Gómez Manrique wrote more than one hundred poetic compositions. In modern times he has been recognized primarily for a single work, Representación del nacimiento de Nuestro Señor (Play about the Birth of Our Lord, circa 1467-1481), one of the few surviving pieces of medieval Castilian theater. During the fifteenth century, however, he was highly regarded as a poet; his lyrics were collected in several manuscript cancioneros and later included in Cancionero general recopilado por Hernando del Castillo, first published in 1511. Manrique's fellow poets admired the lofty didactic tone of his more serious poems. He was substantially influenced by the poetry of Juan de Mena and of his uncle, the marqués de Santillana. In turn, Manrique's influence is perceptible in the Coplas a la muerte de su padre (Stanzas upon the Death of His Father, circa 1476-1479) of his nephew Jorge...