The Herd Keeper: A Pagan Portuguese Poem

Alberto Caeiro and the Herd Keeper

Caeiro's masterpiece is The Herd Keeper, a collection of 50 poems unified into the theme of his philosophy of sensation and his abhorrence to theory and abstract categories. As such, "The Herd Keeper" is a perfect example of Caeiro's poetic philosophy, known as "sensacionismo." Sensacionismo emphasizes the importance of sensory perception and the immediate experience of the world over abstract intellectualism.