Synopsis: The national epic of Spain, written in the twelfth
century about Rodrigo Diaz of Bivar, conqueror of Valencia, who
only died in 1099 but had already become a legend. Rendered into
vigorous English rhymed couplets of seven iambic feet in 1919.
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Transcription by Holly Ingraham.
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THE LAY OF THE CID
Translated into English Verse
by
R. Selden Rose
and
Leonard Bacon
______________________
THE CID
Lashed in the saddle, the Cid thundered out
To his last onset. With a strange disdain
The dead man looked on victory. In vain
Emir and Dervish strive against the rout.
In vain Morocco and Biserta shout,
For still before the dead man fall the slain.
Death rides for Captain of the Men of Spain,
And their dead truth shall slay the living doubt.
The soul of the great epic, like the chief,
Conquers in aftertime on fields unknown.
Men hear today the horn of Roland blown
To match the thunder of the guns of France,
And nations with a heritage of grief
Follow their dead victorious in Romance.
______________________
INTRODUCTION
The importance of the Cid as Spain's bulwark against the Moors of
the eleventh century is exceeded by his importance to his modern
countrymen as the epitome of the noble and vigorous qualities that
made Spain great. MenÉndez y Pelayo has called him the symbol of
Spanish nationality in virtue of the fact that in him there were
united sobriety of intention and expression, simplicity at once
noble and familiar, ingenuous and easy courtesy, imagination
rather solid than brilliant, piety that was more active than
contemplative, genuine and soberly restrained affections, deep
conjugal devotion, a clear sense of justice, loyalty to his
sovereign tempered by the courage to protest against injustice to
himself, a strange and appealing confusion of the spirit of
chivalry and plebeian rudeness, innate probity rich in vigorous
and stern sincerity, and finally a vaguely sensible delicacy of
affection that is the inheritance of strong men and clean blood.
[1]
[1] Cf. MenÉndez y Pelayo, Tratado de los romances viejos, I, 315.
This is the epic Cid who in the last quarter of the eleventh
century was banished by Alphonso VI of Castile, fought his way to
the Mediterranean, stormed Valencia, married his two daughters to
the Heirs of CarriÓn and defended his fair name in parliament and
in battle.
The poet either from ignorance or choice has disregarded the
historical significance of the campaigns of the Cid. He fails to
mention his defeat of the threatening horde of Almoravides at the
very moment when their victory over Alphonso's Castilians at
Zalaca had opened to them Spain's richest provinces, and turns the
crowning achievement of the great warrior's life into the
preliminary to a domestic event which he considered of greater
importance. We are grateful to him for his lack of accuracy, for
it illustrates how men thought about their heroes in that time.
The twelfth century Castilians would have admitted that in battle
the Cid was of less avail than their patron James, the son of
Zebedee, but they would have added that after all the saint was a
Galilean and not a Spaniard.
In order then to make the Cid not merely heroic but a national
hero he must become the possessor of attributes of greatness
beyond mere courage. The poet therefore, probably assuming that
his hearers were well aware of the Cid's prowess in arms, devoted
himself to a theme of more intimate appeal. The Cid, an exile from
Castile and flouted by his enemies at home, must vindicate
himself. The discomfiture of the Moor is not an end in itself but
the means of vindication and, be it said, of support. When he is
restored to favor, the marriage of his daughters to the Heirs of
CarriÓn under Alphonso's auspices is the royal acknowledgment. The
treachery of the heirs is the pretext for the Parliament of Toledo
where the Cid shall appear in all the glory of triumphant
vindication. The interest in the hecatombs of Moors and even in
the fall of Valencia is a secondary one. What really matters is
that the Cid's fair name be cleared of all stain of disloyalty and
the doÑa Elvira and doÑa Sol wed worthy husbands.
