The Conquest of Malacca (epic poem) facts for kids

The Conquest of Malacca (Malaca conquistada) is an epic poem by Portuguese poet Francisco de Sá de Meneses.

General information

The Conquest of Malacca is an epic poem. It was published in 1634. It is one of the more noted Portuguese poem of the 17th century.

Author

Francisco de Sá de Meneses was a poet of Baroque. He was born about 1600 and died in 1664.

Form

The poem is written in ottava rima (oitava-rima in Portuguese). In other words it is composed of stanzas of eight lines, rhymed abababcc. The same strophe was used earlier by Luís de Camões in The Lusiads.

Canto as armas e o grande Lusitano

Que, desde a ocidental extrema parte,

Aonde o Sol se levanta do oceano

Levou das Quinas santas o estandarte

E (castigado o pérfido tirano)

A cidade ganhou, por força e arte,

Do áureo reino, e trocou com pio exemplo

A profana mesquita em sacro templo.

Story

The poem by Francisco de Sá de Meneses tells about the batles of Malacca. The battle was fought in 1511. Portuguese forces, led by Afonso de Albuquerque, the governor of India, seized the city of Malacca. The city was a strong fortress. It controlled the strait of Malacca, which was the way to China.

Translation

The poem was translated into English by Edgar C. Knowlton, Jr. The book was published by University of Malaya Press in Kuala Lumpur in 1970.