Jerusalem Delivered Part 23

LXIX "'Yet may you well avoid mine ire and wrath, If to my will your yielding hearts you bend, You must forsake your Christendom and faith, And gainst G.o.dfredo false my crown defend.'

We all refused, for speedy death each prayeth, Save false Rambaldo, he became her friend, We in a dungeon deep were helpless cast, In misery and iron chained fast.

LXX "Then, for alone they say falls no mishap, Within short while Prince Tancred thither came, And was unwares surprised in the trap: But there short while we stayed, the wily dame In other folds our mischiefs would upwrap.

From Hidraort an hundred hors.e.m.e.n came, Whose guide, a baron bold to Egypt's king, Should us disarmed and bound in fetters bring.

LXXI "Now on our way, the way to death we ride, But Providence Divine thus for us wrought, Rinaldo, whose high virtue is his guide To great exploits, exceeding human thought, Met us, and all at once our guard defied, And ere he left the fight to earth them brought.

And in their harness armed us in the place, Which late were ours, before our late disgrace.

LXXII "I and all these the hardy champion knew, We saw his valor, and his voice we heard; Then is the rumor of his death untrue, His life is safe, good fortune long it guard, Three times the golden sun hath risen new, Since us he left and rode to Antioch-ward; But first his armors, broken, hacked and cleft, Unfit for service, there he doft and left."

LXXIII Thus spake the Briton prince, with humble cheer The hermit sage to heaven cast up his eyne, His color and his countenance changed were, With heavenly grace his looks and visage shine, Ravished with zeal his soul approached near The seat of angels pure, and saints divine, And there he learned of things and haps to come, To give foreknowledge true, and certain doom.

LXXIV At last he spoke, in more than human sound, And told what things his wisdom great foresaw, And at his thundering voice the folk around Attentive stood, with trembling and with awe: "Rinaldo lives," he said, "the tokens found From women's craft their false beginnings draw, He lives, and heaven will long preserve his days, To greater glory, and to greater praise.

LXXV "These are but trifles yet, though Asia's kings Shrink at his name, and tremble at his view, I well foresee he shall do greater things, And wicked emperors conquer and subdue; Under the shadow of his eagle's wings Shall holy Church preserve her sacred crew, From Caesar's bird he shall the sable train Pluck off, and break her talons sharp in twain.

LXXVI "His children's children at his hardiness And great attempts shall take example fair, From emperors unjust in all distress They shall defend the state of Peter's chair, To raise the humble up, pride to suppress, To help the innocents shall be their care.

This bird of east shall fly with conquest great, As far as moon gives light or sun gives heat;

LXXVII "Her eyes behold the truth and purest light, And thunders down in Peter's aid she brings, And where for Christ and Christian faith men fight, There forth she spreadeth her victorious wings, This virtue nature gives her and this might; Then lure her home, for on her presence hings The happy end of this great enterprise, So Heaven decrees, and so command the skies."

LXXVIII These words of his of Prince Rinaldo's death Out of their troubled hearts, the fear had rased; In all this joy yet G.o.dfrey smiled uneath.

In his wise thought such care and heed was placed.

But now from deeps of regions underneath Night's veil arose, and sun's bright l.u.s.tre chased, When all full sweetly in their cabins slept, Save he, whose thoughts his eyes still open kept.

ELEVENTH BOOK

THE ARGUMENT.

With grave procession, songs and psalms devout Heaven's sacred aid the Christian lords invoke; That done, they scale the wall which kept them out: The fort is almost won, the gates nigh broke: G.o.dfrey is wounded by Clorinda stout, And lost is that day's conquest by the stroke; The angel cures him, he returns to fight, But lost his labor, for day lost his light.

I The Christian army's great and puissant guide, To a.s.sault the town that all his thoughts had bent, Did ladders, rams, and engines huge provide, When reverend Peter to him gravely went, And drawing him with sober grace aside, With words severe thus told his high intent; "Right well, my lord, these earthly strengths you move, But let us first begin from Heaven above:

II "With public prayer, zeal and faith devout, The aid, a.s.sistance, and the help obtain Of all the blessed of the heavenly rout, With whose support you conquest sure may gain; First let the priests before thine armies stout With sacred hymns their holy voices strain.

