Orlando Furioso Part 10

Not she that life bestows on him who loves.

LXIV "Or true or false Geneura's tale of shame; If she her lover blessed I little heed: For this my praise the lady well might claim, If manifest were not that gentle deed.

My every thought is turned to aid the dame.

Grant me but one to guide my steps, and lead Quickly to where the foul accuser stands, I trust in G.o.d to loose Geneura's bands.

LXV "I will not vouch her guiltless in my thought, In fear to warrant what is false; but I Boldly maintain, in such an act is nought For which the damsel should deserve to die; And ween unjust, or else of wit distraught, Who statutes framed of such severity; Which, as iniquitous, should be effaced, And with a new and better code replaced.

LXVI "If like desire, and if an equal flame Move one and the other s.e.x, who warmly press To that soft end of love (their goal the same) Which to the witless crowd seems rank excess; Say why shall woman -- merit scathe or blame, Though lovers, one or more, she may caress; While man to sin with whom he will is free, And meets with praise, not mere impunity?

LXVII "By this injurious law, unequal still, On woman is inflicted open wrong; And to demonstrate it a grievous ill, I trust in G.o.d, which has been borne too long."

To good Rinaldo's sentence, with one will, Deeming their sires unjust, a.s.sents the throng, Their sires who such outrageous statute penned, And king, who might, but does not, this amend.

LXVIII When the new dawn, with streaks of red and white, Broke in the east, and cleared the hemisphere, Rinaldo took his steed and armour bright: A squire that abbey furnished to the peer.

With him, for many leagues and miles, the knight p.r.i.c.ked through the dismal forest dark and drear; While they towards the Scottish city ride, Where the poor damsel's cause is to be tried.

LXIX Seeking their way to shorten as they wound, They to the wider track a path preferred; When echoing through the gloomy forest round, Loud lamentations nigh the road were heard.

Towards a neighbouring vale, whence came the sound, This his Bayardo, that his hackney spurred; And viewed, between two grisly ruffians there, A girl, who seemed at distance pa.s.sing fair.

LXX But woe begone and weeping was the maid As ever damsel dame, or wight was seen: Hard by the barbarous twain prepared the blade, To deluge with that damsel's blood the green.

She to delay her death awhile essayed, Until she pity moved with mournful mien.

This when Rinaldo near approaching eyes, He thither drives with threats and furious cries.

LXXI The ruffians turn their backs and take to flight As soon as they the distant succour view, And squat within a valley out of sight: Nor cares the good Rinaldo to pursue.

To her approaching, sues Mount Alban's knight, To say what on her head such evil drew; And, to save time, commands his squire to stoop, And take the damsel on his horse's croup.

LXXII And as the lady nearer he surveyed, Her wise behaviour marked and beauty's bloom; Though her fait countenance was all dismayed, And by the fear of death o'erspread with gloom.

Again to know, the gentle knight essayed, Who had prepared for her so fell a doom; And she began to tell in humble tone What to another canto I postpone.

CANTO 5

ARGUMENT Lurcanio, by a false report abused, Deemed by Geneura's fault his brother dead, Weening the faithless duke, whom she refused, Was taken by the damsel to her bed; And her before the king and peers accused: But to the session Ariodantes led, Strives with his brother in disguise. In season Rinaldo comes to venge the secret treason.

I Among all other animals who prey On earth, or who unite in friendly wise, Whether they mix in peace or moody fray, No male offends his mate. In safety hies The she bear, matched with hers, through forest gray: The lioness beside the lion lies: Wolves, male and female, live in loving cheer; Nor gentle heifer dreads the wilful steer.

II What Fury, what abominable Pest Such poison in the human heart has shed, That still 'twixt man and wife, with rage possessed, Injurious words and foul reproach are said?

And blows and outrage hase their peace molest, And bitter tears still wash the genial bed; Not only watered by the tearful flood, But often bathed by senseless ire with blood?

III Not simply a rank sinner, he appears To outrage nature, and his G.o.d to dare, Who his foul hand against a woman rears, Or of her head would harm a single hair.

But who what drug the burning entrail sears, Or who for her would knife or noose prepare, No man appears to me, though such to sight He seem, but rather some infernal sprite.

IV Such, and no other were those ruffians two, Whom good Rinaldo from the damsel scared, Conducted to these valleys out of view, That none might wot of her so foully snared.

I ended where the damsel, fair of hue, To tell the occasion of her scathe prepared, To the good Paladin, who brought release; And in conclusion thus my story piece.

V "Of direr deed than ever yet was done,"

The gentle dame began, "Sir cavalier, In Thebes, Mycene, Argos, or upon Other more savage soil, prepare to hear; And I believe, that if the circling sun To these our Scottish sh.o.r.es approach less near Than other land, 'tis that he would eschew A foul ferocious race that shocks his view.

VI "All times have shown that man has still pursued With hair, in every clime, his natural foe; But to deal death to those who seek our good Does from too ill and foul a nature flow.

Now, that the truth be better understood, I shall from first to last the occasion show, Why in my tender years, against all right, Those caitiffs would have dome me foul despite.

VII " 'Tis fitting you should know, that in the spring Of life, I to the palace made resort; There served long time the daughter of the king, And grew with her in growth, well placed in court.

When cruel love, my fortune envying, Willed I should be his follower and his sport; And made, beyond each Scottish lord and knight, Albany's duke find favour in my sight.

