Camões, Luís de

(1525?-1579 or 1580)

   Portugal's national epic poet of the Age of Discoveries and author of the most celebrated piece of national literature, Luís de Camoes's lifespan marked both the high tide and ebbing of Portuguese imperial power. Educated at the University of Coimbra, Camões for much of his life, most of which remains largely unknown, was an adventurer overseas. He served as a soldier in Morocco, as Portugal began to lose its hold on parts of Morocco, and was later imprisoned. After his release, he shipped out to Portuguese India, to Goa, where he served the king. He lived in Portuguese India, Macau, and Mozambique, and his Eastern years left a permanent mark on his mind and soul. Upon his return to Portugal, he continued writing as a poet, and in 1572, his most famous work, better known and more quoted than any other piece of the nation's literature, Os Lusíadas (The Lusiads), was published in Lisbon. Whatever the reception of his epic poem, the story of the great Vasco da Gama's voyage to India (1497-99) within the context of the history of Portugal, Camões cannot have gained a great deal from its publication. It is said that he fell into poverty, that a servant or friend of his was forced to beg for food for Camões, and that he died in misery. In Portuguese tradition, it is also recounted that before he died he was informed of the disastrous battle of Alcácer- Quivir in 1578 and the resulting loss of the king, his army, and any defenses remaining to Portugal. Camões, the story goes, exclaimed, "I die with the Fatherland!"