This unity of plan is consistently preserved by a rearrangement of
the true chronology of events and by the introduction of purely
traditional episodes. The shifting of historical values may be due
to the fact that when the poem was composed, about 1150, the power
of the Moor had really been broken by the conquests of Ferdinand
I, Alphonso VI, Alphonso VII and Alphonso VIII of Castile and
alphonso I, the Battler, of Aragon. The menace was no longer felt
with the keenness of an hundred years before, until the end of the
tenth century the Moors had dominated the Peninsula. The growth of
the Christian states from the heroic nucleus in northern Asturias
was confined to the territory bordering the Bay of Biscay,
Asturias, Santander, part of the province of Burgos, LeÓn, and
Galicia. In the East other centers of resistance had sprung up in
Navarre, Aragon and the County of Barcelona. At the beginning of
the eleventh century the tide turned. The progress of the
reconquest was due as much to the disruption of Moorish unity as
to the greater aggressiveness and closer coÖperation of the
Christian kingdoms. The end of the Caliphate of Cordova was the
signal for the rise of a great number of mutually independent
Moorish states. Sixty years later there were no less than twenty-three
of them. By the middle of the following century the
enthusiasm that had followed the first successful blows struck
against the Moor had waned, and with it the vividness of their
historical significance and order.
Let us look at the Cid for a moment as he was seen by a Latin
chronicler who confesses that the purpose of his modest narrative
was merely to preserve the memory of the Cid of history.
When Ferdinand I of Castile died under the walls of Valencia in
1065 he divided his kingdom among his five children. To Sancho he
left Castile, to Alphonso LeÓn, to GarcÍa Galicia, to doÑa Urraca
the city and lands of Zamora, and to doÑa Elvira Toro. Sancho,
like his father, soon set about uniting the scattered inheritance.
Ruy Diaz, a native of Bivar near Burgos, was his standard bearer
against Alphonso at the battle of VolpÉjar, aided him in the
Galician campaign and was active at the siege of Zamora, where
Sancho was treacherously slain. Alphonso, the despoiled lord of
LeÓn, succeeded to the throne of Castile. Ruy Diaz, now called the
Campeador (Champion) in honor of his victory over a knight of
Navarre, was sent with a force of men to collect the annual taxes
from the tributary Moorish kings of Andalusia. Mudafar of Granada,
eager to throw off the yoke of Castile, marched against the
Campeador and the loyal Motamid of Seville, and was routed at the
battle of Cabra. GarcÍa OrdoÑez who was fighting in the ranks of
Mudafar was taken prisoner. It was here probably that the Cid
acquired that tuft of GarcÍa's beard which he later produced with
such convincing effect at Toledo. The Cid returned to Castile
laden with booty and honors. The jealousy aroused by this exploit
and by an equally successful raid against the region about Toledo
caused the banishment of the Cid. From this time until his death
he was ceaselessly occupied in warfare against the Moors.
The way to Valencia was beset with more and greater difficulties
than those described in the poem. The events of the first years of
exile are closely associated with the moorish state of Zaragoza.
At the death of its sovereign Almoktadir bitter strife arose
between his two sons, Almutamin in Zaragoza and Alfagib in Denia.
The Cid and his followers cast their lot with the former, while
Alfagib sought in vain to maintain the balance by allying himself
with Sancho of Aragon and Berenguer of Barcelona. After a decisive
victory in which Berenguer was taken prisoner Almutamin returned
to Zaragoza with his champion, "honoring him above his own son,
his realm and all his possessions, so that he seemed almost the
lord of the kingdom." There the Cid continued to increase in
wealth and fame at the expense of Sancho of Aragon and Alfagib
until the death of Almutamin.
For a short time the Cid was restored to the good graces of
Alphonso, but a misunderstanding during some joint military
expedition brought a second decree of banishment. The Cid's
possessions were confiscated and his wife and children cast into
prison.
The Cid then went to the support of Alkaadir, king of Valencia. He
defeated the threatening Almoravides flushed with their victory
over the Castilians at Zalaca. Again he chastised Berenguer of
Barcelona. he hastened to answer a second summons from Alphonso,
this time to bear aid in operations in the region about Granada.
Suspecting that Alphonso intended treachery, he with drew from the
camp toward Valencia. With Zaragoza as his base he laid waste the
lands of Sancho and avenged himself upon Alphonso by ravaging
Calahorra and NÁjera.
Finally in 1092 the overthrow of Alkaadir prompted him to
interfere definitely in the affairs of Valencia. He besieged the
city closely and captured it in 1094. There he ruled, independent,
until his death in 1099.
Even the Moorish chroniclers of the twelfth century pay their
tribute to the memory of the Cid by the virulence of their hatred.
