Juan Ruiz

Juan Ruiz (c. 1283 – c. 1350), known as the Archpriest of Hita (Arcipreste de Hita), was a medieval Castilian poet. He is best known for his ribald, earthy poem, El Libro de buen amor (The Book of Good Love). Quotes El Libro de buen amor (1330; rev. 1343) Quien matar quisier su can, achaque le levanta porque non le dé del pan. Whoever wants to kill the dog he owns, Pretends that it's gone mad in order not to give it bones. St. 93 (Tr. S. R. Daly, 1978), quoting a proverb Do son todas mugeres, nunca mengua renzilla. Where there are only women, there is never a lull in the squabbling. St. 757 (Tr. P. O. Gericke, 1992) Quotes about Ruiz The most powerful book ever written in the Spanish language. Cejador y Frauca, of The Book of Good Love, as quoted by ‎Elisha Kent Kane in The Book of Good Love of the Archpriest of Hita, Jean Ruiz (New York: Privately printed, 1933), p. xi [Juan] Ruiz' main verse form in this book [The Book of Good Love] was the cuaderna vía [rhymed quatrains (aaaa) in Alexandrine verse]. His book is a wonderful medieval arabesque that brings together all the cultural roots of the Spanish Middle Ages. It mentions Ovid, Cato, Aristotle, the good knight Tristram and contains many biblical references and quotations; animal fables; and apologues, a type of story brought into Spain by the Moors. Proverbs abound in nearly every tale, and numerous songs to the Virgin are included, as well as much bawdiness. Ruiz also shows a great firsthand knowledge of the Moors and their ways, and he alludes frequently to Arabic music. The various episodes are linked together in a disjointed manner, on a flimsy frame having no beginning or end. The stir of life, though, is always present, and the lusty personality of the poet stands out against the rapidly moving pageant he has portrayed. The whole book wavers between sensual impulse and moral restraint, and in this fluctuation lies its tremendous human appeal. John A. Crow, Introduction to An Anthology of Spanish Poetry (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1979), p. xxx External links Dictionary of Quotations: Spanish, edited by T. B. Harbottle and Martin Hume (Swan Sonnenschein & Co., Ltd., 1907), pp. 45, 98, 143, 162, 230, 273, 313, 323, 326, 327, 345 The Penguin Book of Spanish Verse, edited by J. M. Cohen (rev. ed., 1960), pp. 11–18 The Book of True Love, translated by Saralyn R. Daly, edited by Anthony N. Zahareas (Pennsylvania State University Press, 1978) Philip O. Gericke, "The Widow in Hispanic Balladry", in Upon My Husband's Death: Widows in the Literature and Histories of Medieval Europe, edited by Louise Mirrer (University of Michigan Press, 1992), p. 295 Category:1280s births Category:1350s deaths Category:Poets from Spain Category:Roman Catholic priests