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Near to the Sea: Lisbon Lisbon, 16/3 – 21/3/15

King Manuel of Portugal dominating the sea(-monster). Martin Waldseemüller, Carta Marina (1516)

The course is part of the EU Erasmus+ teacher staff mobility programme

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Feeling the Sea

My language breathes the murmur of the sea, as

other languages breathe the whisper of the forest,

or the silence of the desert. That is why the sound

of the sea has been our restlessness.

Virgílio Ferreira.

Give us the log, the chart, the card, again the

seaman´s compass, and the sphere. There´s yet

a space, an isle within ourselves to make our port,

there to expect the unexpected. Manuel Alegre.

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Routes of the Seminar Portugal and the Sea Geographically set in front of the sea, halfway from the routes between the north and the south of Europe, the sea has always been our challenge to overcome both our crisis and ourselves. From the 15th century onwards this sea has worked as a run carrier of Portuguese people, its wealth, knowledge and culture. The consequence of such a melting of influences has brought us to a linguistic and monumental heritage where the whole world is reflected. Thus, memories and myths built upon the sea and the way the others looked at us reflect our inner soul and deepest longings, strengths, weaknesses

and dreams - in one word 'saudade'. We have always set off towards the West to reach the East and this notion will be the main skeleton of

our investigation on Portugal/Lisbon and its connection with the sea during the seminar 'Near to the

Sea'.

We will start with a general view of the whole city, from its medieval power core (St Jorge's Castle).

From there we will step down, both physically and within the timeline, towards the founding routes of the

city. Before lunch we will end up the morning in the underground of the old downtown city buildings

(back to the Phoenicians). West After lunch we will begin our quest towards the west and of course, we will start our journey visiting the replica of a caravel (the ships used during Discoveries). We will have the feeling of the old sailors, its perils and hardships. The end of the day will be in the Alcântara Quay, admiring the Almada Negreiros's murals that, under a modernist approach, will portray some of the most typical or mythical episodes of the Portuguese history and ways of living. The next day will take us west again,to the western part of Lisbon, where our past monumental heritage

will be a highlight of our 'trip' during these days. It is the area from where the caravels and carracks would sail ashore aiming to reach the outer lands. We will visit the Monastery of Jerónimos, erected with the money of the riches from the Eastern lands. The church of this monument keeps the burial site of Luís de Camões (16th century) and Fernando Pessoa (20th century), the two most important Portuguese writers/poets. Following that visit, after lunch, we will visit the Tower of Belém built on the river mouth, as a fortress

to prevent the attacks to the city. The Tower with its Manuelin style, stands as the symbol of the epic

times of the Discoveries, the place the 'naus' and the 'caravelas' bid the quay farewell and set forth to

the sea, among opposing voices who considered this task a helpless and nonsensical adventure:

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'But an old man of vulnerable appearance

Standing along the crowd on the shore,

Fixed his eyes on us, disapproving, And wagged his head three times,

The raising a little his infirm voice So we heard him clearly from the sea, With a wisdom only experience could impart, He uttered these words from a much-tried heart:

-!Oh, pride of power! Oh, futile lust

For that vanity known as fame! The hollow conceit which pulls itself up

And which popular cant calls honour!

What punishment, what poetic justice,

You exact on souls that pursue you! To what deaths, what mysteries you condemn

Your heroes! What pains you inflict on them'

(Camões, The Lusiads, 1572) These suspicious voices were along the centuries reflected on the ideas of the costs, struggles

and sacrifices on behalf of the Empire's pursuit:

Portuguese Sea

Salt-laden sea, how much of all your salt Is tears of Portugal! For us to cross you, how many sons have kept Vigil in vain, and mothers wept! Lived as old maids how many brides-to-be Till death, that you might be ours, sea!

Was it worth? It is worth while, all, If the soul is not small. Whoever means to sail beyond the Cape Must double sorrow - no escape. Peril and abyss has God to the sea given And yet made it the mirror of heaven.

(Fernando Pessoa, The Message, 1934)

Following that we will head towards Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Discoveries Milestone), whose first structure was built in the 1940's as one of the major icons of the Exibihition of the Portuguese World that was held to commemorate the anniversaries of the Foundation of Portugal and the Restoration of the Portuguese Independance from the Spanierds in the 17th century. The present day structure dates

from the 1960's. Fed with dreams and anxieties, Portuguese cultural heritage has always been able to integrate their

myths (either inherited from ancient times or daily constructed within moments and events) in

their achievements, incorporating and overcoming them. Thursday will take us to Sintra (classified as World Heritage under the classification of 'Cultural Landscape' by Unesco) which is intended to reveal another tiny bit of a dreamy soul whose fate was to

leave land crusades (due to poverty and need) and meet sea routes. Here royal and religious settings reflect centuries of occupation based on the exotic influences brought by the Portuguese journeys all over the world. In a city and court inner outskirt, there lies the place from where the end of the known world was

constantly seen from above (Cabo da Roca), causing the permanent dream and chimera of a people

intending to build and rebuild its Empire: "And there, as if crowning Europe's / Head, is the little

Kingdom of Portugal, / Where the continent ends and the sea begins" (Camões, The Lusiads, 1572).

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East A visit to the Museum of Old Arts will sum up, next morning, the intercourse between the already-known and the newly-known world, as described by the exquisite art pieces displayed in the several rooms of

the museum. And from here we will head to the Eastern part of Lisbon, where we'll face the present/future and the revival of the city, in a setting where the metaphor of the East (India) is set all over the organization of the space (environment) and its toponymy. We will also be able to face the other bank of the river Tagus and its estuary ('Mar da Palha' or 'Straw Sea') that has grown as the

industrial force of the Sea adventure, providing the shipyards for the building of vessels that would take the Portuguese across the Oceans. At the same time, it was the cellar of the Lisboners and developed a by-the-river economy based on activities such as the crossing carriers between the two river banks and the fishing industry. A "dive into the ocean" will end the seminar activities with a visit to the Oceanarium built for the 1998 World Exhibition under

the concept "A whole ocean linking seas, lands and people". Lisbon, the city itself,

unanimously figured as a

woman, both beautiful and

capricious, stretches along the

northern river bank and lies

under the sun waiting for

visitors to discover the forever

endless riddle of its mystery. As

one of the most well-known

Lisbon 'fados' states:

'In the Castle I lay my elbow

In Alfama a lay my eyes And so I undo the ball of thread

Of blue and sea. I lay my head onto the

Ribeira Tagus is my bed pillow With sheets quickly embroidered

In the muslin of a kiss. Lisbon, the girl and the maiden, the girl So pure at the light of my eyes Your breasts are the hilltops, fishmaiden A

street cry throwing tenderness onto me. A city embroidered in light A lain towel on the sea-shore

Lisbon, beloved girl and maiden

The city, one-love of my life. I pass by you in the Terreiro But

in Graça I watch you naked A pigeon smiles when looking at you

You are a woman in the street. And in the top quarter of a dream I

sing the 'fado' I can imagine The liqueur of wine and

strawberry That makes me sing. The city laying out of love The city by my hands unnaked Lisbon, the loved girl and maiden

The city one-love of my life.

No castelo ponho o cotovelo Em Alfama descanso o olhar E assim desfaço o novelo De azul e mar À Ribeira encosto a cabeça

A almofada da cama do Tejo Com lençóis bordados à pressa

Na cambraia de um beijo. Lisboa menina e moça, menina Da luz que os meus olhos vêem, tão pura

Teus seios sãos as colinas, varina Pregão

que me traz à porta ternura Cidade a ponto-luz bordada

Toalha à beira-mar estendida

Lisboa menina e moça e amada

Cidade amor da minha vida No Terreiro eu passo por ti Mas

na Graça eu vejo-te nua

Quando um pombo te olha

sorri És mulher da rua. E no bairro mais alto do sonho

Ponho o fado que sei inventar A aguardente de vinho e

medronho Que me faz cantar. Lisboa do amor deitada Cidade por minhas mãos despida

Lisboa menina e moça e amada

Cidade mulher da minha vida Ana Baptista, Catarina Amaral

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Subindo o Rio

Paul Hyland, "Backwards out of the big world – A voyage into Portugal". “Por este Tejo acima”

Paul Hyland is an English writer who travelled up River Tagus throughout Portugal, exploring the towns

and villages along the riverbanks, commenting on what he saw and comparing that on-the-land

knowledge to the premises of the Portuguese culture, be it either politics, literature, popular culture,

built heritage, landscape, traditions… We thought it would be interesting to leave some small extracts on

his feelings, since it is a perspective of Portugal captured through the eyes of a foreigner. We hope you

will enjoy the reading… “Why should we leave Lisbon, if, as it is said, it offers us four continents for the price of one?... Among all the European Nations, they [the Portuguese] were the first to take the world into their

hands and the ones who’ve kept it for a longer time. Today, however… they talk about being

Europeans forgetting that their greatest modernist poet, Fernando Pessoa, talked about the “Others,

the Others by birth, Europeans that are not true Europeans because they are not Portuguese”. He believed that only his People was fated to understand that “the future will be Universal”. This is,

probably, the sense in which I long to be Portuguese… In the words of the brave poet and novelist Miguel Torga (1907-1995): “I’m going to tell you about a wonderful Kingdom… belonging to me and to all those who might want to deserve it”. The River Tagus separates Europe from

Africa. It’s more than an illusion caused by light. A thousand kilometres long, from its source in the Spanish

mountains to the moment it sinks itself into the Atlantic Ocean, the River Tagus is the longest in the Iberian Peninsula. When it reaches Lisbon and the sea, streaming from east to west, in the middle of the Portuguese territory, it is the one that sets the continents apart. But it has always been the Fate of the

Portuguese to reformulate our notion of

the world. They made it with “caravelas” [Portuguese carracks used during the Discoveries], with the compass and the astrolabe. Their navigators surrounded the lands and adventured themselves into the huge open seas until the known

sky signals and the North Star that kept them safe were lost; until they feared sailing straight to the unknown, straight to the door opening to chaos and those black seas imagination conjures and full of monsters and demons. They faced and exorcized those risks with a saying: “There’s no overcoming danger without danger”. … The glorious riverfront of the capital and its wavy hillocks… Up the North of the city the river widens in a way that makes it look like a sea, the Sea of Straw. Southwards I imagine I could see the ocean. And I

figured myself here, hands cut by the iron of the fences, watching Lisbon fall and burn before being

swept by the waves [1755 earthquake and tsunami, which completely destroyed the downtown]. … There are wild areas, as the Natural Reserve of the River Tagus Estuary, with their Autumn flocks of

pink flamingos, the birds that may have brought the gipsies from the Nile’s valley to the Andaluzia and

the Alentejo, inspiring the emblem of their flag and the steps of their dancing, the flamenco. Ana Cristina

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The Natural Reserve of the Tejo Estuary The Natural Reserve of the Tejo Estuary (the biggest wettest zone in the whole Western Europe) was

proclaimed in 1976. The surface area is 14,560 hectares extending from North of Alcochete to the

estuary waters, loam areas, salt pans, marshes, sand-banks and agricultural areas. The bird population,

with a figure of circa 70-80 thousand in the winter months, makes this a vital reserve both nationally

and internationally. The gathering of avocets ( Recurvirostra avosetta), totalling half of the European

population of this species makes this area even more important.

The Tejo River banks Recurvirostra avosetta Flamingos gathering at the shallow waters of the river

Flocks of these birds are a common sight here, yet so rarely found in other areas of the world, which

justifies the protection of this area. Bird-watching is a fascinating pastime. Here one sees poetry in

motion as flocks of birds fly high and swoop down. Alcochete is situated near the vast estuary of the

River Tagus and its salt marshes that have provided the main income for its people. A statue of a

salt worker takes pride of place in the town's centre. The flight of the Flamingos The most emblematic bird is the common pink Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber), a superb bird, fully

displaying its grace when graciously leaving the ground. They are attracted by the salt marshes and

look for shelter here during autumn and spring. When of the low tides, they search for their meals near

Parque das Nações, in Lisbon.

The old river sea activities When there was no bridge over the Tagus’ banks, typical boats once crossed the estuary near the river

mouth (Straw Sea/Mar da Palha), both fishing and taking passengers and merchandise from one of the

banks to the other, between the capital and its surroundings. Today, big catamarans have replaced

them.

Rural life Along the riverbanks, between the “lezíria” (plain) and the “montado” (oak forested zone), daily

habits illustrate the lives of generations of people living side by side with the river. Some of those are

the production of cork, salt and cereals as well as cattle raising.

Magical twilights The estuary, which holds Lisbon and the nearby populations in a close hug, also tells the story of

important habits and traditions of the locals, who live day by day with this “Straw Sea” in a

perfect harmony. When night falls, some of these places, as Hortas, near Alcochete, gain a special

charm.

Ana Baptista, Catarina Amaral

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Aljube political prison Political prison of Aljube - the "emblem" of the political system in Portugal from 1926 to 1974,

which shaped life and culture in the country for almost 50 years.

"Aqui, no silêncio das gavetas, Da Pátria amordaçada, Dos peitos desfeitos pela tortura da PIDE,

Subiu o clamor da Liberdade, Floriu Abril."

"Here, in the silence of the drawers (cells), Of our homeland silenced, Out of the chests destroyed by PIDE’s torture, The clamour of Freedom rose, April blossomed."

PIDE – International Police of State Defense Faithfully attended by PSP – Public Safety Police, GNR – Republican National Guard, and LP – Portuguese Legion. But there were also the special courts, a network of political prisons, the concentration camps (Tarrafal, in Cape Green Islands - Cabo Verde - being the most notorious) and a set of specific legislation which exercised all sorts of violence and arbitrary actions, such as: torture; imprisonment without proven crime-practice and without a set period of time; indefinite and endless prison penalties people had to

endure, most times without having even been sentenced. In Lisbon, usually, after being arrested, the political prisoner was taken to PIDE’s head-quarters and then to the prison of Aljube or the fortress of Caxias. On their way in the prisoners were forced to undress and then searched. The guards took all their possessions, like spectacles, watches and shoe-laces, so that they would not commit suicide and would eventually lose the sense of time. They were not allowed any visits before being interrogated, any books, paper, pencils or pens. Though it had some very good professionals, deeply acquainted with their targets’ characteristics,

PIDE’s efficiency was most due to the enormous power it was granted with. Amongst these powers they

could, for example, exercise preventive detention, launch legal processes, impose safety measures

(which were set after the sentence had been carried out in order to prevent further activities against the

regimen), maintain a net of secret informers (spies – bufos as they were called) and fully exercise

torture during the interrogatories. It was possible for a prisoner to be kept under arrest without a trial

or legal control, that being the PIDE’s director’s decision: preventive imprisonment was set together

with a provisional safety measure (which could go on for as long as one year). Boa-Hora – Court Some of the trials held here were overseen by Portuguese and foreign journalists, but the former could only publish the unofficial statements sent by PIDE. However, meanwhile, the news were having great impact abroad. The characteristics of the trial procedures were sui generis: total lack of freedom of speech; preposterous

and oppressive behaviour of the judge; court’s biased performance; permanent interruption of the

prisoner’s defence pleading; accusation witnesses being the members of the PIDE themselves.

Frequently, the prisoner’s witnesses were themselves arrested, accused of “disrespect towards the court

and the judges”. For example, one was under arrest for three days, due to having quoted Salazar’s words

in a speech, where he had stated that “the Portuguese political regimen was anti-democratic, anti-liberal,

authoritarian and interventionist”. This witness was accused of “attack to members of the Government”.

Sometimes the prisoners were not allowed to advocate their own defence or lost their lawyer because

this had been charged of an “insulting attitude towards the judge” while trying to carry out his work on

behalf of the client. Manuel João da Palma Carlos defended many political prisoners and was known as a

“conflicting person, always confronting the judges and the prosecutors, one that would not be silenced,

unashamed of using the court as an arena where Salazar’s regimen was openly affronted”. Once, he was

condemned to a 7 month penalty, had to pay a fine and was forbidden to work as a lawyer for a whole

year. When he recurred from the sentence he was asked to pay an enormous amount of money as bail.

He could only pay the bail and the fine with the financial help of friends and the assistance of the Order

of Lawyers. And this was all due to the following sentence of Palma Carlos in the court: “You may judge

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as you wish, with or without given proof. But you can’t help it – you’ll have to write down on the court proceedings what goes on in the audience”. The judge declared these words to be injurious, false and offensive to the court”. This case is a plain example of how lawyers had their action limited, were pressed and intimidated

when they raised their voices in the courtroom, one of the most effective salazarist mechanisms. It

clearly portrays a kind of justice that does it all in order to prevent the right to a fair defence and

imposes silence upon the defendants. Sources:

• História de Portugal – Org. Fernando Rosas

• História de Portugal – Joel Serrão

• Internet

Ana Baptista

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The Roman Theatre in Lisbon

Theatre excavation site Remains brought from the roman theatre The ruins of the Roman theatre are set on the south slope of St. Jorge’s Castle. The theatre was built

during the time of the Roman emperor Augustus, in the 1st century AD and rebuilt during Nero’s times

(1st c. AD). It was partially dismantled during the period of Constantine the Great (3rd c. AD). After

being abandoned in the 4th century it was buried until 1798, since the remains were only found after

the earthquake of 1755. Archaeological campaigns started in 1967, having part of the orchestra, stage

and proscenium been unearthed, as well as many decorative motifs. The Museum The Museum is a space especially dedicated to the Roman Theatre, near the Aljube Palace (a political prison during the times of the dictatorship – 1926/1974 - see

article ). Coming from the castle we visit the ruins of the theatre and then enter the house that hosts the museum exhibits. Besides the artefacts, it also displays multimedia facilities presenting info on the theatre and its history. The monument is one of the main remains of

the classic and Roman culture, which helped frame the

urban dimension of the city Olissipo, from the 1st to the 5th centuries. The building where the Museum is set dates from

the 16th century probably on the very spot of one of

the main entrances to the Theatre. Ana Baptista, Catarina Amaral

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Pr. António Vieira

"Nascer pequeno e morrer grande, é

chegar a ser homem. Por isso nos deu

Deus tão pouca terra para o nascimento,

e tantas para a sepultura. Para nascer,

pouca terra; para morrer toda a terra.