Aben Bassam wrote: "The might of this tyrant was ever growing
until its weight was felt upon the highest peaks and in the
deepest valleys, and filled with terror both noble and commoner. I
have heard men say that when his eagerness was greatest and his
ambition highest he uttered these words, 'If one Rodrigo brought
ruin upon this Peninsula, another Rodrigo shall reconquer it!' A
saying that filled the hearts of the believers with fear and
caused them to think that what they anxiously dreaded would
speedily come to pass. This man, who was the lash and scourge of
his time, was, because of his love of glory, his steadfastness of
character and his heroic valor, one of the miracles of the Lord.
Victory ever followed Rodrigo's banner--may Allay curse him--he
triumphed over the princes of the unbelievers . . . and with a
handful of men confounded and dispersed their numerous armies.'
[2] One can hardly look for strict neutrality in the verdicts of
Moorish historians, but between the one extreme of fanaticism that
led Aben Bassam elsewhere to call the Cid a robber and a Galician
dog and the other that four centuries later urged his
canonization, the true believer can readily discern the figure of
a warrior who was neither saint nor bandit.
[2] Aben Bassam, Tesoro (1109), cf. Dozy, Recherches sur
l'histoire politique et littÉraire d'Espagne pendant le Moyen Age.
Leyden, 1849.
The deeds of such a man naturally appealed to popular imagination,
and it is not wonderful that there were substantial accretions
that less than a hundred years later found their way into the
Epic. Within an astonishingly short time the purely traditional
elements of the marriage of the Cid's daughters and the Parliament
at Toledo became its central theme. It is probable that such a
vital change was not entirely due to conscious art in a poet whose
distinguishing characteristic is his very unconsciousness. From
his minute familiarity with the topography of the country about
Medina and Gormaz, his affection for St. Stephen's, his utter lack
of accuracy in his description of the siege of Valencia and from
the disproportionate prominence given to such really insignificant
episodes as the sieges of CastejÓn and Alcocer, Pidal has inferred
that the unknown poet was himself a native of this region and that
his story of the life of the Cid is the product of local
tradition. [3] Moreover there is abundant evidence to prove that
before the composition of the poem as it has come down to us, the
compelling figure of the Cid had inspired other chants of an
heroic if not epic nature.
[3] Cid, 1, 72-73.
From this vigorous plant patriotic fervor and sympathetic
imagination caused to spring a perennial growth of popular
legends. The "General Chronicle of Alphonso the Wise," begun in
1270, reflects the national affection for the very chattels of the
Cid. it relates that BabiÉca passed the evening of his life in
ease and luxury and that his seed flourished in the land.
After this constantly increasing biographical material had been
developed and expanded through at least six chronicles and later
epic treatment it was taken up by the ballads with a wealth of new
episodes. Of these one of the most interesting is the Cid's duel
with the conde Lozano and his marriage to Ximena. The hounds of
Diego Lainez, the Cid's father, have seized a hare belonging to
the conde Lozano, who considers that he has been grievously
insulted thereby. Accordingly he retaliates with slurs that can
removed only ont he field of honor. Diego Lainez, too old to
fight, in order to discover which one of his three sons is worthy
of clearing the honor of the family, bites the finger of each one
successively. The two eldest utter only cries of pain, but Rodrigo
with great spirit threatens his father. He is chosen to fight the
conde Lozano and slays him. Ximena demands justice for her
father's death, and protection. Thereupon by order of King
Ferdinand the Cid and Ximena are married. Later we have Ximena's
complaints that her husband's activity in the field against the
Moors have tried her spirit sorely. There are many ballads that
treat of the arming and consecration of the Cid in newly conquered
Coimbra, of his victory over five Moorish kings who gave him the
name Cid (Master), and became his tributaries, of the testament of
Ferdinand in virtue of which the Cid is made the adviser of Sancho
and Urraca. The siege of Zamora and the death of Sancho are
fertile topics. At the accession of Alphonso the Cid forces him to
swear a solemn oath that he was not party to the murder of his
brother Sancho. Finally when the Cid is independent master of
Valencia, the Sultan of Persia, hearing of his exploits, sends him
rich presents and a magic balsam. This the Cid drinks when he is
at the point of death. It preserves his dead body with such
perfect semblance of life that, mounted on BabiÉca, he turns the
victory of the Moor Bucar into utter rout.
