T A N K A G I R L S— 0 A T E OF C AMO E N S . 165
riousness of their appointments, the former opulence of the Portuguese traders.
The pleasant walks ahout the circuit of the neighboring hills and the
Praya invite the visitor to strengthen himself in cheerful exercise. The dull
look of the town is somewhat relieved in the summer time, when the foreign
residents of Canton and Hong Kong resort there to bathe in the waters of
Bishop’s Bay, and to recreate in the enjoyment of the healthful sea air of the
place.
The harbor is not suitable for large vessels, which anchor in Macao roads,
several miles from the town. I t is, however, though destitute of every appearance
of commercial activity, always enlivened by the fleet of Tanka boats
which pass, conveying passengers to and fro, between the land and the Canton
and Hong Kong steamers. The Chinese damsels, in gay costume, as
they scull their light craft upon the smooth and gently swelling surface of
the bay, present a lively aspect, and as they are looked upon in the distance,
from the verandahs above the Praya, which command a view of the bay, have
a fairy-like appearance, which a nearer approach serves, however, to change
into a more substantial and coarse reality.
The Cave of Camoens, where the Portuguese poet is supposed to have
written a portion of his Lusiad, is a place of universal interest and resort at
Macao. I t is picturesquely situated upon the summit of a small hill, on the
margin of the inner harbor. Large granite rocks are here gathered in a
confused cluster, which form a natural cave, from the entrance of which
there is a wide prospect of the surrounding country. The banians, the pagoda,
and other oriental trees unite their foliage and form a grove in which
the rocky cave is embowered. Surrounding it are grounds cultivated with
trees, creeping vines, and flowering shrubs, charmingly arranged by the borders
of winding paths, and upon the sides of the hills. Artificial terraces,
ingeniously disposed, invite the visitor to the enjoyment of the view or to
rest beneath the shade.
Above the cave rises a rotunda, from which there is an enchanting
prospect, and a marble monument, with a bronze bust and an inscription,
here record the features, the genius, and virtue of Camoens, the poet.
Camoens’ visit to Macao was during his banishment from Portugal, in
consequence of his pertinacious courtship of a lady of rank, whose parents
did not affect an alliance with the poet, who, although of a respectable family,
was poor, and looked upon as an uncertain adventurer. In 1551, he
proceeded to Goa, in India, where he again involved himself in trouble by
writing his “ Absurdities of India,” and was banished to the Moluccas, and
in the course of his exile he resorted frequently to Macao, which was a favorite
residence of the poet. The cave was his chosen spot of retirement, where,
in its “ sweet retired solitude,” he meditated his great work, the Lusiad.
Camoens returned to Portugal, but only to live in misery and die in an
hospital.