Para nascer, Portugal: para morrer, o

mundo”

“To be born small and die great means

achieving manhood. That’s why God us

gave such a tiny piece of land to be born,

so much to be buried. A scarce bit of

land for a birthplace, the whole earth to

die. Portugal to be born, the whole world

to perish. Biography The Portuguese Jesuit priest Padre António Vieira, a major figure in the

Portuguese Literature, mostly due to his Sermons, was born in Lisbon in the parish of Sé (near the Lisbon Cathedral), on February 6th, 1608. In 1614 he left for Brazil with his family, settling in Salvador da Bahia. Twenty years later Vieira became a Jesuit priest and his fame soon rose as a superb master on Sermon writing as well as a fierce Indian defender. In 1641, after Portugal had recovered its independence from Spain, he returned to Portugal announcing Brazil had accepted the newly enthroned D.

João IV as the legitimate king. Becoming a close friend of the monarch, he was summoned as Royal Chaplain. António Vieira was also a diplomat and an economist. He travelled over Europe. negotiating the purchase of Pernambuco to the Dutch, got money for the war against Castile and the creation of the Trade Companies for the East and West, bought ammunition, recruited mercenary soldiers… A fierce defender of Mercantilism, at a time when the Portuguese finances were more than weak, he

believed that was the way to keep the nation's independence. He claimed all the social classes should pay taxes and all those that invested in the Trade Companies would be exempt from those taxes. A close observer of the reality, he learned from other countries, namely the enemies: “The Dutch have their industry, their labour, their greed, their love to each other and to the common good; we have our disunion, our envy, our presumption, our carelessness and our perpetual attention to trifle” (“O papel forte"/The strong tole – 1648). Returning to Brazil, in 1652, (Maranhão), the priest became a missionary, soon to be chased and expelled by the settlers, on behalf of his strong fighting against the Indians slavery in the

sugarcane plantations. He was expelled and returned to Portugal where he was arrested in 1665, under the accusation of heresy and the Inquisition forbade his preaching activity. After being released he left for Rome in 1669, trying to reverse the sentence. There he stood for six years preaching to the Papal Court and also to the exiled Queen Christine from Sweden. In 1675 he returned to Lisbon with a Pope’s decree that released him from the Inquisition jurisdiction for life, though now with no political support and disappointed with the persecutions on the newly converted Christians he had always defended. The missionary returned do Brazil in 1681, now 73 years old, on what was his 7th crossing of the

Atlantic, devoting to his writing and Sermon publishing activity. He would die on July, 18th, 1697, aged

89, During his life, he travelled thousands of miles in Europe and across Brazil, including the Amazon

area, preaching and fighting for the rights of the native populations. He learned the local languages

and was named Paiaçu (Great Father) by the Indians. Persistent, devoted, energetic and a fighter,

António Vieira was a mind brilliant to the end.

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Literary work His literary achievements are immense (Fernando Pessoa, our 20th century major poet, called him “the emperor of the

Portuguese language”. He wrote 200 sermons, 700 letters, and dozens of philosophic, theological spiritual, prophetic, political and social texts. His highest praised Sermon is the “Sermon of St. Anthony to the Fish”, (654), that fully displays

a strong, fighting, rational, persuasive and subtly ironic style one can’t avoid being seduced by. On the commemoration of his 400th birth anniversary, a tile

mural was placed on the wall of the house he was born. The

project was developed by the local parish authority and the

tiles were made in one of the Portuguese most famous tile

factories (Viúva de Lanego). The tiles are shown in the

beginning of the article. Source:

• website

• website

• História da Literature Portuguesa, Oscar Lopes

Images:

• torredahistoriaiberica.blogspot.com

• pt.wikipedia.org

Ana Baptista, Catarina Amaral

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The Portuguese Caravel The ship that truly

launched the first

phase of the Portuguese discoveries along the African coast was the caravel. It was a ship with a distinctive shape and

admirable qualities. A gently sloping bow and single stern castle were prominent features of this vessel and it carried a mainmast and a

mizzen mast that were generally lateen

(triangular) rigged. The caravel benefited from a greater capacity to tack. However its small

cargo capacity and relatively large crew complement were a significant encumbrance to its exploration abilities. The crew was about 40 people and besides the captain and the writer all the crew slept on deck. Living

on a caravel was hard, so people that have been punished could choose for a job on a caravel instead of

going to prison. They had prepared a special bread to take on board, some chickens for their eggs and a

lot of fresh water. That is because the caravel did not have a place to cook. Portuguese people honor

the caravel by making caravel-like buildings and monuments:

Replica of caravel in Lisbon harbor

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Alcântara and Rocha do Conde d'Óbidos

Cais de Alcântara and Cais da Rocha do Conde d’Óbidos are two quays of the three terminal quays of the Port of Lisbon, built during the years of Estado Novo, in the 20

th century. The Port of Lisbon was set on

the mouth of River Tagus (Rio Tejo) estuary at its opening into the Atlantic Ocean. It is a natural harbour, wide and deep, which makes it perfect for all types of ships namely the big vessels able to cruise the oceans. The quays are all on the northern bank of the river, along some of the most important historic and cultural areas of Lisbon, including the city historic centre. A visit to Cais de Alcântara or Cais da Rocha do Conde d’Óbidos, highlights the buildings of these two sea

stations and their modernist design under the canons of the Estado Novo spirit. But it most highlights the wall panels or murals painted by the Portuguese modernist painter and writer Almada Negreiros, which recreate both the atmosphere of the harbour in those days and some of the legends and folk literature of the Portuguese imaginary. We can rediscover and “listen to” the lively movement of the city and the quay by those times, sense the fishermen’s hard toil and the sounds of the fishwives (“varinas”) singing out their fish of all sorts. The need to build three maritime stations in the Lisbon harbour, which were to be austere and spacious,

was already mentioned in the 1933-34 Financial Report of the Lisbon Harbour Administration. In 1939,

the architect Pardal Monteiro was given the task of drawing up the plans for the maritime stations, of which the Alcântara station would be the first to be built. The ideal locations for these were at Alcântara

, at Rocha do Conde d’Óbidos, and at Cais do Sodré, although the latter had never been constructed. The aim was to offer harbour facilities in three separate locations, giving the passenger service the

importance it required. The demands placed by the number of foreign ships that entered the Tagus River fully justified such a plan. The Lisbon harbour was expected to become the indisputable entrance

to Europe for both travellers and sea-faring mail. Consequently, the maritime station was to be a place

where travellers made their first contact with the country, and should give the arriving foreigners a welcoming sense of comfort, ease, and grandeur. It would be important in conveying the image of a

country that sought to be progressive.

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Acântara Maritime Station

Alcântara Maritime Station

The Alcântara Maritime Station was opened on July 17th

, 1943 – not with the pomp and circumstance

characteristic of such inaugural ceremonies. Instead, there was a simple reception for the ship Serpa Pinto of the Colonial Shipping Company (Companhia Colonial de Navegação), which had come from Philadelphia with 253 passengers aboard, most of whom were English subjects seeking refuge from the war. Murals In the second floor hall of the maritime stations of Alcântara and Rocha, one can admire fourteen

magnificent indoor murals that have the river as their subject, portraying riverside activities and harbour scenes. Almada considered the Tagus to be a very beautiful river, and regretted the fact that only foreign artists depicted it in their paintings. These fresco murals, a precious example of contemporary Portuguese art, were created by one of the most unique and talented personalities of the Portuguese cultural scene, José de Almada Negreiros. With this work of art he reached one of the high points in his prolific career. Upon celebrating a PTE 200,000 worth contract, a three-year period was estimated for

the conclusion of the eight magnificent frescoes – two triptychs and two separate compositions, with which Almada Negreiros decorated the second floor hall (1943-1945). album; The frescoes at the Alcântara Maritime Station depict one of the most beautiful evocations of the riverside city and the sea- faring, adventurous calling of the Portuguese. In the Nau Catrineta triptych, Almada Negreiros left us an incomparable illustration of the ballad based on the moulds of medieval poetry, which already had as its theme the sea journeys of the Portuguese at the time of the Discoveries. Here, the adventure of the mariners of the Portentous Sea is exalted, as well as their faith in God, loyalty

to the mission undertaken, and love of family and the motherland. Alongside this call for tradition, another triptych depicts Lisbon as the artist knew it - a city related to

sailing and fishing, with its characteristic, colourful sailing boat, the fragata, and the steam trawlers,

its statuesque fishwives reminding as in the poems by Cesário Verde. All this is set against the Lisbon

backdrop of houses, where the Cathedral and St. George’s Castle glow, and one can discern the old

aqueduct (Aqueduto das Águas Livres) and the Óbidos Palace. Nau Catrineta and Dom Fuas Roupinho There are also another two panels, which singularly emphasise the hardships of time. They bring together the legend of Dom Fuas Roupinho – a XII century knight who was saved by Our Lady of Nazaré from the trap of the infernal stag –, and the pastoral scene entitled Ó Terra onde Eu Nasci (Oh, land where I was born). Referring to the Nau Catrineta (a ship), one of the most deep-rooted legends in Portuguese tradition,

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Almada Negreiros declared: "Nau Catrineta, the only point in which I did in fact find the oral tradition of the Portuguese people and the sea" (Rui Mário Gonçalves, in Almada). The defence of the values of the Symbol and the Myth, to which Almada was so committed, finds its

expression in this panel alluding to Dom Fuas Roupinho. He was the first Admiral of the Tagus Naval

Fleet, a warrior who had come to Lisbon in 1180 at Dom Afonso Henriques’ orders, where he prepared

an armada to pursue the Arab fleets that were ravaging the Portuguese coastline. This hero portrayed by

Almada in the fresco at Alcântara, had already been referred by Luís de Camões in the following verses:

"Such a man as Egas, and such as Dom Fuas, for whom the Homeric zither alone I covet…" (The Lusiads,

I Canto, 12).

Legend of the miracle at Nazaré Dom Fuas Roupinho mounted his horse and galloped through the field, when suddenly he saw a strange, black shape go past him… It’s a stag, he thought… A stag, I’m certain! He felt very happy; his hunt could not have started off better. Furthermore, it was a stag as he had never seen before in his whole life. He spurred the horse on. He

could not lose such a valuable prey… As if challenging him, the stag went past him yet again. Once. Twice. Dom Fuas Roupinho felt his honour come to the fore. Was a hero such as himself, a man accustomed to the most arduous battles, going to lose such magnificent game? Never! He would catch the stag, no matter what it cost. He spurred the horse again until it bled, and got closer to the prey. He was almost there. He could almost reach it… Holding his lance up, he was already triumphant… But, suddenly, he saw the earth disappear beneath the hooves of the horse… He

was at the edge of a precipice, looking down over the sea. His throat let out a distressed cry as the horse reared up, desperately whinnying, and the stag disappeared, vanishing into smoke: "Most Holy Virgin, help me! Help me, Our Lady of Nazaré!" For a moment (it seemed an eternity), horse and rider struggled above the abyss.

But the Virgin must have heard the anguished plea of Dom Fuas Roupinho. And

he was saved. A miracle. A true miracle! In the rocks, the hind hooves of the horse were branded, the signs of which can still be seen there today.

17

Rocha do Conde d'Óbidos maritime station

Rocha do Conde dÓbidos Maritime Station (picture from website) The style used by Almada Negreiros on the frescoes at the Alcântara Maritime Station, as well as the

themes expressed, so pleased the more open-minded dignitaries of the time that he received a commission to decorate the Rocha do Conde d’Óbidos Maritime Station to the value of PTE 450,000, over a period of 912 days, corresponding to the years 1946-49. The first ship to moor at this station was the liner North King, owned by a Portuguese-Panamanian company, on 19 June 1948. The pictorial artwork of the station consists of two triptychs which depict aspects of the waterfront: from the evocation of acrobats to the Sunday outings along the Tagus estuary, the ship repair dry docks, the farewell to those who are leaving and the anguish of those who remain on the quay, waiting. They are strong geometric

compositions, with solid and forcible figures. But here and there, one can find the delicious silhouette of a young woman, the face of a child, and the lyrical presence of a vase of flowers. The characteristic people of Lisbon are there to be seen: rope-walkers, trapeze artists, fishwives and

fishermen, caulkers, masons, and the country people who come to see their loved ones off, or to wait

for those who are returning from far- away countries to which they emigrated. With regard to the Rocha

Maritime Station, Almada himself declared in an interview to Diário de Lisboa in 1953: "I believe I've

never done better, or created a work that was so much my own". His best work was therefore

acknowledged as the best part of himself (Lisbon Port Authority). Bibliography

• Antologia da Poesia Portuguesa (introdução, selecção e notas de Alexandre Pinheiro Torres),

vol. II, Porto, Lello & Irmão, 1977

• Boletim do Porto de Lisboa, n.º 192, Julho-Agosto-Setembro de 1970

• Diário de Lisboa, 19 de Junho de 1948 Source

• Lisbon Port Authority – abridged and adapted

Ana Baptista

18

José de Almada Negreiros José Sobral de Almada Negreiros was born in São Tomé, on the Farm (Fazenda) Saudade, on April

7th

1893, and died in the Hospital de S. Luís dos

Franceses, in Lisbon, on June 15th

1970, in the

same room his deceased friend Fernando Pessoa had died several years before. His mother died when he was three years old. His father moved to Paris and Almada was to stay with his younger brother at the Jesuits School in Campolide, Lisbon, where he studied until 1910, the year of the newly proclaimed Republic that closed down the institution. He finished his studies in 1911 at the Liceu de Coimbra. From 1911 to 1913 he attended the Escola International de Lisboa (Lisbon International School), where he held his first individual exhibition in his graduation year. In 1934 he married the painter Sarah Affonso in Lisbon. Their son José was born in 1935, and their daughter Ana Paula in 1940. Painter Almada's artistic career began in 1911 when he

participated in I Exposição do Grupo de

Humoristas Portugueses (the first Exhibition of the

Portuguese Humorists Group). In 1913 he held an

exhibition of caricatures that brought him into

closer contact with Fernando Pessoa.

José de Almada Negreiros, Portrait Fernando Pessoa

The camaraderie between the two would prove to be extremely fruitful for the emergence of futurism

in Portugal, as well as the destiny of Portuguese modernism. They both participated in the founding of

the literary magazines Orpheu (1915) and Portugal Futurista (1917).

19

Paris Almada Negreiros left for Paris in 1919, where he found a job as a waiter and cabaret dancer. It was in Paris that he wrote the well know poem Histoire du Portugal par Cœur. He was a regular contributor

to the newspaper Diário de Lisboa since its very first issue (April 7, 1921), publishing texts and witty drawings. In 1925 he painted a collective portrait for the café A Brasileira, which at the time was decorated with works by the Portuguese modernist artists. During the following year he focused his attention on the problematic panels of S. Vicente de Fora by Nuno Gonçalves, and proposed they be

joined as panels of a single polyptych. However, his artistic endeavours went much further. "Drawer, lecturer, dancer, novelist, pamphleteer,

critic, painter and poet. He himself, as a man, was a poet", as Carlos Queiroz accurately defined Almada

Negreiros. To this, one must also add the explosive Manifesto Anti-Dantas, which dates from this time,

as do the novels A Engomadeira (The Ironing-maid) and Nome de Guerra (Nom de guerre) in which he

portrayed the agitated atmosphere of the post-Word War I plastic and poetic renewal. Stained glass windows, frescoes and murals In 1938 he created the stained glass windows for the church of Our Lady of Fátima, the first modern catholic temple of Lisbon. Two years later, he was called upon to participate in the great Exposição do Mundo Português (Exhibition of the Portuguese World). The decorative frescoes in the central Post Office of Lisbon (at Restauradores) and in Aveiro, as well as those on the head-office of the newspaper Diário

de Notícias were produced in 1939 and 1940. From 1943 to 1949, Almada reached his peak in mural painting in the maritime stations of Alcântara and Rocha do Conde d’Óbidos. In 1954, the master paints a

portrait of the poet Fernando Pessoa for the restaurant Irmãos Unidos, at the Rossio, in Lisbon. album; Almada continued producing many works of art: drawings, oil paintings, frescoes, mosaic, stained glass

windows, tapestries, incised decorations and engravings. Of these, the following stand out: the

decoration of the façades of several buildings of the University of Lisbon (1957 to 1961), and also various tapestries for the Hotel Ritz (1959). He had a tendency for abstract expression, which reached

its height in the paintings sent to the I Exposição de Artes Plásticas (First Exhibition of Plastic Arts),

promoted by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, where he was awarded the hors-concours prize in

1957. Together with that tendency, a profoundly Portuguese lyricism is to be found in all his works, as

can be seen in his delightful Histoire du Portugal par Cœur.

