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XX.
“Pause, minstrels! lowly bending down,
“Pause on this monumental stone!
“Here swell the dirge, here strike the lyre:
“Where earth in many a hillock thrown
“Heaves o'er heroes dead and gone!
“Yon mighty bones that press the plain
“Still speak of the gigantic train
“Who quell'd the Paynims in their pride.
“Swell the dirge where Roland died!—
“Lo! on this spot Earl Roland fell:
“The mountain shepherds know it well,
“And yearly on the fatal day
“Pluck from the stones the weeds away.
“Say on the harp to other times,
“Saw the plum'd crest of Charlemain
“In van of his triumphant train,
“Pour'd forth a nameless multitude.
“Vain the hauberk, vain the mail,
“Vain the terror of the spear:
“Tow'r'd on the cliff the mountaineer,
“And roll'd the tempest on the field,
“Burying the helm and bruised shield.
“Then Roland's blade was found to fail,
“The edge of dreaded Durindale:
“The voice of the enchanted horn
“Down the steep mountains slowly borne
Roland, alone, bleeding to death with four mortal wounds, amid the rocks of Ronceval, thus concludes his apostrophy to Durindale, and sounds for the last time his warning horn:—“Gran dolor siento en dexarte, y mucho mayor si pensase que quedabas en poder de paganos: mas por sacar mi alma de cuidado, quiero hacer que no te goce Moro, ni Judio, ni Christiano: y entonces se levantó con gran trabajo, y la tomó con entrambas manos, y dió con ella en la pen̄a tantos gólpes, que la hundió hasta el suelo, sin que en la espada hiciese mella ni sen̄al alguna; y viendo que no podia quebrarla, tomó su cuerno para hacer sen̄al á algun Christiano si en el monte se hubiese escondido: y tan̄ó dos veces, y la segunda se abrió todo de cabó á cabó, y se le abrieron las llagas y las venas de su cuerpo: llegó aquella voz á oidos del Emperador, que estaba dos leguas de alli.”—Hist. de Carlo Magno.
Charlemaigne feit embasmer le corps de Roland, et emporter en leglise Saint Romain de la ville de Blayes, et au pie de son tumbeau feit mectre son cor dyvoire, qu'il portoit en guerre, et au chef son espee durandal.—Bouchet, F.42, b. 72.—See the Anotaciones a Don Quixote, Seg. Parte.
“The Monarch, rushing to the call,
“Saw but the rocks of Ronceval,
“And stretch'd upon their flinty bed
“Earl Roland, and his warriors dead.
“Here swell the dirge, here strike the lyre!
“And Roland in the grave be blest!”
If the reader be not immoderately curious, the following list of some of the renowned swords from the armoury of the warriors of romance, will not leave him wholly ungratified.
“Entonces Fierabras cin̄ó su espada, Ilamada Ploranza, y tenia otras dos al arzon de la silla, la una se Ilamaba Baptisto, y la otra Graban. Hicieron estas espadas tres Hermanos, y cada uno hizo tres;” the names of the three fraternal sword-makers, were Galfus, Munisicans, and Ausiax. Ausiax made the three above-mentioned. “Munisicans” hizo las espadas Ilamadas “Durandal,” the possessor of which was Roland: (Orlando, the nephew of Charlemagne—) He also made “Salvagina, y Cortante, estas hubo Oger de Danoys. Galfus hizo las espadas Ilamadas Flamberge y Altaclara, estas tenia Oliveros: y Joyosa, esta tenia Carlo Magno.”—Hist. de Carlo Magno.
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