Not the least curious is the legend of the Jew who having feared
the living Cid, desired to pluck his sacred beard as he lay in
state in St. Peter's at Cardena. "This is the body of the Cid,"
said he, "so praised of all, and men say that while he lived none
plucked his beard. I would fain seize it and take it in my hand,
for since he lies here dead he shall not prevent this." The Jew
stretched forth his hand, but ere he touched that beard the Cid
laid his hand upon his sword TizÓna and drew it forth from its
scabbard a handsbreadth. When the Jew beheld this he was struck
with mighty fear, and backward he fell in a swoon for terror. Now
this Jew was converted and ended his days in St. Peter's, a man of
God.
The uninitiated reader will doubtless miss in the Epic more than
one of his most fondly cherished episodes. If he prefer the Cid of
romance and fable, let him turn to the ballads and the Chronicle
of the Cid. If he would cling to the punctilious, gallant hidalgo
of the early seventeenth century, let him turn to the Cid of
Guillem de Castro, or to Corneille's paragon. Don Quixote wisely
said: "That there was a Cid there is no doubt, or Bernardo del
Carpio either; but that they did the deeds men say they did, there
is a doubt a-plenty." In the heroic heart of the Epic Cid one
finds the simple nobility that later centuries have obscured with
adornment.
______________________
THE LAY OF THE CID
CANTAR I
THE BANISHMENT OF THE CID
I.
He turned and looked upon them, and he wept very sore
As he saw the yawning gateway and the hasps wrenched off the door,
And the pegs whereon no mantle nor coat of vair there hung.
There perched no moulting goshawk, and there no falcon swung.
My lord the Cid sighed deeply such grief was in his heart
And he spake well and wisely:
"Oh Thou, in Heaven that art
Our Father and our Master, now I give thanks to Thee.
Of their wickedness my foemen have done this thing to me."
II.
Then they shook out the bridle rein further to ride afar.
They had the crow on their right hand as they issued from BivÁr;
And as they entered Burgos upon their left it sped.
And the Cid shrugged his shoulders, and the Cid shook his head:
"Good tidings, Alvar FaÑez. We are banished from our weal,
But on a day with honor shall we come unto Castile."
III.
Roy Diaz entered Burgos with sixty pennons strong,
And forth to look upon him did the men and women throng.
And with their wives the townsmen at the windows stood hard by,
And they wept in lamentation, their grief was risen so high.
As with one mouth, together they spake with one accord:
"God, what a noble vassal, an he had a worthy lord.
IV.
Fain had they made him welcome, but none dared do the thing
For fear of Don Alfonso, and the fury of the King.
His mandate unto Burgos came ere the evening fell.
With utmost care they brought it, and it was sealed well
'That no man to Roy Diaz give shelter now, take heed
And if one give him shelter, let him know in very deed
He shall lose his whole possession, nay! the eyes within his head
Nor shall his soul and body be found in better stead.'
Great sorrow had the Christians, and from his face they hid.
Was none dared aught to utter unto my lord the Cid.
Then the Campeador departed unto his lodging straight.
But when he was come thither, they had locked and barred the gate.
In their fear of King Alfonso had they done even so.
An the Cid forced not his entrance, neither for weal nor woe
Durst they open it unto him. Loudly his men did call.
Nothing thereto in answer said the folk within the hall.
My lord the Cid spurred onward, to the doorway did he go.
He drew his foot from the stirrup, he smote the door one blow.
Yet the door would not open, for they had barred it fast.
But a maiden of nine summers came unto him at last:
"Campeador, in happy hour thou girdedst on the sword.
'This the King's will. Yestereven came the mandate of our lord.
With utmost care they brought it, and it was sealed with care:
None to ope to you or greet you for any cause shall dare.
And if we do, we forfeit houses and lands instead.
Nay we shall lose, moreover, the eyes within the head
And, Cid, with our misfortune, naught whatever dost thou gain.
But may God with all his power support thee in thy pain."
So spake the child and turned away. Unto her home went she.
That he lacked the King's favor now well the Cid might see.
He left the door; forth onward he spurred through Burgos town.
When he had reached Saint Mary's, then he got swiftly down
He fell upon his knee and prayed with a true heart indeed:
and when the prayer was over, he mounted on the steed.
North from the gate and over the Arlanzon he went.
Here in the sand by Burgos, the Cid let pitch his tent.
Roy Diaz, who in happy hour had girded on the brand,
Since none at home would greet him, encamped there on the sand.
With a good squadron, camping as if within the wood.
They will not let him in Burgos buy any kind of food.
Provender for a single day they dared not to him sell.
V.
