History of Spanish and Portuguese Literature (Vol 2 of 2)Bouterwek, Friedrich
History
History of Spanish and Portuguese Literature (Vol 2 of 2)
Bouterwek, Friedrich
Portuguese literature -- History and criticism; Spanish literature -- History and criticism
[275] No es dar liberdad de consciencia, para introducir siempre
escorias y licencias, sino advertir que _un hombre grande puede hazer
tal vez lo que quisiere, y es gravissime crimen el pedirlo cuenta_; y
mas, si se lo pide algun Pigmeo en estudios y en juizio.
[276] Lo que ella (la poesia) _solamente_ quiere,--es invencion,
imagenes, affectos y _alarde de todas sciencias_.--And yet he has
declared shortly before, that learning is not essential to poetry. It
is not worth while to transcribe in the author’s own words, the other
critical judgments here quoted.
[277] Barbaso Machado, in his Lexicon of learned men, expressly says of
Faria e Sousa, that he was indebted to his extraordinary talents and
knowledge _de ser venerado por Oraculo_.
[278] Those who understand, or imagine they understand Portuguese, may
try how far it is practicable to translate verbally the commencement of
one of these eclogues:--
_Roque._ He gram coisa bergonha ter no rosto;
a o tella nelle antrambos ugalmente,
agora a hum põto aqui ambos ha posto
A poys tàmen dos dous algó nõ mente
digeme, ò certo, se de mim Martinho
mal falou honte a aquella boa gente.
_Afons._ Se a todos lhe esquece o Samsodorninho,
como lhes lembrarias? Sò tratàmos
de dar ós bolos fim, a fim o binho.
Em tè, maes nom querer todos folgamos.
[279] The commentary on the Lusiad is published separately. It is
entitled, _Lusiadas de Luis de Camoens, &c. commentadas por Manuel de
Faria y Sousa_. Madr. 1639, 4 parts, in 2 folio volumes. The commentary
on the miscellaneous poems of Camoens is entitled: _Rimas varias de
Luis de Camoens, &c. commentadas por Man. de Faria y Sousa_. Lisb.
1685, in 7 small folio volumes. The latter, therefore, was not printed
until thirty-six years after the death of Faria e Sousa.
[280] An abundant collection of comic sonnets, _decimas_, _canções_ and
epigrams by Noronha, may be found in the fifth volume of the _Fenix
renascida_, already quoted.
[281] A specimen shall be given here, little worthy as such fooleries
are of perusal. The sonnet is written to rhymed endings (_com
consoantes forçados_.)
Naõ socegue eu mais, que hum bonifrate,
De agoa sobre mim se vase hum pote,
As galas, que eu vestir, sejaõ picote,
Com sede me dem agua em açafate;
Se jogar o xadrez, me dem hum mate,
E jogando às trezentas hum capote,
Faltemme consoantes para hum mote,
E sem o ser me tenhaõ por orate;
Os licores, que beba, sejaõ mornos,
Os manjares, que coma, sejaõ frios,
Naõ passee mais ruo, que a dos fornos;
E para minhas chagas saltem fios,
Na cabeça por plumas traga cornos,
Se meus olhos por ti mais forem rios.
[282] The language of this sonnet will enable the reader to form a
right idea of the merits of the author, who was, however, much admired
in the age in which he lived!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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