"Tagus, ridge of my poem that opens in pages of Sun […] We have all the rivers we

need. The Tagus is the largest; like others it starts in Spain, but it did not want to

stay there […] We too have fishwives who sail the streets as boats on the Sea. –

They have the taste of salt. In their baskets they carry the Sea". In Ultimatum Futurista às Gerações Portuguesas do Século XX (Futuristic Ultimatum addressed to the

Portuguese of the New Century) Almada wrote that fishwives were the most beautiful of women (Rui

Mário Gonçalves, in Almada) . The vast geometric composition engraved in the atrium of the Calouste

Gulbenkian Foundation, with its symbolic title Começar (Begin), was completed between 1968 and

1969, one year before his death. Source

• Text abridged and adapted from documents provided by the Port of Lisbon Authority Ana Baptista

20

Padrão dos Descobrimentos The year 1940 was an important memorial year in Portugal. It was the third centennial of the restoration of independence from Spain (1640). Eight centuries before (1140) Dom Alfonso Henriques became the first King of

Portugal. This year was celebrated by a series of cultural events, culminating in the 'Exhibition of the Portuguese World'. The exhibition took place in the Praça do Império in Belém and the highlight was the temporary monument dedicated to the Portuguese discoveries Padrão dos Descobrimentos. This year 1940 was also important in Europe. Hitler had

started his war to gain lebensraum for the 'germanic

race', the Italian fascists dreamt of restoring the mare

nostrum, Spain was exhausted after three of fierce civil

war resulting in Franco's victory. With German support

Ion Antonescu and his Iran Guard established the

National Legionary State in Romania, the Roman

legions as a vanguard of Balkan domination. Portugal In Portugal the liberal First Republic had ended in 1926

and was replaced in 1932 by Salazar's Estado Novo. In

this ideology the unity and indivisibility of the

Portuguese nation was regarded as a fundamental

principle. The interests of each person and group of

people were to be subordinated to those of the nation,

moreover, subordinated to a nation devoid of political parties. Portugal's history is turned to as an inspirational example to guide thoughts and actions. Much is made of Portugal's achievements; the length of its independent existence, its establishment as

a result of reconquest by holy crusade against the Moors, the homogeneity and industriousness of its

people, its success in obtaining and maintaining overseas territories, and in exporting Christianity and civilisation to the distant corners of the world. These achievements, according to Salazar, were made without thought of material reward and without causing damage to the interests of any other European power, reflecting Portugal's traditionally pure and moral character, and the traditional willingness of the Portuguese people to sacrifice their material comforts for higher ideals. Essentially this salazarism, Portuguese fascism, is a revival of the 16th c. sebastianism (see article on

Camões and Slauerhoff). A late echo we even find in António Gedeão, Poema da Malta das Naus: Não

se nasce impunemente nas praias de Portugal (It’s not without impunity beaches of Portugal give birth

to thee). And Salazar found his poet in Fernando Pessoa, the 20th c. Camões. In 1934 Pessoa wrote

Mensagem (Message), one of the few works published during his lifetime, and received a prize for it on

behalf of the Estado Novo.

I. The Prince

God wills, Man dreams, the work is born. God willed that all the earth be one, That seas unite and never separate. You he blessed, and you went forth to read the foam.

And the white shore lit up, isle to continent, And flowed, even to the world's end, And suddenly the earth was seen complete, Upsurging, round, from blue profundity.

Who blessed you made you Portuguese. Us he gave a sign: the sea's and our part is you. The Sea fulfilled, the Empire fell apart. But ah, Portugal must yet fulfil itself.

Fernando Pessoa, Message, Second part: Portuguese Sea

21

The monument The Padrão dos Descobrimentos should be seen within the context of this fascist

cultural revival and its dreams about the future. The word padrão itself refers to the memorial stones erected by the early discoverers (15th c.) along the coast of Africa, indicating their achievements. The stile is outspoken futurist, as in Italian

fascism, combined with Christian symbols. The architect was Cottinelli Telmo (1897-1948), the sculptor Leopoldo de Almeida (1898-1975), who was the most important constructor of the Salazar regime iconography ( As Mulheres Portuguesas Gratas a Salazar). In 1960, the year of the fifth centenary of

the death of Infant D. Henriques, Prince Henry the Navigator, the temporary monument was rebuilt as a permanent structure. But the world had changed then and salazarism had lost its future,

although its agony of death would last a few more decades. And, as in the 16th c, 'born in a small cradle, it found its

grave in the (colonial) world' again. In remembering the deeds of the discoverers the dominant symbol is that of a caravel departing on a voyage. The Torre de Belem is near. The lower part has the form of two ramps meeting at the prow, which is dominated by the figure of Prince Henry the Navigator. The upper part represents the

sails, surmounted by the Portuguese arms of the 14th and 15th c. Along each of the ramps 16 are

standing, representing all together and historical synthesis of players linked to the discoveries. The

whole front part, above the entrance, is used for the representation of a sword, decorated by the cross

of the house of Avis, symbolising both the force of arms and the Christian faith. Cascais side Lisbon side

1. Infante D. Pedro (2nd son of D. João I) 1. Alfonso (king) 2. Dona Filipa de Lencastre (mother of Infante 2. Vasco da Gama (navigator)

D. Henrique) 3. Afonso Baldaia (navigator) 3. Fernão Mendes Pinto (pilgrim) 4. Pedro ílvares Cabral (navigator) 4. Frei Concaçalo de Carvallo (dominican) 5. Fernão de Magalhães (navigator) 5. Frei Henrique de Carvallo (franciscan) 6. Nicolau Coelho (navigator) 6. Luiz Vas de Camíµes (poet) 7. Gaspar Cí´rte-Real (navigator) 7. Nuno Conçalves (painter) 8. Martim Afonso de Sousa (navigator) 8. Gomes Eanes de Zurara (chronicler) 9. João de Barros (writer) 9. Pero da Covilhã (traveller) 10. Estevão de Gama (captain) 10. Jâcome de Maiorca (cosmographer) 11. Bartolomeu Dias (navigator) 11. Pêro de Escobar (pilot) 12. Diogo Cão (navigator) 12. Pedro Nunes (mathematician) 13. António de Abreu (navigator) 13. Pêro de Alenquer (pilot) 14. Afonso de Albuquerque (governor) 14. Gil Eanes (navigator) 15. Francisco Xavier (Jesuit) 15. João Conçalves Zarco (navigator) 16. Cristóvão da Gama (captain) 16. Infante D. Fernando (8th son of Don João

17. Infante D. Henrique (5th son of Don João

I ' navigator)

Fokko Dijkstra

22

The Adamastor in Camões and Pessoa

The Lusíads – Canto V - The Adamastor

by Luís Vaz de Camões

"It had not run its course, when a figure

Showed itself to us in air, strong, robust,

In its stature gigantic and deformed, With

heavy mien, and a squalid beard, Deep-

sunken eyes, and a disposition Dire and

malign, of pale and citrine hue, Covered in earth and curls the head of hair, With the mouth black, and the teeth stained yellow.

"So immense were its limbs, that I can well

Guarantee you, that it was the younger Of Rhodes most extravagant Colossus, Which one of the world's seven wonders was : When he spoke to us in tone of voice thick and bass, It seemed to boom out from the deepest sea : The hair and the flesh bristled up in fright Of mine and all, just in seeing it and hearing it.

"And said: - ' O bold folk, more than how many

In the world who have committed great things,

You, who for cruel wars, much and many, And for vain endeavours never repose, Since

you transgress in limited preserves, And dare

to navigate my wide sea-tracts, Which I for

as long have held and guarded, Never by a stranger's log, or mine, ploughed:

'Since you come to see the hidden secrets

Of nature and of the moist element, Not to any great human being yielded,

Of noble or of immortal desert, Hear the punishment from me, warnings

Which are to your arrogant impudence, For all the wide sea and the land, which you

Yet have to subdue through bitter warfare.

'Know that as many ships on this voyage

Which you make, they will be in insolence,

This zone will bar them in hostility With winds and tempests beyond all measure. That the first armada which passes

through Shall have insufferable waves made for it, Suddenly, I'll inflict such chastisement, That the damage is more than worth the risk.

'Here I wait to take, if I'm not deceived, Of who discovered me, complete vengeance.

And not only in this will end the damage Of your firm and obstinate confidence; Before,

in your ships you will see each year, If it is

truth which my judgment reaches, Ship-

wrecks, and perdition of every kind, Where

the least of all ill will be to die.

23

Adamastor monument, Lisbon

The Message IV - The Adamastor by Fernando Pessoa

THE THING

The thing who lives at the sea's end Rose

in the pitch night to fly round; Around the

ship he flew three times, Flew three times

with a creaking sound, And said, "Who is

it has dared sound My caverns, which I

never unshadow, My black roofs of the

world's end?" And the man at the helm said, with a shudder,

"The King, Dom Joao Segundo!"

"Whose are the sails my webs brush past? I

see, I hear - whose hulls, whose masts?" The thing said, and prowled round three times,

Three times prowled round, obscene and vast,

"Who's come to be master where I live master,

Live where of me none may catch sight As I ooze the terrors of deep without end?"

And the man at the helm shuddered, and

said, "The King, Dom Joao Segundo!"

Three times he raised his hands from the helm,

Three times again gripped the helm firm And said, when he had shuddered three times,

"Here at the helm I am more than I am: Am a People - your sea which it means to tame; More than the thing, my soul's terror, Who prowls in the dark of the world's end - Is the will, which ties me to the tiller, Of the King, Dom Joao Segundo!"

Ana Baptista, Catarina Amaral

24

The Message IV – The Adamastor by Fernando Pessoa Ο Αδαμάστωρ του Φερνάντο Πεσσόα

Το Πλάσμα Το πλάσμα που ζει στο τέλος της θάλασσας Σηκώθηκε μέσα στην κατάμαυρη νύχτα για να πετάξει τριγύρω Γύρω από το πλοίο πέταξε τρεις φορές,

Πέταξε τρεις φορές με ένα τρίξιμο, Και είπε: «Ποιος είναι αυτός που τόλμησε να ηχήσει Στις σπηλιές μου που ποτέ δεν είδε ο ήλιος,

Στις μαύρες μου στέγες στο τέλος του κόσμου;»

Και ο άντρας στο πηδάλιο είπε, με ένα ρίγος, «Ο Βασιλιάς Ιωάννης ο Δεύτερος!» «Ποιανού τα πανιά ταράζουν το πέρασμά μου; Το βλέπω, το ακούω - ποιανού το σκάφος, ποιανού το πλοίο;» Το πλάσμα είπε και παραμόνεψε τριγύρω τρεις

φορές, Τρεις φορές παραμόνεψε τριγύρω, αισχρό και πελώριο, «Ποιος έρχεται να γίνει ο κύριος εκεί που εγώ κυριαρχώ, Να ζήσει εκεί όπου κανείς δεν πρέπει εμένα να

αντικρύσει

Καθώς σταλάζω τον τρόμο του απύθμενου βάθους;» Και ο άντρας στο πηδάλιο ρίγησε και είπε, «Ο Βασιλιάς Ιωάννης ο Δεύτερος!»

Τρεις φορές σήκωσε τα χέρια του από το πηδάλιο, Τρεις φορές άρπαξε ξανά το πηδάλιο σφιχτά Και είπε, αφού ρίγησε τρεις φορές, «Εδώ στο πηδάλιο είμαι περισσότερα από ό,τι είμαι εγώ: Είμαι ο Λαός που πρόκειται να εξημερώσει τη

θάλασσά σου, Περισσότερο κι από το πλάσμα, τον τρόμο της ψυχής μου, Που παραμονεύει στο σκοτάδι στο τέλος του

κόσμου - Είναι η βούληση που με δένει στο τιμόνι,

Του Βασιλιά Ιωάννη του Δεύτερου!» Amaxopoulou Areti , Kapoutsi Syrmo

25

The Namban Screens Namban (lit. “Southern Barbarian”) is a sino-Japanese word which originally

designated people from South Asia and South-East Asia. It followed a Chinese usage in which surrounding “barbarian” people in the four directions had each their own designation, the southern barbarians being called Nanman. In Japan, the word took on a new meaning

when it came to designate Europeans, the first of whom were Portuguese, arriving in 1543. The word later came to encompass the Spanish, the Dutch

(though these were more commonly known as "Kōmō" meaning "Red Hair") and the English. The word Nanban was

thought naturally appropriate for the new visitors, since they came in by ship from the South, and their manners were considered quite unsophisticated by the Japanese. European merchants, Namban, became a popular subject of decoratiove screen

painting soon after their arrival in Japan Arrival during the sixteenth century. These screens depict the arrival of the Portuguese. They are shown with elongated bodies, red hair, and long noses, and they are dressed in elaborate costumes of short capes, colonial style 'bombacha' pantaloons, pointed shoes and tall hats with broad rims. The screens offer us an idea of how the Japanese looked at these 'barbarians'.

Negotioting on the ship The Portuguese bring presents

Fokko Dijkstra

26

The National Museum for Old Arts

The museum is installed, from its very beginnings, in a palace built in the 17th century by D. Francisco Távora (1646-1710). There is no evidence of whom might have been the architecture. It is believed though that the building of the palace might have taken place in the 1690's. After the Távora's family involvement in a conspiracy to kill the king (though something that has never been proved), the heirs of

D. Francisco were unable to keep the palace and it was initially rented and later sold, having had several owners throughout the following decades. Those owners upgraded the palace with several architectural renovations, adding features that were influenced by the multiple architectural trends of the 18th and 19th century. The Museum was created in 1884, after the abolition of the religious orders. These were abolished

following the Liberal Revolution in the 1820's -30's when all the monasteries, convents and riches of the

church were confiscated by the government. The buildings were then sold or used for different

purposes, namely to host museums or to be transformed into factories. The history of the museum

throughout the centuries is one of growth in cycles, that has been accomplished through the addition of

several different new spaces and renovation of the old ones. The exhibition The visit to the museum is focused on its art pieces from the Portuguese discoveries, which are part of

an assemble of very different works portraying the Portuguese presence not only on the coast of Africa

but also in India, Ceylon, China, Japan and even Brazil. One can point out two particular sets for the

purpose of the seminar: on the one side, the Indo-Portuguese items, with furniture, ivory sculpture and

ceramics (Company of Indies and Chinese productions); and, on the other side, the Namban collection.

São Vincente's Paintings/Panels

27

Salt Shaker of Benim The Holy Host Reliquary of Belém

Both are a good example of miscegenation resulting from the interaction between the Portuguese

sailors and the peoples from these remote parts of the world. The Namban artworks are, in fact,

important screens from the famous Kano school. They were made by Japanese artists and depict

precisely the meeting between both cultures. Source: info and pictures from the National Museum of Old Arts' website Ana Baptista

28

The lighthouse at the end of Europe

Cabo da Roca's Lighthouse Cabo da Roca’s lightouse is one of the oldest lighthouses in use protecting the Portuguese coast. It was

ordered by a Pombalino’s Charter (1758), together with six others. They were part of a protective plan along the Portuguese coast. It began to function in 1772 and it was the third to be implanted along our coast. It is 22m high, erected 165 m above sea level. The first lamp installed was really primitive, hardly seen more than 2 miles away, and was frequently confused with other lights around it. It endured deep renovation work in 1843, The lighthouse was famous not only because it was built on the most western point of the European Continent, but also because it was one of the lighthouses that helped navigation, near such an

important harbour as Lisbon. So, it couldn’t go on working with such poor brilliance. To help navigation by night, a scintillating lighthouse should be easily seen at a reasonable distance (near 15 miles). From 1897, Cabo da Roca’s lighthouse also had a fog signal. This was to help navigation on foggy days. Since

1897, many improvements were made to the lighthouse, like the installation of a rotatory system, a new

optical device, and an autonomous energy system. The optical

apparatus was installed in 1947 and it gives 4 flashes per each complete

rotation. The lighting device was also improved, having now a 1000w metallic hallogeneous lamp for perfect and long lasting illumination. The rotatory system changed from a two hour winding system needing human intervention to an automatic one. In 1982, the system became completely

automatic and therefore the lighthouse may now function without any human intervention. It has:

• An electric eye that starts functioning as soon

as night falls;

• An automatic fog siren;

• In case of electric failure (or a blackout), an

alternative device allows it to continue

functioning as well as the rotatory system; • A spare lamp automatically lights up if

the primary one fails. Though human intervention is not necessary for the lighthouse to function, an alarm is ready to immediately give the alert, 24 hours a day seven days a

week. The lighthouse is of great importance, due to its geographic position, to help ships sailing along

the Portuguese coast, especially those wanting to enter the Lisbon harbour. Source: Direcção-Geral de Faróis and website Ana Baptista, Catarina Amaral

Lighthouse lamp

29

Fado Portuguese Soul The Fado is a key for interpreting the Portuguese soul: a mixture of Arab origin and marinaresche (sailor

fado). The voices of the singers, accompanied by viola and guitar porteghese, tell romantic stories and

dramatic. Its name derives from the Latin Fatum (fate) it expresses the melancholy character, but

shows at the same time the passionate Portuguese side.

Its roots are to be found in the Age of Discovery: probably the Fado was created by sailors during the months and years of being away from home when,

on long journeys across the seas, They dreamed of their land and their loved ones, but once back quivered for sea. It is the restless, eternal feeling, summed up in the Portuguese word “saudade”: the

untranslatable mixture of restlessness and melancholy, to miss something, somebody. But fado only appeared after 1840 in Lisbon. At that

time only fado marinheiro (sailor fado) was known

and was sang, like the cantigas de levantar ferro, only by sailors. Fado was not known in the rest of the

country, not even in the Algarve, and it was not

known in the south of Spain where the Arab influence

stood until the end of the 15th century. Until the

beginning of the 19th century there was no written

record of fado.

There are two main varieties of fado, namely those of the cities of Lisbon and Coimbra. The Lisbon

style is the most popular, while Coimbra's is the more refined style. Modern fado is popular in Portugal,

and has produced many renowned musicians. According to tradition. To applaud for fado in Lisbon you clap your hands, while in Coimbra one coughs like if clearing one's throat. Mainstream fado performances during the 20th century included only a singer, a Portuguese guitar

player and a classical guitar player but more recent settings range from singer and string quartet to full

orchestra. Known as the "Rainha do Fado" ("Queen of Fado"), Amalia Rodrigues was most influential in

popularizing the fado worldwide. Other famous fado singers include: Carlo do Carmo, Cristina Branco

and Mariza. Sabrina Marini sharing the idea of this article with Marja Laine. Sabrina Marini

30

Backgrounds

31

The Kingdom of Portugal emerged in the 12th century connected with the process concerning the

Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula. At the same time that all the territories occupied by the Moors were conquered southwards Portugal, originally a county and a part of one of the most ancient

Christian kingdoms of the Peninsula - Leão - demanded its independence in 1143. Due to endless fights

and negotiations D. Afonso I, first king of Portugal, was awarded by the pope (1179) with the papal bull

manifestis probatum thus bringing stability. At the eyes of all the Christian world, that meant the birth

of a new kingdom in a part of the world were the fight against the infidels would be reinforced by a

backup force of attack (The Palestine and the Peninsula). The D. Afonso Henriques girdle of Lisbon. A picture by Joaquim

Rodrigues Braga (a Portuguese artist from XIX century). Represents

the surrender of the besieged.

