I am Camões!

[imomus]

Because last night's venue, atop the hill near the Castello in Lisbon, was very delightful, with a seated cabaret-style audience and big dramatic black-and-white pictures of costumed, gesticulating actors on the walls, I was in theatrical mood, and improvised anecdotes between the songs. Here are the first few...

"Everywhere I go in Lisbon people see my eyepatch and shout out "Es Camões!" So I've decided to give in and admit that I am in fact the re-incarnation of your great one-eyed Portugese poet. I have had many adventures, as you know, but perhaps you don't know that I recently decided to make a trip to the Arctic Circle to find Tom of Finland, because I'd been intrigued by his images of cowboys, naked from the waist down, pressing their penises against each other. In the north of Finland, in a farmyard, I eventually came across two cowboys pressing their genitals against each other, dressed only from the waist up. I don't know why they were there, but I was relieved to discover them. I approached and was about to ask if they knew where their creator, Tom of Finland, was, when suddenly we were surrounded by a group of large, menacing, bright white polar bears. We would certainly have been torn to pieces if I hadn't had the presence of mind to pull out my guitar and sing the following song. It's called "The Homosexual".

"Camões, like all artists, was very much preoccupied by the theme of charisma. In fact I can tell you that he decided, in the middle ages, to go to Sherwood Forest in the north of England to study the most charismatic figure of that time, Robin Hood. I know this is not a great day for Portugese national pride [Lisbon's team had just lost to Moscow] but I'm going to have to deal it another blow: I'm sorry to tell you that Robin Hood is English, so your great Portugese poet learned about charisma from an Englishman. Here's a song about him: "Robin Hood".

"Before he was reborn as a one-eyed Portugese poet, Camões lived in Rome, and he was known as Virgil. I heard him telling this story about Romulus and Remus, the wolf-suckled orphans, about the origin of Roman democracy, it's called "The Rape of Lucretia"...

I can't really remember the rest, but they got stranger and stranger. Miguel videoed the show (and made a 5:1 Dolby sound recording), and intends to put it out one day as a DVD, so they'll come to light eventually. (As will the moment I kicked one of my flip flops about fifteen feet up into the gods.)

Since Camões was a bit of an adventurer, "true" stories from his life are no less absurd. He's said to have lost his eye in India. On the return voyage, just as his ship was approaching the coast of Portugal a terrible storm arose and the vessel went down with all hands. But somehow Camões was able to swim ashore... holding the manuscripts of his new poems above the water with one hand!

Comments

[la-aquarius.livejournal.com]

Looks like you've discovered your previous incarnation.

Love the bit about him holding the poems above water; that should make him the patron saint of something. What, though? Manuscripts? Editors?

[becki1111.livejournal.com]

I wish I had seen that show. It sounds so unabashedly fun!

Lisbon´s Team ?

[(Anonymous)]

Dear Mr. Nick Moemmius,

In Lisbon there are 3-THREE-3 soccer teams. The team that lost the game was Sporting F.C. but there is also Benfica F.C. and Belenenses F.C.

A re-incarnation of Camões wouldn´t write Castello (with two Ls) and would make boring records.

Enjoy your stay.

I thought...

[(Anonymous)]

you're the King of Spain...
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22imagine+i'm+the+king+of+spain%22

:)

B.

a lovely scarf

[(Anonymous)]

Dearest Momus,
My name is Michelle and I would very much so like to make you a fine scarf (free of charge). I recently began crocheting animals and would like to experiment with them more. Thus far, I have made a fox, two rabbits, and a wolf. If you are interested please reply here or email me at cozmo4mm@msn.com. Let me know what animals, color, and length you fancy.
Thank you,
Michelle

!

[(Anonymous)]

or perhaps I could make you a nice eye patch.

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03218b.htm

Photos

[(Anonymous)]

Here (http://www.cinedie.com/temp/momus-santiago.htm) are some photos of Lisbon's concert. You can zoom the small ones. The last two have a swap "effect". You have to hold the mouse over and wait for the second image to download. Then you should listen to your favorite Momus song and by moving the mouse on and off the image try to synch the lyrics of the mouth movements. It works better if you find a monosyllabic song, of course. Hey, it's cheap. Images will not be available after a while.

Luis C. (not Camões)

Re: Photos

[(Anonymous)]

Hmmf, the link (http://www.cinedie.com/temp/momus-santiago.htm) was OK in the preview.

Re: Photos

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Ah, thanks! I think this one (http://www.cinedie.com/temp/momus-sant9.jpg) is my favourite.

Re: Photos

[(Anonymous)]

It's ironic... I avoided the use of flash to not 'interfere' and you prefer the only photo that was taken with it.

LC

Of course!!!!!

[felixlx.livejournal.com]

I’m sad I was unable to attend to the Lisboa concert.
Of course we already knew that you and Camões are the same... and follows a proof of that, a poem of the Luis de Camões.
It’s better that you’ll find a better translation… !!!! ;)


Pus, meus olhos, numa funda,
e fiz um tiro com ela
às grades de uma janela.

Uma dama, de Malvada,
tomou seus olhos na mão
e tirou-me uma pedrada
com eles ao coração.
Armei minha funda, então,
e pus os meus olhos nela:
trape! quebro-lhe a janela


I put, my eyes, in a shooter,
and made one shot with it
to the gratings of a window.

A lady, an evil one,
took its eyes in her hand
and stoned me
with them to the heart.
I armed my shooter, then,
and I put my eyes in it:
bang! I break her window