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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 Sao Braz 153
Currents encountered 155
The armada touches at Natal 155
Reaches Sofala; 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 AEolus 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 kotwal 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 kotwal 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 kotwal's house 250


BOOK IX.

The king visits the house of the kotwal 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
the Portuguese. Bacchus, apprehensive that the Portuguese may eclipse
the glory acquired by himself in the conquest of India, declares against
them. Venus, who sees in the Portuguese her ancient Romans, promises to
aid their enterprise. Mars induces Jupiter to support them, and Mercury
is sent to direct their course. Gama, commander of the expedition, lands
at Mozambique and Mombas. Opposition of the Moors, instigated by
Bacchus. They grant Gama a pilot who designs treacherously to take them
to Quiloa to ensure the destruction of the whole expedition.


Arms and the Heroes, who from Lisbon's shore,
Thro' seas[63] where sail was never spread before,
Beyond where Ceylon lifts her spicy breast,
And waves her woods above the wat'ry waste,
With prowess more than human forc'd their way
To the fair kingdoms of the rising day:
What wars they wag'd, what seas, what dangers pass'd,
What glorious empire crown'd their toils at last,
Vent'rous I sing, on soaring pinions borne,
And all my country's wars[64] the song adorn;
What kings, what heroes of my native land
Thunder'd on Asia's and on Afric's strand:
Illustrious shades, who levell'd in the dust
The idol-temples and the shrines of lust:
And where, erewhile, foul demons were rever'd,
To Holy Faith unnumber'd altars rear'd:[65]
Illustrious names, with deathless laurels crown'd,
While time rolls on in every clime renown'd!

Let Fame with wonder name the Greek[66] no more,
What lands he saw, what toils at sea he bore;
Nor more the Trojan's wand'ring[67] voyage boast,
What storms he brav'd on many a perilous coast:
No more let Rome exult in Trajan's name,
Nor Eastern conquests Ammon's[68] pride proclaim;
A nobler hero's deeds demand my lays
Than e'er adorn'd the song of ancient days,
Illustrious GAMA,[69] whom the waves obey'd,
And whose dread sword the fate of empire sway'd.

And you, fair nymphs of Tagus, parent stream,
If e'er your meadows were my pastoral theme,
While you have listen'd, and by moonshine seen
My footsteps wander o'er your banks of green,
O come auspicious, and the song inspire
With all the boldness of your hero's fire:
Deep and majestic let the numbers flow,
And, rapt to heaven, with ardent fury glow,
Unlike the verse that speaks the lover's grief,
When heaving sighs afford their soft relief,
And humble reeds bewail the shepherd's pain;
But like the warlike trumpet be the strain
To rouse the hero's ire, and far around,
With equal rage, your warriors' deeds resound.

And thou,[70] O born the pledge of happier days,
To guard our freedom and our glories raise,
Given to the world to spread Religion's sway,
And pour o'er many a land the mental day,
Thy future honours on thy shield behold,
The cross and victor's wreath emboss'd in gold:
At thy commanding frown we trust to see,
The Turk and Arab bend the suppliant knee:
Beneath the morn,[71] dread king, thine empire lies,
When midnight veils thy Lusitanian[72] skies;
And when, descending in the western main,
The sun[73] still rises on thy length'ning reign:
Thou blooming scion of the noblest stem,
Our nation's safety, and our age's gem,
O young Sebastian, hasten to the prime
Of manly youth, to Fame's high temple climb:
Yet now attentive hear the Muse's lay
While thy green years to manhood speed away:
The youthful terrors of thy brow suspend,
And, oh, propitious to the song attend--
The num'rous song, by patriot-passion fir'd,
And by the glories of thy race inspir'd:
To be the herald of my country's fame
My first ambition and my dearest aim:
Nor conquests fabulous nor actions vain,
The Muse's pastime, here adorn the strain:
Orlando's fury, and Rugero's rage,
And all the heroes of th' Aonian page,[74]
The dreams of bards surpass'd the world shall view,
And own their boldest fictions may be true;
Surpass'd and dimm'd by the superior blaze
Of GAMA'S mighty deeds, which here bright Truth displays.
Nor more let History boast her heroes old,
Their glorious rivals here, dread prince, behold:
Here shine the valiant Nunio's deeds unfeign'd,
Whose single arm the falling state sustain'd;
Here fearless Egas' wars, and, Fuas, thine,
To give full ardour to the song combine;
But ardour equal to your martial ire
Demands the thund'ring sounds of Homer's lyre.
To match the Twelve so long by bards renown'd,[75]
Here brave Magricio and his peers are crown'd
(A glorious Twelve! ) with deathless laurels, won
In gallant arms before the English throne.