D. Afonso Henriques (D. Afonso I, first king of Portugal). A warrior's son and a fighter

himself. His wish of

independence became real

in 1179. The concept of crusade and the believe that all peninsular kings descent from an ancient visigotic

monarchy justified all the Southern process of conquest in the al-Andaluz. The support of the church was

unquestionable - the crusaders (conquest of Lisbon and Silves) and the religious and military orders

gave a big help to the birth of several kingdoms by their endless effort of conquest and settlement. The peculiarity of the kingdom's formation lies in the various ways by the which the territory was occupied. To all the well known European feudal forms of occupation - by the nobility, by the clergy and the allotment, the council land is added. It is an autonomous form serveyed between the king or the

nobel and a community of free men, it derives from an effort to populate deserted territories and it was carried out by kings and nobels during the conquest process. The word council is still used in the modern local administration. The Arabic culture, which is clearly seen in several Portuguese cultural aspects, as been since the

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beginning denied, especially because of the religious contrast by which it is enveloped. However we

must not forget the numerous quantity of words of Arabic influence existing in our vocabulary. Portugal

was an expert concerning the technological development of cartography and navigation and that enabled

us in the 15th century of discoveries. Lisbon in XVI century. Coloured and gilded decoration in

a manuscript from 1520. Madeira Island in a illustration from XVII century ... and seen from the same place that the first navigator saw it...

Portuguese mercantile navigation in XIV

century was influenced by Arabic techniques.

In the picture we can see an Arabic pirate

boat from XIII century. Portuguese people

learned a lot with the constant attacks from

those vessels...

D. João II in a coloured and gilded decoration

in a manuscript from the epoch.

The inventions and the technical improvements have the most various roots, though Portugal's geographical position and its cultural cohesion were a step ahead to find new things. A nautical culture was being built. The motivation to the great adventure was bottom line the food and workers scarcity. Social and

economic reasons do not justify such deed. In that period it was important to fight the infidel and save

souls. Foreign people (such as Italians or Catalonians, castilians, bascs, northern Europeans and muslins)

also wanted to take part on the crusade enterprise but with their own interests. Above all, the

discoveries enterprise was seen as a way of increasing the national patrimony and treasure.

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In the beginning of the 15th century, due to the crisis felt through all Europe during the 14th century,

Portugal was dealing with serious economical problems. It was urgent to find new resources, spereead the Christian belief to new people and fulfil the desire to find/know new lands. In that time the Infante D. Henrique, one of D. João I sons, took the responsibility to make these journeys:

• The islands in the Atlantic were found: Madeira (1418) ; Azores (1427);

• We sailed around the Bojador Cape in 1434

• The western African coast was found until Sierra Lione in 1460 (the Infante died in the

same year).

Vasco da Gama discovered the maritime route to

India. Died in 1524 as portuguese viceroy in India.

Diogo Cão is placing a stone monument in the

mouth of Zaire river in 1482, replacing the first

one that disappeared because was used as a target

in exercises from British navy artillery.

Pedro Álvares Cabral' Armada. Each boat as

an indication of his own destiny.

From here on king D. João II was the leader of the Indies reached by sea sailing along the African coast. The known maps showed that that was impossible to accomplish, for in those maps the African coast was straight down until the south pole without any access to Indian ocean, however the Portuguese navigators and merchants experience indicated that it might be possible for them to connect the Atlantic ocean to the Indian ocean. D. João II organised several voyages:

• Diogo Cão reached the Zaire (Congo) river mouth in 1483;

• Bartolomeu Dias sailed around the Cape of Good Hope, until than Known as Cape of the Torments, in 1487.

The doorway to the Indies was opened, the land of the spices and the luxurious products. Meanwhile

Spain had also joined the expansion race, and, to solve several conflicts the two countries drawn a

treaty in 1494, the Treaty of Tordesillas, in which they agreed to share among them all the found or

found-to-be lands. Vasco da Gama reached the Indies in 1498, in the reign of D. Manuel I. The second

expedition sent to the Indies was commanded by Pedro Álvares de Cabral, but on that voyage he

officially found the Brazil in 1500.

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The recent navigation knowledge was enormous. The Portuguese people in little less than a century

found new lands in a big part of the world. They maid bonds with people from different continents. They informed us about animals and plants that had never been seen before. Even the sky and the stars looked different seen from the southern hemisphere. One of the main reasons that lead the Portuguese to the expansion was the pursuit of wealth. Whenever

they reached a new land they tried to take as much advantage of it as they could. In the 16th century

Portugal had dominion over areas from the Atlantic until the Far East, making it altogether a vast empire.

The new worlds that Portugal found melted together. They learn the ideas, the techniques, the

knowledge and the every day life of one another. Out of all these exchange of ideas one thing is for sure,

a new world emerged.

Rua Nova dos Ferros. This street in Lisbon in XIV century reports

one important European town. Lisbon became a important centre of

ultramarine enterprise. The population was really heterogeneous and

had a continuance of growth and activities. A new sensibility, a new taste and a new knowledge were brought in to a light with the discovery voyages made in 16th century. The culture, the science, the arts, the literature were given new impetus. Lisbon in 16th century was the capital of an empire, it became the trade centre. Its geographical position was fundamental. The city became the meeting point of all Europeans, who soon would settle in Lisbon, from Africa slaves were brought (in the 16th century, in Lisbon, 10 out of 100 were slaves) people from all

over the world arrived to Lisbon seeking a better way of life. On the other hand, others would leave to the new world seeking adventure. While Lisbon was becoming one of the most important and busiest

cities of the world, the rest of the country had stagnated. The maritime commerce was largely profitable, but that money was not directed to the agriculture or handcraft industry development, therefore every consumer goods were imports. The national

expenses soon became larger than the profits. By the end of the 16th century there was a succession problem, for D. Sebastião disappeared in the Ksar el- Kebir battle in 1578. Portugal was then ruled by a Spanish king. Though at beginning Portugal had

same benefits with this fusion, by the 17th century the situation was different it was that this integration

in the big empire of Carlos V's successors brought a higher tax pressure along with all the empire

troubles: participation in wars which Portugal had nothing to do with (the Spanish Armada); the loss of

influence in the colonies (Dutch advance in South America).

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Independence The independence process began in December 1, 1640 and ended in 1668 when a peace treaty was sign were Spain granted Portugal its independence. This is not an isolated riot, many others took place during the Phillips Dynasty which led to there decay (Catalunian uprise, ....). After achieving the independence it was of major importance to get back the lost empire, Portugal did not rule anymore in the found lands, the Cape Route was now in the hands of the British, the Dutch and the French. Brazil looked like a good

solution to the weakened Portuguese economy, they had the sugar production during the 17th century and lots of gold in the 18th century. The echoes of the French revolution were also felt in Portugal, ending with the Ancient Regime (Antigo

Regime). The ideals of this revolution were in a way gladly acknowledge by some people, however they

were violently imposed by three invasions (1807, 1808, 1810). The royal family fled to Brazil keeping

Portugal's independence and its government, even ruling from overseas. Meanwhile the British, taking

advantage of several popular uprisings all over the Peninsula against the French dominion, send troops

to another European battle field. With the end of the Napoleonic Wars, England enjoys a privileged

governmental position controlling all commercial relationships with the colonies and the rest of the world (Oporto and Madeira wine).

D.Pedro and D.Miguel. A cartoon that caricatures the

international interests behind each brother during the

civil war.

Motherland crowning the heroes from the liberal

fights. This is a painting by Veloso Salgado. While the king was still in Brazil there a was in Portugal and uprising against Beresford (Who represented the British interests in Portugal), the idea was to expel him out of the country. People were

getting angrier every day and the acceptance to the French Revolution ideals - Liberty, Equality and Fraternity - was growing. So, in 1820 a group of liberals organised an uprising in Oporto that spread through out the country. Government was set in the hand of a temporary committee whose task was organise the first elections and write a constitution, which would be published in 1822. That is how a constitutional monarchy was born. The loss of Brazil in 1822 shows a period of troubled times to the liberals. The remaining supporters of an absolute system went to a civil war that lasted until 1834, the liberals won the war, they were led by D.Pedro, brother of the leader of the absolutist wing, D.Miguel. Liberal governments do serious agrarian and industrial reforms in the country, and also in transports and public affairs. It is obvious that the progress in commerce is due to the development of the

communications. The technological delay, the lack of capital, loosen investments, the foreign competition in main economical sectors, opposite policies of development led to a slight gap between Portugal and the rest of the world. Like the Berlin Conference (1884-85) has confirmed, other European major countries were looking for

new markets and raw materials, but Portugal was far back in this race, though without enlarging its

possessions, Portugal still maintained, with some effort, the colonies. There were many problems with

which the monarchic government could not deal with: in one hand the people unsatisfaction, and in

the other hand the growing group of republican supporters that were against the government. In fact

on 1.

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February of 1908 in an attack against the royal family D.Carlos and the heir prince D.Luís Filipe, are

killed. D.Manuel II (the second son of D.Carlos) was recognised king of Portugal by the end of that same year. He was the last king of Portugal. During the two last years of is reign the revolution movements did not stop growing. In October 5. 1910 the Republic was proclaimed in Lisbon, the royal family was

expelled out of country. The first temporary cabinet declared: • The national hymn «A Portuguesa»

• The nowadays known flag

• Abolished all nobility ranks

• Abolished the religious swear at trials

• laws protecting the family (civil marriage, the end of illegitimate child status)

• Laws concerning free press

• Labour rights (strike, weekly rest, social bonus)

• The lock-out right

All these measures were set in the first Constitution of the Portuguese Republic of 1911.

A commemorative illustration about the Republic

Proclamation in 5 October in 1910 published at

the time as a post card. The five shields of the Portuguese arms are representative of the five Islamic kings that D.Afonso Henriques defeated at the Ourique battle. The points inside each shield are representing the five wounds of Christ.

The seven castles are the five fortified villages conquered by D.Afonso Henriques from the moors.

The armillary sphere is the symbol of the world that portuguese

navegators discovered in the XV and XVI century

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The green is the colour for hope in the future. The red is the symbol of the courage and blood spilled by

Portuguese soldiers on the battle field. However the economic weakness and the political immaturity of the congress members led to a huge

social and political instability. War times were also lived in this particular period: between 1910 and 1926

Portugal had height presidents and 45 congresses. But not all was bad, the first republic changed areas

like the education and culture, the compulsive school, and the grade birth of new universities. This situation of political instability leads to a military coup in 1926, a military dictatorship was declared. The

press began being censured and all liberties were diminished. This militar dictatorship turned it self into

a real absolute regime of fascist tendency like many others throughout Europe who sought in a strong

government the answer to all their problems. Salazar was the face of the

power for almost 40 years... This picture is one rare

photography just because he was smiling...

A moment in time during the political campaign to the elections in 1958. He lost

the elections to the government machine that manipulated the results. Delgado, known as the no fear general, was murdered in 1965 by

the Portuguese political police.

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This regime is strengthened by the nomination of Salazar to the government and with the proclamation of a new constitution in 1933, that set a new authoritarian regime - Estado Novo. The Portuguese unicity

is also seen here, for unlike its Europeans partners, Portugal does not show much interest about

industrialisation and has not broken its bonds with the church, remember the motto: god, motherland and family. During the Salazar regime the Portuguese economy was almost stagnant. Many efforts were made to diminish the state expenses. Agriculture continued to be the main activity of the population and kept the technological delay. The access to education was conditioned. The third sector was slowly developing. Despite the development of some industries unemployment spread and life conditions were getting tougher. Between 1960 and 1970 many people immigrated especially to France and Germany.

Some political opponents to the government also immigrated, like Mário Soares and Álvaro Cunhal. Once the second world war was over a anti-colonies spirit spread. To many European colonies in Africa

and Asia independence was granted. In 1961 also the African colonies start a guerrilla war seeking

independence from the metropole. To support the war it was necessary to send thousands of soldiers

to Africa, along with a suplementar economic effort. The Portuguese colonial war was on for 13 years,

thousands of soldiers fell in battle, many physically challenged returned from the war, the Portuguese

people had to deal with heavy expenses to support all them. The lasting of the fascist regime and the

colonial affair led Portugal to a gradual world political isolation. The connection of Portugal with NATO,

UN and EFTA did not granted Portugal the international community acceptance of the Portuguese

position.

This photo is a symbol to

Portuguese people: the innocence Soldiers and people in April 1974. This became a symbol of of a child and a flower are (or Portuguese revolution to democracy. The first civil president took

must be) stronger than a machine over only in 1986!! gun...

The desire of freedom, the unsatisfaction towards the government and the war in Africa were some of the causes to the government overthrow, on the 25th of April of 1974, led by an army group. That is how a second Republic was born, democracy was back again after 48 years of dictatorship. In May was

gathered the first temporary cabinet with members of all the political parties. During this government was followed the programme written by the army group:

• The constitution of political parties and unions was declared legal;

• The organisation of free elections;

• The extinction of the political police;

• Censorship was abolished;

• All political prisioners were set free and the exiled were authorised to return to they

motherland. The 25. of April of 1974 brought to the Portuguese people the freedom of thought and

speech and the peace along with the independence of all the colonies. On the 25th of April of 1975 took

place the first free election (in 50 years), the aim was to elect a representative convention that later

wrote a new Constitution published on the 2nd of April 1976. This Constitution set new basics to a new

democratic government and to the performance of the institutions, as well as to the participation of the

citizens in the political, social and economic life and the autonomy of the local power. The new

challenge that Portugal get in to through deals with the formation of the EC, of which is a member since

1986.

Today there are eight countries which official language is the Portuguese. It is the 5th language that is

spoken all over the world. The political maturity brought Portugal a new conception off identity. Portugal

and his Portuguese spoken fellows created CPLP (Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa), a

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Community of Countries with Portuguese as their official language. This community, among other things,

pretends to bee the cultural and linguistic link between those countries (from America, Africa or Asia).

For them, Portugal is the doorway into Europe and a window to the world. To Portugal they are the link

to world... The new world again. The international community has already recognised the CPLP

importance. In 1st November off 1999 CPLP assumed a new role as an international observator in the

UN.

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Lisbon History Lisbon dates back to pre- Roman times. Legend has it that Ulysses founded the city, although it was

more probably the Phoenicians did it. Its early years were spent as a constant battleground, with Phoenicians, Greeks and Carthaginians overthrown in turn. In 205 BC the Romans began their two-

century reign in Lisbon, and it became the most important city in the western Iberian region, renamed Felicitas Julia by Julius Caesar. In 714 the powerful Moors arrived from Morocco, replacing a succession of northern tribes. They

fortified the city and held out against Christian attack for an impressive 400 years. By 1147 the Moors' luck had turned and the Christians finally recaptured Lisbon. (It took another century for Christian forces to complete the Reconquest of Portugal). In the mid-13th century Lisbon replaced Coimbra as Portugal's capital and developed rapidly on the back of booming maritime and inland trade. The 15th century brought the Age of Discoveries - Portugal's golden era of sea exploration. Not

satisfied with repelling the Moors from Portuguese soil, Prince Henrique (Henry the Navigator) decided

to sap Islam's economic power by finding a way around it by sea. He put to work the best sailors, map

makers, ship builders and astronomers he could find. In 1434 one of his ships sailed beyond the much-

feared Cape Bojador on the

West African coast, breaking a

maritime superstition which

stated this was the end of the world. The Prince was rewarded with gold and slaves from West Africa. In

1497, Vasco da Gama's famous discovery of the sea route to India took place. The wealth from these expeditions transformed Lisbon into the

opulent seat of a vast empire. It also spawned the extravagant Manueline architectural style, best

typified in Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, at Belém. Lisbon's glorious days as the world's most prosperous trading centre were short lived. The cost of expeditions, maintaining overseas empires and attempts to Christianise Morocco brought Portugal to its knees. In 1580, in a bitter blow to national pride, Felipe II of Spain claimed the throne, and it took 60 years for fed-up nationalists to overthrow their traditional rival and return

Portugal to its people. By the late 17th century the tide had well and truly turned. The discovery of gold in Brazil saw Lisbon

enjoying another period of profligate expenditure. Again, however, this extravagance was cut short. In

1755 a massive earthquake reduced the city to ruins and Lisbon never recovered its power and

prestige.

Illustration of the 1755 earthquake Lisbon in ruins after the 1755 earthquake

Lisbon as a city embracing the sea, in the time of the Discoveries

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After Napoleon's four-year occupation of the city, Lisbon, like the rest of the country, fell into political chaos and military insurrection for over a century. In 1910 the monarchy was replaced by an

unstable republic and within a 16-year period 45 changes in the government occurred. Yet another coup in 1926 brought António de Oliveira Salazar onto the scene. Quickly rising from

finance minister to prime minister, he ruled Portugal till the early 70’s, heading an authoritarian regime

which was overthrown in 1974. During his rule, political parties and strikes were banned. Censorship,

propaganda and brute force, exemplified by a feared secret police force, kept the country in order.

António de Oliveira Salazar PIDE (International Police of State Defense) and its

questioning methods

Revolution in 1974, in response to the continued unpopular military activity in Portuguese colonies (that

physically and psychologically maimed or killed thousands of young Portuguese), brought a slow road to

democracy. More political turbulence gradually changed to stability and ultimately membership of the

European Union in 1986. With the support of the EU, and its much- needed injection of funds, Lisbon

(and Portugal) finally began to shake off its depressed Salazar-era looks and lifestyle. Till the end of the 20th century, more stable government combined with massive EU funding

(namely after a major fire in 1988 had turned to ashes and ruins one of the most outstandig areas -

Chiado district) has led to the city's rejuvenation.

