Part 20 (1/2)
XLII He that well heard the rumor and the cry, And marked the tumult still grow more and more, The Arabian thieves he judged by and by Against his soldiers made this battle sore; For that they forayed all the countries nigh, And spoiled the fields, the duke knew well before, Yet thought he not they had the hardiment So to a.s.sail him in his armed tent.
XLIII All suddenly he heard, while on he went, How to the city-ward, ”Arm, arm!” they cried, The noise upreared to the firmament, With dreadful howling filled the valleys wlde: This was Clorinda, whom the king forth sent To battle, and Argantes by her side.
The duke, this heard, to Guelpho turned, and prayed Him his lieutenant be, and to him said:
XLIV ”You hear this new alarm from yonder part, That from the town breaks out with so much rage, Us needeth much your valor and your art To calm their fury, and their heat to 'suage; Go thither then, and with you take some part Of these brave soldiers of mine equipage, While with the residue of my champions bold I drive these wolves again out of our fold.”
XLV They parted, this agreed on them between, By divers paths, Lord Guelpho to the hill, And G.o.dfrey hasted where the Arabians keen His men like silly sheep destroy and kill; But as he went his troops increased been, From every part the people flocked still, That now grown strong enough, he 'proached nigh Where the fierce Turk caused many a Christian die.
XLVI So from the top of Vesulus the cold, Down to the sandy valleys, tumbleth Po, Whose streams the further from the fountain rolled Still stronger wax, and with more puissance go; And horned like a bull his forehead bold He lifts, and o'er his broken banks doth flow, And with his horns to pierce the sea a.s.says, To which he proffereth war, not tribute pays.
XLVII The duke his men fast flying did espy, And thither ran, and thus, displeased, spake, ”What fear is this? Oh, whither do you fly?
See who they be that this pursuit do make, A heartless band, that dare no battle try, Who wounds before dare neither give nor take, Against them turn your stern eye's threatening sight, An angry look will put them all to flight.”
XLVIII This said, he spurred forth where Solyman Destroyed Christ's vineyard like a savage boar, Through streams of blood, through dust and dirt he ran, O'er heaps of bodies wallowing in their gore, The squadrons close his sword to ope began, He broke their ranks, behind, beside, before, And, where he goes, under his feet he treads The armed Saracens, and barbed steeds.
XLIX This slaughter-house of angry Mars he pa.s.sed, Where thousands dead, half-dead, and dying were.
The hardy Soldan saw him come in haste, Yet neither stepped aside nor shrunk for fear, But busked him bold to fight, aloft he cast His blade, prepared to strike, and stepped near, These n.o.ble princes twain, so Fortune wrought From the world's end here met, and here they fought:
L With virtue, fury; strength with courage strove, For Asia's mighty empire, who can tell With how strange force their cruel blows they drove?
How sore their combat was? how fierce, how fell?
Great deeds they wrought, each other's harness clove; Yet still in darkness, more the ruth, they dwell.
The night their acts her black veil covered under, Their acts whereat the sun, the world might wonder.
LI The Christians by their guide's ensample hearted, Of their best armed made a squadron strong, And to defend their chieftain forth they started: The Pagans also saved their knight from wrong, Fortune her favors twixt them evenly parted, Fierce was the encounter, b.l.o.o.d.y, doubtful, long; These won, those lost; these lost, those won again; The loss was equal, even the numbers slain.
LII With equal rage, as when the southern wind, Meeteth in battle strong the northern blast, The sea and air to neither is resigned, But cloud gainst cloud, and wave gainst wave they cast: So from this skirmish neither part declined, But fought it out, and kept their footings fast, And oft with furious shock together rush, And s.h.i.+eld gainst s.h.i.+eld, and helm gainst helm they crush.
LIII The battle eke to Sionward grew hot, The soldiers slain, the hardy knights were killed, Legions of sprites from Limbo's prisons got, The empty air, the hills and valleys filled, Hearting the Pagans that they shrinked not, Till where they stood their dearest blood they spilled; And with new rage Argantes they inspire, Whose heat no flames, whose burning need no fire.
LIV Where he came in he put to shameful flight The fearful watch, and o'er the trenches leaped, Even with the ground he made the rampire's height, And murdered bodies in the ditch unheaped, So that his greedy mates with labor light, Amid the tents, a b.l.o.o.d.y harvest reaped: Clorinda went the proud Circa.s.sian by, So from a piece two chained bullets fly.
LV Now fled the Frenchmen, when in lucky hour Arrived Guelpho, and his helping band, He made them turn against this stormy shower, And with bold face their wicked foes withstand.
Sternly they fought, that from their wounds downpour The streams of blood and run on either hand: The Lord of heaven meanwhile upon this fight, From his high throne bent down his gracious sight.
LVI From whence with grace and goodness compa.s.sed round, He ruleth, blesseth, keepeth all he wrought, Above the air, the fire, the sea and ground, Our sense, our wit, our reason and our thought, Where persons three, with power and glory crowned, Are all one G.o.d, who made all things of naught, Under whose feet, subjected to his grace, Sit nature, fortune, motion, time and place.
LVII This is the place, from whence like smoke and dust Of this frail world the wealth, the pomp and power, He tosseth, tumbleth, turneth as he l.u.s.t, And guides our life, our death, our end and hour: No eye, however virtuous, pure and just, Can view the brightness of that glorious bower, On every side the blessed spirits be, Equal in joys, though differing in degree.
LVIII With harmony of their celestial song The palace echoed from the chambers pure, At last he Michael called, in harness strong Of never yielding diamonds armed sure, ”Behold,” quoth he, ”to do despite and wrong To that dear flock my mercy hath in cure, How Satan from h.e.l.l's loathsome prison sends His ghosts, his sprites, his furies and his fiends.
LIX ”Go bid them all depart, and leave the care Of war to soldiers, as doth best pertain: Bid them forbear to infect the earth and air; To darken heaven's fair light, bid them refrain; Bid them to Acheron's black flood repair, Fit house for them, the house of grief and pain: There let their king himself and them torment, So I command, go tell them mine intent.”
LX This said, the winged warrior low inclined At his Creator's feet with reverence due; Then spread his golden feathers to the wind, And swift as thought away the angel flew, He pa.s.sed the light, and s.h.i.+ning fire a.s.signed The glorious seat of his selected crew, The mover first, and circle crystalline, The firmament, where fixed stars all s.h.i.+ne;
LXI Unlike in working then, in shape and show, At his left hand, Saturn he left and Jove, And those untruly errant called I trow, Since he errs not, who them doth guide and move: The fields he pa.s.sed then, whence hail and snow, Thunder and rain fall down from clouds above, Where heat and cold, dryness and moisture strive, Whose wars all creatures kill, and slain, revive.
LXII The horrid darkness, and the shadows dun Dispersed he with his eternal wings, The flames which from his heavenly eyes outrun Beguiled the earth and all her sable things; After a storm so spreadeth forth the sun His rays and binds the clouds in golden strings, Or in the stillness of a moons.h.i.+ne even A falling star so glideth down from Heaven.
LXIII But when the infernal troop he 'proached near, That still the Pagans' ire and rage provoke, The angel on his wings himself did bear, And shook his lance, and thus at last he spoke: ”Have you not learned yet to know and fear The Lord's just wrath, and thunder's dreadful stroke?