About this book

The Lusiad; Or, The Discovery of India, an Epic Poem

Luís de Camões

Bacchus determines on obstructing the fleet 20 His stratagem for that purpose 21 Attack by the Portuguese on landing to obtain water 23 Bombardment of the town 24, 25 Another plot of Bacchus 26, 27 The poet's reflections 29 BOOK II. Treacherous invitation from the King of Mombas for the fleet to enter the harbour 31 Messengers sent on shore by Gama to look at the town 32, 33 Venus and the Nereids save the fleet from danger 35, 36 Venus appeals to Jupiter on behalf of the expedition 40 His reply 43 Mercury sent to earth 46 His message to Gama in a dream 47 How the vessels escaped 49 They meet two Moorish ships 49 Their account of Melinda and its king 50 Hospitable reception by the King of Melinda 51 Gama's address 52 The king's reply 53, 54 Night rejoicings in the ships and on shore 54, 55 Visit of the king to the fleet 55 Gama's speech 57 The king requests Gama to describe his country and relate its history 58 BOOK III. Invocation to Calliope 60 Gama commences his story 61 Geographical description of Europe 62 Ancient history of Portugal commences 66 Fidelity of Egas Moniz 70, 71 Battle of Ourique 72-75 Origin of the Portuguese shield and arms 76 Leiria, Mafra, Cintra, Lisbon, etc. 76-78 Palmella, etc., taken from the Moors 79 Alphonso at war with the Leonese 79, 80 Gathering of the Moors to invest Santarem 81 Defeated by the Portuguese 83 Death of Alphonso 83 Don Sancho besieges Sylves 84 Character of Sancho II. 85 " " King Dionis 87 " " Alphonso IV. 87 The Moors assemble again to invade Portugal 88 The Queen of Spain asks aid from her father, the King of Portugal 88 The two allied sovereigns defeat the Moors 90 Episode of Inez de Castro, or the "Fair Inez" 92-96 Character of King Ferdinand 100 BOOK IV. State of Portugal on the death of Ferdinand 103 King John succeeds to the throne 103 Character of Queen Leonora 104 Castitlians assemble in aid of Beatrice, daughter of Leonora 106 Don Nuno Alvarez's loyalty 107 Battle between the Portuguese and Castilians 113 The latter defeated 116, 117 Alphonso, after defeating the Moors, attacks the King of Arragon 117 Alphonso dies, and is succeeded by John II. 118 King John sends to explore the East by land 122 Emmanuel succeeds; his dream of the rivers Ganges and Indus 123 The king consults his council 125 Entrusts the expedition to Vasco de Gama 125 Vasco de Gama's preparations 127 Parting of the armada with their friends 129 The old man's farewell address 130 BOOK V. Departure of the fleet from Lisbon 133 Madeira, Coast of Morocco, the Azenegues 134 The river Senegal, Cape Verde, San Jago, Jalofo, Mandinga 135 Dorcades, Sierra Leone, Cape Palmas 136 St. Thomas, Congo, the river Zaire 137 A water-spout described 139 They land near the Tropic of Capricorn 141 A native African met with 141 Veloso's adventure on shore 142 Gigantic vision of the Cape 146 The armada lands at Saõ Braz 153 Currents encountered 155 The armada touches at Natal 155 Reaches Sofála; description of the inhabitants 157 The crews attacked by scurvy 158 Vasco de Gama compares his voyage with the narratives of ancient poets, and concludes his story 159 Reflections on the subject by the poet 161, 162 BOOK VI. Hospitality of the King of Melinda 164 Gama takes his leave 166 Bacchus descends to Neptune's abode 166 Description thereof 167 The sea-gods assembled by Neptune. Bacchus' address to Neptune and the other sea-gods 169 Neptune orders Æolus to let loose the winds on the Portuguese fleet 173 The fleet on a tranquil sea 174 Veloso, to pass the time away, relates the story of a tournament in England 175 A dark cloud comes over, and the storm arises 183 Venus, the morning star, appears, and the goddess calls the Nereids to her aid 188 Orithya, Galatea, and other sea-nymphs persuade Boreas to cease his blustering 189 Morning appears, and with it the mountain-tops of the Indian coast 190 Gama returns thanks to God 190 The poet's reflections 190, 191 BOOK VII. The Portuguese exhorted to the warfare of the cross, other nations being reproved 193-197 India described 198 The fleet anchors, and a message is sent on shore 198 Meeting with Mozaide, who speaks Spanish 199 Mozaide visits Gama, and describes the country 200 Gama goes on shore 209 Enters with the kotwâl into an Indian temple 209 Gama's interview with the Indian king 213 His speech 214 The king's reply 215 Mozaide's description of the Portuguese 216 Visit of the kotwâl to the ships 217 The poet invokes the nymphs of the Tagus, and briefly describes his own shipwreck and other misfortunes 218-221 BOOK VIII. Description of the pictures 222 Bacchus appears as Mohammed, to a priest in a dream 238 The king consults with the magi and the soothsayers 240 The priest consults his friends 241 How evil counsellors mislead kings 242 The king's defiant speech and base accusation 244 Gama's answer to the king 245-247 Gama detained prisoner in the kotwâl's house 250 BOOK IX. The king visits the house of the kotwâl 252 Addresses Gama, detained as a prisoner there 252 On what conditions he may be allowed to return to his fleet 253 Gama's indignant reply 253, 254 The king orders the signal to be given 254 The Moorish vessels surround the fleet, and attack it with clouds of arrows 255 The drums and trumpets of the fleet call to action 255 Destruction of the Moorish vessels by the cannon of the ships 256 Bombardment of Calicut by the fleet 257 The terrified multitude implores the king to release his prisoner 258 The king implores Gama to spare his city and people 258 Gama's dignified reply 258 The terms offered by the king rejected by Gama 259 Gama directs the king to hoist the Portuguese flag and convey him to his ships 260 Peace restored. Presents of Indian productions 261 Mozaide had discovered to Gama the intended treachery 261 Conversion to Christianity of Mozaide 262 Return of the fleet to Portugal with the hostages 262 Venus raises the Island of Love in the sea, to afford the sailors a resting-place. She summons the Nereids, and informs them of her intentions. Seeks her son, Cupid 264 Cupid discharges the arrows of love at the sea-nymphs 269-271 Approach of the Portuguese fleet 273 The Island of Love described 274-280 The sailors land and pursue the nymphs 280-288 Tethys leads Gama to a palace on a lofty hill 289 The allegory explained 290 BOOK X. Happiness of the heroes and nymphs 299 The poet apostrophizes his muse and bewails his own fate 301, 302 The siren's prophetic song 302 She pauses to reflect on the ill-requited bravery of Pacheco 305 The siren resumes her prophetic song 305 Foretells the needless cruelty of Albuquerque, who puts to death a soldier for a venial offence 310, 311 Soarez, Sequeyra, Menez, Mascarene, Nunio, Noronha, Souza, and other heroes 312-318 The nymph Tethys leads them to the summit of a rugged hill, where the globe in miniature is displayed before them 319 The Ptolemean system described 320 Sketch of the geography of the world 325 History of St. Thomas, the Apostle of India 331-335 Geographical description continued 337-353 Tethys bids the Portuguese farewell 353 Their return home and reception at Lisbon 356 The poet's conclusion, and patriotic exhortation to his sovereign 356, 357 THE LUSIAD.[62] BOOK I. ARGUMENT. Statement of the subject. Invocation to the muses of the Tagus. Herald calls an assembly of the gods. Jupiter foretells the future conquests of