Los lusiadas es una epopeya en verso escrita por Luís de Camões. Es una obra maestra de la literatura en portugués. Se publicó en 1572, tres años después del regreso del autor de Oriente. Se compone de diez cantos de tamaño variable dividido en octavas reales. Se la considera una de las mejores epopeyas de épica culta del Renacimiento. ( )

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It is difficult to understand why anyone would want a text like this for one’s national epic: a pompous imitation of Virgil's Aeneid, itself a dubious piece of imperialist propaganda to begin with. I admittedly am unable to judge the quality of the original Portuguese, but this excellent Dutch verse translation gives enough of an impression of the epic's aggressive xenophobia and violent content, including the unprovoked destruction of African villages by cannon (I.88 ff.), the repeated slaughter of non-Christians, and the crew’s happy engagement in the mass rape of local "nymphs" (IX.219 ff.). The role of the Olympian gods is totally preposterous.

I read this because Slauerhoff romanticized and wrote beautifully about Luís de Camões. And because I have a professional interest in the history of empires. Os Lusíadas is indeed an interesting historical source for the study of early modern globalization, just as the Aeneid is an interesting source for the study of Roman imperial ideology -- but as a work of art it is no longer very enjoyable.

Os Lusíadas é uma obra de poesia épica do escritor português Luís Vaz de Camões, a primeira epopeia portuguesa publicada em versão impressa. ( )

I confess to reading this book to round out my collection of national epics. This book is what the Portuguese seem to have. This edition is a prose translation and thus several features of its attraction are missing. Not being literate in either Spanish or Portuguese, I am judging this work with the stated strictures. Frankly, I'm not impressed. This is not Homer or delightfully quirky, as Malory's king Arthur is. If you are looking for an example of a poem that uses Classical tropes and allusions, this is....not bad. In truth however the original de Gama voyage was not, aside from some bad storms, filled with incidents likely to appeal to the literary audience's appetite for exotic detail, skullduggery or sex or violence. Read, it, but with the caveat that there is nothing here to offend anyone except those disliking steady bad-mouthing of Islam. It is shorter than the Iliad. ( )