Good Martin AntolÍnez in Burgos that did dwell
To the Cid and to his henchmen much wine and bread gave o'er,
That he bought not, but brought with him--of everything good
store.
Content was the great Campeador, and his men were of good cheer.
Spake Martin AntolÍnez. His counsel you shall hear.
"In happy hour, Cid Campeador, most surely wast thou born.
Tonight here let us tarry, but let us flee at morn,
For someone will denounce me, that thy service I have done.
In the danger of Alfonso I certainly shall run.
Late or soon, if I 'scape with thee the King must seek me forth
For friendship's sake; if not, my wealth, a fig it is not worth.
VI.
Then said the Cid, who in good hour had girded on the steel:
"Oh Martin AntolÍnez, thou art a good lance and leal.
And if I live, hereafter I shall pay thee double rent,
But gone is all my silver, and all my gold is spent.
And well enough thou seest that I bring naught with me
And many things are needful for my good company.
Since by favor I win nothing by might then must I gain.
I desire by thy counsel to get ready coffers twain.
With the sand let us fill them, to lift a burden sore,
And cover them with stamped leather with nails well studded o'er.
VII.
Ruddy shall be the leather, well gilded every nail.
In my behalf do thou hasten to Vidas and RaquÉl.
Since in Burgos they forbade me aught to purchase, and the King
Withdraws his favor, unto them my goods I cannot bring.
They are heavy, and I must pawn them for whatso'er is right.
That Christians may not see it, let them come for them by night.
May the Creator judge it and of all the Saints the choir.
I can no more, and I do it against my own desire."
VIII.
Martin stayed not. Through Burgos he hastened forth, and came
To the Castle. Vidas and RaquÉl, he demanded them by name.
IX.
RaquÉl and Vidas sate to count their goods and profits through,
When up came AntolÍnez, the prudent man and true.
"How now RaquÉl and Vidas, am I dear unto your heart,
I would speak close." They tarried not. All three they went apart.
"Give me, RaquÉl and Vidas, your hands for promise sure
That you will not betray me to Christian or to Moor.
I shall make you rich forever. You shall ne'er be needy more.
When to gather in the taxes went forth the Campeador,
Many rich goods he garnered, but he only kept the best.
Therefore this accusation against him was addressed.
And now two mighty coffers full of pure gold hath he.
Why he lost the King's favor a man may lightly see.
He has left his halls and houses, his meadow and his field,
And the chests he cannot bring you lest he should stand revealed.
The Campeador those coffers will deliver to your trust.
And do you lend unto him whatsoever may be just.
Do you take the chests and keep them, but swear a great oath here
That you will not look within them for the space of all this
year."
The two took counsel:
"Something to our profit must inure
In all barter. He gained something in the country of the Moor
When he marched there, for many goods he brought with him away.
But he sleeps not unsuspected, who brings coined gold to pay.
Let the two of us together take now the coffers twain.
In some place let us put them where unseen they shall remain.
"What the lord Cid demandeth, we prithee let us hear,
And what will be our usury for the space of all this year?"
Said Martin AntolÍnez like a prudent man and true:
"Whatever you deem right and just the Cid desires of you.
He will ask little since his goods are left in a safe place.
But needy men on all sides beseech the Cid for grace.
For six hundred marks of money, the Cid is sore bested."
"We shall give them to him gladly," RaquÉl and Vidas said.
"'Tis night. The Cid is sorely pressed. So give the marks to us.
Answered RaquÉl and Vidas: "Men do not traffic thus.
But first they take their surety and thereafter give the fee."
Said Martin AntolÍnez:
"So be it as for me.
Come ye to the great Campeador for 'tis but just and fair
That we should help you with the chests, and put them in your
care,
So that neither Moor nor Christian thereof shall hear the tale."
"Therewith are we right well content," said Vidas and RaquÉl,
"You shall have marks six hundred when we bring the chests again."
And Martin AntolÍnez rode forth swiftly with the twain.
And they were glad exceeding. O'er the bridge he did not go,
But through the stream, that never a Burgalese should know
Through him thereof. And now behold the Campeador his tent.
When they therein had entered to kiss his hands they bent.
My lord the Cid smiled on them and unto them said he:
"Ha, don RaquÉl and Vidas, you have forgotten me!
And now must I get hence away who am banished in disgrace,
For the king from me in anger hath turned away his face.
I deem that from my chattels you shall gain somewhat of worth.
