Sonnet to a Nose

Luis de Góngora (1561-1627) and Francisco de Quevedo (1580-1645) were well-known as the bitterest of rival poets in the golden age of Spanish Literature. Góngora, on the one hand, represented the movement of Culteranismo, which relished obtusely referential content and a freer, more surreal style; Quevedo, on the other hand, was the major proponent of Conceptismo, favoring concision in style and wit in content. They ceaselessly composed poems lampooning each others physical, moral, and literary demerits. In the following parody-sonnet, "A una Nariz," Francisco de Quevedo paints the nose of his rival on an epic scale. Here is a translation of it I finished recently, as well as the original Spanish given after.

To a Nose

There was a man who was pegged to a nose,

it was a superlative nose,

it was a rascal and a scribe,

it was a well bearded swordfish.

It was a poorly framed sundial,

and a very pensive pot-still,

it was an elephant lying mouth-up,

It was Ovid Naso more nosed-up.

What's more, it was a boat's battering-beak,

and much like a Pyramid of Egypt,

the Twelve Tribes of Noses it was.

It was an infinite uber-nose,

such much-noseness' pride of Nose,

that on the face of Adam would have been a crime.

A una Nariz

Érase un hombre a una nariz pegado,

érase una nariz superlativa,

érase una nariz sayón y escriba,

érase un pez espada muy barbado.

Érase un reloj de sol mal encarado,

érase un alquitara pensativa,

érase un elefante boca aariba,

era Ovidio Nasón mas narizado.

Érase un espolón de una galera,

érase una pirámide de Egipto,

las doce tribus de narices era.

Érase un naricísimo infinito,

muchísima nariz, nariz tan fiera,

que en la cara de Anás fuera delito.

The feud was pushed to the bitter end: Quevedo pursued his aim to purchase Góngora's residence in Madrid with the express intention of evicting him from it, which he did. Ill and losing his memory, the poor evicted poet made his way to Cordoba where he died not more than a year later.

I have tried my hand here at my own "Sonnet to a Nose," in a cycle I have been working on, re-imagining the rival poets as bratty schoolchildren running rings around each other with their insult noise.

Sonnet to a Nose

He's always racing running rings around me

Knowing things that only he who's running knows

Taking jibes from him whose running nose,

Whose superlative Nose should amaze me;

Gigantickest Nose scrapes rosy sniffing spree

Of snout; running, it runs [crazy] after the Rose,

Who claimed the Pyramids of Egypt like my Nose!

Cheap talk for rosy nosy cozy HE./

His nose was big and so was mine; what right

did that enchanted pipsqueak have to mock

SENOR NARIZ who put the rest to flight?

Whose nose was like a sundial, a dock,

where cruise-ships could all come and harbor; quite

the Liar's wooden pole of cuckoo clock!