * Paio Soares de Taveirós

Later Middle Ages

* Macías * Pero Ferrus *

Juan Rodríguez de la Cámara Juan Rodríguez de la Cámara (1390–1450), also known as Juan Rodríguez del Padrón, was a Galician writer and poet, considered the last poet of the Galician school.James Fitzmaurice-Kelly, ''A History of Spanish Literature'' (D. Appleton and Co ...

* Alfonso Martínez de Toledo, Arcipreste de Talavera * Jorge Manrique * Íñigo López de Mendoza, 1st Marquess of Santillana * Juan de Mena

Arabic and Hebrew poetry during the Moorish period

During the time when

was occupied by the

Arabs The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

after the early 8th century, the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, def ...

was influenced by the

language in both the central and southern regions.

still prevailed in the north. The

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

culture had its own Golden Age through the span of the 10th to 12th centuries in

Hebrew poetry Hebrew poetry is poetry written in the Hebrew language. It encompasses such things as: * Biblical poetry, the poetry found in the poetic books of the Hebrew Bible * Piyyut, religious Jewish liturgical poetry in Hebrew or Aramaic * Medieval Hebre ...

was usually in the style of

Piyyut A ''piyyut'' or ''piyut'' (plural piyyutim or piyutim, he, פִּיּוּטִים / פיוטים, פִּיּוּט / פיוט ; from Greek ποιητής ''poiētḗs'' "poet") is a Jewish liturgical poem, usually designated to be sung, ch ...

; however, under

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

rule in Spain, the style changed. These poets began to write again in what was the "pure language of the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus ...

". Beforehand, poems were written in

Midrash ''Midrash'' (;"midrash"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. he, מִדְרָשׁ; ...

. This change was a result of the commitment the Arabs had to the

Koran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , si ...

. Tempos and secular topics were now prevalent in Hebrew poetry. However, these poems were only reflections of events seen by the

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

and not of ones practiced themselves. *The Alhambra Poets: ** Ibn al-Yayyab ** Ibn Zamrak ** Ibn al-Khatib * Ibn Sahl of Sevilla * Ibn Hazm of Córdoba * Ibn Gabirol *

Moses ibn Ezra Rabbi Moses ben Jacob ibn Ezra, known as Ha-Sallaḥ ("writer of penitential prayers") ( ar, أَبُو هَارُون مُوسَى بِن يَعْقُوب اِبْن عَزْرَا, ''Abu Harun Musa bin Ya'qub ibn 'Azra'', he, מֹשֶׁה ב ...

* Abraham ibn Ezra * Ibn Quzman *

Ibn Arabi Ibn ʿArabī ( ar, ابن عربي, ; full name: , ; 1165–1240), nicknamed al-Qushayrī (, ) and Sulṭān al-ʿĀrifīn (, , ' Sultan of the Knowers'), was an Arab Andalusian Muslim scholar, mystic, poet, and philosopher, extremely influen ...

After 1492

*Anonymous writers of the '' Romancero'' * Juan Boscán * Gutierre de Cetina *

Alonso de Ercilla Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga (7 August 153329 November 1594) was a Spanish soldier and poet, born in Madrid. While in Chile (1556–63) he fought against the Araucanians (Mapuche), and there he began the epic poem ''La Araucana'', considered one o ...

* Santa Teresa de Jesús * San Juan de la Cruz * Fernando de Herrera * Garcilaso de la Vega * Juan del Encina * Fray Luis de León * Diego Hurtado de Mendoza *

Lope de Rueda Lope de Rueda (c.1505<1510–1565) was a Spanish

dramatist

and author, regarded by some as the best of ...

* Ausiàs March (in Valencian)

The Golden Age (''El Siglo de Oro'')

This epoch includes the

of the 16th century and the

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...

of the 17th century. During the Renaissance, poetry became partitioned into

culteranismo ''Culteranismo'' is a stylistic movement of the Baroque period of Spanish history that is also commonly referred to as ''Gongorismo'' (after Luis de Góngora). It began in the late 16th century with the writing of Luis de Góngora and lasted throu ...

and

conceptismo ''Conceptismo'' (literally, conceptism) is a literary movement of the Baroque period in the Spanish literature. It began in the late 16th century and lasted through the 17th century, also the period of the Spanish Golden Age. ''Conceptismo'' is ch ...

, which essentially became rivals. :*Culteranismo used bleak language and

hyperbaton Hyperbaton , in its original meaning, is a figure of speech in which a phrase is made discontinuous by the insertion of other words.Andrew M. Devine, Laurence D. Stephens, ''Latin Word Order: Structured Meaning and Information'' (Oxford: Oxford Uni ...