VIII "And for he seemed to cherish me above All mean; his love a love as ardent bred.

We hear, indeed, and see, but do not prove Man's faith, nor is his bosom's purpose read.

Believing still, and yielding to my love, I ceased not till I took him to my bed; Nor, of all chambers, in that evil hour, Marked I was in Geneura's priviest bower.

IX "Where, h.o.a.rded, she with careful privacy Preserved whatever she esteemed most rare; There many times she slept. A gallery From thence projected into the open air.

Here oft I made my lover climb to me, And (what he was to mount) a hempen stair, When him I to my longing arms would call, From the projecting balcony let fall.

X "For here my pa.s.sion I as often fed As good Geneura's absence made me bold; Who with the varying season changed her bed, To shun the burning heat or pinching cold, And Albany, unseen and safely sped; For, fronting a dismantled street, and old, Was built that portion of the palace bright; Nor any went that way by day or night.

XI "So was for many days and months maintained By us, in secrecy, the amorous game; Still grew by love, and such new vigour gained, I in my inmost bosom felt the flame; And that he little loved, and deeply feigned Weened not, so was I blinded to my shame: Though, in a thousand certain signs betrayed, The faithless knight his base deceit bewrayed.

XII "After some days, of fair Geneura he A suitor showed himself; I cannot say If this began before he sighed for me, Or, after, of this love he made a.s.say: But judge, alas! with what supremacy He ruled my heart, how absolute his sway!

Since this he owned, and thought no shame to move Me to a.s.sist him in his second love.

XIII "Unlike what he bore me, he said, indeed, That was not true which he for her displayed; But so pretending love, he hoped to speed, And celebrate due spousals with the maid.

He with her royal sire might well succeed, Were she consenting to the boon he prayed; For after our good king, for wealth and birth In all the realm, was none of equal worth.

XIV "Me he persuades, if through my ministry He the king's son-in-law elected were, For I must know he next the king would be Advanced as high, as subject could repair, The merit should be mine, and ever he So great a benefit in mind would bear; And he would cherish me above his bride, And more than every other dame beside.

XV "I, who to please him was entirely bent, Who never could or would gainsay his will, Upon those days alone enjoy content, When I find means his wishes to fulfil: And s.n.a.t.c.h at all occasions which present A mode, his praise and merits to instil: And for my lover with all labour strain, And industry, Geneura's love to gain.

XVI "With all my heart, in furtherance of his suit, I wrought what could be done, G.o.d truly knows; But with Geneura this produced no friut, Nor her to grace my duke could I dispose.

For that another love had taken root In her, whose every fond affection flows Towards a gentle knight of courteous lore, Who sought our Scotland from a distant sh.o.r.e:

XVII "And with a brother, then right young, to stay In our king's court, came out of Italy: And there of knightly arms made such a.s.say, Was none in Britain more approved than he; Prized by the king, who (no ign.o.ble pay), Rewarding him like his n.o.bility, Bestowed upon the youth, with liberal hand, Burghs, baronies, and castles, woods and land.

XVIII "Dear to the monarch, to the daughter still This lord was dearer, Ariodantes hight.

Her with affection might his valour fill; But knowledge of his love brought more delight.

Nor old Vesuvius, nor Sicilia's hill, Nor Troy-town, ever, with a blaze so bright, Flamed, as with all his heart, the damsel learned, For love of her young Ariodantes burned.

XIX "The pa.s.sion which she bore the lord, preferred And loved with perfect truth and all her heart, Was the occa.s.sion I was still unheard; Nor hopeful answer would she e'er impart: And still the more my lover's suit I stirred, And to obtain his guerdon strove with art, Him she would censure still, and ever more Was strengthened in the hate she nursed before.

XX "My wayward lover often I excite So vain and bootless an emprize to quit; Nor idly hope to turn her stedfast sprite, Too deeply with another pa.s.sion smit; And make apparent to the Scottish knight, Ariodantes such a flame had lit In the young damsel's breast, that seas in flood Would not have cooled one whit her boiling blood.

XXI "This Polinesso many times had heard From me (for such the Scottish baron's name) Well warranted by sight as well as word, How ill his love was cherished by the dame.

To see another to himself preferred Not only quenched the haughty warrior's flame, But the fond love, which in his bosom burned Into despiteful rage and hatred turned.

XXII "Between Geneura and her faithful knight Such discord and ill will he schemed to shed, And put betwixt the pair such foul despite.

No time should heal the quarrel he had bred; Bringing such scandal on that damsel bright, The stain should cleave to her, alive or dead: Nor, bent to wreck her on this fatal shelf, Counselled with me, or other but himself.

XXIII " 'Dalinda mine,' he said, his project brewed, (Dalinda is my name) 'you needs must know, That from the root although the trunk be hewed, Successive suckers many times will grow.

Thus my unhappy pa.s.sion is renewed, Tenacious still of life, and buds; although Cut off by ill success, with new increase: Nor, till I compa.s.s my desire, will cease.

XXIV " 'Nor hope of pleasure this so much has wrought, As that to compa.s.s my design would please; And, if not in effect, at least in thought To thrive, would interpose some little ease.

Then every time your bower by me is sought, When in her bed Geneura slumbers, seize What she puts off, and be it still your care To dress yourself in all her daily wear.