SOR JUANA INES ON PROSTITUTION

Here is a short excerpt of a poem by Sor Juana Ines , a 17th century Mexican nun who became the eminent female poet and scholar of her time. The piece is titled "Satira Filosofica" (Philosophical Satire): it denounces the harsh, unreasonable, and contradictory expectations put on women by the male-dominated, Spanish-colonial, Christian social order. The excerpt below is a polemic on prostitution in particular, questioning the double standard that guards the integrity of the consumer while shaming the one who, due to the economic necessity created by the patriarchal order in the first place, is the provider. I tweaked a little bit with the official translation (by Electa Avenal and Amanda Powell) to make it more true to the rhythm and feeling of the Spanish original. As with all poetry, however, it is always best to be able to appreciate this piece in the language in which it was first composed.

O cual es mas de culpar;
aunque cualquiera mal haga:
La que peca por la paga,
o el que paga por pecar?

Or, which more greatly must be faulted,
though either may commit the wrong:
She who sins for need of payment
or he who pays for want to sin?