Francisco de Sá de Miranda

Francisco de Sá de Miranda (28 August 1481 – 17 May 1558) was a Portuguese poet.

Sá de Miranda was the first author of Renaissance in Portugal. He was born in Coimbra. His parents were Gonçalo Mendes de Sá and Inês de Melo. He learned Greek, Latin and philosophy at Santa Cruz Monastery. Then he went to Lisbon to study law at the university. He travelled to Italy, where he met many poets including Vittoria Colonna. When he returned to Portugal, he worked for the king.

His main merit for Portuguese literature is that he introduced Italian verse forms. Sá de Miranda was the first author to write sonnets in Portugal. His best known poem is the sonnet O sol é grande, caem co'a calma as aves. It was translated into English by John Adamson in Lusitania illustrata.