Chiado fire in 1988 Lisbon typical street, after major renovations

throughout the city

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In 1994, it returned to the limelight as European City of Culture. The following years of spectacular

economic growth were boosted by major infrastructure projects such as the Ponte Vasco da Gama, the

longest river crossing in Portugal. Redevelopment schemes throughout the city have included restoration

of historic neighbourhoods such as Alfama. Lisbon was given a further sprucing when hosting Expo 98.

In the run-up to the Expo, the metro was expanded, port facilities extended, hotel construction went

into high gear and leading architects created some stunning monuments. Lisbon had then regained

some pride in its past, with a revitalised and vibrant urban life and more huge infrastructure projects

planned.

Expo 98's site, nowadays known as Parque das Nações The first decade of the 21 st century, however, noticed the emergence of another economic crisis that blew up after 2008, along with the international financial crisis.

Source • Internet (adapted and abridged)

Images

• http://www.iberianature.com forum.paradoxplaza.com

viajandonotempo.blogs.sapo.pt http://www.vidaslusofonas.pt

www.23hq.comenjoyportugal.blogspot.com

Ana Baptista, Catarina Amaral

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Vasco da Gama and the Malabar sailors On his first voyage to India (1497-99), Vasco da Gama managed to be received by the Zamorin of Calicut, who, at first, was quite nice to him, a circumstance that soon changed, probably due to the Moors' intrigues, fearful of any invasion in their trading business in the area). However, Gama managed to

return to his ship and set sail. On his return to Portugal he was highly praised and given the title of Admiral of the Seas. The Portuguese King, Manuel I, then sent a second fleet which, having discovered Brazil on its way, managed to establish a small factory (Feitoria ) in Calicut, the first settlement ever to be built in the East by Europeans. However, after their departure the

Portuguese were soon massacred and the Portuguese Government decided to send a huge fleet of 20 ships and employ force. Vasco da Gama commanded the

largest part of the fleet. When they arrived to the Calicut harbour, the Zamorin was alarmed at the sight of such a display of strength and tried to negotiate. But the Portuguese would listen to no arguments and after

waiting for three days, they barbarously hanged 50 Malabar sailors. Then Gama cannonaded the city and port and, after destroying most of it, set sail to Cochim, leaving some ships behind to blockade the port. As Calicut was a traditional enemy of Cochim, it was very

easy for Gama to establish a treaty, enhancing the already

existing conflicts between the two realms. The Portuguese

established a factory (Feitoria) there that would give way

to a fortress two years later thus establishing the

Portuguese rule over the Eastern seas. Vasco da Gama’s

enterprises were described and highly praised in the

Portuguese best-known epic The Lusiads, by Camões. Below we present a text describing the attack on the Malabar sailors, portraying the

cruelty perpetrated by the Portuguese sailors. Thus in the Indian Ocean the Portuguese claimed a

commercial monopoly and treated as pirates the

Malabar sailors who resisted them along the

southern coast of India, which they defended for

the Mughal emperor. By insisting in their

hegemonic pretensions,

the Spaniards on the

Mediterranean and the

Portuguese in Asia were both attempting to

compensate for their effective lack of control

From Lisbon (Restelo) to Calicut

44

The Malabar sailors

During his second voyage (1503) Vasco da Gama had to frighten the Zamorin

(ruler/king) of Calicut into submission.

Whilst they were doing their business, there came in from the offing two large ships, and twenty-two sambuks and Malabar vessels, which came from Coromandel laden with rice, which the Moors of Calicut had ordered to be laden there, as its price there was very cheap, and they gained much by it; and they

came to fetch the port, thinking that our ships, if they had come, would already be at Cochym, and not at Calicut; but our fleet having sighted them, the caravels went to them, and the Moors could not fly, as they were laden, and the caravels brought them to the captain-major, and all struck their sails… Then the captain-major commanded them to cut off the hands and ears and noses

of all the crews, and put all that into one of the small vessels, I not which he ordered them to put the friar, also without ears, or nose, or hands, which he

ordered them to be strung around his neck, with a palm-leaf for the King, on which he told them to have a curry made to eat of what his friar bought him. When all

Indians had been thus executed, he ordered heir feet to be tied together, as they had not hands with which to untie them: and in order that they should not untie

them with their teeth, he ordered them to strike upon their teeth with staves, and they knocked them down their throats; and they were thus put on board, heaped

up upon the top of each other, mixed with the blood which streamed from them; and he ordered mats and dry leaves to be spread over them, and the sails to be set

for the shore, and the vessel set on fire: and there were more than eight hundred Moors; and the small vessel with the friars, with all the hands and ears, was also

sent on shore under sails, without being fired. These vessels went at once on

shore, where many people flocked together to put out the fire, and draw out those whom they found alive, upon which they made great lamentations.

Notes: • Calicut: Small kingdom at the west coast of India, where Da Gama

had arrived during his first voyage.

• Malabar coast: west coast of India.

• Coromandel coast: east coast of India.

• The Friar: a Hindu sent by the Zamorin to sue for peace, dressed up as

a friar in order to obtain access to Da Gama.

Sources: • The Penny Encyclopaedia for Useful Knowledge, 1884

• Caspar Correa, c.1562, Lendas da India, in The Three Voyages of Vasco da Gama, Hakluyt Society, first series, XLII, 1869, p.331 (7).

• Quoted by Dan O’Sullivan, The Age of Discovery

Ana Baptista, Fokko Dijkstra

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Participant contributions

46

Near to the Baltic sea We are proud and happy to be a country on the coast of the Baltic Sea, one of the most beautiful

coasts in Europe. Of course, the greenish sea and the white fine and clean sand attracts holidaymakers

mostly in the hottest summer days, but people can be seen walking along the beach there even in early spring or late autumn. Palanga is the most popular seaside resort, followed by the Curonian Spit, a long and narrow peninsula washed by the Baltic Sea on one side and the Curonian Lagoon on the other. The beaches in Nida and

Juodkrantė, two of the four settlements on this peninsula, fly the Blue Flag year after year. The Blue Flag is a privilege of those beaches and piers only which satisfy the requirements of the international Foundation for Environmental Education. The compliance with the requirements is verified by the Lithuanian Green Movement and the Foundation for Environmental Protection during each holiday season. If any shortcomings are found, the Blue Flag must be hauled down and can be hoisted again only after all the shortcomings have been eliminated. The Baltic Sea is not very saline, as it is diluted by much fresh water flowing into it from rivers, rain

and snow. Moon-caused tides are hardly felt at all in the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea has a wide shelf and a lagoon-type coast sloping very gently, which is an advantage for holidaymaking families with small children. The Klaipėda Seaport on the Baltic Sea is an ice-free port. Although it freezes-up in winter, the ice is

thin and no icebreakers are needed to keep it navigable. Amber The Baltic region is home to the largest known deposit of amber, called Baltic amber or succinite. The

term Baltic amber is generic, so amber from the Bitterfeld brown coal mines in Saxony (Eastern

Germany) goes under the same name. Bitterfeld amber was previously believed to be only 20–22

million years old , but a comparison of the animal inclusions revealed that it is most probably genuine

Baltic amber that has only been redeposited in a Miocene deposit. Other sources of Baltic Amber have

been listed as coming from Poland and Russia. Numerous extinct genera and species of plants and animals have been discovered and scientifically

described from inclusions in Baltic amber. Baltic amber includes the most species-rich fossil insect

fauna discovered to date. Rosita Alioniene

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The Curonian Spit The Curonian Spit is an outstanding example of a landscape of sand dunes that is under constant

threat from natural forces (wind and tide). After disastrous human interventions that menaced its

survival, the Spit was reclaimed by massive protection and stabilization works begun in the 19th

century and still continuing to the present day.

Formation of the Spit began some 5,000 years ago. Mesolithic people whose main source of food was

from the sea settled there, working bone and stone brought from the mainland. In the 1st millennium CE

West Baltic tribes (Curonians and Prussians) established seasonal settlements there, to collect fish, and

perhaps also for ritual purposes. The centre of Kaup is the last unexcavated large proto-urban

settlement of the Viking period. The invasion of Prussia by Teutonic Knights in the 13th century was

gradually driven out, but armed conflict continued in the region until the 15th century. The Spit had

great strategic importance, and in consequence the knights built castles at Memel (1252), Noihauz

(1283) Rossitten (1372). They also settled German farmers around the castles, building roads and

clearing woodland for agriculture.

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Baltic peoples set up settlements on the Spit and the population increased, however, as their main

activities were fishing and beekeeping. In the 16th century a new process of dune formation began and

settlements became buried in sand. The works took the form of the construction of a protective bank of

sand to prevent further ingress of dunes (a process that took most of the century) and the stabilization

of dunes by means of brushwood hurdles, accompanied by reforestation. Other buildings are the sturdy lighthouse at Pervalka and the neo-Gothic Evangelical Lutheran churches

at Juodkrante and Nida, both built in the 1880s. The cemeteries of Nida, Preila, Pervalka and

Juodkrante are of interest. Irma Cernajute

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Baltic Amber Formed over 45 million years ago, Baltic amber is an organic substance, a “fossil resin” produced by

pine trees which grew in Northern Europe - from southern regions of the present day Scandinavia and

nearby regions of the bed of the Baltic Sea. The climate became warmer and trees started to exude big

amounts of resin. Scientists say that amber is a fossil pine resin from this region that has achieved a

stable state through oxidation.

Col ors of Baltic amber

From a chemical point of view, amber consists of 79 percent carbon, 10.5 percent hydrogen and 10.5 percent oxygen. Studies with a mass spectrometer have shown that amber contains over 40 compounds as well as succinic acids and additive salts of potassium, sodium and iron. It ranges from bright yellow to dark yellow or brownish- orange, depending on its age and where it is found, in seldom cases it is either red or blue. Only a small quantity of amber is clear, because of the effects of the sun, most of it is

opaque. It takes an electrical charge when it is rubbed and develops a pleasant resinous smell when it is burnt. Learned scholars and scientists disagreed with each other for a long time about the origin and properties of amber. The history of its origin was only clearly researched in the 19th century. Enclosures, such as water bubbles, gas bubbles, pieces of bark, twigs, plant seeds and even insects and small animals unmistakably show its origin and give it its characteristic appearance. Man's interest in amber’s secret properties date back to the Paleolithic Age. The exceptional smell of

amber burning and the beauty of the nuggets washed up on the shores of the Baltic Sea. Amber warms

to the touch and exudes a nice, relaxing fragrance in the palm of your hand. It is also the only fossil resin that contains 3-8% succinic acid (mostly located in the amber’s surface layer), a powerful therapeutic substance with many applications for healing. Plants absorbed the amber resin and plant leavers were often used as an antibiotic to heal cuts and or in a plaster to dress wounds. There are also a number of other fascinating facts about natural Baltic Amber – it floats in salt water

but sinks in fresh water. When amber is touched with fire, it produces an aroma of burning pine. It is

said that when Baltic amber is worn on the skin, the skin's warmth draws trace amounts of healing oils

out of the amber. These oils contain succinic acid and are absorbed into the skin.

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The legend of the Baltic amber But there’s even more to the story if you believe in legends… There is nothing more romantic than a love story and one of the most beautiful – and tragic – love stories of all time comes from Lithuania. According to the tale, Perkunas, God of Thunder, had a daughter

named Jurate. Jurate lived in a palace completely constructed of amber in the Baltic Sea. There was also a fisherman named Kastytis who chose to cast his nets within Jurate’s underwater kingdom.

The goddess sent her handmaids to alert Kastytis that fishing in her kingdom was forbidden. However, Kastytis enjoyed the number of fish he was successful in catching in these waters and so he continued. When Jurate realized he was impervious to her wishes, she chose to go in person to deliver the message to cease immediately. And as with all great love stories, this was the major turning point for both of them. Once Jurate laid

eyes on Kastytis, she fell completely in love with him and brought him back to live with her in her amber palace. But this was to be a very short and tragic love affair because her father, Perkunas, knew that Jurate was betrothed to Patrimpas, God of Water, and was incensed that Jurate would commit to a relationship with a mere mortal. In his anger, Perkunas destroyed the beautiful amber palace by sending a bolt of lightening that would also kill Jurate’s mortal lover. So the palace was destroyed and Jurate was

chained within its ruins for all eternity. So the story goes that when storms occur in the area of the Baltic Sea, the delicate fragments of

the underwater palace are washed up on shore. Many of the amber pieces resemble the shape of

tears thought to be from the grieving goddess who still cries for her lost love. These are the most

precious pieces of all.

This legend was interpreted by the most famous Lithuanina artist M.K

Ciurlionis triptic Sonata by Sea

Allegro Andante Finale

Also there you can find Symphonic poem of M.K. Ciurlionis Jolanta Varanaviciene

Jurate and Kastytis in Palanga

(sculptor Nijole Gaigalaite)

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Samothrace, landscape and history Samothrace (it is spelt and called “Samothraki” too, Greek: Σαμοθράκη), is a Greek island in the

northern Aegean Sea, within the Evros regional unit of Thrace. The island is 17 km long and is covering

only 180 sq. km. It is accessible only by ferry and has a population of less than 3 thousand inhabitants.

Its main industries are fishing and tourism.

Referred by mythology as the island of Aeolus, Samothrace is wreathed by mountain Saos and its

summit Fengari, rising to 1,611m, one of the highest mountains in the Aegean. Mt. Fengari is translated

as Moon, which Homer claimed was the grand stand for Poseidon as he watched the beginning of the

Trojan War. The attractiveness of the island is now made up of the steep peaks of the holy mountain of the ancients,

the pebbly beaches, the streams and rivers, the pristine natural beauty, the famous healing sources,

and the archaeological finds. The landmarks of the island are the streams and the waterfalls. Hundreds of crystal watered streams flow

from mount Saos to rush through the forests all the way to the sea. On their way, they form waterfalls

and stone basins, the so called “váthres”. The best known is the stream of Foniás (=”killer”) and its

tallest waterfall is 35m high. A natural wonder in the form of waterfalls is situated in the northeast; it’s

Kremastó. The water goes through rocks with iron to obtain a sweet, reddish colour before fiercely

ending into the sea. Behind the water mass there is a cave.

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Samothrace is famous for it’s stunning natural surroundings, featuring rich vegetation among lakes and rivers. What is really special to the northern part of the island is its microclimate which favors a flora pandemonium. High altitude areas are prevailed by oak, cedar, and chestnut trees, while the lower parts look like a jungle of shrubs: over 20 species of them grow on Samothrace. Where the land is suitable for grazing, the wind bears the aromas of nature: thyme, oregano, and other herbs. The island

was once covered almost exclusively by oaks. The Martini Forest, lying between Therma and Karyotes,

is a perfect example of what is left from that period. The island has rugged, mostly pebbly beaches, some of which are accessible only by boat. The

fascinating bottom of the sea and the underwater life abundance appear transparent through the

crystal clear waters. The island of the Great Gods Samothrace is the home of the Sanctuary

of the Great Gods, site of important

Hellenic and pre-Hellenic religious

ceremonies, a temple complex located in

the northeastern part of the island. The

religious activity in the area spans 1100

years (7th c. BC - 4th c. AD).This major

archeological site was so famous that it

actually rivaled Delphi. It was a site of the

mystery cult of the Great Mother (or

Mother of the Gods) and of Anatolian

deities called Cabeiroi. It’s the Kaviria

Mysteries – religious event of great

importance, equal to that of the

Eleusinian Mysteries - that brought the

island’s fame to the top. Kaviria Mysteries

were mysterious rites that were open to both slaves and free people similar to the Eleusinian Mysteries. Among those who visited this shrine to be initiated into the cult were the historian Herodotus, Lysander of Sparta, Philip II of Macedonia, the father of Alexander the Great. The temple was also host to Roman emperors such as Hadrian. Last but not least, Samothrace, has made one major contribution to world

culture - the magnificent sculpture of Nike (Victory), now known as the

Winged Victory of Samothrace tall, winged, headless, and armless, the marble statue of Nike is a masterpiece of Hellenistic sculpture. It has become a source of inspiration for succeeding generations; the hood ornament of the Rolls Royce vehicles and the name of the large sports apparel manufacturer, Nike, utilize the imagery of the statue as a symbol

of victory and success. The famous statue was discovered in pieces on the island in 1863 by the

French archaeologist Charles Champoiseau. Today it stands at the head

of the Daru staircase in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France while a

replica stands in a local Archaeological Museum on the island of

Samothraki.

Areti Amaxopoulou

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Evros Delta National Park A coastal wetland complex is formed by

the delta of River Evros, at the

northeastern borders of Greece. Where

the river joins the sea of Thrakiko

Pelagos it forms a wetland of

international

importance, which extends over 200 km2.

There are two world- class National Parks on the Greek side of the river: Evros Delta National Park and Dadia-Lefkimi-Soufli Forest National Park, in the surroundings of Dadia Village, about 30 kilometers upstream from the Evros river’s estuary. The Evros Delta National Park is one of the most important wetlands in Europe. Water and sediments that come with the river, together with the sea waves, have formed and continue to form a complex delta with a wide range of habitats where a considerable variety of plants and animals live. The wetland covers an area of 200 km2 of which 95 km2 (80 km2 of land and 15 km2 of water surface) are protected under the Ramsar

Convention (1971) because of the significant species that it hosts. Furthermore, part of the Delta is

designated as a Special Protection Area and proposed as a Site of Community Importance in the Network

Natura 2000 (according to EU Directives 79/409/EEC and 92/43/EEC, respectively). In the Evros Delta hundreds of thousands of birds find shelter and food all year round, while it

constitutes a very important natural resource for the local community, because of his value for fishing,

stock breeding, agriculture, climate, flood protection, education, recreation, science. Biodiversity In the Evros Delta several unities of biotopes can be distinguished, depending on the interaction of various factors like the type of soil, the microclimate, the presence of fresh or salt water, etc. Starting from the north where the river is divided in two branches and ending to the sea, one can distinguish the following characteristic biotopes:

• Riverine vegetation.

