Orlando Furioso Part 141

Lx.x.xVIII One is there that in his green age and new Places Strigonia's crozier in his hand.

Him ever at Corvinus' side we view; Whether he doth in court or camp command, Whether against the Turk, or German crew The puissant monarch leads his martial band, Watchful Hippolytus is at his side, And gathers virtue from his generous guide.

Lx.x.xIX There is it seen, how he his blooming age Divides mid arts and wholesome discipline: The secret spirit of the ancient page There Fuscus well instructs him to divine: "This must thou shun, that follow" -- seems the sage To say -- "if thou immortally wouldst s.h.i.+ne."

Fas.h.i.+oned withal with so much skill and care By her who wrought that work, their gestures were.

XC A cardinal he next is seen, though young In years, at council in the Vatican; Where for deep wisdom graced by eloquent tongue, With wonder him the a.s.sembled conclave scan.

"What will he be" -- they seem to say among Themselves -- "when he is ripened into man?

Oh! if on him St. Peter's mantle fall, What a blest aera! what a happy call!"

XCI That brave youth's liberal pastimes are designed In other place; on Alpine mountain h.o.a.r Here he affronts the bear of rugged kind; And there in rushy bottom bays the boar: Now on his jennet he outgoes the wind, And drives some goat or gallant hind before; Which falls o'ertaken on the dusty plain, By his descending faulchion cleft in twain.

XCII He is descried, amid a fair array Of poets and philosophers elsewhere This p.r.i.c.ks for him the wandering planets' way; These earth, these heaven for his instruction square.

Some chant sad elegies, some verses gay Lays lyric or heroic; singers there He with rich music hears; nor moves a pace But what in every step is sovereign grace.

XCIII The first part of the storied walls pourtraied That n.o.ble prince's gentle infancy.

Ca.s.sandra all beside had overlaid With fears of justice, prudence, modesty, Valour, and that fifty virtue, which hath made With those fair sisters closest amity; I speak of her that gives and that bestows.

With all these virtues gilt, the stripling glows.

XCIV In this part is the princely youth espied With that unhappy duke, the Insubri's head; In peace they sit in council at his side, Together armed, the serpent-banner spread.

The youth by one unchanging faith is tied To him for ever, well or ill bested; His followers still in flight before the foe, His guide in peril, his support in woe.

XCV Him in another quarter you descry, For his Ferrara and her duke in fear, Who by strange proofs doth sift, and certify To his just brother, vouched by tokens clear, The close device of that ill treachery, Hatched by those kinsmen whom he held most dear; Hence justly he becomes that t.i.tle's heir, Which Rome yet free bade righteous Tully bear.

XCVI Elsewhere in martial panoply he shone, Hasting to help the church with lifted blade; With scanty and tumultuous levy gone Against well-ordered host in arms arraid: And lo! the coming of that chief alone Affords the priestly band such present aid, Extinguished are the fires before they spread.

He came, he saw, he conquered, may be said.

XCVII Elsewhere he stands upon his native strand, Fighting against the mightiest armament, That whensoever against Argive land, Or Turkish, from Venetian harbour went; Scatters and overthrows the hostile band, And -- spoil and prisoners to his brother sent -- Nothing reserves save that unfading bay; The only prize he cannot give away.

XCVIII Upon those figures gazed the courtly crew, But read no meaning in the storied wall: Because there was not any one to shew That these were things hereafter to befall.

Those fair and quaintly fas.h.i.+oned forms they view With pleasure, and peruse the scrolls withal: But Bradamant, to whom the whole was known, By wise Melissa taught, rejoiced alone.

XCIX Though not instructed in that history Like gentle Bradamant, the affianced knight Remembers how amid his progeny Atlantes often praised this Hippolyte.

-- Who faithfully could verse such courtesy, As Charlemagne vouchsafed to every wight?

With various games that solemn feast was cheered, And charged with viands aye the board appeared.

C Who is a valiant knight, is here descried; For daily broke a thousand lances lay: Singly to combat or in troops they ride; On horseback or afoot, they mix in fray.

Worthiest of all Rogero is espied, Who always conquers, jousting night and day; And so, in wrestling, dance, and every deed, Still from its rivals bears away the meed.

CI On the last day, when at their festive cheer Was seated solemnly the a.s.sembled band, Where at Charles' left was placed the wedded peer, And Bradamant upon his better hand, Across the fields an armed cavalier, Of semblance haughty, and of stature grand, Was seen to ride towards the royal table; Himself and courser wholly clothed in sable.

CII The King of Argier he; that for the scorn Received from her, when on the bridge he fell, Never to clothe himself in arms had sworn, Nor draw the faulchion nor bestride the sell, Till he had like an anch.o.r.et outworn A year and month and day in lowly cell.

So to chastise themselves for such like crimes Were cavaliers accustomed in those times.

CIII Albeit of Charles and Agramant the Moor Had heard the several fortunes while away, Not to foreswear himself, he armed no more Than if in nought concerned in that affray: But when the year and month were wholly o'er, And wholly past was the succeeding day, With other courser, harness, sword, and lance, The king betook him to the court of France.

CIV He neither lighted from his horse, nor bowed His head; and, without sign of reverence due, His scorn for Charlemagne by gestures showed, And the high presence of so fair a crew.

Astound and full of wonder stood the crowd, Such license in that haughty man to view.

All leave their meat, all leave their talk, to hear The purpose of the stranger cavalier.

