Right Author but Wrong Text?: Towards a Critical Edition of Suero de Ribera's 'En una linda floresta'

Abstract

A classic early source for quotations of popular lyric, the poem 'En una linda floresta' (better known as 'Por una gentil floresta') was for long attributed to the Marqués de Santillana (1398–1458). Since the 1960s, however, scholars other than editors have convincingly assigned it to Suero de Ribera (born c. 1400, died 1446–60). Editors, however, have continued to attribute it to Santillana, accordingly printing a text that relies almost entirely on the sixteenth-century pliegos sueltos where the attribution occurs. Sources that assign it to Suero, cancioneros of nearly a century earlier, have correspondingly been somewhat neglected. This paper, while of course judging variants on their own merits, attempts to redress the balance. A text is offered which, differing from the received version, may, it is hoped, better reflect what the true author composed.

A classic early source for quotations of popular lyric, the poem 'En una linda floresta' (better known as 'Por una gentil floresta') was for long attributed to the Marqués de Santillana (1398–1458). Since the 1960s, however, scholars other than editors have convincingly assigned it to Suero de Ribera (born c. 1400, died 1446–60). Editors, however, have continued to attribute it to Santillana, accordingly printing a text that relies almost entirely on the sixteenth-century pliegos sueltos where the attribution occurs. Sources that assign it to Suero, cancioneros of nearly a century earlier, have correspondingly been somewhat neglected. This paper, while of course judging variants on their own merits, attempts to redress the balance. A text is offered which, differing from the received version, may, it is hoped, better reflect what the true author composed.

El poema 'En una linda floresta' (mejor conocido como 'Por una gentil floresta'), fuente famosa de citas tempranas de la lírica popular, fue anteriormente atribuido al Marqués de Santillana (1398–1458). No obstante, desde hace cuarenta años los eruditos (menos editores de Santillana) lo han reconocido como en realidad obra de Suero de Ribera (born c. 1400, died 1446–60). Los editores del Marqués, sin embargo, siguieron imprimiendo un texto basado casi inalterado en pliegos sueltos del siglo XVI, con la atribución a Santillana. Las fuentes que lo atribuyen a Suero, cancioneros con un siglo de anterioridad, así han quedado en gran parte pasadas por alto. En este artículo se considera las variantes, claro, según sus méritos, pero en casos de equipolencia doy más crédito a las fuentes primitivas que a las tardías. Esta edición, que difiere bastante de la versión corriente, pretende ofrecer un texto más cerca de lo que escribió el verdadero autor del poema.