
audiobook
by Henrique Ernesto de Almeida Coutinho
The work opens as a sprawling lyrical lament, a tapestry of Italian and Portuguese verses that swirl around themes of exile, mourning, and yearning. Its speaker confronts a loved one lost to death, describing the ache of separation with vivid images of ash, cemeteries, and celestial fire that refuses to be extinguished. The language is dense yet musical, inviting the listener to feel both the weight of grief and the fragile hope of reunion.
The poem progresses through a series of intimate addresses—friends, spiritual guides, and the departed beloved—each revealing layers of personal and philosophical reflection. While the narrative remains anchored in the first act of loss, it hints at a possible redemption through memory and the promise of an ethereal embrace. Listeners will be drawn into its hypnotic cadence, where sorrow becomes a conduit for contemplating the limits of mortality and the enduring power of love.
Language
pt
Duration
~14 minutes (13K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
Porto: Na Imprensa De Alvares Ribeiro Lavadouros N.º 16 1837
Credits
Produced by Pedro Saborano (produced from scanned images of public domain material from Google Book Search)
Release date
2007-11-17
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
1788–1868
A Portuguese poet and critic from the Romantic era, he spent most of his life in Porto and published reflective, deeply literary verse. He is also remembered for bringing Lord Byron into Portuguese through verse translations.
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