Orlando Furioso Part 91

With them a day or more the warrior stayed, Then issued forth and others thence conveyed.

XCIV Guichard, Duke Aymon's eldest born, and they, Richard, Alardo, and Richardet' combined, Vivian and Malagigi, wend their way In arms, the martial paladin behind.

Bradamant, waiting the appointed day, Which she, in her desire, too slow opined, Feigned herself ailing to the brethren true, Nor would she join in arms the banded crew;

XCV And, saying that she ailed, most truly said; Yet 'twas not corporal pain or fever sore, It was Desire that on her spirit preyed, Diseased with Love's disastrous fit: no more Rinaldo in Mount Alban's castle stayed: With him his kinsman's flower the warrior bore.

How he for Paris journeyed, and how well He succoured Charles, shall other canto tell.

CANTO 31

ARGUMENT Rinaldo and Dudon fight; then friends.h.i.+p make, And to each other fitting honour pay.

Agramant's host the united champions break, And scatter it, like chaff, in disarray.

Brandimart wages war, for Roland's sake, With Rodomont, and loses in the fray.

This while, for good Baiardo, with more pain, Contend Rinaldo and the Sericane.

I What sweeter, gladder, state could be possest Than falls to the enamoured bosom's share?

What happier mode of life, what lot more blest, Than evermore the chains of love to wear?

Were not the lover, 'mid his joys, distrest By that suspicious fear, that cruel care, That martyrdom, which racks the suffering sprite, That phrensied rage, which jealousy is hight.

II For by all bitters else which interpose Before enjoyment of this choicest sweet, Love is augmented, to perfection grows, And takes a finer edge; to drink and eat, Hunger and thirst the palate so dispose, And flavour more our beverage and our meat.

Feebly that wight can estimate the charms Of peace, who never knew the pain of arms.

III That which the heart aye sees, though undiscerned Of human eye, we can support in peace.

To him long absent, to his love returned, A longer absence is but joy's increase.

Service may be endured, though nought is earned, So that the hope of guerdon does not cease.

For worthy service in the end is paid, Albeit its wages should be long delaid.

IV Scorn, and repulse, and finally each pain Of suffering love, his every martyrdom, Through recollection, make us entertain Delights with greater rapture, when they come.

But if weak mind be poisoned by that bane, That filthy pest, conceived in Stygian home, Though joy ensue, with all its festive pleasures, The wretched lover ill his comfort measures.

V This is that cruel and envenomed wound Where neither salve nor portion soothes the smart; Nor figure made by witch, nor murmured sound; Nor star benign observed in friendly part; Nor aught beside by Zoroaster found, Inventor as he was of magic art.

Fell wound, which, more than every other woe, Makes wretched man despair, and lays him low!

VI O' cruel wound! incapable of cure, Inflicted with such ease on lover's breast, No less by false suspicion than by sure!

O wound! whose pangs so wofully molest, They reason and our better wit obscure, And from it natural bent our judgment wrest: Wound, which against all reason didst destroy The damsel of Dordona's every joy!

VII I speak not of what fatal mischief wrought Hippalca's and the brother's bitter blow; I speak of fell and cruel tidings brought Some few days after; for the former woe, Weighed with this other, was a thing of nought: This after some digression will I show: But first Rinaldo's feats I must declare, Who with his troop to Paris made repair.

VIII The following day they met a cavalier, Towards evening, with a lady by his side; Sable his s.h.i.+eld, and sable was his gear, Whose ground a bar of silver did divide.

As foremost, and of seeming force, the peer, Young Richardetto to the joust defend: He, prompt for battle, wheeled his courser round, And for the tourney took sufficient ground.

IX Between those knights no further parley past: Without more question, charged the martial two.

Rinaldo with the friendly troop stood fast, And looked to see what issue would ensue.

"Him from his saddle will I quickly cast, If firm the footing, and mine arm prove true"; Within himself young Richardetto cries: But that encounter ends in other wise.

X Him underneath the vizor's sight offends The stranger champion, of the sable weed, With force so fell, that he the youth extends Above two lances' length beyond his steed.

Quickly to venge the knight Alardo wends, But falls himself astounded on the mead; Sore handled, and unhorsed by such a stroke, His buckler in the cruel shock is broke.

XI His lance Guichardo levelled, when he spied Outstretched upon the field, the brethren two; Although "Halt, halt," (renowned Rinaldo cried,) "For this third course to me is justly due": But he as yet his helmet had not tied; So that Guichardo to the combat flew.

He kept his seat no better than the twain; Forthwith, like them, extended on the plain.

XII All to be foremost in the joust contend, Richardo, Malagigi, Viviane: But to their strife Rinaldo puts an end; He shows himself in arms before the train, Saying, " 'Tis time that we to Paris wend; For us too long the tourney will detain, If I expect till each his course has run, And ye are all unseated, one by one."

