Analysis of The Uraguai by Basilio da Gama
The Uraguai by Basilio da Gama: An Analysis
Overview
The Uraguai, an epic poem published in 1769, offered a sharp critique of the Jesuits by its author, Basilio da Gama. Gama contested the Jesuits’ claim of defending Indigenous rights, suggesting they sought control over the Indigenous population. The poem’s plot revolves around a military expedition and a tragic love story set within a missionary stronghold.
Central Theme
The Treaty of Madrid, signed by the kings of Portugal and Spain, stipulated the transfer of Jesuit-occupied lands in Uruguay from Spain to Portugal. This led to Portugal gaining control of Misiones and Spain retaining the colony of Sacramento. The Jesuits, who administered Misiones and its Indigenous inhabitants, resisted the Portuguese claim, leading to the conflict depicted in the poem. The Uraguai narrates the struggle for this territory in early 1757, praising General Gomes Freire de Andrade’s leadership. Notably, Gama dedicated the poem to the Marquis of Pombal, his brother and a staunch opponent of the Jesuits.
Key Characters
- General Gomes Freire de Andrade: Leader of the Portuguese forces.
- Catâneo: Commander of the Spanish troops.
- Cacambo: An Indigenous chief.
- Cepe: An Indigenous warrior.
- Balda: A Jesuit administrator in Misiones.
- Caitutu: An Indigenous warrior and Lindóia’s brother.
- Lindóia: Cacambo’s wife.
- Tanajura: An Indigenous shaman.
Narrative Summary
Due to financial constraints, Gama opted for a five-canto structure in blank verse, deviating from the traditional ten-canto model of epic poems like Camões’ The Lusiads.
Canto I
The poem opens with an address to General Gomes Freire de Andrade and depicts the arrival and parade of troops in Catania. Andrade outlines the justifications for the war. As the Portuguese await Spanish reinforcements, the poet envisions a battlefield strewn with debris and corpses, primarily of Indigenous people. The narrative then shifts back in time to present a parade of the Luso-Spanish army under Andrade’s command.
Canto II
The Luso-Castilian army returns, releasing Indigenous prisoners. A meeting is arranged between the Indigenous chiefs Cepe and Cacambo and the Portuguese commander, Gomes Freire de Andrade, on the Uruguay River. However, the negotiations fail as the Jesuits refuse to acknowledge Spanish authority. This triggers a battle between the Indigenous people and the Luso-Spanish forces. Despite their valiant efforts, the Indigenous warriors are defeated by European weaponry. Cepe falls in combat, and Cacambo orders a retreat.
Canto III
The General’s army camps by a river. Meanwhile, Cacambo rests and receives a dream visit from Cepe’s spirit, who urges him to set fire to the enemy camp. Cacambo carries out this plan and returns to his headquarters. Lindóia appears, and under Balda’s influence, Cacambo is captured and poisoned. Balda, the antagonist, aims to install his son, Baldet, as chief in Cacambo’s place, highlighting Gama’s criticism of the Jesuits. Tanajura, the shaman, provides Lindóia with visions of the Lisbon earthquake, its reconstruction by the Marquis of Pombal, and the expulsion of the Jesuits.
Canto IV
Balda continues his schemes, manipulating Lindóia and promoting Baldet. The canto’s central event is Lindóia’s tragic death. Refusing to submit to another man, she allows herself to be bitten by a venomous snake. The priests and Indigenous people flee their headquarters after setting it ablaze. Gomes Freire’s troops arrive, and the Indigenous forces withdraw after burning their village. The poem then presents a poignant lyrical passage:
“Inda retains the pale face
One does not know the hurt and sad
What the hardest hearts touches,
Both were beautiful in your face death!”
Canto V
The canto describes the temple and the persecution of the Indigenous population. Balda is imprisoned. The poet concludes his work and expresses his views on the Jesuits, holding them responsible for the massacre of Indigenous people by the Luso-Spanish troops. These opinions align with those of the Marquis of Pombal, the powerful minister of King Joseph I. The canto also pays tribute to General Gomes Freire de Andrade for his respect and protection of the surviving Indigenous people.
