Luís Vaz de Camões (; sometimes rendered in
English as
Camoens or
Camoëns (e.g. by
Byron in
English Bards and Scotch Reviewers), ; c. 1524 or 1525 – ), is considered
Portugal's and the Portuguese language's greatest
poet. His mastery of verse has been compared to that of
Shakespeare,
Vondel,
Homer,
Virgil and
Dante. He wrote a considerable amount of lyrical poetry and drama but is best remembered for his epic work
Os Lusíadas (
The Lusiads). His collection of poetry
The Parnasum of Luís de Camões was lost in his lifetime. The influence of his masterpiece
Os Lusíadas is so profound that Portuguese is sometimes called the "language of Camões".