And thou and all thy lords and peers with thee, Of G.o.dliness and faith examples be."

III Thus spake the hermit grave in words severe: G.o.dfrey allowed his counsel, sage, and wise, "Of Christ the Lord," quoth he, "thou servant dear, I yield to follow thy divine advice, And while the princes I a.s.semble here, The great procession, songs and sacrifice, With Bishop William, thou and Ademare, With sacred and with solemn pomp prepare."

IV Next morn the bishops twain, the heremite, And all the clerks and priests of less estate, Did in the middest of the camp unite Within a place for prayer consecrate, Each priest adorned was in a surplice white, The bishops donned their albes and copes of state, Above their rochets b.u.t.toned fair before, And mitres on their heads like crowns they wore.

V Peter alone, before, spread to the wind The glorious sign of our salvation great, With easy pace the choir come all behind, And hymns and psalms in order true repeat, With sweet respondence in harmonious kind Their humble song the yielding air doth beat, "Lastly, together went the reverend pair Of prelates sage, William and Ademare,

VI The mighty duke came next, as princes do, Without companion, marching all alone, The lords and captains then came two and two, With easy pace thus ordered, pa.s.sing through The trench and rampire, to the fields they gone, No thundering drum, no trumpet shrill they hear, Their G.o.dly music psalms and prayers were.

VII To thee, O Father, Son, and sacred Sprite, One true, eternal, everlasting King; To Christ's dear mother, Mary, vlrgin bright, Psalms of thanksgiving and of praise they sing; To them that angels down from heaven to fight Gainst the blasphemous beast and dragon bring; To him also that of our Saviour good, Washed the sacred font in Jordan's flood.

VIII Him likewise they invoke, called the Rock Whereon the Lord, they say, his Church did rear, Whose true successors close or else unlock The blessed gates of grace and mercy dear; And all the elected twelve the chosen flock, Of his triumphant death who witness bear; And them by torment, slaughter, fire and sword Who martyrs died to confirm his word;

IX And them also whose books and writings tell What certain path to heavenly bliss us leads; And hermits good, and ancresses that dwell Mewed up in walls, and mumble on their beads, And virgin nuns in close and private cell, Where, but shrift fathers, never mankind treads: On these they called, and on all the rout Of angels, martyrs, and of saints devout.

X Singing and saying thus, the camp devout Spread forth her zealous squadrons broad and wide'; Toward mount Olivet went all this route, So called of olive trees the hills which hide, A mountain known by fame the world throughout, Which riseth on the city's eastern side, From it divided by the valley green Of Josaphat, that fills the s.p.a.ce between.

XI Hither the armies went, and chanted shrill, That all the deep and hollow dales resound; From hollow mounts and caves in every hill, A thousand echoes also sung around, It seemed some clever, that sung with art and skill, Dwelt in those savage dens and shady ground, For oft resounds from the banks they hear, The name of Christ and of his mother dear.

XII Upon the walls the Pagans old and young Stood hushed and still, amated and amazed, At their grave order and their humble song, At their strange pomp and customs new they gazed: But when the show they had beholden long, An hideous yell the wicked miscreants raised, That with vile blasphemies the mountain h.o.a.r, The woods, the waters, and the valleys roar.

XIII But yet with sacred notes the hosts proceed, Though blasphemies they hear and cursed things; So with Apollo's harp Pan tunes his reed, So adders hiss where Philomela sings; Nor flying darts nor stones the Christians dreed, Nor arrows shot, nor quarries cast from slings; But with a.s.sured faith, as dreading naught, The holy work begun to end they brought.

XIV A table set they on the mountain's height To minister thereon the sacrament, In golden candlesticks a hallowed light At either end of virgin wax there brent; In costly vestments sacred William dight, With fear and trembling to the altar went, And prayer there and service loud begins, Both for his own and all the army's sins.

XV Humbly they heard his words that stood him nigh, The rest far off upon him bent their eyes, But when he ended had the service high, "You servants of the Lord depart," he cries: His hands he lifted then up to the sky, And blessed all those warlike companies; And they dismissed returned the way they came, Their order as before, their pomp the same.