• Tamarisks.

• Wet meadows.

• Submerged vegetation of salt or brackish waters.

• Lagoon and fresh water vegetation.

• Halophytic vegetation and vegetation of sandy islets. The Evros Delta shelters a great variety of bird and animal species which is unique in the European

continent. A recent report by HCMR shows that the delta hosts 53 species of fish, holds remarkable

riparian zones and floodplain woodlands. Research commissioned by NGOs in the past (including WWF-

Greece, Hellenic Ornithological Society, and other organizations) has documented the remarkable ornithological value of the entire area. The Evros Delta has long been considered one of the

Mediterranean’s most important flyway staging and wintering areas for birds as it is strategically

located in a biological crossroad between north and south, east and west. So far, scientists have

recorded 316 bird species.

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Birding the delta The delta offers great birding at any time of year: Spring Probably the richest time of the year is from April to May when migration can be fantastic, as large

populations of birds moving from Africa to Europe stop in the Delta to rest and feed in the rich and

secure biotopes. This season the wetland hosts thousands of waders, such as Black-winged Stilts,

plovers, stints, snipes, terns, swallows and many passerines. Other species that can be observed is the

White Stork, the Black Stork and the Dalmatian Pelican. Autumn tends to be a little more hit-and-miss, with the bulk of passage waders have moved through by late

September. Pelican numbers peak in autumn, often with several hundred of both species. Broad-

billed Sandpipers are frequent visitors and Terek Sands are regular, though only in singles. Winter has a special, desolate feel. Thousands of White-fronted Geese move noisily around the delta during

the day, arriving at their roosts in late afternoon. There were 15 species of raptor on the delta in

February ’14, including Eastern Imperial, both kites, Long-legged Buzzard and a Lanner. Around 2000

Greater Flamingo spend the winter here also, alongside plenty of Pygmy Cormorants.

Visitor Centers There are two Visitor Centers, one in Traianoupolis and one in Feres, aimed to promote ecotourism

and public awareness of the ecological values of Evros Delta. They operate daily so that the public can

be informed or organize and plan educational visits and tours in the wetland.

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Evros and the myth of Orpheus The river is connected to the story of Orpheus, an ancient Greek legendary hero endowed with superhuman musical skills. Son of Apollo and the muse Calliope, Orpheus wasa wonderful musician from Thrace, who played the lyre and sang so well that the wild animals were tamed and the rivers stopped to listen. Orpheus joined the expedition of the Argonauts, saving them

from the music of the Sirens by playing his own, more powerful music. On his return, he married Eurydice, who was soon killed by snakebite. Overcome with grief, Orpheus ventured himself to the land of the dead to attempt to bring Eurydice back to life. His music and grief moved the king of the underworld so much, that Orpheus was allowed to take Eurydice with him back to the world of life and light. Hades set one condition, however: upon leaving the land of death,

both Orpheus and Eurydice were forbidden to look back. The

couple climbed up toward the opening into the land of the living,

and Orpheus, seeing the sun again, turned back to share his

delight with Eurydice. In that moment, she disappeared. Shattered by grief, Orpheus wandered the forests of Thrace, singing his wife's lament, until he was

attacked by the maenands (Dionysus orgiastic women) who tore him to pieces. His head with his lyre,

singing Eurydice's name, floated down the Evros river and into the Aegean Sea. Eventually the head

floated ashore on Lesbos, where an oracle of Orpheus was established. The head prophesied until the

oracle became more famous than that of Apollo at Delphi, at which time Apollo himself bade the

Orphic oracle to stop. The dismembered limbs of Orpheus were gathered up and buried by the Muses.

His lyre they had placed in the heavens as a constellation.

Gustave Moreau John William Waterhouse

Nymphs Finding the Head of Orpheus Orpheus Syrmo Kapoutsi

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A 21st Century Portuguese Explorer “Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent,

in the ideas of living.” Miriam Beard

In 2019 I was invited to be part of a project in Angola. Along with 2 Portuguese I set off to work in the

opening of the 1st five star hotel in Luanda. I could not believe this was really happening! I was having

an amazing opportunity to, not only visit, but actually

live and experience an ex Portuguese colony. This experience changed me and brought back the old travel bug back. The old routes were calling for me. After returning to Portugal in 2011 I started working is Lisbon and this as again another adventure that

lasted nearly 2 years… I was unable to ignore the calling! And so I quit my job, packed 11Kg and on the 1st October 2013 set off towards the East. My first port of call was Malaysia. An enchanting country

matched only by it’s beautiful and welcoming people.

Here, whenever I said I was Portuguese everyone told

me I could not miss Melaka. When I arrived I started

exploring the city and the Portuguese legacy. The ruins

of St. Paul Church started as a chapel built by Duarte

Coelho as a way of thanks for surviving enemy attacks at

sea. Between 1545 and 1553 it accommodated St.

Francis Xavier when it as handed over to the Society of Jesus. When the Dutch overrun Melaka it was turned into a protestant church and during the British rule it became an ammunition depot. Now it’s a major attraction in Melaka. The Porta de Santiago is the remaining evidence of the fortress “A Famosa” built by Alfonso de

Albuquerque in 1512. The Dutch enlarged the fortress in 1641-1670, only to be almost destroyed by the British 2 centuries later. Only the Porta remains. After having explored a few more countries, finally I arrived in India and immediately understood the fascination for these lands… the food, the smells, the dynamics, the people…. Heading towards Goa I visited Panajim and Old Goa. In Panajim I visited Our

Lady of the Immaculate Conception

Church, the public garden Garcia de Orta, a traditional tiles manufacturer and explored the streets discovering old Portuguese names and arquitecture. In Old Goa I visited the Basilica of Bom Jesus, started in 1594 and Consecrated in 1605. It houses the relics of the body

of St. Francis Xavier. Also visited the Se Cathedral built in the first quarter of the 17th century. After Goa it was time to go to Cochin. Fort Cochin is a little town with a big history. And the Portuguese were here inevitably! It was and still is one of the main spice markets in all India due to its

privilege location and excellent natural

port conditions. Here I visited the Bishops House, the Indo-Portuguese Museum (mainly religious objects), the house of Vasco da Gama (now a hotel), Santa Cruz Basilica and, most interesting, St. Francis Church, where is the First Tomb of Vasco da Gama. He was first buried here in 1524 and 14 years later was moved to Portugal. My travels around the East lead me to an amazing adventure, discovering my story and my history!

Tracing some of the footsteps of my ancestors was fascinating, intriguing and sometimes it brought

back that mixed feeling of guilt an excitement. However these feelings soon vanish when faced with the

warm welcomes, genuine looks and fascinating conversations!

“Travel is the only thing you buy, that makes you richer.” Sara Correia

Dutch Malaka, c. 1750

Portuguese fort and the city of Malacca, 1600s

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A Poet and a Geographer by the Baltic Sea - Aaro Hellaakoski (1893-1952) Poet, Ph.D. (in geology), teacher in high school and university

and a writer of geographical school books, Hellaakoski is

considered one of the most important pioneers of modernism

in literature in Finland. He showed new directions for poetry

with his meters that differed from the norm. He published

some twelve collections of poems, more than twenty scientific

articles which of some still are valid and actual. Aaro Hellaakoski was born in Oulu. But like many other writers

he left the town after his school years. There is a saying about

Oulu: “More writers leave the town than move in.” After his

matriculation exam in 1913 he moved to Helsinki, where he

later met, in 1921, his forthcoming wife Lempi Aaltonen

(“Wave of Love”, free transl. by Ari Kähkönen), sister of

sculptor Väinö Aaltonen (works: Paavo nurmi 1925, sculptors in

the House of Finnish Parliament 1932, Jean Sibelius etc.).

Väinö Aaltonen often used Hellaakoski

as a model in his sculptures! From left in

the front line Lempi and Aaro

Hellaakoski (person in the middle is

unknown). Behind Väinö Aaltonen.

Lempi Aaltonen first

rejected him but eventually in 1924 she accepted his proposal. Hellaakoski's

Temperament frightened her – "Sharp teeth and hard mouth / I

have always had," Hellaakoski once wrote. The writer Joel Lehtonen witnessed the wedding. According to a story, after

the priest had asked "do you want...", Hellaakoski had

answered "yes" so loud, that the priest took a few frightened

steps backwards. Oulu people are still considered as curt, cold,

almost cruel in their way of speak. Hellaakoski formulated his

esthetic principle:

“Naked is how I want you,

unadorned unpainted, by others´cheap

gifts untainted.”

Sinut tahdon alastonna,

korutonna, maalitonna,

vailla rihkamaa, muitten

antamaa.

(Conseptio Artis, Runoja 1916, transl. by Keith Bosley in Runoja (Poems) 1916.)

Poet As a poet Hellaakoski was a visionary. He strove for a personal defiance, powerful poetry, while

also seeking spiritual expression. Like in the poem

Kuutamo metsässä Moonlight in the forest

Alla unisen oksiston Under sleepy branches valoa kummallista on, a strange light shines metsän sisällä taikatie in the forest a magic path ei mistään tule, ei mihinkään vie. comes from nowhere, leads nowhere. Varjoni karkasi. Vailla oon My shadow fled, I am ruumista. Liuonnut kuutamoon. without body, dissolved in moonlight. Askel jää ilmaan irralleen. My step remains suspended in mid air, Käteni koskee tyhjyyteen. My hand touches emptiness.

(Jääpeili 1928) (Ice Mirror 1928).

boy (in the front) on the shore of lake Pyykösjärvi near the centrum of Oulu

City. Pyykösjärvi was former bay of the Baltic Sea. Notice the Ice Push Rambart

on which boys are sitting.

Aaro Hellaakoski as young high school

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Geographer As a geographer Hellaakoski published scientific studies on topics such as the geological history of lake

Saimaa and the geological history of lake Puula and spent his summers in geomorphological fieldwork in

the Finnish Lakeland for many years. Accuracy of his measures of bedrock upthrust are still valid. He

could point with measures and geomorphological features how land rose faster in Bothnian Bay area

than in Eastern-Finland. Before his death he told he was always longing the open landscape of Bothnian

Bay upthrust coast. Speed of upthrust in the Baltic Upthrust sea shore of Upthrust sea shore on Bothnian Bay. After

region mm/year. Hailuoto island nearby some tens or hundreds of years those little Oulu. islands will form bigger islands, which combine together into a large cape.

Ari Kähkönen (Oulu 10.3.2015)

59

Poetry and literature

60

Portugal: Poetry and Literature With five pieces of carefully selected poetry we try to give you a deep insight into

Portuguese writings.

1. Fernando Pessoa

Crossing this landscape my dream of an infinite port And the colour of flowers is transparent of the sails of great ships That leave the quay dragging as shadows through the

waters Into the sun the forms of those ancient trees...

The port I dream of is sombre and pallid And the landscape is bright sunlight on this side... But in my spirit this day's sun is a sombre port And the ships that leave this port are these trees in the sun...

Doubly free, I leave the landscape below... The outline of the quay is the clear calm road Which lifts and rises like a wall, And the ships pass through the trunks of trees With a vertical horizontality, And let fall the cables in water through leaves one by one within...

I do not know who I dream myself... Suddenly all the water of the sea of the port is transparent I see the bottom, like an enormous print that was shining there, All this landscape, torn from the tree, the road burning in that port. And the shadow of a ship more ancient than the passing port Between my dream of the port and my view of this landscape And it comes close to me, and enters into me, And passes to the other side of my soul...

2. Luis de Camões

But gradually as we sailed our native mountains disappeared from sight As we left behind our Tagus and the cools hills Of Sintra, and our eyes looked longingly upon them; We also left our beloved land The heart, that sorrow left there And, soon after it all was gone, Finally, we saw nothing but sky and sea.

Thus we were launched upon the seas Where no generation had set sail, The new Islands coming and new airs That generous Henry discovered, The Mountains and places of Mauritania, A land possessed, in times, by Antaeus That lies to our left, there to our right Another is uncertain but suspected.

Os Lusíadas, Canto V, 3 e 4

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3. David Mourão-Ferreira

Body of mine that the Sea suddenly once again

takes in the breaking of a wave into the foetal

position Seizing the pattern of all orders

But ask no more For all is uncertain

The eager adventure The strongest tie The flower of a single night The one believed eternal There is no form of love in which water does not ripple

Or saliva Or sweat Or tears Or sperm Deep into the earth go the wires of rain better to tighten the boards of the

coffins Or to convey news of a cloud

Do Tempo ao Coração

4. Miguel Torga

Sea! And it is an open poem that echoes

in the conch of the shore... Ah, if we could only hear it without more lines!

So pure, So blue,

So salty... Horizontal miracle Universal, Realised in a single word.

Diário XI

5. Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen

I Of all the corners of the world I love with a stronger and deeper love That beach enraptured and bare Where I become one with the sea, the wind and the moon.

II I smell the land the trees and the wind That the Spring fills with perfume But in them I only want and only look For the wild exhalation of the waves Rising to the stars as a pure cry.

Poesia I

Ana Baptista

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Tejo que levas as águas Tejo que levas as águas Tejo que levas as águas

correndo de par em par

lava a cidade de mágoas

leva as mágoas para o mar Lava-a de crimes espantos

de roubos, fomes, terrores,

lava a cidade de quantos do

ódio fingem amores Leva nas águas as grades

de aço e silêncio forjadas

deixa soltar-se a verdade

das bocas amordaçadas Lava bancos e empresas dos

comedores de dinheiro que

dos salários de tristeza

arrecadam lucro inteiro Lava palácios vivendas

casebres bairros da lata

leva negócios e rendas que a uns farta e a outros mata Lava avenidas de vícios

vielas de amores venais

lava albergues e hospícios

cadeias e hospitais Afoga empenhos favores

vãs glórias, ocas palmas

leva o poder dos senhores que compram corpos e almas Das camas de amor comprado

desata abraços de lodo rostos corpos destroçados

lava-os com sal e iodo Ana Baptista

Manuel da Fonseca

Tagus who takes the waters...

Tagus who takes the waters Flowing side by side Wash the city away of pain Wash its pains into the sea.

Wash away its crimes and fright Thefts, hunger and terror might Wash the city away of those Who from hatred love pretend

In the waters take the grids From steal and silence forged Allow truth to spread From gagged mouths

Take the banks and companies Of those who money swallow Those who out of sadness wages Keep for them the pile of profit.

Wash away palaces, manors The

poor huts and outcast slums Take the business and the income

That feed some and others murder.

Wash the avenues of vices The alleys of sinful loves Wash shelters and asylums Prisons and hospitals

Drown requests and favours

asked Vain glories and applause Take the power of the lords Who are buying souls and bodies.

From the beds of purchased love Do untie the hugs of sludge Broken faces, torn down bodies Do them wash in salt and iodine

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Gaivota - Seagull Se uma gaivota viesse

trazer-me o céu de Lisboa

no desenho que fizesse,

nesse céu onde o olhar é uma asa que não voa,

esmorece e cai no mar. Que perfeito coração

no meu peito bateria,

meu amor na tua mão,

nessa mão onde cabia

perfeito o meu coração. Se um português marinheiro,

dos sete mares andarilho,

fosse quem sabe o primeiro a contar-me o que inventasse,

se um olhar de novo brilho no meu olhar se enlaçasse. Que perfeito coração

no meu peito bateria,

meu amor na tua mão,

nessa mão onde cabia

perfeito o meu coração. Se ao dizer adeus à vida as aves todas do céu, me dessem na despedida

o teu olhar derradeiro, esse olhar que era só teu,

amor que foste o primeiro. Que perfeito coração

morreria no meu peito,

meu amor na tua mão,

nessa mão onde perfeito

bateu o meu coração. Alexandre O'Neill

If a seagull there it be Bringing me the sky of Lisbon In the drawing to design, Up on sky where the eye Is a wing that does not fly Fading, falling over sea. What sort of perfect heart Would beat within my chest, My love within thy hand, That very hand where would My heart perfectly fit. If a Portuguese sailor man, Of the seven seas a wanderer, The first, who knows, would be, Of his inventions to tell me, If a newly shining eye With mine would weave together. What sort of perfect heart Would beat within my chest, My love within thy hand, That very hand where would My heart perfectly fit. If when bidding life farewell All the birds over the sky, Would me bring on that goodbye Thy look that was your last That look of yours alone Love of mine who was my first. What sort of perfect heart Would die within my chest, My love within thy hand, That very hand where once My heart perfectly beat. Alexandre O'Neill-Translated by Ana Baptista

The poem above, by Alexandre O’Neill (1924-1986), was written to become the lyrics of a fado song made for Amália Rodrigues, the Portuguese best-known and praised fado singer. The poet published his first poems when he was 17 and was one of the founders of the surrealist movement in Portugal. Besides

poetry, he wrote novels, translations and anthologies. With no high academic studies, he was however part of the mainstream surrealist Portuguese poets, together with names as Mário de Césariny, Pedro