And you shall lack for nothing while you dwell upon the earth.'
A-kissing of his hands forthwith RaquÉl and Vidas fell.
Good Martin AntolÍnez had made the bargain well,
That to him on the coffers marks six hundred they should lend.
And keep them safe, moreover, till the year had made an end.
For so their word was given and sworn to him again,
If they looked ere that within them, forsworn should be the twain,
The Cid would never give them one groat of usury.
Said Martin, "Let the chests be ta'en as swiftly as may be,
Take them, RaquÉl and Vidas, and keep them in your care.
And we shall even go with you that the money we may bear,
For ere the first cock croweth must my lord the Cid depart."
At the loading of the coffers you had seen great joy of heart.
For they could not heave the great chests up though they were
stark and hale.
Dear was the minted metal to Vidas and RaquÉl;
And they would be rich forever till their two lives it were o'er
X.
The hand of my good lord the Cid, RaquÉl had kissed once more:
"Ha! Campeador, in happy hour thou girdedst on the brand.
Forth from Castile thou goest to the men of a strange land.
Such is become thy fortune and great thy gain shall be
Ah Cid, I kiss thine hands again--but make a gift to me
Bring me a Moorish mantle splendidly wrought and red."
"So be it. It is granted," the Cid in answer said,
"If from abroad I bring it, well doth the matter stand;
If not, take it from the coffers I leave here in your hand."
And then RaquÉl and Vidas bore the two chests away.
With Martin AntolÍnez into Burgos entered they.
And with fitting care, and caution unto their dwelling sped.
And in the midmost of the hall a plaited quilt they spread.
And a milk-white cloth of linen thereon did they unfold.
Three hundred marks of silver before them Martin told.
And forthwith Martin took them, no whit the coins he weighed.
Then other marks three hundred in gold to him they paid.
Martin had five esquires. He loaded all and one.
You shall hear what said don Martin when all this gear was done:
"Ha! don RaquÉl and Vidas, ye have the coffers two.
Well I deserve a guerdon, who obtained this prize for you."
XI.
Together Vidas and RaquÉl stepped forth apart thereon:
"Let us give him a fair present for our profit he has won.
Good Martin AntolÍnez in Burgos that dost dwell,
We would give thee a fair present for thou deserves well.
Therewith get breeches and a cloak and mantle rich and fine.
Thou hast earned it. For a present these thirty marks are thine.
For it is but just and honest, and, moreover, thou wilt stand
Our warrant in this bargain whereto we set our hand."
Don Martin thanked them duly and took the marks again.
He yearned to leave the dwelling and well he wished the twain.
He is gone out from Burgos. O'er the Arlanzon he went.
And him who in good hour was born he found within his tent.
The Cid arose and welcomed him, with arms held wide apart:
"Thou art come, AntolÍnez, good vassal that thou art!
May you live until the season when you reap some gain of me."
"Here have I come, my Campeador, with as good heed as might be.
Thou hast won marks six hundred, and thirty more have I.
Ho! order that they strike the tents and let us swiftly fly.
In San Pedro de CardeÑas let us hear the cock ere day.
We shall see your prudent lady, but short shall be our stay.
And it is needful for us from the kingdom forth to wend,
For the season of our suffrance drawns onward to its end."
XII.
They spake these words and straightaway the tent upgathered then,
My lord the Cid rode swiftly with all his host of men.
And forth unto Saint Mary's the horse's head turned he,
And with his right hand crossed himself: "God, I give thanks to
thee
Heaven and Earth that rulest. And thy favor be my weal
Holy Saint Mary, for forthright must I now quit Castile.
For I look on the King with anger, and I know not if once more
I shall dwell there in my life-days. But may thy grace watch o'er
My parting, Blessed Virgin, and guard me night and day.
If thou do so and good fortune come once more in my way,
I will offer rich oblations at thine altar, and I swear
Most solemnly that I will chant a thousand masses there."
XIII.
And the lord Cid departed fondly as a good man may.
Forthwith they loosed the horses, and out they spurred away.
Said good Martin AntolÍnez in Burgos that did dwell:
"I would see my lady gladly and advise my people well
What they shall do hereafter. It matters not to me
Though the King take all. Ere sunrise I shall come unto thee."
XIV.
Martin went back to Burgos but my lord the Cid spurred on
To San Pedro of CardeÑas as hard as horse could run,
With all his men about him who served him as is due.
