Poems by Baltasar del Alcázar

Baltasar del Alcázar (1530-1606), did not publish a single poem in his lifetime. We know his curious work only thanks to the copies of a single manuscript, now lost, made by the Sevillian painter Francisco Pacheco. This was, at the time, the father-in-law of Diego Velázquez and author of the only portrait we have of such an endearing bard.
The themes that characterize Alcázar’s poetic work were somewhat trivial. For this reason, the author is often unfairly labeled as a “minor poet.”
He also composed religious poetry, but much of his literary production was mainly inspired by everyday themes related to earthly pleasures.
He had two great passions: good food and women. One of his most famous poems, “Preso de amores”, begins:

“Three things have me in jail
Of loves the heart:
sweet Inés and ham
and eggplant with cheese.”

For this reason he is known as “the gourmet poet of the Golden Age”.
He was greatly influenced by the Latin poets Martial and Horace; From the latter he translated several works into Spanish. Highlights include his Dialogue between two dogs, Advice to a widow and Surrounded is my soul of opposites.
Baltasar de Alcázar was one of the great Spanish poets of the Golden Age. He left us not only his wit and grace, his humor and irony, but also infinite teachings about the construction of verse and poem.