April 2010

Claustrophobia Sister Juana Ines

corresponded with a colleague at work. Teasing, as usual, he said: "I spent two weeks without getting out of the lab. Soon I will develop claustrophobia. But you do not get used to this, right? "Chatter has helped me to see anew erased the word. "Klaustro" in English, "the monastery courtyard, for example, in one of the nunneries. Its dweller, entered once, and took the tonsure, have never been able to leave the building. Enclosed on all sides by a rectangle of greenery with a fountain in the middle was the only part of the space, available to them before the end of life. In one of these monasteries in the center of Mexico City, lived Tenth Muse, Phoenix Mexican poet and nun of the Order of St. Yeronima Sister Juana Ines de la Cruz.

Juana Ines - Mexican poet, 17 th century, have long since become a symbol of the country.

Once there was a maid of honor at the court of vice-queen in Mexico City. She was 18 years old, most of which she spent in the grandfather's bibleotek in San Miguel Nepantle with views of the volcanoes of small windows in the thick walls of colonial homes. Nobody knew who her father was and where he is, but thanks to the intercession of his uncle took her all the same to the court (although the whisper behind never stopped). Struck by her intelligence, vice king arranged a special evening, which invites local sages who tried unsuccessfully to find that difficult question that finally it will not know the answer. It was rumored that several times, disguised as a man she secretly poseschaela classes at the university. And she wrote poetry, is fast becoming known from Chile to Ispanii.Sudya the portrait of that time, she was very beautiful. Judging from the poems of the time she was suffering from unrequited love. Find "a suitable party" with the prospect of marriage, leaving the capital's estate somewhere in the province, the bustle in the kitchen comprehension of agricultural science and hozyaytsva birth of ten children (seven of whom probably will die in infancy), it was not difficult, but repelled. Be such as all, in any society is difficult. In colonial Mexico, 17 th century, during the next round of activity of the Inquisition, to be different and at the same vryamya live happily ever after may seem almost impossible task. Although .... it almost succeeded.
At age 19, she leaves the convent. 27 years she wrote sonnets about love and philosophical poem about the creation of the world, funny songs and complex theological texts, and even puts the play on which the entire court can look through zareshetchennye wall separating the inmates of the monastery from the troubled city of Mexico.
On the occasion of the arrival of the next Vice King she organizes the plan city festival on the streets on which it did not go for fifteen years. Probably fragments of a magnificent view can be seen in one of the very narrow windows of the monastery, and breathe freely, making sure that performance with thousands of actors goes as planned.
absence of external freedom gives her great inner freedom. Restriction Space does not prevent her to correspond with the recipients, with almost all parts of the "civilized world" at that time. The cell becomes difficult and excellently organized microcosm. Perhaps the quarrels and intrigues among the several hundred women trapped forever together (if the outside is nothing special to do it Imagine the passions in the debate on the topic of "who ate all the jam, from time to time shook the walls of the monastery) and do not allow to reach the" realm of pure Mind, "but an attempt should rather be considered a success. Here comes the wonders and scientific instruments, new tools, paintings and books everywhere, write poems and philosophical treatises, diverging around the Hispanic world. In the late 17 th century Renaissance and the Golden Age of Spain has already ended. Here in this tiny space, he stayed for nearly 30 years, and perhaps here and erupted in farewell brightest. And here someone has lived a full life, dreamed and worked and was happy.
world was moving forward. How, then, was suspected by the end of the world. Country shuddered from floods, famines and uprisings of Indians. The sky hung a comet, a prominent even in the daytime. The squares of the priests calling for humility and repentance. Love poems beautiful nuns did not fall under this definition. It intersected with disfavor y arheepiskopa in which Juana Ines came at a time, fascinated by a philosophical debate. The nun did not survive the pressure and took a vow of silence. Books and all the contents of cells were burned on the square of Santo Domingo. (As it usually happens in Mexico, a few hundred years later, after dozens of church reforms inevitably followed in their civil wars and revolutions, everything was exactly the opposite. Around the area previously used for a public burning unwanted books, today there are dozens of private printing presses, which print anything, even a heresy, as diplomas and dissertations of students from all urban universities). I do not know whether this is good or bad, but she died shortly thereafter. The city has started another cholera epidemic. Usually in the monasteries, from which it was impossible to get out, all died. Miracle happened.
about books and poems have forgotten. Only in the early 20 century, someone came across a collection of poems, with a foreword praising anyone unknown Mexican. Poems still seem to be perfect in shape and very deep in content. Adoration and fashion Juan Inez rise and fall like the waves of the last hundred years. The image, converted into the category of characters, and erased "know it all" printed on thousands of t-shirts, postcards and flyers, distributed over the metro, managed to keep something to hook me, it forced to rummage in a huge old book, Octavio Paz, to learn more. Maybe the girl in the picture was just a beautiful dress ....