. These works largely included

neologisms A neologism Ancient_Greek.html"_;"title="_from_Ancient_Greek">Greek_νέο-_''néo''(="new")_and_λόγος_/''lógos''_meaning_"speech,_utterance"is_a_relatively_recent_or_isolated_term,_word,_or_phrase_that_may_be_in_the_process_of_entering_com ...

and mythological topics. Such characteristics made this form of poetry highly complex, making comprehension difficult. :*Conceptismo was a trend using new components and resources. An example of this new extension was the ''Germanias''. Works included comparative and complex sentences. This movement derived from Petrarchanism. During the

period, Satire, Neostoicism, and Mythological themes were also prevalent. :*

Satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming o ...

tended to be directed to the elites, criticizing the defects of the society. This form of poetry often resulted in severe punishments being administered to the poets. :* Neostoicism became a movement of philosophical poetry. Ideas from the medieval period resurfaced. :*Mythological themes were more common in culteranismo. Not until the Generation of 1927 did these poems gain more importance. '' La Fábula de Polifemo y Galatea'' and '' Las Soledades'' are two key works. *

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelists. He is best kno ...

* Francisco de Quevedo y Villegas * Luis de Góngora y Argote established culteranismo. * Félix Lope de Vega Carpio * Pedro Calderón de la Barca * Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz

Romanticism

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

were the large forces in this movement. Over the course of the late 18th century to the late 19th century,

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

spread

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. ...

and art through

Western societies The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania.

of the world. The earlier part of this movement overlapped with the Age of Revolutions. The idea of the creative imagination was rising above the idea of reason. Minute elements of nature, such as bugs and pebbles, were considered divine. There were many variations of the perception of nature in these works. Instead of allegory, this era moved towards myths and

symbol A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different conc ...

s. The power of human emotion emerged during this period. * Manuel José Quintana *

José Zorrilla José Zorrilla y Moral () was a Spanish poet and dramatist, who became National Laureate. Biography Zorrilla was born in Valladolid to a magistrate in whom Ferdinand VII placed special confidence. He was educated by the Jesuits at the Real Sem ...

Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer Gustavo Adolfo Claudio Domínguez Bastida (17 February 1836 – 22 December 1870), better known as Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer (), was a Spanish Romantic poet and writer (mostly short stories), also a playwright, literary columnist, and talented ...

* Rosalía de Castro (in Galician and Spanish) * José de Espronceda

1898 until 1926

went through drastic changes after the demise of Spain’s colonial empire.

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

inspiration along with

Modernism Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...

greatly improved the culture of Spain with the works of the Generation of 1898, which were mostly novelists but some were poets. *

Rubén Darío Félix Rubén García Sarmiento (January 18, 1867 – February 6, 1916), known as Rubén Darío ( , ), was a Nicaraguan poet who initiated the Spanish-language literary movement known as ''modernismo'' (modernism) that flourished at the end of ...

* César Vallejo * Pablo Neruda * Miguel de Unamuno *

Antonio Machado Antonio Cipriano José María y Francisco de Santa Ana Machado y Ruiz (26 July 1875 – 22 February 1939), known as Antonio Machado, was a Spanish poet and one of the leading figures of the Spanish literary movement known as the Generation ...

* Manuel Machado * Ultraism

1927 until 1936

The Generation of 1927 were mostly poets. Many were also involved with the production of music and theatre plays. *

Rafael Alberti Rafael Alberti Merello (16 December 1902 – 28 October 1999) was a Spanish poet, a member of the Generation of '27. He is considered one of the greatest literary figures of the so-called ''Silver Age'' of Spanish Literature, and he won numero ...

* Vicente Aleixandre * Dámaso Alonso *

Manuel Altolaguirre Manuel Altolaguirre (29 June 1905 – 26 July 1959) was a Spanish poet, an editor, publisher, and printer of poetry, and a member of the Generation of '27. Biography Born in the Andalusia city of Málaga in 1905, Altolaguirre's collaborative poets ...

* Luis Cernuda * Gerardo Diego * Manuel de Falla; influential on poets, for his vision of Moorish Spain *

Juan Ramón Jiménez Juan Ramón Jiménez Mantecón (; 23 December 1881 – 29 May 1958) was a Spanish poet, a prolific writer who received the 1956 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his lyrical poetry, which in the Spanish language constitutes an example of hi ...

