Odorico Mendes

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Odorico Mendes

Born on January 24, 1799, in São Luís, in the state of Maranhão, Manoel Odorico Mendes was a politician, publicist, humanist and one of the first translators in Brazil. Born into one of the most traditional families in Maranhão, Mendes lived there until the age of 17 after which his father sent him to Portugal to study Medicine at the Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Coimbra. Over the following years he studied Rational and Moral Philosophy and Greek language and he graduated in Natural Philosophy, although he did not finish his originally intended course. In Coimbra, in addition to his academic life, he became intensely involved with politics when he came in contact with the Portuguese Liberal movement and with the ideas of Rousseau and Voltaire. At that time he also started writing poems and became friends with the writer and politician Almeida Garret. His years spent in Portugal, after the Porto Revolution, would be a major influence in all his future political and literary activities.

In 1824, after his father’s death, Mendes returned to Brazil, which was going through a period of tension and instability due to the independence of Brazil that had taken place two years earlier. Impelled by a strong patriotism, he began working as a publicist by writing the newspaper O Argos da lei on January 1825. As a result of the newspaper’s influence, he was elected deputy to the first Legislative Assembly in Brazil and moved to Rio de Janeiro in 1830. There he consolidated his career as a politician and journalist by writing for several newspapers from São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, such as Farol Paulistano, Clube Aurora, O Verdadeiro Liberal, and Jornal do Comércio. He retired from politics in 1847 when his last mandate as a deputy ended, and then he moved to France where he dedicated himself exclusively to literary life and to his ambitious project of translating into Portuguese the Greek and Latin classical masterpieces.

In Paris, he began translating Virgil’s Aeneid, and he published it for the first time in 1854 at the Tipografia de Rignoux. The first edition sold out in about fifteen days. Four years later, he edited the complete works of the Latin poet under the title of Virgilio Brazileiro, which was an annotated edition of eight hundred pages including the texts of the Aeneida, Bucolics, and Georgics. After finishing it, he began translating Homer’s epics in verse, which were published after his death: the Iliad, in 1874, and the Odissey, in 1928. His interests were not limited to classical texts since he published translations in verse of the works Mérope and Tancredo by Voltaire in 1831 and 1839, respectively. Providing general comments on the criteria adopted in his translations, Mendes’s translated works are considered the first in Brazil to present some kind of translation technique, though brief, which outlines the procedures taken by the translator. Although they have attracted all types of criticism, his translations from Greek and Latin still arouse great interest, and they have been studied and republished again and again for decades, thus confirming their importance in the Brazilian literary context not only as literary classics, but also as translation classics.

Odorico Mendes dies at the age of 65 on August 17, 1864, in London, England.

Entry published on April 27 2006 by:
Gleiton Lentz
Andréia Guerini

Translated by

Translation excerpts

Excerpt from Eneida, by Virgil. Translated by Odorico Mendes:

