The Austral Scordatura: A Critical And Theoretical Translation Of Discurso En Loor De La Poesía

The Discurso en loor de la Poesía, composed by an early 17th century Peruvian anonymous writer known as “Clarinda” and published as an introduction to Diego Mexía’s translation of Ovid’s Heroids, is often discussed by scholars in both Spanish and English, but this poem has yet to be fully translated into English. In an 800+ line poem attributed to a female author, Clarinda provides a catalogue of poetic works, an explanation of the creation and description of poetry, and multiple references to Classical and Biblical works. By using translation studies as a theoretical framework, I propose a full critical translation of Discurso en loor de la Poesía as a way to explore the implications of translating this poem and the significance of the erudition deployed in this piece.