XVI Within their camp arrived, this voyage ended, Toward his tent the duke himself withdrew, Upon their guide by heaps the bands attended, Till his pavilion's stately door they view, There to the Lord his welfare they commended, And with him left the worthies of the crew, Whom at a costly and rich feast he placed, And with the highest room old Raymond graced.

XVII Now when the hungry knights sufficed are With meat, with drink, with spices of the best, Quoth he, "When next you see the morning star, To a.s.sault the town be ready all and prest: To-morrow is a day of pains and war, This of repose, of quiet, peace, and rest; Go, take your ease this evening, and this night, And make you strong against to-morrow's fight."

XVIII They took their leave, and G.o.dfrey's heralds rode To intimate his will on every side, And published it through all the lodgings broad, That gainst the morn each should himself provide; Meanwhile they might their hearts of cares unload, And rest their tired limbs that eveningtide; Thus fared they till night their eyes did close, Night friend to gentle rest and sweet repose.

XIX With little sign as yet of springing day Out peeped, not well appeared the rising morn, The plough yet tore not up the fertile lay, Nor to their feed the sheep from folds return, The birds sate silent on the greenwood spray Amid the groves unheard was hound and horn, When trumpets shrill, true signs of hardy fights, Called up to arms the soldiers, called the knights:

XX "Arm, arm at once!" an hundred squadrons cried, And with their cry to arm them all begin.

G.o.dfrey arose, that day he laid aside His hauberk strong he wonts to combat in, And donned a breastplate fair, of proof untried, Such one as footmen use, light, easy, thin.

Scantly the warlord thus clothed had his gromes, When aged Raymond to his presence comes.

XXI And furnished to us when he the man beheld, By his attire his secret thought he guessed, "Where is," quoth he, "your sure and trusty shield?

Your helm, your hauberk strong? where all the rest?

Why be you half disarmed? why to the field Approach you in these weak defences dressed?

I see this day you mean a course to run, Wherein may peril much, small praise be won.

XXII "Alas, do you that idle prise expect, To set first foot this conquered wall above?

Of less account some knight thereto object Whose loss so great and harmful cannot prove; My lord, your life with greater care protect, And love yourself because all us you love, Your happy life is spirit, soul, and breath Of all this camp, preserve it then from death."

XXIII To this he answered thus, "You know," he said, "In Clarimont by mighty Urban's hand When I was girded with this n.o.ble blade, For Christ's true faith to fight in every land, To G.o.d even then a secret vow I made, Not as a captain here this day to stand And give directions, but with shield and sword To fight, to win, or die for Christ my Lord.

XXIV "When all this camp in battle strong shall be Ordained and ordered, well disposed all, And all things done which to the high degree And sacred place I hold belongen shall; Then reason is it, nor dissuade thou me, That I likewise a.s.sault this sacred wall, Lest from my vow to G.o.d late made I swerve: He shall this life defend, keep and preserve."

XXV Thus he concludes, and every hardy knight His sample followed, and his brethren twain, The other princes put on harness light, As footmen use: but all the Pagan train Toward that side bent their defensive might Which lies exposed to view of Charles's wain And Zephyrus' sweet blasts, for on that part The town was weakest, both by side and art.

XXVI On all parts else the fort was strong by site, With mighty hills defenced from foreign rage, And to this part the tyrant gan unite His subjects born and bands that serve for wage, From this exploit he spared nor great nor lite, The aged men, and boys of tender age, To fire of angry war still brought new fuel, Stones, darts, lime, brimstone and bitumen cruel.

XXVII All full of arms and weapons was the wall, Under whose basis that fair plain doth run, There stood the Soldan like a giant tall, So stood at Rhodes the Coloss of the sun, Waist high, Argantes showed himself withal, At whose stern looks the French to quake begun, Clorinda on the corner tower alone, In silver arms like rising Cynthia shone.

XXVIII Her rattling quiver at her shoulders hung, Therein a flash of arrows feathered weel.

In her left hand her bow was bended strong, Therein a shaft headed with mortal steel, So fit to shoot she singled forth among Her foes who first her quarries' strength should feel, So fit to shoot Latona's daughter stood When Niobe she killed and all her brood.

XXIX The aged tyrant tottered on his feet From gate to gate, from wall to wall he flew, He comforts all his bands with speeches sweet, And every fort and bastion doth review, For every need prepared in every street New regiments he placed and weapons new.