And it was nigh to morning, and the cocks full oft they crew,
When at last my lord the Campeador unto San Pedro came.
God's Christian was the Abbot. Don Sancho was his name;
And he was saying matins at the breaking of the day.
With her five good dames in waiting XimÉna there did pray.
They prayed unto Saint Peter and God they did implore:
"O thou who guidest all mankind, succor the Campeador."
XV.
One knocked at the doorway, and they heard the tidings then.
God wot the Abbot Sancho was the happiest of men.
With the lights and with the candles to the court they ran forth
right,
And him who in good hour was born they welcomed in delight.
"My lord Cid," quoth the Abbot, "Now God be praised of grace!
Do thou accept my welcome, since I see thee in this place."
And the Cid who in good hour was born, hereunto answered he:
"My thanks to thee, don Sancho, I am content with thee.
For myself and for my vassals provision will I make.
Since I depart to exile, these fifty marks now take.
If I may live my life-span, they shall be doubled you.
To the Abbey not a groatsworth of damage will I do.
For my lady do I give you an hundred marks again,
Herself, her dames and daughters for this year do you maintain.
I leave two daughters with you, but little girls they be.
In thine arms keep them kindly. I commend them here to thee.
Don Sancho do thou guard them, and of my wife take care.
If thou wantest yet and lackest for anything whate'er,
Look well to their provision, thee I conjure once more,
And for one mark that thou spendest the Abbey shall have four."
And with glad heart the Abbot his full assent made plain.
And lo! the Dame XimÉna came with her daughters twain.
Each had her dame-in-waiting who the little maiden bore.
And Dame XimÉna bent the knee before the Campeador.
And fain she was to kiss his hand, and, oh, she wept forlorn!
"A boon! A boon! my Campeador. In a good hour wert thou born.
And because of wicked slanderers art thou banished from the land.
XVI.
"Oh Campeador fair-bearded, a favor at thy hand!
Behold I kneel before thee, and thy daughters are here with me,
That have seen of days not many, for children yet they be,
And these who are my ladies to serve my need that know.
Now well do I behold it, thou art about to go.
Now from thee our lives a season must sunder and remove,
But unto us give succor for sweet Saint Mary's love."
The Cid, the nobly bearded, reached down unto the twain,
And in his arms his daughters has lifted up again,
And to his heart he pressed them, so great his love was grown,
And his tears fell fast and bitter, and sorely did he moan:
"XimÉna as mine own spirit I loved thee, gentle wife;
But o'er well dost thou behold it, we must sunder in our life.
I must flee and thou behind me here in the land must stay.
Please God and sweet Saint Mary that yet upon a day
I shall give my girls in marriage with mine own hand rich and
well,
And thereafter in good fortune be suffered yet to dwell,
May they grant me, wife, much honored, to serve thee then once
more."
XVII.
A mighty feast they had prepared for the Great Campeador
The bells within San Pedro they clamor and they peal.
That my lord the Cid is banished men cry throughout Castile.
And some have left their houses, from their lands some fled away.
Of knights an hundred and fifteen were seen upon that day,
By the bridge across the Arlanzon together they came o'er.
One and all were they calling on the Cid Campeador.
And Martin AntolÍnez has joined him with their power.
They sought him in San Pedro, who was born in a good hour.
XVIII.
When that his host was growing, heard the great Cid of BivÁr,
Swift he rode forth to meet them, for his fame would spread afar.
When they were come before him, he smiled on them again.
And one and all drew near him and to kiss his hand were fain.
My lord the Cid spake gladly: "Now to our God on high
I make my supplication that ere I come to die I
may repay your service that house and land has cost,
And return unto you double the possession that ye lost."
My lord the Cid was merry that so great his commons grew,
And they that were come to him they all were merry too.
Six days of grace are over, and there are left but three,
Three and no more. The Cid was warned upon his guard to be,
For the King said, if thereafter he should find him in the land,
Then neither gold nor silver should redeem him from his hand.
And now the day was over and night began to fall
His cavaliers unto him he summoned one and all:
"Hearken, my noble gentlemen. And grieve not in your care.
Few goods are mine, yet I desire that each should have his share.
As good men ought, be prudent. When the cocks crow at day,
See that the steeds are saddled, nor tarry nor delay.
In San Pedro to say matins the Abbot good will be;
He will say mass in our behalf to the Holy Trinity.
