These Stanzas, omitted by Camões, were discovered by Manoel de Faria y Sousa, and published in his Commentaries (Juan Sanches, 1639). The whole are extant in three manuscripts. Number I , the better of the two first, contains only six cantos: Number II , belonging to M. Correia Montenegro, embraces the whole poem. The third MS. , in the hands of M. Luiz Franco, is given by Viscount Juromenha ( Vol. VI 419). It has only four “rejected stanzas”; the first three are those of Faria y Sousa; and the fourth is that of the established text (Canto I 79) with a few unimportant changes of words and rhymes.
The Stanzas number:—
I will not here enter into the consideration why the Stanzas were left out. Many of them fully equal those retained in the popular Lusiads ; but almost all contain something opposed to public, or rather to priestly, sentiment. A cursory glance shows that not a few want the polish and finish which distinguish the Poem. I have purposely followed suit for the sake of contrast and fidelity. Juromenha’s original text is printed in verso , that the reader may judge how literal is my version, which, for additional security, was submitted to Mr. J. J. Aubertin, the translator of The Lusiads .