CV To Charles and to Rogero opposite, With a loud voice, and in proud accent, "I Am Rodomont of Sarza," said the knight, "Who thee, Rogero, to the field defy; And here, before the sun withdraws his light, Will prove on thee thine infidelity; And that thou, as a traitor to thy lord, Deserv'st not any honour at this board.

CVI "Albeit thy felony be plain and clear, Which thou, as christened, canst not disavow; Nathless to make it yet more plain appear, This will I prove upon thee; and, if thou Canst find a knight to combat for thee here, Him will accept; -- if one be not enow -- Will four, nay six accept; and will maintain My words against them all in listed plain."

CVII Rogero, with the leave of Pepin's son, Uprose at that appeal, and thus replied: That he -- nor he alone -- but every one, Who thus impeached him as a traitor, lied; That so he by his king had ever done, Him none could justly blame; and on his side, He was prepared in listed field to shew He evermore by him had done his due.

CVIII He can defend himself; nor need he crave Another warrior's help that course to run; And 'tis his hope to show him he would have Enough, perhaps would have too much, of one.

Thither Orlando and Rinaldo, brave Olivier, and his white and sable son, Thither good Dudon and Marphisa wend; Who fain with that fierce paynim will contend.

CIX They tell Rogero that, as newly wed The combat he in person should refuse.

"Take ye no further pains," the warrior said, "For such would be for me a foul excuse."

The Tartar's arms were brought, which cut the thread Of more delay and of all further truce: With spurs Orlando deck'd the youthful lord, King Charlemagne begirt him with the sword.

CX Marphisa and Bradamant in corslet case His breast, and clothe him in his other gear.

Astolpho led his horse of n.o.ble race: Sir Dudon held his stirrup: far and near Rinaldo and Namus made the mob give place, a.s.sisted by the Marquis Olivier.

All from the crowded lists they drive with speed, Evermore kept in order for such need.

CXI The pale-faced dames and damsels troop, in guise Of pigeons round the lists, a timid show; When, homeward bound, from fruitful field they rise, Scared by wide-sweeping winds, which loudly blow, Mid flash and clap; and when the sable skies Threat hail and rain, the harvest's waste and woe: A timid troop, they for Rogero fear, Ill matched they deem with that fierce cavalier.

CXII So him deemed all the rabble; and so most Of those bold cavalier and barons thought; In that they had not yet the memory lost Of what that paynim had in Paris wrought, When singly fire and sword the warrior tost, And much of that fair town to ruin brought; Whose signs remained, and yet will long remain: Nor ever greater havoc plagued that reign.

CXIII Bradamant's heart above those others' beat: Not that she deemed the Saracen in might, Or valour which in the heart-core hath its seat, Was of more prowess than the youthful knight; Nor (what oft gives success in martial feat That with the paynim was the better right.

Yet cannot she her some ill misgivings quell.

But upon those that love such fear sits well.

CXIV Oh! in her fear for him, how willingly She battle for Rogero would have done!

If lifeless on the listed field to lie Surer than sure, -- in fight with Ulien's son.

More than one death would she consent to die, If she withal could suffer more than one, Rather than she in that unhappy strife Would see her cherished consort risk his life.

CXV But prayer availed not on the damsel's part To make Rogero leave to her the quest: She then with mournful face and beating heart Stood by to view that pair to fight addrest.

From right and left the peer and paynim start, And at each other run with lance in rest.

The spears seem ice, as they in s.h.i.+vers fly.

The fragments birds, that mount through middle sky.

CXVI Rodomont's lance which smote in the career Upon mid-s.h.i.+eld, yet harmed it little; so Perfect was famous Hector's iron gear, Hardened by Vulcan's hand, and safe from blow.

As well against the s.h.i.+eld his levelled spear Rogero guides, and that good buckler -- though Well steeled within and out, with bone between, And nigh a palm in thickness -- pierces clean;

CXVII And -- but his lance resists not that fierce shock, And at the first a.s.sault its splinters fly, And bits and fragments of the s.h.i.+vered stock Seem fledged with feathers they ascend so high; Were his arms hewn from adamantine rock, The spear would pierce the paynim's panoply; And end that battle: but it breaks withal, And on their croups both staggering coursers fall.

CXVIII With bridle and with spur the martial pair Raise their proud horses nimbly from the ground; And having broke their spears, with faulchions bare Return, to bandy fierce and cruel wound.

Wheeling with wondrous mastery, here and there, The bold and ready coursers in a round, The warriors with their biting swords begin To try where either's armour is most thin.

CXIX Rodomont had not that hard dragon-hide Which heretofore had cased the warrior's breast; Nor Nimrod's trenchant sword was at his side; Nor the accustomed helm his temples prest.

For on that bridge which spanned the narrow tide, A loser to Dordona's lady, vest And arms suspended from the votive stone He left; as I, meseems, erewhile have shown.

CXX Clad was the king in other goodly mail; Yet not like that first panoply secure: But neither this, nor that, nor harder scale Could Balisarda's deadly dint endure; Against which neither workmans.h.i.+p avail, Enchantment, temper, nor prime steel and pure.

So here so there Rogero plied his sword, He more than once the paynim's armour bored.

CXXI When Rodomont beholds in that fierce close His widely crimsoned arms, nor can restrain The greater portion of those griding blows From biting to the quick, through plate and chain, He with more fury, with more rage o'erflows, Than in mid winter the tempestrous main Flings down his s.h.i.+eld, and with both hands outright Lays at Rogero's helm with all his might.