Portugal National Poet (Luís de Camões) Bronze Statue

Portugal’s national poet Luís de Camões bronze statue

In Camões Garden, there is a grotto composes of three large rocks. In the cave built a bronze statue of a legendary Portuguese bronze bust. The poet, who was born in a ruined noble family more than 400 years ago, banished to Macau for offending court officials. His poems inherited the folk creative tradition, are full of lyricism; which opposed to the court at that time. His masterpiece was his famous epic “The Lusíadas”.

And this great poet goes to, Luís Vaz de Camões (about 1524~1580).

Camões Grotto history background

Recognised as one of the greatest poets in Portugal; Camões lost a glance during the war, known as “Monocular poet”. In the middle of the 16th century recorded he stayed in Macau around two years; during which, has completed his famous epic masterpiece “The Lusiads” in the Garden’s Grotto. Lourenço Marques, son-in-law of the wealthy Portuguese businessman Manuel Pereira; cast a bust in the grotto to commemorate Camões. Later, the destruction of the stone caves caused the bronze statue recasted and preserved to this day.

The Garden’s transformations

The Camões Grotto is a natural stone cave in the Camões Park Macau; made of three huge rocks on top of each other. There was a pavilion on the top of the grotto more than a hundred years ago. Initially in Western styles and there after in Chinese authentic ways. It went destroyed by an disastrous typhoon during the Tongzhi period; it after no longer considered any reconstruction plan. A Camões bust set in the Grottos; which placed in within three granite rocks.

Marquis has renovated and beautified the garden many times. At the end of the eighteenth century, the Macau government purchased this garden, reconstructed it, and opened it to the public. Camões Garden surrounded by stones, towering ancient trees, and there are also many artists’ works, including the bronze art sculpture “Embrace” in the center of the fountain (not far from the park entrance); made by female sculptor Irene Vilar in 1996; To commemorate the friendship between China and Portugal.

The stairs leading to the cave of Camões, all roads paved with black and white stones on the Portuguese gravel mappings; themed with Portuguese soul epic, by Jorge Estrela, based on Lima de Freitas; The great master’s drawing masterpiece. There also goes bronze bust of Camões placed in front of the Grotto, casted in the Manuel Maria Pinheiro production line.

Subsequent Influences

In the Camões Gardens, he wrote part of his famous poem “The Lusíadas”. This long epic described the process of Portugal’s exploration illustrated into ten chapters. Each chapter has 110 sections, each hold eight lines. The whole poem has a total of 8,800 lines. Another Chinese translation of the said poem named “The Soul of Portugal”. Known as one of the best poetry in Portuguese literature.

In addition to the epic “The Lusíadas”, Camões also wrote many lyric poems, Aphorisms, illustrated in five or seven syllables; Sonnets, and wrote (translated) “Filodemo”, “Banqueting hosts” and the three plays of “King Seleucus”. His extraordinary literary achievements established his lofty position in the history of Portuguese literature.

One of his piece “The Song of the Luzitanians” went as one of the legendary pieces; when Camões arrived in Portugal with Odysseus through the hero Lussus and named this place Luzitaniya, combined with the fact that Dagama sailed to India; A well-known humanist epic.

In the poem, Camões showed his love for his hometown and yearning for adventures; He also praised the Portuguese people’s love of adventure and the great spirit of freedom through dagama. In addition to “Song of the Luzitanians”, Camões also wrote other styles of poems. His sonnets are classics in Portuguese, containing rich storylines and tortuous emotional changes.

Known as one of the best work in Portuguese history and a faithful record of the Portuguese national spirit poet.

The legendary life of Camões

The June 10th relate to the anniversary of the death of the famous Portuguese poet Camões, also known as “Portugal Day.”

Camões was born in Lisbon in 1524; Born into a declining nobility, adopted by his uncle. His life displaced throughout his life and lived in India, Africa and Macau. Unfortunately, he lost his right eye while serving in the military service in North Africa at the age of twenty-four. While serving in Goa, he wrote “The Navigator” (to India); which offended the Governor of India and expelled to Macau. After two years of Macau’s stays; he then recalled back to Goa due to a debt lawsuit. After several twists and turns, he moved back to Lisbon; Died in Lisbon in June 1580 in poverty.

According to records, Camões lived in Macau in 1556. During his two years life in Macau; he felt that his talents not met. He often went to the grottos cave at the Camões Garden in his spare time to complete the famous long narrative poem “The Lusíadas” in this grotto’s place.

Festival of the year-Portugal Day

In the past, the Macau government set June 10 as a public holiday hold a grand celebration. All schools in Macau need to send a team of students to lay flowers to the Camões’s statue at noon; and invite celebrities to give speeches. The Macau governor and chief executives will all participate in the ceremony. In the past a military parade took place in front of the Macau Government House; and after a cocktail party in the evening to entertain guests.

Now everything kept to its simplist traditions; Only the flower-presenting ceremony of the students retained. Every year, a number of groups hold commemorative activities in front of Camões statue; it also named “Portuguese Overseas Chinese Day” in recent years.

Due to the epidemic this year, flower cards tribute and commemorative event cancelled.

Information References:

https://www.macaudata.com/macaubook/book001/html/14201.htm

http://www.vakiodaily.com/mobile/news/view/id/386164

https://www.culturalheritage.mo/cn/detail/61/1

https://www.macaumemory.mo/specialtopic_2e4c69e5b1054b6aa0b500d3f62ec695

https://www.macaudata.com/macaubook/book069/html/07901.htm

https://kknews.cc/culture/225p8gr.html