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Manuel Nunes Formigão on 13 October 1917

Clergypriest, professor at Santarém seminary, writing as Visconde de Montelo
13 OctFirst-handSaw itBookScepticRain stoppingSun spinningSun changing colourCrowd sceneSeers' words overheard
English

On the thirteenth of October some seventy thousand people of all classes and social conditions, from every part of the country, were present. When the dialogue between Lucia and the Apparition was over (the Apparition told her she was the Lady of the Rosary), the seer told the bystanders to look at the sun. The sky was completely overcast. It was raining torrentially.

Português

No dia treze de Outubro, estando presentes cerca de setenta mil pessoas de todas as classes e condições sociaes e de todos os pontos do paiz, terminado o dialogo entre a Lucia a Apparição, que lhe declarou ser a Senhora do Rosario, a vidente recommendou aos circumstantes que olhassem para o sol. O firmamento estava completamente nublado. Chovia torrencialmente.

As if by magic the clouds suddenly parted, and the sun appeared at the zenith in all its splendour and spun dizzily on itself like the most beautiful Catherine wheel imaginable, taking on all the colours of the rainbow one after another and sending out beams of light with an astonishing effect.

Como que por encanto rasgaram-se de repente as nuvens, e o sol no zenith appareceu em todo o seu esplendor e girou vertiginosamente sobre si mesmo como a mais bella roda de fogo de artificio que se possa imaginar, revestindo successivamente todas as cores do arco-iris e projectando feixes de luz de um effeito surprehendente.

This sublime and incomparable spectacle, which was repeated three distinct times, lasted about ten minutes. The immense crowd, overcome by the evidence of so great a prodigy, fell to its knees; the Creed, the Hail Mary and the act of contrition burst from every mouth, and tears – tears of joy, of gratitude or of repentance – welled up in every eye.

Esse espectaculo sublime e incomparavel, que se repetiu por tres vezes distinctas, durou cerca de dez minutos. A multidão immensa, rendida perante a evidencia de tamanho prodigio, prostrou-se de joelhos, o Credo, a Avé Maria e o acto de contrição irromperam de todas as boccas e as lagrimas, lagrimas de alegria, de gratidão ou de arrependimento, marejaram todos os olhos.

[…]

Although I had the good fortune to witness the astounding events of 13 October 1917 and could therefore narrate them in detail, I prefer to reproduce here two accounts of those events written by writers above suspicion: one of them unpublished, from the sparkling pen of the intelligent and highly cultivated Dr. José Maria de Proença de Almeida Garrett, who kindly wrote it at my request two months later; the other by the well-known journalist Mr Avelino d'Almeida*, published in number 610, 2nd series, of "A Illustração Portuguesa"*.

[…]

Apesar de ter tido a ventura de presenciar os acontecimentos assombrosos do dia 13 de Outubro de 1917 e de poder por esse motivo narrá-los minuciosamente, prefiro reproduzir aqui dois relatos desses acontecimentos redigidos por escriptores insuspeitos, um delles inedito, devido á penna scintilante do espirito intelligente e cultissimo do Sr. Dr. José Maria de Proença de Almeida Garrett, que se dignou fazê lo a meu pedido dois meses depois, e o outro da auctoria do consagrado jornalista Sr. Avelino d'Almeida e publicado no numero 610, 2ª serie, de "A Illustração Portuguesa".

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