Resilience and Redemption: A Transatlantic Perspective on Psalms in Espejo fiel de vidas (Faithful Mirror of Lives).

This article explores the work "Espejo fiel de vidas que contiene los Psalmos de David en verso, obra devota, útil y deleitable" by Daniel Israel López Laguna, a Jewish poet living openly as a Jew in Jamaica. The poem reflects the author's experiences as a converso and delves into themes of resilience and redemption through his reimagining of Psalms. The article analyzes specific passages that showcase the poet's hybrid identity and his use of Baroque literary trends to convey his experiences. It provides insight into the hopes and fears of New Christians who resisted the Inquisition's efforts to suppress their Jewish identity. The text also discusses the influences on "Espejo fiel" and its connection to Spanish poetry, mentioning Jacob Judah León and Menasseh ben Israel as inspirations for the author. Additionally, it explores how the Psalms, which hold significant meaning for crypto-Jews, offered solace and inspiration to New Christians who faced persecution. The author of "Espejo fiel" reinterprets the Psalms based on his own experiences as a victim of informants and calls for divine punishment against those who persecute New Christians. The article also examines the work "Espejo fiel de vidas" by Isaac López Laguna, a Sephardic Jew residing in Jamaica in the early 18th century. This collection of rewritten psalms reflects López Laguna's experiences as a crypto-Jew and the persecution endured [Extracted from the article]