PREFACE

The present volume aims to furnish American students of
Spanish with a convenient selection of the Castilian
lyrics best adapted to class reading. It was the intention
of the editors to include no poem which did not possess
distinct literary value. On the other hand, some of the
most famous Spanish lyrics do not seem apt to awaken the
interest of the average student: it is for this reason
that scholars will miss the names of certain eminent poets
of the _siglo de oro_. The nineteenth century, hardly
inferior in merit and nearer to present-day readers in
thought and language, is much more fully represented.
No apology is needed for the inclusion of poems by
Spanish-American writers, for they will bear comparison
both in style and thought with the best work from the
mother Peninsula.

The Spanish poems are presented chronologically, according
to the dates of their authors. The Spanish-American poems
are arranged according to countries and chronologically
within those divisions. Omissions are indicated by rows of
dots and are due in all cases to the necessity of bringing
the material within the limits of a small volume. Three
poems (the _Fiesta de toros_ of Moratín, the _Castellano
leal_ of Rivas and the _Leyenda_ of Zorrilla) are more
narrative than lyric. The _romances_ selected are Page iv
the most lyrical of their kind. A few songs have been