your Sons, who aided Mars in martial need;
that o’er the world be sung the glorious song,
if theme so lofty may to verse belong.
6
And Thou! O goodly omen’d trust, all-dear4
to Lusitania’s olden liberty,
whereon assurèd esperance we rear
enforced to see our frail Christianity:
Thou, O new terror to the Moorish spear,
the fated marvel of our century,
to govern worlds of men by God so given,
that the world’s best be given to God and Heaven:
7
Thou young, then tender, ever-flourishing bough,
true scion of tree by Christ belovèd more,
than aught that Occident did ever know,
“Caesarian” or “Most Christian” styled before:
Look on thy ’scutcheon, and behold it show
the present Vict’ory long past ages bore;
Arms which He gave and made thine own to be
by Him assumèd on the fatal tree:5
8
Thou, mighty Sovran! o’er whose lofty reign
the rising Sun rains earliest smile of light;
sees it from middle firmamental plain;
and sights it sinking on the breast of Night:
Thou, whom we hope to hail the blight, the bane
of the dishonour’d Ishmaëlitish knight;
and Orient Turk, and Gentoo-misbeliever
that drinks the liquor of the Sacred River:6
9
Incline awhile, I pray, that majesty
which in thy tender years I see thus ample,
E’en now prefiguring full maturity
that shall be shrin’d in Fame’s eternal temple:
Those royal eyne that beam benignity
bend on low earth: Behold a new ensample
of hero hearts with patriot pride inflamèd,
in number’d verses manifold proclaimèd.
10
Thou shalt see Love of Land that ne’er shall own
lust of vile lucre; soaring towards th’ Eternal:
For ’tis no light ambition to be known
th’ acclaimèd herald of my nest paternal.
Hear; thou shalt see the great names greater grown
of Vavasors who hail thee Lord Supernal:
So shalt thou judge which were the higher station,
King of the world or Lord of such a nation.
11
Hark; for with vauntings vain thou shalt not view
fantastical, fictitious, lying deed
of lieges lauded, as strange Muses do,
seeking their fond and foolish pride to feed:
Thine acts so forceful are, told simply true,
all fabled, dreamy feats they far exceed;
exceeding Rodomont, and Ruggiero vain,
and Roland7 haply born of Poet’s brain.
12
For these I give thee a Nuno, fierce in fight,
who for his King and Country freely bled;
an Egas and a Fuas;8 fain I might
for them my lay with harp Homeric wed!
For the twelve peerless Peers again I cite
the Twelve of England by Magriço led:
Nay, more, I give thee Gama’s noble name,
who for himself claims all Aeneas’ fame.
13
And if in change for royal Charles of France,
or rivalling Caesar’s mem’ories thou wouldst trow,
the first Afonso see, whose conque’ring lance
lays highest boast of stranger glories low:
See him who left his realm th’ inheritance
fair Safety, born of wars that crusht the foe:
That other John, a knight no fear deter’d,
the fourth and fifth Afonso, and the third.
14
Nor shall they silent in my song remain,
they who in regions there where Dawns arise,
by Acts of Arms such glories toil’d to gain,
where thine unvanquisht flag for ever flies,
Pacheco, brave of braves; th’ Almeidas twain,
whom Tagus mourns with ever-weeping eyes;
dread Albuquerque, Castro stark and brave,
with more, the victors of the very grave.
15
But, singing these, of thee I may not sing,
O King sublime! such theme I fain must fear.
Take of thy reign the reins, so shall my King
create a poesy new to mortal ear:
E’en now the mighty burden hear I ring
(and speed its terrors over all the sphere!)
of sing’ular prowess, War’s own prodigies,
in Africk regions and on Orient seas.
16
Casteth on thee the Moor eyne cold with fright,
in whom his coming doom he views designèd:
The barb’rous Gentoo, sole to see thy sight
yields to thy yoke the neck e’en now inclinèd;
Tethys, of azure seas the sovran right,
her realm, in dowry hath to thee resignèd;
and, by thy noble tender beauty won,
would bribe and buy thee to become her son.
17
In thee from high Olympick halls behold
themselves, thy grandsires’ sprites; far-famèd pair;9
this clad in Peacetide’s angel-robe of gold,
that crimson-hued with paint of battle-glare:
By thee they hope to see their tale twice told,
their lofty memo’ries live again; and there,
when Time thy years shall end, for thee they ’sign
a seat where soareth Fame’s eternal shrine.
18
But, sithence ancient Time slow minutes by
ere ruled the Peoples who desire such boon;
bend on my novel rashness favouring eye,
that these my verses may become thine own:
So shalt thou see thine Argonauts o’erfly
yon salty argent, when they see it shown
thou seest their labours on the raging sea:
Learn even now invok’d of man to be.10
19
They walked the water’s vasty breadth of blue,
parting the restless billows on their way;
fair favouring breezes breathèd soft and true,
the bellying canvas bulging in their play:
The seas were sprent with foam of creamy hue,
flashing where’er the Prows wide open lay
the sacred spaces of that ocean-plain
where Proteus’ cattle cleave his own domain:
20
When they who hold Olympick luminous height,
the Gods and Governors of our human race,
convened in glorious conclave, all unite
the coming course of Eastern things to trace:
Treading the glassy dome of lovely light,
along the Milky Way conjoint they pace,
gather’d together at the Thunderer’s hest,
and by old Atlas’ gentle grandson prest.
21
They leave the reg’iment of the Firm’aments seven,
to them committed by his high command,
his pow’r sublime whose thoughtful will hath given
Order to skies, and angry seas, and land:
Then instant gather in th’ assize of Heaven
those who are throned on far Arcturus’ strand,
and those that Auster rule, and Orient tides,
where springs Aurora and clear Phoebus hides.
22
Reposèd there the Sire sublime and digne,
vibrates whose hand the fierce Vulcanian ray,
on seat of starry splendour
