This volume introduces readers to the array of poetry Spain has produced since the 11th 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 collection begins with the earliest works of Spanish literature - simple songs of love and grief - and the epic 12th-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.