A glosa poética dos salmos na lírica camoniana

Abstract

Luís de Camões holds a canonical status in Portuguese literature, and his critical acclaim is profound. "Os Lusíadas," an epic poem that has symbolized Portuguese nationality for centuries, stands as one of the poet's most extensively studied works, eclipsing his lyric poetry, which is diverse and extensive. This study seeks to delve into an underexplored aspect of Camões' lyric poetry. Of the numerous themes and motifs employed by the Portuguese poet, the focus here is on the infusion of religious elements and a salvific vision that conflates Portugal with the celestial Jerusalem. Our objective is to analyze Camões' lyric poems that directly engage with or reference Psalm 136. This psalm, also known as Psalm 137, represents a significant poetic appropriation with widespread usage in the arts during the 16th century. However, Camões imparts a new poetic meaning to the psalm, configuring Portugal as a novel Jerusalem. In this context, we encounter not only the well-known redondilha "Sôbolos rios que vão" but also a substantial collection of sonnets related to Psalm 136 (137), specifically "Super Flumina Babylonis." During the Renaissance, poets in various realms, including Portugal, frequently indulged in glossing pieces from the Psalter and creating poetic translations. In Camões' case, these poetic glosses not only provide a religious interpretation but also subvert and adapt the original themes, offering fresh interpretations and meanings that span from philosophy to politics, including the question of Portuguese national identity. Consequently, an examination of Camões' lyric appropriation of Psalm 136 in other works may unveil novel interpretations of the poems and illuminate the intriguing poetic processes of that era, such as glossing