LIBER PRIMUS

Livro I

    Ille ego qui quondam gracili modulatus avena
Carmen, et, egressus silvis, vicina coegi
Ut quamvis avido parerent arva colono,
Gratum opus agricolis; at nunc horrentia Martis
Arma virumque cano Trojae qui primus ab oris
Italiam, fato profugus, Lavinaque venit
Littora: multum ille et terris jactatus et alto,
Vi Superum, saevae memorem Junonis ob iram;
Multa quoque et bello passus, dum conderet urbem,
Inferretque deos Latio: genus unde Latinum,
Albanique patres, atque altae moenia Romae.
    Musa, mihi causas memora, quo numine laeso,
Quidve dolens regina deum tot volvere casus
Insignem pietate virum, tot adire labores,
Impulerit. Tantaene animis coelestibus irae!
    Urbs antiqua fuit (Tyrii tenuere coloni)
Carthago, Italiam contra, Tiberinaque longe
Ostia, dives opum, studiisque asperrima belli:
Quam Juno fertur terris magis omnibus unam
Posthabita coluisse Samo. Hic illius arma,
Hic currus fuit: hoc regnum Dea gentibus esse,
Si qua fata sinant, jam tum tenditque fovetque.
Progeniem sed enim Trojano a sanguine duci
Audierat, Tyrias olim quae verteret arces,
Hinc populum late regem, belloque superbum,
Venturum excidio Libyae: sic volvere Parcas.
Id metuens, veterisque memor Saturnia belli,
Prima quod ad Trojam pro caris gesserat Argis;
Necdum etiam causae irarum saevique dolores
Exciderant animo: manet alta mente repostum
Judicium Paridis, spretaeque injuria formae,
Et genus invisum, et rapti Ganymedis honores:
His accensa super, jactatos aequore toto
Troas, relliquias Danaum atque immitis Achillei,
Arcebat longe Latio; multosque per annos
Errabant acti fatis maria omnia circum,
Tantae molis erat Romanam condere gentem!
    Vix e conspectu Siculae telluris in altum
Vela dabant laeti, et spumas salis aere ruebant,
Cum Juno, aeternum servans sub pectore vulnus,
Haec secum: Mene incepto desistere victam?
Nec posse Italia Teucrorum avertere regem?
Quippe vetor fatis! Pallasne exurere classem
Argivum, atque ipsos potuit submergere ponto,
Unius ob noxam et furias Ajacis Oilei?45
Ipsa, Jovis rapidum jaculata e nubibus ignem,
Disjecitque rates, evertitque aequora ventis;
Illum exspirantem transfixo pectore flammas
Turbine corripuit, scopuloque infixit acuto:
Ast ego, quae divum incedo regina, Jovisque
Et soror et conjux, una cum gente tot annos
Bella gero! Et quisquam numen Junonis adoret
Praeterea, aut supplex aris imponat honorem?
    Talia flammato secum Dea corde volutans,
Nimborum in patriam, loca feta furentibus Austris,
Aeoliam venit. Hic vasto rex Aeolus antro
Luctantes ventos tempestatesque sonoras
Imperio premit, ac vinclis et carcere frenat.
Illi indignantes magno cum murmure montis
Circum claustra fremunt: Celsa sedet Aeolus arce,
Sceptra tenens; mollitque animos, et temperat iras.
Ni faciat, maria ac terras coelumque profundum
Quippe ferant rapidi secum, verrantque per auras.
Sed pater omnipotens speluncis abdidit atris,
Hoc metuens: molemque et montis insuper altos
Imposuit! regemque dedit, qui foedere certo
Et premere, et laxas sciret dare jussus habenas.
Ad quem tum Juno supplex his vocibus usa est:
Aeole (namque tibi divum pater atque hominum rex
Et mulcere dedit fluctus, et tollere vento),
Gens inimica mihi Tyrrhenum navigat aequor,
Illium in Italiam portans, victosque Penates:
Incute vim ventis, submersasque obrue puppes;
Aut age diversas, et disjice corpora ponto.
Sunt mihi bis septem praestanti corpore Nymphae,
Quarum, quae forma pulcherrima, Deiopeiam
Conubio jungam stabili, propriamque dicabo;
Omnes ut tecum meritis pro talibus annos
Exigat, et pulchra faciat te prole parentem.
    Aeolus haec contra: Tuus, o regina, quid optes
Explorare labor; mihi jussa capessere fas est.
Tu mihi quodcunque hoc regni, tu sceptra Jovemque
Concilias: tu das epulis accumbere divum,
Nimborumque facis tempestatumque potentem.
    Haec ubi dicta, cavum conversa cuspide montem
Impulit in latus; ac venti, velut agmine facto,
Qua data porta, ruunt, et terras turbine perflant.

