Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz wrote a poem lamenting the death of the Marquise de Mancera in four stanzas. The poem expresses the desire for the poet's lyre, eyes, and pen to die along with the Marquise since they can no longer see or write about her beauty now that she has passed. It asks Death himself to feel pity for taking the Marquise and leaving Love to only weep for its lost object of desire. The poem mourns the loss of the Marquise for both the poet and all those who knew her excellence.

1. http://glarcar.blogspot.com.es

4. Mueran contigo, Laura, pues moriste,
Let them die with you, Laura, now you are dead,
los afectos que en vano te desean,
these longings that go out to you in vain,
los ojos a quien privas de que vean
these eyes on whom you once bestowed
hermosa luz que a un tiempo concediste.
a lovely light never to gleam again.

7. Muera mi lira infausta en que influiste,
Let this unfortunate lyre that echoes still
ecos, que lamentables te vocean,
to sounds you woke, perish calling your name,
y hasta estos rasgos mal formados sean
and may these clumsy scribblings represent
lágrimas negras de mi pluma triste.
black tears my pen has shed to ease its pain.

10. Muévase a compasión la misma muerte
Let Death himself feel pity, and regret
que, precisa, no pudo perdonarte;
that, bound by his own law, he could not spare you,
y lamente el amor su amarga suerte,
and Love lament the bitter circumstance

13. pues si antes, ambicioso de gozarte,
that if once, in his desire for pleasure,
deseó tener ojos para verte,
he wished for eyes that they might feast on you,
ya le sirvieran sólo de llorarte.
now weeping is all those eyes could ever do.

14. Mueran contigo, Laura, pues moriste...
Lamenta con todos la muerte de la señora marquesa de Mancera
Let them die with you, Laura, now you are dead...
On the death of that most excellent lady, the Marquise de Mancera
Ilustraciones Brad Kunkle Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
San Miguel Nepantla, 12 de noviembre de 1651
http://glarcar.blogspot.com.es Ciudad de México, 17 de abril de 1695
glarcar@hotmail.com
http://www.youtube.com/user/glarcar?feature=mhee «la Décima Musa mexicana»