Critical Analysis
The Uraguai is written in blank verse decasyllables without stanzas, but its structure can be divided into proposition, invocation, dedication, narrative, and epilogue. It abandons mythological language but incorporates elements of the marvelous, drawing on Indigenous mythology. This approach deviates from the traditional epic model established by The Lusiads. Throughout the poem, a critical stance towards the Jesuits is evident, shaping the narrative’s direction.
The poem explores the conflict between European rationality and Indigenous primitivism, a recurring theme in Arcadian literature. While Gama’s primary intention was to create an anti-Jesuit work, the poem also reflects his interest in depicting this cultural clash. The Indigenous population, initially portrayed as adversaries, gains sympathy as the narrative unfolds. They are presented as victims of both the Portuguese and the Jesuits. Gama’s portrayal of Indigenous culture, though influenced by Arcadian aesthetics, demonstrates an appreciation for its unique qualities.
The Uraguai is characterized by its variety, fluidity, vivid imagery, and dynamic movement. Its concise decasyllables contribute to its balanced and serene tone. It served as a model for later Romantic poets who adopted loose decasyllables.
Notable Features
- Plastic Sensitivity: The poem captures the tangible world with a focus on sensory experience, recreating natural settings without excessive detail.
- Sense of Situation: It moves beyond the celebration of a hero to explore the complexities of a specific situation: the tragic clash of cultures.
- Sympathy for the Indigenous People: Initially depicted as adversaries, the Indigenous population emerges as victims deserving of empathy.
Due to its focus on Indigenous themes, The Uraguai and Basilio da Gama have been recognized as precursors to Brazilian national literature. However, it’s important to distinguish Gama’s approach from later Romantic Indianism, which often romanticized Indigenous culture. For Gama, the Indigenous theme was primarily an Arcadian subject explored through a picturesque lens.
Gama also demonstrated sensitivity towards enslaved Africans in his poem Quitúbia, highlighting the universality of virtue. He was a revolutionary poet who, while building upon the classical tradition established by Claudio Manuel da Costa, introduced greater aesthetic and intellectual freedom into Brazilian literature. The Uraguai stands as a testament to the New World’s unique experiences and perspectives.
The Death of Lindóia (Canto IV)
This delightful place, and sad,
Tired of living, had chosen
To die the miserable Lindóia.
There reclining, as if asleep,
In the soft grass and mimosa flowers
He had to face in his hand, and hand in the trunk
From a funeral cypress, which spread
Melancholy shadow. Closer
They discover that wraps itself in your body
Green snake, and he walks, and gird
Neck and arms, and he licks her breast.
Flee to do so alarmed,
And stop with fear in the distance;
And do not dare to call it, and fear
What startled awake, and angry monster,
And run away, and the rush to escape death.
But the right-handed Caitutu, trembling
The danger of his sister, without further delay
He folded the ends of the bow, and he wanted three times
Drop the shot, and stopped three times
Between anger and fear. Finally shakes
The arch, and makes a sharp arrow flying,
Touching the breast Lindóia, and it hurts
The serpent on the forehead, and mouth, and teeth
He nailed the nearby trunk.
Beating the field co’a slight tail
The angry monster, and tortuous turns
If threads into the cypress, and sheds surrounded
In the black blood livid poison.
Takes in his arms the unfortunate Lindóia
The bastard brother, to wake her
You know, with that pain! cold face
The signs of the poison, and see wounded
For the soft subtle tooth chest.
The eyes, that Love ruled, one day
Filled with death, and change that language,
What the deaf wind, and echoes many times
He told a long history of its ills.
In the eyes Caitutu not suffer the mourning
And he breaks into profundíssimos sighs,
Reading the forehead of the border cave
From his hand trembling as recorded
The alien crime, and voluntary death.
And by all parties repeated
The name Cacambo sighed.
Inda retains the pale face
An indescribable hurt and sad,
What the hardest hearts melts.
Both were beautiful in your face death!
Note: Observe the use of blank verse (unrhymed lines), the absence of regular stanzas, and the poem’s descriptive power.