XIII So spake the knight, yet spake not in a tone To be o'erheard in what he inly said; Who thus foul scorn would to the rest have done.

Both now had wheeled, and fierce encounter made.

In the career Rinaldo was not thrown, Who all the banded kinsmen much outweighed; Their spears like brittle gla.s.s to pieces went, But not an inch the champions backward bent.

XIV The chargers such a rough encounter made, That on his crupper sank each staggering horse: Rinaldo's rose so quick, he might be said Scarcely to interrupt his rapid course: The stranger's broke his spine and shoulder-blade; That other shocked him with such desperate force.

When his lord sees him slain, he leaves his seat, And in an instant springs upon his feet;

XV And to his foe, that having wheeled anew, Approached with hand unarmed, the warrior cried: "Sir, to the goodly courser whom ye slew, Because, whenas he lived, he was my pride, I deem, I ill should render honour due, If thus unvenged by my good arm he died; And so fall on, and do as best ye may, For we parforce must meet in new a.s.say."

XVI To him Rinaldo, "If we for thy horse Have to contend in fight, and nought beside, Take comfort, for I ween that with no worse Thou, in his place, by me shalt be supplied."

-- "Thou errest if thou deem'st his loss the source Of my regret" (the stranger knight replied); "But I, since thou divinest not my speech, To thee my meaning will more plainly teach.

XVII "I should esteem it were a foul misdeed, Unless I proved thee also with the brand.

I, if thou in this other dance succeed Better or worse than me, would understand: Then, as it please, afoot or on thy steed, Attack me, so it be with arms in hand.

I am content all vantage to afford; Such my desire to try thee with the sword!"

XVIII Not long Rinaldo paused: he cried, "I plight My promise not to balk thee of the fray; And, for I deem thou art a valiant knight, And lest thou umbrage take at mine array, These shall go on before, nor other wight, Beside a page, to hold my horse, shall stay."

So spake Mount Alban's lord; and to his band, To wend their way the warrior gave command.

XIX To that king paladin with praise replied The stranger peer; alighting on the plain, Rinaldo to the valet, at his side, Consigned the goodly steed Baiardo's rein, And when his banner he no longer spied, Now widely distant with the warrior's train, His buckler braced, his biting faulchion drew, And to the field defied the knight anew.

XX And now each other they in fight a.s.sail: Was never seen a feller strife in show.

Neither believes his foeman can avail, Long, in that fierce debate, against his blow: But when they knew, well neighed in doubtful scale, That they were fitly matched, for weal or woe, They laid their fury and their pride apart, And for their vantage practised every art.

XXI Their cruel and despiteous blows resound, Re-echoing wide, what time the valiant twain With cantlets of their s.h.i.+elds now strew the ground, Now with their faulchions sever plate and chain.

Yet more behoves to parry than to wound, If either knight his footing would maintain; For the first fault in fence, by either made, Will with eternal mischief be appaid.

XXII One hour and more than half another, stood The knights in battle; and the golden sun Already was beneath the tumbling flood, And the horizon veiled with darkness dun: Nor yet had they reposed, nor interlude Had been, since that despiteous fight begun, 'Twixt these, whom neither ire nor rancour warms, But simple thirst of fame excites to arms.

XXIII Rinaldo in himself revolving weighed Who was the stranger knight, so pa.s.sing stout; That not alone him bravely had gainsaid, But oft endangered in that deadly bout; And has so hara.s.sed with his furious blade, He of its final issue stands in doubt.

-- He that the strife was ended would be fain, So that his knightly honour took no stain.

XXIV The stranger knight, upon the other side, As little of his valiant foeman knew; Nor in that lord Mount Alban's chief descried, In warfare so renowned all countries through.

And upon whom, with such small cause defied, His faulchion he in deadly combat drew.

He was a.s.sured he could not have in fight Experience of a more redoubted wight.

XXV He gladly would be quit of the emprize He undertook to venge his courser's fall; And, could he, without blame, a mean devise, Would fain withdraw from that disastrous brawl.

So overcast already were the skies, Their cruel strokes well nigh fell harmless all.

Both blindly strike; more blindly yet those lords Parry the stroke, who scarce discern their swords.

XXVI He of Mount Alban is the first to say, They should not combat darkling, on the plain; But should their duel till such time delay As slow Arcturus should have turned his wain.

(And adds,) as safely as himself might stay The foe in his pavilion, of his train As duly tended, honoured, and well seen, As he in any place had ever been.

XXVII To pray him has Rinaldo little need: He courteously accepts him for his host; And thither the united warriors speed, Where lies Mount Alban's troop in chosen post.

From his attendant squire a goodly steed, With sumptuous housings gorgeously embossed, Rinaldo takes, with tempered sword and spear, And these bestows upon the cavalier.