Abstract
A shepherd-boy: A poem by Saint John of the Cross – critical meaning. A shepherd-boy, written by Saint John of the Cross around 1584, is a pastoral poem, a common and widespread genre at the time. Although the poet could have drawn from various sources, direct borrowing does not appear to have been the case. The poem has five stanzas, each consisting of four lines, with eleven syllables per line (a cuartet, with enclosing rhyme: abba). In the superscription the poem is described as a song a lo divino, a poetic transposition that transforms a profane text ‘towards the divine’, within a Christian-religious framework. A shepherd-boy places itself within this poetic tradition, but in a unique way, because his transposition is not prompted by catechetical interests, but opts for a mystical perspective.
Highlights
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Jan van het Kruis had deze werkwijze aangetroffen bij Sebastián de Córdoba die de profane poëzie van Boscán en Garcilaso had getransponeerd binnen een christelijk-religieus kader
Want de gedachte alleen vergeten te zijn door zijn mooie herderin met grote pijn laat hij zich mishandelen in een vreemd land, de borst van liefde zeer gedeerd
Summary
Affiliations: 1Titus Brandsma Instituut voor de Studie van Spiritualiteit, Radboud Universiteit, Nederland. Note: Sections of this article have been uploaded in the repository of the Titus Brandsma Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. These sections represent original research and have not been published before. (Kees), n.d., ‘Translation and Commentary project on the poems of John of the Cross’, SPIRIN website, Titus Brandsma Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen. How to cite this article: Waaijman, K., 2015, ‘Een herdersknaap: een gedicht van Jan van het Kruis – kritisch bekeken’, HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 71(1), Art. A shepherd-boy: A poem by Saint John of the Cross – critical meaning. A shepherd-boy, written by Saint John of the Cross around 1584, is a pastoral poem, a common and widespread genre at the time. A shepherd-boy places itself within this poetic tradition, but in a unique way, because his transposition is not prompted by catechetical interests, but opts for a mystical perspective
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