Viriato Trágico

Viriato Trágico is a long poem by Portuguese poet Brás Garcia de Mascarenhas (1596-1656).Brás Garcia Mascarenhas at Portal da Literatura.

Overview
Viriato Trágico is a heroic poem, one of the most important Portuguese poems of the 17th century. It consists of twenty books. It was first printed in 1699, Aubrey F. G. Bell, Portuguese literature, Clarendon Press, Oxford 1922, p. 259. many years after author's death.Livro raro - Viriato trágico em poema heróico

 Form 
The poem about Viriatus by Garcia de Mascarenhas is written in ottava rimaOttava rima at Encyclopaedia Britannica. (oitava rima in Portuguese).Oitava-rima. This strophe was very popular in Portugal in 17th century. It was introduced into Portuguese literature by Francisco de Sá de Miranda.Francisco de Sá de Miranda, Portuguese author at Encyclopaedia Britannica. 

After Luís de Camões used the strophe in The Lusiads all poets emloyed it in long works. The strophe consists of eight lines rhymed abababcc. The lines are composed of ten syllables each.

 Canto um Pastor, Amores, e Armas canto,
 Canto o Raio do monte, e da campanha,
 Terror da Itália, e do mundo espanto,
 Glória de Portugal, honra de Espanha:
 Triunfante da Águia, que triunfando tanto,
 Tanto a seus raios tímida se acanha,
 Que à traição, só dormindo, o viu rendido,
 Porque desperto nunca foi vencido.

 Story 
The poem tells about an ancient hero, Viriatus. He was a warrior from Lusitania (old Portugal). He was famous for his struggle for independence against the Romans. 

He was invincible in any battle. As the Romans could not defeat him in the open field, the decided to get rid of him by an unlawful deed. Viriatus was assasinated in his sleep.
He died, but his fame outlived the Roman empire.

 References 

 Bibliography 
 Viriato tragico : poema heroico em 20 cantos de Bras Garcia Mascaranhas, Lisboa 1846.

 Other websites 
 Bras Garcia de Mascaranhas, Viriato tragico, poema heroico em 20 cantos at Hathi Trust.

Category:Epic poems
Category:Portuguese poems
Category:1690s books
Category:1650s works
Category:17th-century poems