Oom, etc… O’Neill wrote several books and won a National Literary Prize in 1982. Unable to survive on writing incomes alone, he worked in several places, namely itinerary libraries and advertising. He led, in his own words, a very wild life that took him to a premature death due to brain vascular stroke. O’Neill married twice, had a long love affair for ten years and also had two children (Alexandre and Afonso) from both marriages. Highly sarcastic and ironic in his writings and sayings, he was

also critical on the Portuguese society of the time and though too

individualistic to join any political trend, he wrote highly satirical

texts in which humour played an important role on the

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characterization of the Portuguese routines and stereotypes. Due to this and the suspicions and

pressure imposed by family members about his somehow dissolute life, he was kept under strict

surveillance from the political police (PIDE) during the times of the Portuguese dictatorship (1927-1974)

that prevented him from abandoning the country and even imprisoned him for a while. Fado song – National type of music, with two major variations in style, according to the place: the fado from Coimbra, sung by men (usually students and ex-students of the University of Coimbra), who dress in their academic costume and sing serenades about the city and the loved maidens; and the fado from the capital city of Lisbon, emerging from the poor quarters, where both men and women meet and sing

lyrics that either speak about women, passion, betrayal, deception, longing, anguish…, or about the city of Lisbon itself. In this case, Lisbon is always seen as a woman, which voluptuously lies by the river/sea, lives on the memories and imagination of all those who leave from the river bank (travellers, foreigners, discoverers, adventurers and, of course, sailors). In the fado songs, the city is a beautiful, mysterious, passionate maiden, half naïve, half deceiving, who inevitably attracts men/people towards an everlasting love. The several hillocks of Lisbon are seen as parts of her female body, waiting for the

wanderer, enchanting him, but also always keeping him at a due distance – nobody will ever conquer this woman city, nobody will ever twist her proud and elegant figure, eternally facing the river, the sea, dreaming about distant, exotic places, absorbing those exotic winds arriving from the east and west parts of a world the Portuguese once tried to call their own. From small fishermen boats, to the ancient carracks and caravels of the Discoveries period, to the huge

vessels that would take Portuguese ashore (namely to the colonial war, between 1961 and 1974), the

river Tagus symbolizes the city most faithful lover and accomplice, giving or taking away from her lovers,

dreams, adventure, passion, longing… The word “Fado” means fate, destiny, an irrevocable route one

has to go through. It is the city’s fado, therefore to lie by the river/sea, watching life go by,

everything/everyone coming and going, making her dream or leaving her in tears, longing for the known

and unknown worlds, permanently feeling “saudade” (eternal longing for something never to be fully

achieved), forever deceiving and being deceived, forever waiting, forever despairing. The fate (fado) of

the city… Seagull – the poem – The theme of this poem introduces all these symbols: the city, the seagull, the

sailors, the wonderers, the feelings of love and loss… Turned into a fado song, it both echoes the city

and the singer. Ana Baptista

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Odysseas Elytis (Greek: Οδυσσέας Ελύτης, born

Οδυσσέας Αλεπουδέλλης ) was regarded as a major exponent of romantic modernism in Greece and the world. In 1979 the Nobel Prize in Literature was bestowed on him. Elytis was born in Heraklion on the

island of Crete, on November 2, 1911. His entry in poetry in 1935, with a distinctively earthy and original form assisted to inaugurate a new era in Greek poetry and its subsequent reform after the Second World War. Elytis' poetry has marked, through an

active presence of over forty years, a broad spectrum of subject matter and

stylistic touch with an emphasis on the expression of that which is rarefied and passionate. He borrowed certain

elements from Ancient Greece and Byzantium but devoted himself exclusively to

today's Hellenism, His main endeavor was to rid people's conscience from unjustifiable remorse and to complement natural elements through ethical powers, to achieve the highest possible transparency in expression and finally, to succeed in approaching the mystery of light, the metaphysics of the sun of which he was a "worshiper" -idolater by his own definition. Odysseas Elytis had been completing plans to travel overseas when he died in Athens on 18 March 1996, at the age of 84.

Odysseas Elytis poems Το τραγούδι του Αρχιπελάγους (Έρωτας)

Ο έρωτας Το αρχιπέλαγος

Κι η πρώρα των αφρών του Κι οι γλάροι των ονείρων του Στο πιο ψηλό κατάρτι του ο ναύτης ανεμίζει Ένα τραγούδι. Ο έρωτας

Το τραγούδι του Κι οι ορίζοντες του ταξιδιού του Κι η ηχώ της νοσταλγίας του Στον πιο βρεμένο βράχο της η αρραβωνιαστικιά προσμένει Ένα καράβι. Ο έρωτας

Το καράβι του

Κι η αμεριμνησία των μελτεμιών του Κι ο φλόκος της ελπίδας του Στον πιο ελαφρό κυματισμό του ένα νησί λικνίζει Τον ερχομό. Οδυσσέας Ελύτης, Προσανατολισμοί

66

The song of archipelago (Eros)

Eros The archipelago And the prow of his froth And the seagulls of his dreams In his highest mast, the sailor waves A song

Eros His song And the horizons of his journey And the echo of his nostalgia On its most wet rock the fiancé awaits For a ship

Eros

His ship And the carelessness of his summer breezes And the jib of his hope In his lightest rippling an island rocks

The return Odysseas Elytis “Orientations” [translated by Kapoutsi Syrmo]

67

Το δελφινοκόριτσο

Εκεί στης Ύδρας τ' ανοιχτά και των Σπετσών να σου μπροστά μου ένα δελφινοκόριτσο Μωρέ του λέω πούν' το μεσοφόρι σου έτσι γυμνούλι πας να βρεις τ' αγόρι σου;

Άιντε μωρό μου, ανέβα και κινήσαμε πέντε φορές τους ουρανούς γυρίσαμε. - Αγόρι εγώ δεν έχω, μ' αποκρίνεται Βγήκα μια τσάρκα για να δω τι γίνεται Δίνει βουτιά στα κύματα και χάνεται

ξανανεβαίνει κι απ' τη βάρκα πιάνεται

Θεέ μου, συγχώρεσέ με, σκύβω για να δω κι ένα φιλί μου δίνει, το παλιόπαιδο Σα λεμονιά τα στήθη του μυρίζουνε

κι όλα τα μπλε στα μάτια του γυαλίζουνε Οδυσσέας Ελύτης, Τα Ρω του Έρωτα,(1972) The dolphin-girl There of Hydra’s and Spetses’ open sea

look there in front of me a dolphin-girl Hey, I say, where΄s your petticoat, Naked like that you are going to find your boyfriend?

Come on, baby, get on and we are off, five times we will go around the sky.

- I have no boyfriend - she replies, I came out for a walk to see what’s going on. She dives into the waves and disappears, She reappears and the boat grabs.

God, forgive me, I lean to have a look, and she gives me a kiss, the naughty child, Like a lemon tree her breasts smell and all azures shine in her eyes.

Odysseas Elytis "The rhos of eros” [translated by Amaxopoulou Areti]

68

K.P. Kavafis, The City (Η Πόλις)

Η Πόλις

Είπες· «Θα πάγω σ' άλλη γή, θα πάγω σ' άλλη θάλασσα,

Μια πόλις άλλη θα βρεθεί καλλίτερη από αυτή. Κάθε προσπάθεια μου μια καταδίκη είναι γραφτή· κ'

είν' η καρδιά μου -- σαν νεκρός -- θαμένη. Ο νους μου ως πότε μες στον μαρασμό αυτόν θα μένει. Οπου το μάτι μου γυρίσω, όπου κι αν δω ερείπια μαύρα της ζωής μου βλέπω εδώ, που τόσα χρόνια πέρασα και ρήμαξα και χάλασα».

Καινούριους τόπους δεν θα βρεις, δεν θα βρεις άλλες θάλασσες. Η πόλις θα σε ακολουθεί. Στους δρόμους θα γυρνάς τους ίδιους. Και στες γειτονιές τες ίδιες θα γερνάς· και μες στα

ίδια σπίτια αυτά θ' ασπρίζεις. Πάντα στην πόλι αυτή θα φθάνεις. Για τα αλλού -- μη ελπίζεις -- δεν έχει πλοίο για σε, δεν έχει οδό. Ετσι που τη ζωή σου ρήμαξες εδώ στην κώχη τούτη την

μικρή, σ' όλην την γή την χάλασες.

Κωνσταντίνος Π. Καβάφης (1910)

The City

You said, "I will go to another land, I will go to another sea. Another city will be found, better than this. Every effort of mine is condemned by fate;

and my heart is -- like a corpse -- buried. How long in this wasteland will my mind

remain. Wherever I turn my eyes, wherever I may look I see the black ruins of my life here, where I spent so many years, and ruined and wasted."

New lands you will not find, you will not find other seas. The city will follow you. You will roam the same streets. And you will age in the same neighborhoods; in these same houses you will grow gray. Always you will arrive in this city. To another land -- do not hope -- there is no ship for you, there is no road. As you have ruined your life here in this little corner, you have destroyed it in the whole

world. Translation: George Barbanis

69

Lithuanian sea poetry: Maironis

Born in a peasant family on the Pasandravis estate (his real name

was Jonas Mačiulis), Maironis went to secondary school in

Kaunas, studied literature for a time at Kiev University, graduated

from the Kaunas Seminary in 1988 and from the St. Petersburg

Catholic Theological Academy in 1892. He was a professor at the

Academy, rector of the Kaunas seminary and lectured on literature at Kaunas University. His first poem was published in

1885. Maironis' poetry set the basic standards for modern

Lithuanian poetry.

Nuo Birutés Kalno From Birute Hill Išsisupus plačiai vakarų vilnimis, Man krūtinę užliek savo šalta banga Ar tą galią suteik, ko ta trokšta širdis, Taip galingai išreikšt, kaip ir tu, Baltija! Kaip ilgėjaus tavęs, begaline, plati! Ir kaip tavo išgirst paslaptingų balsų Aš

geidžiau, tu pati vien suprasti gali, Nes per amžius plačių nenutildai bangų! Liūdna man! Gal ir tau? O kodėl - nežinau; Vien

tik vėtrų prašau, kad užkauktų smarkiau:

Užmiršimo ramaus ir tarp jų nematau, Betgi trokštu sau marių prie šono arčiau. Trokštu draugo arčiau: juo tikėti galiu; Jis kaip audrą nujaus mano sielos skausmus; Paslapties neišduos savo veidu tamsiu Ir per amžius paliks, kaip ir aš, neramus.

Rolling wind-driven breakers ashore from the west,

Splash my breast with the chill of your waves, or to me

Grant your power with which my own heart could

express All its strivings as grandly as you, Baltic Sea! How I longed for you, infinite one! How I yearned

Just to hear your mysterious voices resound! You alone understand me, because you have scorned

Through the ages to silence your breakers unbound! Are you sad? So am I! And I do not know why; I

just pray all the storms to howl louder for me:

Though they offer no tranquil forgetfulness, I

Always strive to be closer to you, Baltic Sea! And I wish for a friend who will help me to brave

All the storms of my heart which I try to defy, Who

shall not be a dark look my secret betray And

remain through the ages as restless as I.

Translated by Lionginas Pažūsis Vida Bubliauskiene

70

Meu Amor é Marinheiro (My beloved is a Sailor)

Meu Amor é Marinheiro Manuel Alegre

Meu amor é marinheiro E mora no alto mar Seus braços são como o vento Ninguém os pode amarrar.

Quando chega í minha beira Todo o meu sangue é um rio Onde o meu amor aporta Seu coração ' um navio.

Meu amor disse que eu tinha Na boca um gosto a saudade E uns cabelos onde nascem Os ventos e a liberdade.

Meu amor é marinheiro Quando chega í minha beira Acende um cravo na boca E canta desta maneira.

Eu vivo lá longe, longe

Onde passam os navios

Mas um dia hei-de voltar

ís águas dos nossos rios.

Hei-de passar nas cidades Como o vento nas areias E abrir todas as janelas E abrir todas as cadeias.

Assim falou meu amor Assim falou-me ele um dia Desde então eu vivo í espera Que volte como dizia.

My beloved is a Sailor (Translation and version from:

Cristina Branco, Corpe Iluminado)

My beloved is a sailor He dwells on the open sea

His arms are like the wind

That nobody can tie down

As soon as he comes near to me My whole blood becomes a river Where my loves lays anchor And my heart becomes his vessel

My beloved told me that My lips had a taste of regrets

And that my hairs begets

Winds and freedom.

My beloved is a sailor When he comes near to me His lips are burning carnations

And he sings like this.

I live far far away Where the ships cross by But I will return one day To the waters of our rivers

I will go through the cities Like

the wind through the sand I will open all the windows I will unlock all the prisons

My beloved is a sailor He dwells on the open sea

A heart that was born free

Can never be bound.

71

Luis de Camões, Lusíades - Canto IV

O embarque e o Adeus "Depois de aparelhados desta sorte De

quanto tal viagem pede e manda,

Aparelhamos a alma para a morte,

86 Que sempre aos nautas ante os olhos anda. Para o sumo Poder que a etérea corte Sustenta só coa vista veneranda, Imploramos favor que nos guiasse, E que nossos começos aspirasse.

"Partimo-nos assim do santo templo Que

nas praias do mar está assentado, Que o

nome tem da terra, para exemplo,

87 Donde Deus foi em carne ao mundo dado. Certifico-te, ó Rei, que se contemplo Como fui destas praias apartado, Cheio dentro de dúvida e receio, Que apenas nos meus olhos ponho o freio.

"A gente da cidade aquele dia, (Uns por amigos, outros por parentes,

Outros por ver somente) concorria,

88 Saudosos na vista e descontentes. E nós coa virtuosa companhia De mil Religiosos diligentes, Em procissão solene a Deus orando,

Para os batéis viemos caminhando.

"Em tão longo caminho e duvidoso Por

perdidos as gentes nos julgavam; As

mulheres c'um choro piedoso,

89 Os homens com suspiros que arrancavam; Mães, esposas, irmãs, que o temeroso Amor mais desconfia, acrescentavam A desesperarão, e frio medo De já nos não tornar a ver tão cedo.

"Qual vai dizendo: -" Ó filho, a quem eu tinha Só para refrigério, e doce amparo Desta cansada já velhice minha,

90 Que em choro acabará, penoso e amaro, Por que me deixas, mísera e mesquinha? Por que de mim te vás, ó filho caro, A fazer o funéreo enterramento, Onde

sejas de peixes mantimento!" -

"Qual em cabelo: -"Ó doce e amado esposo,

Sem quem não quis Amor que viver possa,

Por que is aventurar ao mar iroso

91 Essa vida que é minha, e não é vossa? Como por um caminho duvidoso Vos esquece a afeição tão doce nossa?

Nosso amor, nosso vão contentamento

Quereis que com as velas leve o vento?" -

"Nestas e outras palavras que diziam

92 De amor e de piedosa humanidade,

Os velhos e os meninos os seguiam,

The Embark and the Goodbye Having done everthing practical To make ready for so long a voyage,

We prepared our souls to meet death

Which is always on a sailor's horizon.

To God on high who alone sustains The

heavens with his loved presence, We asked His favour that He should endorse

our every enterprise and steer our course.

The holy chapel from which we parted

Is built there on the very beach, And takes its name, Belém, from the town Where God was given to the world as flesh. O King, I tell you, when I reflect On how I parted from that shore,

Tormented by to many doubts and fears,

Even now it is hard to restrain my tears.

That day, a vast throng from the city (As friends, as family, others Only to watch), crowded the shore,

Their faces anxious and dismayed

Looking on, as in the holy company

Of a thousand zealous monks, With heartfelt intercessions on our lips We marched in solemn file towards the ships.

The people considered us already lost

On so long and uncertain a journey,

The women with piteous wailing, The men with agonizing sighs; Mothers, sweethearts, and sisters, made Fretful by their love, heightened The desolation and the artic fear We should not return for many a long year.

One such was saying: "O my dear son,

My only comfort and sweet support In this my tottering old age, now

doomed to end in grief and pain, Why do you leave me wretched and indigent? Why do you travel so far away, To be lost at sea as you memorial,

And bloated fish you only burial?"

Or one bareheaded: "O dearest husband, But for whose love I could not exist, Why do you risk on the angry seas That which belongs to me, not you? Why, for so dubious a voyage, do you

Forget our so sweet affection? Is our passion, our happiness so frail As to scatter in the wind swelling the sail?"

As these piteous, loving speeches

Poured from gentle, human hearts, The

old and the children took them up

72

Em quem menos esforço põe a idade.

Os montes de mais perto respondiam,

Quase movidos de alta piedade; A branca areia as lágrimas banhavam, Que

em multidão com elas se igualavam.

"Nós outros sem a vista alevantarmos Nem

a mãe, nem a esposa, neste estado, Por

nos não magoarmos, ou mudarmos

93 Do propósito firme começado, Determinei de assim nos embarcarmos Sem o despedimento costumado, Que, posto que é de amor usança boa, A quem se aparta, ou fica, mais magoa.

In the different manner of their years.

The nearest mountains echoed them,

As if stirred by deepest sympathy, While tears as many as the grains of sand

Rained without ceasing on the white strand.

As for us, we dared not lift our faces To

our mothers and our wives, fearing To

be harrowed, or discouraged From the enterprise so firmly begun,

And I decided we should all embark

Without the customary farewells, For, though they may be love's proper course,

They make the pain of separation worse.

Illustration by Carlos Alberto Santos - from website

O "verho de aspecto venerando" "Mas um velho d'aspeito venerando,

Que ficava nas praias, entre a gente,

Postos em nós os olhos, meneando

94 Três vezes a cabeça, descontente, A voz pesada um pouco alevantando,

Que nós no mar ouvimos claramente,

C'um saber só de experiências feito,

Tais palavras tirou do experto peito:

- "Ó glória de mandar! Ó vã cobiça Desta vaidade, a quem chamamos Fama! Ó fraudulento gosto, que se atiça

95 C'uma aura popular, que honra se chama! Que castigo tamanho e que justiça Fazes no peito vão que muito te ama! Que

mortes, que perigos, que tormentas, Que

crueldades neles experimentas!

- "Dura inquietação d'alma e da vida,

Fonte de desamparos e adultérios,

96 Sagaz consumidora conhecida De fazendas, de reinos e de impérios:

Chamam-te ilustre, chamam-te subida,

The "old man of venerable appearance" But an old man of venerable appearance

Standing among the crowd on the shore,

Fixed his eyes on us, disapproving, And wagged his head three times, Then

reaising a little his infirm voice So we

heard him clearly from the sea, With a wisdom only experience could impart, He

utterd these words from a much-tried heart:

"O pride of power! O futile lust

For that vanity known as fame! That hollow conciet which puffs itself up

And which popular cant calls honour!

What punishment, what poetic justice,

You exact on souls that pursue you! To what deaths , what miseries you condemn

You herous! What pains you inflict on them!

You wreck all peace of soul and body, You promote separation and adultery;

Subtly, manifestly, you consume The wealth of kingdoms and empires!

