Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (17th Century Colonial Mexico)

Being a woman is tough- I'm not complaining, but only those who are can understand on how many levels this is true.

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz knew it. And she also knew how to put it in words. The following fragment from her very well known poem "Hombres necios" approaches one of the difficulties women deal with. It's a good one!

Hombres necios que acusáis
a la mujer sin razón,
sin ver que sois la ocasión
de lo mismo que culpáis:

si con ansia sin igual
solicitáis su desdén,
¿por qué queréis que obren bien
si las incitáis al mal?

Combatís su resistencia
y luego, con gravedad,
decís que fue livianidad
lo que hizo la diligencia.

Translation:

You mulish men, accusing
woman without reason,
not seeing you occasion
the very wrong you blame:

since you, with craving unsurpassed,
have sought for their disdain,
why do you hope for their good works
when you urge them on to ill?

You assail all their resistance,
then, speaking seriously,
you say it was frivolity,
forgetting all your diligence.

This is so true and well expressed, at least to the social reality I know, which is the Guatemalan; it is probably also true to the Latinamerican social reality in general. Actually, this is very much present in every culture and location in the world. Am I wrong?

What this poem points out is the inconsistency of the tastes and censure of men who denounce in women what they themselves have caused. I'm no feminist, but it is clearly unfair, no?


Here's another one of her thoughts I like:

Decirte que nací hermosa
presumo que es excusado,
pues lo atestiguan tus ojos
y lo prueban mis trabajos.

This is not a proper translation, but something close to it:

Telling you I was born beautiful
is needless I presume
since your eyes witness it
and my work proves it.

Every woman should be able to say this and truly believe it. Well, every person really.


Night Night