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Dias en Da Gama, Van Wyk Louw en Camões (her)besoek : original research

2014; AOSIS; Volume: 35; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Africâner

2219-8237

Johan Coetser,

Linguistics and Language Studies

Alhoewel Bartolomeus Dias die eerste Portugese ontdekker was wat om die suidelikste kaap van Afrika geseil het, neem hy in die wereldgeskiedenis 'n geringe plek in. Sy landgenoot Vasco da Gama het, deur ook om die Kaap te vaar, die eerste seevaarder geword om die Ooste te bereik. Nieteenstaande Dias se geringer prestasie, het N.P. van Wyk Louw verkies om 'n radiodrama oor die gedeelte van Dias se vaart om die Suid-Afrikaanse kus te skryf. Daarteenoor is die geskiedenis van Da Gama se vaart in 'n epiese gedig deur Luis Vaz de Camoes opgeteken in sy Os Lusiadas (1572), of Die seuns van Portugal. Die vraag wat ek wil beantwoord, gaan oor die plek en belang wat die dramaturg in Dias (1952) aan temas heg wat teruggevoer kan word tot kanto 5 van Os Lusiadas (1572). Ek neem aan dat die twee tekste met mekaar vergelyk kan word op grond van die teenwoordigheid van die mitiese karakter Adamastor in albei. Soos in Os Lusiadas (1572) neem Adamastor in Dias (1952) die vorm aan van 'n storm. My gevolgtrekking is dat albei tekste, ondanks verskillende oorspronge, 'n allegoriese en 'n nasionale aard vertoon. Die verskillende oorspronge maak dit moontlik om 'n hersiene interpretasie van Dias (1952) te gee. Dias and Da Gama, Van Wyk Louw and Camoes (re)visited. Although he was the first Portuguese explorer who rounded the southernmost cape of Africa, world history does not herald Bartholomew Dias as an important figure. His compatriot Vasco da Gama was the first mariner who reached the Orient by navigating around the Cape. Despite Dias's relative historical unimportance, N.P. van Wyk Louw preferred to write a radio play about him and his journey around the South African coast. Luis Vaz de Camoes, on the other hand, wrote an epic poem about da Gama's journey, which he titled Os Lusiadas (1572), or The sons of Portugal. The question I set out to answer, relates to the position and importance that the playwright of Dias (1952) attaches to themes in Canto 5 of Os Lusiadas (1572). I assume that the two can be compared due to the presence of the mythical character Adamastor in both. As in Os Lusiadas (1572), Adamastor takes the form of a storm in Dias (1952). I conclude that, in spite of different origins, both texts are allegorical and national in character. The differences in origin inspired a revised reading of Dias (1952).