Os Lusíadas (Portuguese pronunciation: [u? lu'zi.?ð??]), usually translated as The Lusiads, is a Portuguese epic poem written by Luís Vaz de Camões (c.?1524/5 – 1580) and first published in 1572. It is widely regarded as the most important work of Portuguese literature and is frequently compared to Virgil's Aeneid (1st c. BC). The work celebrates the discovery of a sea route to India by the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama (1469–1524). The ten cantos of the poem are in ottava rima and total 1,102 stanzas. Wikipedia.