Camões in Afrikaans : vertaling van die gedeelte uit Os Lusíadas wat oor die suidpunt van Afrika handel : navorsings- en oorsigartikel
Year: 2008
Type: article
Abstract: During its "golden age" Portugal amazed the world with its great voyages of discovery. It was therefore appropriate that an epic poet of the time should record the achievements of his contemporaries for posterity. That poet was Luís Vaz de Camões (c. 1524-1580), the creator of the timeless epic Os Lusíadas (The Lusiads). In this heroic poem Camões, through his brilliant depiction of Adamastor, created an enduring myth. \nThere are different theories about Camões's motivation in creating the Adamastor myth. Vasco da Gama's battle against the howling south-easter off the Cape in November 1497 undoubtedly inspired the poet more than half a century later. The similarity between Camões's fatal love for a lady-in-waiting at the royal court in Lisbon and his consequent exile to the East and that of Adamastor's love for Thetis and his exile to the southern tip of Africa seems to be more than mere coincidence. When the Sao Bento, in which Camões sailed to the East in 1553, rounded the Cape, the sea was particularly stormy and the south-easter caused heavy clouds to hang over Table Mountain. This frightening personal experience had a profound effect on Camões, and thus the giant Adamastor probably took shape in his agitated mind. Camões was eminently suited to being the writer of the epic of Portugal because he not only knew the history of his country but was also well versed in Greek and Roman mythology, which must have inspired the creation of Adamastor. \nIn Os Lusíadas Camões depicts both the glory and the decline of the Portuguese empire. The essence of the narrative is Vasco da Gama's voyage to India, but the poet has ingeniously woven the earlier history of Portugal into the course of the narrative by making Da Gama relate the history of his people to the friendly king of Malindi on the eastern coast of Africa.
Authors: Le Roux, W Schalk, J.A.M. Ferreira
Language: Afrikaans
Subfield: Language and Linguistics
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2168953575