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The Lusiadas, epic poem translated by Henrique Garcés
The remarkable digital platform of the National Library of Portugal keeps valuable prints that constitute one of the Hispanic cultural heritage of modern times. The history between Spain and Portugal is brought together in one of its most representative figures of the sixteenth century: the miner and translator Henrique Garcés. Thanks to his talent we have some of the most beautiful translations of the epic poem Os Lusiadas de Luís de Camões.
The poem of Camões is basic to understand the period of transition from the sixteenth to the seventeenth century for a number of reasons: on the one hand, it establishes in the imaginary the figure of the European navigator dreaming up the Renaissance myth of the Argonauts; on the other hand, it fixes an imperial geography that will have vast roots in the epic genre, together with an imaginary full of fantasy.
On this point, Martina Vinatea has noticed the importance of this author who, thanks to the translation of Garcés, influenced in literature beyond the verses its octaves (octavas reales). Dr. Vinatea has timely explained geographical names such as Acidalia, Arabia, Cambay, Ceylon, Champagne, Narsinga, Pegu, Persia, Pindo, Sofala, Thebes and Zealand are mentioned in various songs of the poem. (p. 54)