-- But I have reached such point, my history, If I o'erpa.s.s this bound, may irksome be; And I my story will delay to end, Rather than by my tediousness offend.

CANTO 24

ARGUMENT Odorico's and Gabrina's guilt repaid, Youthful Zerbino sets at large the train; He in defence of good Orlando's blade, Is afterwards by Mandricardo slain.

Isabel weeps; by Rodomont is made War on the Tartar king, and truce again, To succour Agramant and his array; Who to the lilies are well-nigh a prey.

I Let him make haste his feet to disengage, Nor lime his wings, whom Love has made a prize; For love, in fine, is nought but phrensied rage, By universal suffrage of the wise: And albeit some may show themselves more sage Than Roland, they but sin in other guise.

For, what proves folly more than on this shelf, Thus, for another, to destroy oneself?

II Various are love's effects; but from one source All issue, though they lead a different way.

He is, as 'twere, a forest, where parforce Who enter its recess go astray; And here and there pursue their devious course: In sum, to you I, for conclusion, say; He who grows old in love, besides all pain Which waits such pa.s.sion, well deserves a chain.

III One here may well reproach me: "Brother, thou Seest not thy faults, while thou dost others fit."

-- I answer that I see mine plain enow, In this my lucid interval of wit; And strive and hope withal I shall forego This dance of folly; but yet cannot quit, As quickly as I would, the faults I own; For my disease has reached the very bone.

IV I in the other canto said before, Orlando, furious and insensate wight, Having torn off the arms and vest he wore, And cast away from him his faulchion bright, And up-torn trees, and made the forest h.o.a.r And hollow cave resound, and rocky height, Towards the noise some shepherds, on that side, Their heavy sins or evil planets guide.

V Viewing the madman's wonderous feats more near, The frighted band of rustics turned and fled; But they, in their disorder, knew not where, As happens oftentimes in sudden dread.

The madman in a thought is in their rear, Seizes a shepherd, and plucks off his head; And this as easily as one might take Apple from tree, or blossom from the brake.

VI He by one leg the heavy trunk in air Upheaved, and made a mace the rest to bray.

Astounded, upon earth he stretched one pair, Who haply may awake at the last day.

The rest, who well awake at the last day.

The rest, who well advised and nimble are, At once desert the field and scour away: Nor had the madman their pursuit deferred, Had he not turned already on their herd.

VII By such examples warned, the rustic crew Abandoned in the fields pick, scythe, and plough, And to the roof of house and temple flew, (For ill secure was elm or willow's bough,) From hence the maniac's horrid rage they view; Who, dealing kick, and bite, and scratch, and blow, Horses and oxen slew, his helpless prey; And well the courser ran who 'scaped that day.

VIII Already might'st thou hear how loudly ring The hubbub and the din, from neighbouring farms, Outcry and horn, and rustic trumpeting; And faster sound of bells; with various arms By thousands, with spontoon, bow, spit, and sling.

Lo! from the hills the rough militia swarms.

As many peasants from the vale below, To make rude war upon the madman go,

IX As beats the wave upon the salt-sea sh.o.r.e, Sportive at first, which southern wind has stirred, When the next, bigger than what went before, And bigger than the second, breaks the third; And the vext water waxes evermore, And louder on the beach the surf is heard: The crowd, increasing so, the count a.s.sail, And drop from mountain and ascend from dale.

X Twice he ten peasants slaughtered in his mood, Who, charging him in disarray, were slain; And this experiment right clearly showed To stand aloof was safest for the train.

Was none who from his body could draw blood; For iron smote the impa.s.sive skin in vain.

So had heaven's King preserved the count from scathe, To make him guardian of his holy faith.

XI He would have been in peril on that day, Had he been made of vulnerable mould; And might have learned was 'twas to cast away His sword, and, weaponless, so play the bold.

The rustic troop retreated from the fray, Seeing no stroke upon the madman told.

Since him no other enemy attends, Orlando to a neighbouring township wends.

XII Since every one had left the place for dread, No wight he found within it, small or great: But here was homely food in plenty spread, Victual, well sorting with the pastoral state.

Here, acorns undistinguishing from bread, By tedious fast and fury driven to sate His hunger, he employed his hand and jaw On what he first discovered, cooked or raw.

XIII Thence, repossest with the desire to rove, He, through the land, did man and beast pursue; And scowering, in his phrensy, wood and grove, Took sometimes goat or doe of dappled hue: Often with bear and with wild boar he strove, And with his naked hand the brutes o'erthrew; And gorging oftentimes the savage fare, Swallowed the prey with all its skin and hair.

XIV Now right, now left, he wandered, far and wide, Throughout all France, and reached a bridge one day; Beneath which ran an ample water's tide, Of steep and broken banks: a turret gray Was builded by the s.p.a.cious river's side, Discerned, from far and near, and every way.

What here he did I shall relate elsewhere, Who first must make the Scottish prince my care.

XV When Roland had departed on his quest, Zerbino paused some deal; then, in his rear, Slowly his steed by the same path addrest, Which had been taken by Anglantes' peer; Nor two miles on his way, I think, had prest, When he beheld a captive cavalier, Upon a sorry, little, hackney tied, And by armed horseman watched on either side.

XVI Zerbino speedily the prisoner knew, And Isabel, as soon, when nigh surveyed.

