Juan de la Cruz (1542 – 1591 CE) was a Spanish Catholic priest and mystic, who is regarded as one of the foremost of Spanish poets. He was born in a ‘Converso’ family, meaning a family that had been Jewish but which had converted to Christianity, and after studying at the University of Salamanca, worked closely with Teresa of Ávila in developing a reformed Carmelite Order. He was active in Andalusia, and It has been proposed (but not universally accepted) that his poetry shows influences of Islamic mysticism.

Creation forgotten,
Creator only known,
Attention turned inward
In love with the Beloved alone.

Translation Ivan M. Granger