They call distinction, they call honour

73

Sendo dina de infames vitupérios; Chamam-

te Fama e Glória soberana, Nomes com quem

se o povo néscio engana!

- "A que novos desastres determinas

De levar estes reinos e esta gente?

Que perigos, que mortes lhe destinas

97 Debaixo dalgum nome preminente? Que promessas de reinos, e de minas D'ouro, que lhe farás tão facilmente? Que famas lhe prometerás? que histórias?

Que triunfos, que palmas, que vitórias?

What deserves ridicule and contempt;

They talk of glory and eternal fame, And

men are driven frantic by a name!

To what new catastrophy do you plan

To drag this kingdom and these people? What perils, what deaths have you in store Under what magniloquent title? What visions of kingdoms and gold-mines Will you guide them to infallibly? What fame do you promise them? What stories?

What conquests and processions? What glories?" From: Instituto Portugués do Património

Arquitectónico, Sulcando o Mar, Ploughing

the Sea, Lisboa 2001

74

Camões and Slauerhoff

'This is the story of heroes who, leaving their native Portugal behind them, opened a way to Ceylon, and further, across seas no man had ever sailed before. They were men of no ordinary stature, equally at home in war and in dangers of every kind; they founded a new kingdom among distant peoples, and made it great. It is a story too of a line of kings who kept ever advancing the boundaries of faith and

empire, spreading havoc among the infidels of Africa and Asia and achieving immortality through their illustrious exploits. If my inspiration but prove equal to the task, all men shall know of them. Let us hear no more of Ulysses and Aeneas and their long journeyings,

no more of Alexander and Trajan and their famous victories. My theme

is the daring and renown of the Portuguese, to whom Neptune and Mars

alike give homage. The heroes and the poet of old have had their day;

another and loftier conception of valour has arisen'.

(Opening words of Luíz Vas de Camões, The Lusiads, translation

William Atkinson, 1952)

Luíz Vas de Camões Luíz Vas de Camões is being honoured as the greatest Portuguese poet of all times. This goes back to his great work The Lusiads (Os Lusíades ' 1572), an epic poem meant to be a monument for the Portuguese discoveries since Vasco da Gama's journey to India (1496). Os Lusíades ('The Portuguese')

also sees the Portuguese people's destiny as the champion in the battle against Islam and to conquer the whole known world. The poem is one of the highlights of European Renaissance literature. Not very much is known about Camões' life. He was born in Lisbon (1525 or 1526) from lower nobility, lost his father at young age and studied in Coimbra. After a period at the royal court he lost the court's favour because of being a womanizer, fighter and drunkard. Legend has is that he had a love affair with one of the king's favourites and therefore was banned from the court. A more probable reason was his wounding a king's servant during a fight. Anyway he had to leave Portugal in 1552 as an ordinary

soldier and was sent to the overseas colonies. Not far from his homeland, in Ceuta (Morocco) he already met his first misfortune. In a battle with Muslims he lost his right eye. Afterwards he wandered around the globe: the Cape, Madagascar,

Mozambique, Goa, the Moluccas, the Arab world, in short the huge Portuguese sea born empire. All

the time he was poor. He was shipwrecked twice, near the coasts of Indochina and Macau. And he worked on his Os Lusíades, hoping for fame for his hero Vasco da Gama as well as for himself. In 1567 he tried to return to Lisbon from Goa, India. He was stranded, however, in Mozambique, where he had to wait two full years in deep poverty before he could get passage to Portugal. After finally arriving back home in 1570, seventeen year after is forced departure, he felt disappointed by the people's mentality. They did not understand to hardships suffered by soldiers to raise the homeland's wealth. He dedicated his book to the sixteen-year-old king Sebastian and urged him, in the epilogue, to take up a crusade against the Muslims of North-Africa. In return the king gave him a small

annual allowance, not enough to make an end to poverty. Sebastian, a religious fanatic, gave his ear to the crusade exhortation and in 1578 personally led an army, on five hundred ships, in an expedition to Morocco (Alcacer-Quibir). The army was routed within four hours and the king himself was among of the 8000 victims. This brought an end to the

Portuguese supremacy. Two years later the country became part of Spain (1580). At that moment of disgrace Camões was already dead. When hearing the news about Morocco

catastrophe, he was staying in a poorhouse, hit by the plague. He died in 1580 and is said to have

spoken as his last words: 'I loved my country so much, that I not only wanted to die in it, but also

died with it'. He was buried in the Mouraria in Lisbon. His friend Conçalo Coutinho made the epitaph: Aqui jaz Luis Vaz de Camões

Principe dos poetes do seu

tempo Viveu pobre e

miseravelmente Assim morreu

(Here lies Camões, prince of the poets of his

time. He lived poorly and miserably and also

died this way).

In 1880 Camões received a mausoleum in the Mosteiro de Jerónimo, next to the one of Vasco da

Gama. His bones had been lost already then. The empire he had sung about had disappeared and had

never come back. Portugal would always dream of 'this other world in another time'.

75

Slauerhoff's relation to Camões The Dutch (neo-)romantic poet Jan Jacob Slauerhoff was

fascinated by Camões in a lifelong obsession. In a way Slauerhoff

felt a reincarnation of the Portuguese poet. His first novel, Het verboden rijk (The forbidden realm) is about the identification between his own alter ego (as a ship radio operator) and Camões. Slauerhoff's proud self-hatred (cf. article on De Ontdekker) can be seen in the short description he gave of Camões' fate: 'In an exalted way he has regarded the bloom and convulsion of a small

and poor country as world-shaking and glorified this in poems, heavy in sound, but as folly and in vain as all clang of arms and roar of guns. Later, at an elder age, he was coward enough to go back, hoping for the cherishing of fame. And will-less, without resistance, he had him self starved, even grateful for the alms of an insufficient allowance and the rests from the table of the few wealthy'. Compare this to Slauerhoff's Het Einde Slauerhoff at the statue of Camões in Macao (1926)

Het Einde The End

Nog zweven liedren op de wind Songs are still moving upon the wind En gaan van mond tot mond, And go from mouth to mouth Van ouder op kind. From parent to child.

Maar 't speeltuig ligt in 't stof geworpen But the instrument lies thrown in the dust En hij die ze er aan ontlokte And the one who drew them from it Is nu een afgestompte, verstokte Has become a blunted, crusted Dronkaard geworden in de laatste dorpen. Drunkard in the last villages.

Nog zweven lied'ren op de wind. Songs are still floating in the wind...

Serenade, Verzamelde Gedichten, 291 Slauerhoff and Camões Slauerhoff wrote various poems about Camões. In 'Camões' he expressed their common fate, no

matter the four-century time gap: Camões Camões wou vrij zijn, smaadde zich een keten,

Zwierf in China, maar schreef de Lusiade, Zijn leven land door 't heldenlied bezeten,

Het was een dwangarbeid en toch genade. Soms vluchtend, soms gekerkerd, soms vergeten,

Aan 's levens eind ook door den roem verraden,

Stierf hij in 't pesthuis, eenzaam zonder eten, Gij martelt mannen, Muze, nooit verzade! Vergeet toch niet dit afschrikwekkend voorbeeld,

Voordat ge uzelf tot 't zelfde lot veroordeelt; Het sterkste droombeeld zwicht voor armoe, leed'¦ 't Is al gebeurd, 't gedicht is al begonnen, en

voortaan werkt ge of ge tranen zweet, totdat

het bloed in de aardren is geronnen. Al Dwalend (Wandering), In Memoriam, Verzamelde Gedichten, 906) Fokko Dijkstra

Camoes Camões wished to be free, disdained a chain, Wandered in China, but wrote the Lusiad, His whole life obsessed by the epopee, It was forced labour and yet grace. At times fleeing, incarcerated or forgotten, At life's end even betrayed by fame, He died in the pest-house, alone and starving.

You torture men, Muse, never satisfied! Do not forget this terrifying example, Before

sentencing yourself to the same fate: The strongest vision yields to poverty and sorrow. It happened, the poem has started, And you will henceforth work in sweat of tears,

Until the blood will be clotted in the veins

76

Nau Catrineta Believed to be dating from the 16th century (1565), this widely popular song has become an icon of the

Portuguese adventure in the open seas. Our novelist and poet Almeida Garret collected the poem,

author unknown, and thought it told the story of the carrack that, in 1565 brought Albuquerque Coelho

from Olinda (Brazil) to Lisbon. It depicts the maritime tragedies of the Portuguese history during the

Discoveries and it also shows the deep Christian beliefs of our sailors.

Nau Catrineta Nau Catrineta (Carrack Catrineta) Lá vem a Nau Catrineta There comes Nau Catrineta Que tem muito que contar! A lot to tell she has! Ouvide agora, senhores, Do listen, gentlemen, now Uma história de pasmar. To such an astonishing tale. Passava mais de ano e dia More than a year and a day had gone by Que iam na volta do mar, In the turns of the sea they were lost Já não tinham que comer, To eat they had no thing, Já não tinham que manjar. To taste they had no thing.

Deitaram sola de molho Shoe sole then they moistened Para o outro dia jantar; For the next day to dine; Mas a sola era tão rija, So hard the sole indeed was Que a não puderam tragar. To swallow it they could not. Deitaram sortes à ventura Lots they cast to choose Qual se havia de matar; The one whom they should kill; Logo foi cair a sorte And hazard named No capitão general. their captain. - "Sobe, sobe, marujinho, "- Climb, climb little sailor, Aquele mastro real, Up to the royal mast do climb Vê se vês terras de Espanha, Do thou see the lands of Spain, Ou praias de Portugal!" Or the beaches of Portugal?" - "Não vejo terras de Espanha, "The lands of Spain I see not, Nem praias de Portugal; Nor the beaches of Portugal; Vejo sete espadas nuas Only seven naked swords I see Que estão para te matar." Ready they are to kill thee". - "Acima, acima, gageiro, "- Up, up little sailor Acima ao tope real! Up to the royal masthead do climb! Olha se enxergas Espanha, Try to glimpse lands of Spain, Areias de Portugal!" Or beaches of Portugal". - "Alvíssaras, capitão, "Hei, good news I bear, my captain, Meu capitão general! Oh, my Captain General" Já vejo terras de Espanha, I do see the lands of Spain, Areias de Portugal!" And the beaches of Portugal.

77

Mais enxergo três meninas, Debaixo de um

laranjal: Uma sentada a coser, Outra na roca a fiar, A mais formosa de todas

Está no meio a chorar." - "Todas três são minhas filhas,

Oh! quem mas dera abraçar!

A mais formosa de todas

Contigo a hei-se casar." - "A vossa filha não quero, Que vos custou a criar." - "Dar-te-ei tanto dinheiro

Que o não possas contar." - "Não quero o vosso dinheiro

Pois vos custou a ganhar." - "Dou-te o meu cavalo branco,

Que nunca houve outro igual."

- "Guardai o vosso cavalo,

Que vos custou a ensinar."

- "Dar-te-ei a Catrineta, Para nela navegar." - "Não quero a Nau Catrineta,

Que a não sei governar." - "Que queres tu, meu gageiro,

Que alvíssaras te hei-de dar?"

- "Capitão, quero a tua alma, Para comigo a levar!" - "Renego de ti, demónio,

Que me estavas a tentar! A minha alma é só de Deus;

O corpo dou eu ao mar." Tomou-o um anjo nos braços,

Não no deixou afogar. Deu um estouro o demónio, Acalmaram vento e mar; E à noite a Nau Catrineta

Estava em terra a varar.

More, three maidens I see There, under the orange trees: One is sat and sows, The other on the spin-wheel weaves, And the most handsome of all Sat down there only sobs". "- They all my daughters are, Oh! How much I do long to hold them! The most handsome of all Give unto thee I shall". "Thy daughter I do not want, To raise her thou gave thy strength". "- I shall give thee such money then,

Thou won't be able to count it". "Thy money I do not want, To earn it thou gave thy strength!" "- I shall give thee my white horse, The one no other could match".

"Keep thy horse to thyself, To breed it thou gave thy strength".

"-I shall give thee Nau Catrineta For thou sail set with her". "Nau Catrineta I do not want That ship to command I know not". "- What do thou want then, my sailor, What reward shall I give thee!" "Captain, I want thy soul Alas, to take with me". "-

Oh demon, I thee deny, Thou, who are cursing me! My soul belongs only to God, The body I shall leave to the sea". An angel held him in his arms,

Drown he let him not. The devil indeed blew out, And the wind and the sea went flat; At night, onshore she was And Nau Catrineta was beached.

Source: Popular text taken from "Cancioneiro Geral" II vol. Ana Baptista

78

Slauerhoff, De ontdekker (The Discoverer)

Jan Slauerhoff on the "Gelria" - 1928 Cristina Branco during recording

of the cd Cristina Branco canta Slauerhoff, Leeuwarden (Slauerhoff's birthplace), 1999.

Jan Jacob Slauerhoff (1889-1936) was an important Dutch poet. Born in Leeuwarden, capital of the

province of Friesland in the north of the Netherlands, he studied medicine in Amsterdam and he became

ship doctor (1924) on boats to and within the Far East (the Dutch colonies) and, later, to South

America. His weak health forced him to turn back to the Netherlands on several occasions. During his

travels and his stays in the Netherlands as well as in Merano, Italy, to recover from illnesses, he created

his extensive poetic work, a few novels and short stories. Themes The main themes in his work are the sea and, related to this, the (personal) dilemma between longing

for new horizons and being bound, resulting in desillusion, destruction, failure, damnation. Other

aspects of his work are his love for Portugal - he wrote poems in Portuguese - , the (former) Portuguese

colonial empire and his fascination for Camoes, the great Portuguese poet. In another article I write

about this relation of Slauerhof to Camoes. Cristina Branco A few years ago the fado singer Cristina Branco became famous and deeply loved in the Netherlands

when she sung a number of Slauerhoff's poems translated into Portuguese: Cristina Branco canta

Slauerhoff. I chose a poem illustrating both themes mentioned above, in Dutch, in the Branco

translation and in a translation into English by my colleague and friend Rien van Nek.

79

De ontdekker Hij had het land waarvoor hij scheepging lief,

Lief, als een vrouw 't verborgen komende. Er

diep aan denkend stond hij droomende Voor

op de plecht en als de boeg zich hief Was 't hem te moede of 't zich reeds bewoog

Onder de verten, waarin 't sluimerde, Terwijl 't schip, door de waterscheiding schuimende,

Op de aanbrekende geboort' toevloog. Maar toen het lag ontdekt, leek het verraad. Geen stille onzichtbare streng verbond hen tweeën. Hij wilde 't weer verheimlijken - te laat: Het lag voor allen bloot. Hem bleef geen raad Dan voort te varen, doelloos, desolaat. En zonder drift - leeg, over leege zeeën. (Een eerlijk zeemansgraf (1936), Verzamelde Gedichten (Collected Poems), 1973, p.

586)

O descobridor Tinha amor a terra que o mar lhe ocultava, Amor,

como uma mulher ao ente que vai nascer. Assim ia

cuidando e em sonhos se afundava, No alto da coberta, olhando a proa erguer. Pareceu-lhe que algo se mexia, Uma névoa ao longe a querer romper,

Enquanto o barco, espumando, as águas

dividia De encontro í terra prestes a nascer. Ao descobri-la porém, soube-lhe a traição. Nada os unia. Oculto no silêncio, nenhum cordão. De

novo quis encobri-la mas era tarde de mais: Nua

jazia aos olhos do mundo. Apenas lhe restava Suguir

curso tristemente, sem destino nem cais E sem corrente - vazio de si no vazio dos mares. (From: Cristina Branco, Cristina Branco

canta Slauerhoff, 2000)

The Discoverer

He loved the land he had embarked for, Loved it, like a woman the secret coming. Deeply thinking of it, he was dreaming On the foredeck out in front and as the bow was rising

He felt as if it was already moving under distant horizons where it slumbered, while the ship, foaming through the parting

waters, sped towards the breaking birth.

But lying there discovered, it seemed treason. No silent hidden cord linked up the two. He wished to cover it up again - too late: It lay exposed to all. He had no choice But to keep sailing on, aimlessly and desolate. And without passion - empty, across empty seas.

(Translation into English: Rien van Nek, 2005)

Fokko Dijkstra

80

Eugénio Andrade (1923-2005) Eugénio Andrade is Portugal's most famous poet of the twentieth century. Andrade is not only famous in his home country; his poems

have been translated in over twenty languages. People often associate Andrade with the poets of 1927 in Spain. This generation contained famous poets like Luis Cernuda, Vicente Aleixandre and García Lorca. Andrade's was influenced by many different forms of poetry. He was inspired by Greek, Chinese and Japanese poetry, but also admired the

French symbolists like Rimbaud and the American poet Walt Whitman. Andrade's poetic style is marked by simplicity. He wants to evoke what he calls 'the rough or sweet skin of things'. His poems therefore always contain the four classical elements of earth, water, air and fire. Sensuality and sexuality of the human body also play an important role in his work, because Andrade regards the human body as 'the final metaphor for the universe'. Andrade's work was rewarded with prestigious prizes on several occasions.

He has won all Portugal's important literary awards, the Camões Prize, the

Prix Jean Malrieu (France, 1989) and the European Prize for Poetry (1996). Mar de Setembro Tudo era claro: céu,

lábios, areias. O mar

estava perto, fremente de espumas. Corpos ou ondas: iam, vinham, iam, dóceis, leves - só ritmo e brancura. Felizes, cantam;

serenos, dormem; despertos, amam, exaltam o silêncio. Tudo era claro, jovem, alado. o mar estava perto,

purissimo, doirado Eugénio Andrade

September sea Everything was bright: sky, lips, sand. The sea was near by,

quivering with foams.

Bodies or waves: going,

coming, going, dociles,

lights - only rhythm

and whiteness. Happy,

they sing, serene, they

sleep; awaken, they

love, exalting the

silence. Everything was

bright, young, winged. The see was near by,

untainted, golden English translation

by Margarida Rego>