This was Sir Odoric, the Biscayan, who, Like wolf, the guardian of a lamb was made: To whom, of all his friends esteemed most true, Zerbino Isabella had conveyed; Hoping, one hitherto by him found just, Would now, as ever, have approved his trust.

XVII Even then how all had chanced, with punctual lore, Was Isabel relating to the knight; How in the pinnace she was saved, before The broken vessel sank at sea outright; Odoric's a.s.sault; and next, how bandits bore Her to the cavern, in a mountain dight.

Nor Isabella yet her tale has told, When bound the malefactor they behold.

XVIII The two that had Sir Odoric in their ward, The royal damsel Isabella knew; And deemed he was her lover and her lord, That p.r.i.c.ked beside the lady, fair of hue.

More; that the bearings on his shield record The honours of the stem from which he grew; And found, as better they observed his cheer, They had judged rightly of the cavalier.

XIX Lighting, with open arms and hurried pace, They make towards Zerbino eagerly, And, kneeling, with bare head, the prince embrace, Where lord is clipt by one of less degree.

Zerbino, looking either in the face, Knows one Corebo of Biscay to be, And Sir Almonio, his co-mate; the pair Charged, under Odoric, with the galley's care.

XX Almonio cried, "Since G.o.d is pleased in the end, Grammercy! Isabel should be with you; My lord, I very clearly comprehend I should deliver tidings, nothing new, If I should now inform you why I wend With this offender, whom with me you view.

Since she, who at his hands has suffered worst, The story of his crimes will have rehea.r.s.ed.

XXI "How me that traitour duped thou hast not to learn, What time he rid himself of me, nor how Corebo, who would have avenged the scorn, Intended to the damsel, was laid low; But that which followed, upon my return, By her unseen or heard, she cannot know, So as to thee the story to have told; The sequel of it then will I unfold.

XXII "I seaward from the city, with a store Of nags, collected in a hurry, fare; Aye watchful, if the trace I can explore Of those left far behind me; I repair Thitherward; I arrive upon the sh.o.r.e, The place where they were left; look everywhere; Nor sign of them perceive upon that strand, Except some steps, new-printed on the sand.

XXIII "The steps I traced into the forest drear; Nor far within the greenwood had I wound, When guided by a noise which smote my ear, I saw my comrade bleeding on the ground: Of Isabel I asked the cavalier, Of Odoric, and what hand had dealt his wound; And thence departed, when the thing I knew, Seeking the wretch these precipices through.

XXIV "Wide circling still I go, and through that day I find no other sign of him that fled; At length return to where Corebo lay, Who had the ground about him dyed so red, That he, had I made little more delay, A grave would have required, and, more than bed And succour of the leech, to make him sound, Craved priest and friar to lay him in the ground.

XXV "I had him to the neighbouring city brought, And boarded with a friendly host; and there Corebo's cure in little time was wrought, Beneath an old chirurgeon's skilful care.

This finished, having arms and horses brought, We thence together to the court repair Of King Alphonso of Biscay; where I Find out the traitor, and to fight defy.

XXVI "The monarch's justice, who fair field and free Allowed us for the duel, and my right, And Destiny to boot (for Destiny Oftener makes conquest where she listeth, light) So backed my arms, that felon was by me Worsted, and made a prisoner in the fight.

Alphonso, having heard his guilt confessed, Bade me dispose of him as liked me best.

XXVII "Him would I neither loose, nor yet have slain, But, as thou seest, in bonds to thee convey: That whether he should be condemned to pain, Or death, it should be thine his doom to say.

I, hearing thou wert with King Charlemagne, Thither, in hope to find thee, took my way.

I thank my G.o.d, that thee upon this ground, Where I least hoped to meet thee, I have found.

XXVIII "As well I render thanks, that Isabel I see restored to thee, I know not how, Of whom, by reason of that traitor fell, I deemed thou never more should'st tidings know."

In silence prince Zerbino hears him tell His story, gazing upon Odoric's brow, In pity, more than hate, as he perpends How foully such a goodly friendship ends.

XXIX After Almonio had his tale suspended, Astounded for a while the prince stood by; Wondering, that he who least should have offended, Had him requited with such treachery: But, his long fit of admiration ended, Waking from his amazement with a sigh, Questioned the prisoner in the hors.e.m.e.n's hold, It that was true the cavalier had told.

x.x.x The faithless man alighted, and down fell Upon his bended knees, and answered: "Sir, All people that on middle earth do dwell, Through weakness of their nature, sin and err.

One thing alone distinguishes the well And evil doer; this, at every stir Of least desire, submits, without a blow; That arms, but yields as well to stronger foe.

x.x.xI "Had I been charged some castle to maintain, And, without contest, on the first a.s.sault, Hoisted the banners of the hostile train, -- For cowardice, or treason, fouler fault -- Upon my eyes (a well deserved pain) Thou might'st have justly closed the darksome vault; But, yielding to superior force, I read I should not merit blame, but praise and meed.

x.x.xII "The stronger is the enemy, the more Easily is the vanquished side excused: I could but faith maintain as, girded sore, The leaguered fort to keep her faith is used; Even so, with all the sense, with all the lore By sovereign wisdom into me infused, This I essayed to keep; but in the end, To o'ermastering a.s.sault was forced to bend."

x.x.xIII So said Sir Odoric; and after showed (Though 'twere too tedious to recount his suit) Him no light cause had stirred, but puissant goad.