dancing) is richly evoked in the poet’s examination of
the meaning of life. For Manrique, war is a necessary
element in existence: the noble’s duty is to fi ght for his
faith against its enemies (just as that of the priest is to
pray), and by doing so he merits salvation. His father,
Rodrigo, is praised for his effectiveness in this sphere,
and his entry to paradise is, as a result, taken for granted
in the idealized deathbed scene that closes the poem.
But Rodrigo is also commended by the poet for his part
in the civil wars in support of the legitimate candidate
for the throne, and also for fi ghting fellow-Christians
in the maintenance of his own status and domains. The
political aspect of his career is thus an essential element
in the poet’s eulogy of his father Rodrigo’s greatness. In
this Jorge Manrique is merely refl ecting the importance
attached to estado (state) and to the behavior appropriate
to one’s rank, in contemporary thinking; beyond mere
physical existence lies a further dimension of fama, the
existence implied in one’s reputation, which survives
after death; this itself is, of course, a poor second to
eternal life, though an essential prerequisite for it in
so far as it indicates a worthy life. In addition to the
doctrinal statements made and political points scored
in the poem, various conscious statements of literary
attitude are explicit, as in the rejection of traditional
poetic invocations and classical examples in the Ubi
sunt?, while others remain implicit. Although the Coplas
have been widely praised, and is indubitably in many
respects a masterpiece, problems have been noted in
various aspects of the poem from the earliest commenta-
tors to the present. The Coplas make use of a wide range
of traditional imagery drawn from the Bible and other
sources in addition to the author’s military experience,
with the transience of earthly life and the inevitability
of death being conveyed in a densely textured series
of metaphors. The skillful updating of the topos of the
Ubi sunt? by reference to politically prominent persons
of recent memory is but one dimension of Manrique’s
artistry in handling traditional concepts and poetic
commonplaces. The eulogy of his father (apparently
controversial among early commentators, and ignored
by most glossators) draws upon classical archetypes and
established medieval concepts of hierarchy and makes
effective use of the personifi cation of death.
Despite the prominence traditionally assigned to the
Coplas in Spanish literary studies, the fi rst truly critical
edition (which is likely to become the standard text) was
not published until 1991; the many previous editions
vary, because of problems in the complex transmission
of the text, both in the number of stanzas (forty or forty-
two) and in their order. The stanza that begins “Si fuesse
en nuestro poder,” in particular, has been variously
placed as number seven or thirteen; the earlier location
is undoubtedly the original. The additional two stanzas
found in many early editions (and in Longfellow’s
translation) are problematic; they do not form a natural
part of the poem. Their attribution to Manrique remains
questionable; even if ultimately proven to be by his hand,
they are best viewed as originally independent stanzas
that later became an accretion to the Coplas. During the
sixteenth century, the Coplas were frequently printed,
and private manuscript copies further attest their popu-
larity. It is clear that the poem circulated in a wide variety
of forms and contexts. Important among these are the
early printed editions in which the text is accompanied
by a poetic gloss; the Coplas soon attracted the atten-
tion of glossators, the earliest of whom was Alonso de
Cervantes (fi rst printed in 1501).Further ReadingEditions
Beltrán, V. Coplas que hizo Jorge Manrique a la muerte de su
padre. Barcelona, 1991.
Serrano de Haro, A. Jorge Manrique; Obras. Madrid, 1986.
Studies
Domínguez, F. A. Love and Remembrance: The Poetry of Jorge
Manrique. Lexington, Ky., 1988.
Serrano de Haro, A. Personalidad y destino de Jorge Manrique.
2d ed. Madrid, 1975.
David HookMANS.U ̄R, AL- (fl. 976-1002)
Ibn ‘Abı ̄ A ̄mir, later known as Al-Mans.u ̄ r was the last
of the great rulers during the caliphate period in al-
Andalus. Initially he served as vizir, virtually assuming
effective control of the caliphate after the death of Al-
H.akam II, who appointed his young son Hisha ̄ m to suc-
ceed him in 976. Allegedly acting on Hisha ̄ m’s behalf,
Al-Mans.u ̄ r eliminated all who wished to compete for
power, including his father-in-law Al-Gha ̄ lib, securing
it all for himself. Al-Mans.u ̄ r remained in power from
976 to 1002 and was feared and noted for his decisive
action, vigilance, and ruthlessness; it was in 981 that
he assumed the sobriquet (laqab) Al-Mans.u ̄ r, “The
Victorious.”
The caliph Hisha ̄ m, who was a virtual captive of
Al-Mans.u ̄ r, was a weak individual who allowed his
weaknesses to be exploited. A brilliant politician, Al- Man -
s.u ̄r fi lled the political vacuum created by the death of
Hisha ̄ m’s father, Al-H. akam II. He ruled with an iron hand,
galvanizing the army and leading daring incursions into
Christian territory that struck terror into the hearts of
the northern populations. His name alone was enough
to make them shudder with fear. As a response to the
Christians who, sensing disunity among the Muslims in
al-Andalus, had begun to make their fi rst incursions into
Muslim territories, Al-Mans.u ̄ r led some fi fty expeditions
against the Christians. In 997 he struck at their veryMANRIQUE, JORGE