Al que ingrato me deja, busco amante
al que amante me sigue, dejo ingrata;
constante adoro a quien mi amor maltrata;
maltrato a quien mi amor busca constante.
Al que trato de amor hallo diamante;
y soy diamante al que de amor me trata;
triunfante quiero ver al que me mata
y mato a quien me quiere ver triunfante.
Si a éste pago, padece mi deseo;
si ruego a aquél, mi pundonor enojo:
de entrambos modos infeliz me veo.
Pero yo por mejor partido escojo
de quien no quiero ser violento empleo,
que de quien no me quiere, vil despojo.
~~~
He who faithless leaves me, I lovingly pursue;
he who lovingly follows me, faithlessly I leave.
Constantly I adore him who spurns my love
and spurn him who constantly seeks my love.
He whom I try to love I find hard as diamond;
and I am diamond to him who tries to love me;
triumphant would I see him who kills me
and I kill him who wishes me triumphant.
If I repay one, my desire suffers;
if I plead with the other, my pride is injured:
in either case, I am unhappy.
But I choose as the better part
to be the savage object of him I do not love,
rather than the worthless spoils of the one who loves not me.
–Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz