Mirror of patience

Mirror of Patience (dated 1608), is the work of Silvestre de Balboa y Troya (1563-1644). It is considered the first poem that was written on the island of Cuba. A minor fragment of Espejo de paciencia is published in 1838 in the magazine El Plantel, directed by Ramón de Palma and José Antonio Echeverría. Although you have to wait until modern editions for it to be edited in its entirety.
The poem was composed in real octaves. It narrates the kidnapping of the bishop and inquisitor Don Juan de las Cabezas Altamirano by French corsairs. It describes his release, upon payment of a ransom, and the subsequent revenge of the Cubans against the kidnappers.
The climax of the poem is the rescue of the bishop, starring the slave Salvador Golomón. The skirmish takes place in 1604, in the vicinity of the city of Trinidad, on the southern coast of Cuba.
Mirror of patience has two songs.

• In the first, the kidnapping and imprisonment of Bishop Cabezas at the hands of French pirates is narrated. This song culminates in the release of the bishop, after the payment of a huge ransom.
• The second song recounts the combat between the Creoles and the French pirates. It ends with the death of the pirates in exemplary revenge for the kidnapping.