    Eu, que entoava na delgada avena
Rudes canções, e egresso das florestas,
Fiz que as vizinhas lavras contentassem
A avidez do colono, empresa grata
Aos aldeãos; de Marte ora as horriveis
Armas canto, e o varão que, lá de Troia
Prófugo, á Italia e de Lavino ás praias
Trouxe-o primeiro o fado. Em mar e em terra
Muito o agitou violenta mão suprema,
E o lembrado rancor da seva Juno;
Muito em guerras soffreu, na Ausonia quando
Funda a cidade e lhe introduz os deuses:
Donde a nação latina e albanos padres,
E os muros vem da sublimada Roma.
    Musa, as causas me aponta, o offenso nume,
Ou por que mágoa a soberana déa
Compelliu na piedade o heroe famoso
A lances taes passar, volver taes casos.
Pois tantas iras em celestes peitos!
    Colonia tyria no ultramar, Carthago,
Do ítalo Tibre contraposta ás fozes,
Houve, possante emporio, antigo, asperrimo
N'arte da guerra; ao qual, se conta, Juno
Até pospoz a predilecta Samos:
Lá coche, armas lá teve; e annúa o fado,
No orbe enthronal-a então já traça e tenta.
Porêm de Teucro ouvira que a progenie,
Dos Penos subvertendo as fortalezas,
Viria a ser, desmoronada a Libya,
A' larga rei bellipotente povo:
Que assim no fuso as Parcas o fiavam.
Saturnia o teme, e a pró dos seus Achivos
Recorda as lides que excitara em Troia;
Nem d'alma aggravos risca, dôres cruas:
No íntimo impressa a decisão de Páris,
A injúria da belleza em menoscabo,
E a raça detestada e as honras duram
Do rapto Ganymedes. Nestes odios
Sôbre-accesa, os da Grecia e immite Achilles
Salvos Troas, do Lacio ia alongando,
Por todo o plaino undísono atirados;
E, em derredor vagando annos e annos,
De mar em mar a sorte os repulsava.
Tam grave era plantar de Roma a gente!
    De Sicilia, amarando, mal velejam
Ledos e o cobre rompe a salsa espuma,
Juno, dentro guardada eterna chaga:
"Eu, diz comsigo, desistir vencida!
Nem vedar posso a Italia ao rei dos Teucros!
Ah! tolhe-me o destino. A esquadra argiva
Não queimou Pallas mesma, submergindo-os
Só de um Ajax Oileu por culpa e furias?
Do Tonante o corisco ella das nuvens
Darda, os baixéis desgarra, o ponto assanha;
Ao triste, que varado expira chammas,
N'um torvelinho em rocha aguda o crava:
E eu, que raínha marcho ante as deidades,
Mulher e irmã de Jove, tantos annos
Guerreio um povo! E a Juno ha quem adore,
Ou súpplice inda a incense, a invoque e honre?"
    No âmago isto fermenta, e a deusa á patria
De austros furentes, de chuveiros prenhe,
A' Eolia parte. Aqui n'um antro immenso
O rei preme, encarcera, algema, enfreia
Luctantes ventos, roncas tempestades.
Em tôrno aos claustros de indignados fremem
Com gran'rumor do monte. Em celsa roca
Sentado Eolo, arvora o sceptro, e as iras
Tempera e os amacia. Que o não faça,
Varridos mar e terra e o céo profundo
Lá se vam pelos ares. Cauto, em negras
Furnas o omnipotente os aferrolha,
E, um cargo de montanhas sobrepondo,
Lhes deu rei, que mandado a ponto as bridas
Suster saiba ou laxar. Dest'arte Juno
O exora humilde: "Eolo, o pae dos divos
E rei dos homens te concede as ondas
Sublevar e amainal-as; gente imiga
Me sulca as do Tyrrheno, Ilio e os domados
Penates para Italia transportando:
Ventos açula, as pôpas mette a pique,
Ou dispersas no ponto as espedaça.
Quatorze esbeltas nymphas me cortejam,
Das quaes a mais formosa, Deiopeia,
Prometto unir comtigo em jugo estavel;
Que em paga para sempre a ti se vote,
Meiga te procreando egregia prole."

Virgílio. Virgílio Brazileiro: Eneida, Bucólicas e Geórgicas. Paris: W. Renquet, 1858. (Aeneis). Disponível em: http://www.unicamp.br/iel/projetos/OdoricoMendes/

Virgílio. Eneida Brazileira. [Por: Odorico Mendes]. Paris: Typographia de Rignoux, 1854. (Aeneis). Disponível em: http://www.unicamp.br/iel/projetos/OdoricoMendes/

Bibliography

Published translations

Homero. Ilíada de Homero em verso portuguez. [Trans.:Odorico Mendes]. Rio de Janeiro: Typographia Guttember, 1874. (Ιλιάδα)

Homero. Ilíada. [Trans.:Odorico Mendes]. Rio de Janeiro: W.M. Jackson, 1957. (Ιλιάδα)

Homero. Odysséa de Homero. [Trans.:Odorico Mendes]. Rio de Janeiro: Freitas Bastos, 1928. (Οδύσσεια)

Homero. Odisséia. [Trans.:Odorico Mendes]. São Paulo: EDUSP/Ars Poética, 1992. (Οδύσσεια)

Homero. Odisséia. [Trans.:Odorico Mendes]. São Paulo: EDUSP, 2000. (Οδύσσεια)

Virgílio. Eneida Brazileira. [Trans.:Odorico Mendes]. Paris: Typographia de Rignoux, 1854. (Aeneis)

Virgílio. Virgílio Brazileiro: Eneida, Bucólicas e Geórgicas. [Trans.:Odorico Mendes]. Paris: W. Renquet, 1858. (Aeneis, Bucolicon & Georgicon)

Virgílio. Eneida. [Trans.:Odorico Mendes]. São Paulo/Campinas: Ateliê/UNICAMP, 2005. (Aeneis)

Virgílio. Bucólicas. [Trans.:Odorico Mendes]. Belo Horizonte: Tessitura/Crisálida, 2005. (Bucolicon)

Voltaire. Mérope. [Trans.:Odorico Mendes]. [S.I.: s.n.], 1831. (Mérope)

Voltaire. Tancredo. [Trans.:Odorico Mendes]. [S.I.: s.n.], 1839. (Tancrède)

Voltaire. Traduções de Voltaire: Mérope e Tancredo. [Trans.:Odorico Mendes]. São Luiz: Edições AML, 1999. (Mérope & Tancrède)

About the author

Mendes, Manuel Odorico. Cartas de Manuel Odorico Mendes. In. Américo J. Lacombe (apres.). Rio de Janeiro: Academia Brasileira de Letras, 1989. Letters.