* Federico García Lorca * Jorge Guillen *

Emilio Prados Emilio Prados (4 March 1899 - 24 April 1962) was a Spanish poet and editor, a member of the Generation of '27. Life Born in the Andalusian city of Málaga in 1899, Prados was offered a place at Madrid's famous Residencia de estudiantes in 1914 ...

* Pedro Salinas

1939 until 1975

Poets during the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and under General Franco in peacetime: *

received the Nobel Prize in Literature 1956, "For his lyrical poetry, which in Spanish language constitutes an example of high spirit and artistical purity." Was the last survivor of Generation of 1898. During the mid-20th century, works steadily moved back to literary and political aspects. * Gabriela Mistral * Nicanor Parra *

Alejandra Pizarnik Flora Alejandra Pizarnik (29 April 1936 – 25 September 1972) was an Argentine poet. Her idiosyncratic and thematically introspective poetry has been considered "one of the most unusual bodies of work in Latin American literature", and has been ...

* Luis Buñuel * Ángel Crespo *

Jaime Gil de Biedma Jaime Gil de Biedma y Alba (13 November 1929 – 8 January 1990) was a Spanish post-Civil War poet. He was born in Nava de la Asunción on 13 November 1929. He stopped writing poetry some ten years before his death. He insisted that the charac ...

* Carlos Edmundo de Ory *

León Felipe León Felipe Camino Galicia (11 April 1884 – 17 September 1968) was an anti-fascist Spanish poet. Biography Felipe was born in Tábara, Zamora, Spain, while his parents were travelling. His father was a public notary and comfortably off. H ...

Ángel González Muñiz Ángel González Muñiz (6 September 1925 – 12 January 2008) was a major Spanish poet of the twentieth century. González was born in Oviedo. He took a law degree at the University of Oviedo and, in 1950, moved to Madrid to work in Civi ...

Miguel Hernández Miguel Hernández Gilabert (30 October 1910 – 28 March 1942 ) was a 20th-century Spanish-language poet and playwright associated with the Generation of '27 and the Generation of '36 movements. Born and raised in a family of low resources, h ...

José Hierro José Hierro del Real (born 3 April 1922 in Madrid, Spain – died 21 December 2002 in Madrid, Spain), sometimes colloquially called Pepe Hierro, was a Spanish poet. He belonged to the so-called postwar generation, within the rootless and exis ...

* Lluis Llach * Leopoldo Panero *

José María Pemán José María Pemán y Pemartín (8 May 1897 in Cadiz – 19 July 1981, Ibid.) was a Spanish journalist, poet, playwright, novelist, essayist, and monarchist intellectual. Biography Originally a student of law, he entered the literary world with ...

1975 until present

These works became experimental, using themes, styles and characteristics of traditional poetry throughout Spain’s time and combining them with current movements. Some poets remain more traditional, while others more contemporary. Post-Franco and Contemporary Spanish Poets: * Blanca Andreu * Miguel Argaya * María Victoria Atencia * Felipe Benítez Reyes * Carlos Bousoño * Giannina Braschi *

Francisco Brines Francisco Brines Bañó (22 January 1932 – 20 May 2021) was a Spanish poet. Biography Brines was born in Oliva (Valencia). He is regarded as one of the Generation of '50 of Spanish poets, along with Claudio Rodríguez, Jaime Gil de Biedma ...

* José Manuel Caballero Bonald *

Matilde Camus Aurora Matilde Gómez Camus (26 September 1919 – 28 April 2012) was a Spanish poet from Cantabria who also wrote non-fiction. Life and career Aurora Matilde Gómez Camus was born in Santander, Cantabria on September 26th 1919, she was t ...

* Luisa Castro * Antonio Colinas * Isla Correyero * Aurora de Albornoz * Luis Alberto de Cuenca * Francisco Domene * Rafael Pérez Estrada * José María Fonollosa * Gloria Fuertes * Vicente Gallego * Antonio Gamoneda * Enrique García-Máiquez * José Agustín Goytisolo * Félix Grande * Clara Janés * Diego Jesús Jiménez * Chantal Maillard * Antonio Martínez Sarrión * Carlos Marzal * Bruno Mesa * Juan Carlos Mestre * Luis García Montero * Luis Javier Moreno * Lorenzo Oliván * Leopoldo María Panero * Francisco Pino * Juan Vicente Nuevo Piqueras * Claudio Rodríguez * Ana Rossetti * Ángel Rupérez * Elvira Sastre * Jaime Siles * Jenaro Talens * Andrés Trapiello * José Miguel Ullán * José Ángel Valente * Álvaro Valverde *