And when the mass is over, from the abbey let us wend,
For the season of our sufferance draws onward to an end.
And it is sure, moreover, that we have far to go."
Since so the Cid had ordered, they must do even so.
Night passed, and came the morning. The second cock he crew;
Forthwith upon the horses the caparisons they threw.
And the bells are rung for matins with all the haste they may.
My lord Cid and his lady to church they went their way.
On the steps XimÉna cast herself, that stood the shrine before,
And to God passionately she prayed to guard the Campeador:
"Our Father who art in Heaven, such glory is in Thee!
Thou madest firmament and earth, on the third day the sea.
The stars and moon Thou madest, and the great sun to warm.
In the womb of Mary Mother, Thou tookest human form.
Thou didst appear in Bethlehem as was Thy will and choice.
And in Thy praise and glory shepherds lifted up their voice.
And thither to adore Thee from Arabia afar
Came forth the three kings, Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar.
And gold and myrrh and frankincense they proffered eagerly.
Thou didst spare the prophet Jonah when he fell into the sea.
And Thou didst rescue Daniel from the lions in the cave.
And, moreover, in Rome city Saint Sebastian didst Thou save.
From the sinful lying witness Saint Susanna didst Thou ward.
And years two and thirty didst Thou walk the Earth, our Lord,
Showing, the which all men take heed, Thy miracles divine.
Of the stone, bread Thou madest, and of the water, wine.
Thou didst raise up Saint Lazarus according to Thy will.
Thou didst let the Hebrews take Thee. On Calvary the hill,
In the place Golgotha by name, Thee, Lord, they crucified.
And the two thieves were with Thee, whom they hanged on either
side,
One is in heaven, the other he came not thereunto.
A miracle most mighty on the cross there didst Thou do.
Blind was Longinus never had seen from his birth-year.
The side of our Lord Jesus he pierced it with the spear.
Forth the blood issued swiftly, and ran down the shaft apace.
It stained his hands. He raised them and put them to his face.
Forthwith his eyes were opened and in every way might see.
He is ransomed from destruction for he straight believed on Thee.
From the sepulchre Thou rosest, and into Hell didst go,
According to Thy purpose, and its gates didst overthrow,
To bring forth the Holy Fathers. And King of Kings Thou art,
And of all the world the Father, and Thee with all my heart
Do I worship and acknowledge, and further I implore
That Saint Peter speed my prayer for the Cid Campeador,
That God keep his head from evil; and when this day we twain
Depart, then grant it to us that we meet in life again."
And now the prayer is over and the mass in its due course.
From church they came, and already were about to get to horse.
And the Cid clasped XimÉna, but she, his hand she kissed.
Sore wept the Dame, in no way the deed to do she wist.
He turned unto his daughters and he looked upon the two:
"To the Spiritual Father, have I commended you.
We must depart. God knoweth when we shall meet again."
Weeping most sore--for never hast thou beheld such pain
As the nail from the flesh parteth, from each other did they part.
And Cid with all his vassals disposed himself to start,
And as he waited for them anew he turned his head,
Minaya AIvar FaÑez then in good season said:
"Cid! Where is now thy courage? Upon a happy day
Wast thou born. Let us bethink us of the road and haste away.
A truce to this. Rejoicing out of these griefs shall grow.
The God who gave us spirits shall give us aid also."
Don Sancho the good Abbot, they charged him o'er again
To watch and ward XimÉna and likewise her daughters twain,
And the ladies that were with them. That he shall have no lack
Of guerdon let the Abbot know. By this was he come back,
Then out spake Alvar FaÑez: "Abbot, if it betide
That men should come desirous in our company to ride,
Bid them follow but be ready on a long road to go
Through the sown and through the desert; they may overtake us so."
They got them upon horseback, they let the rein go slack.
The time drew near when on Castile they needs must turn the back.
Spinaz de Can, it was the place where the Cid did alight.
And a great throng of people welcomed him there that night.
On the next day at morning, he got to horse once more,
And forth unto his exile rode the true Campeador.
To the left of San EstÉvan the good town did he wheel.
He marched through Alcobiella the frontier of Castile.
O'er the highway to QuinÉa his course then has he bent.
Hard by Navas de Palos o'er DuÉro stream he went.
All night at FigueruÉla did my lord the Cid abide.
And very many people welcomed him on every side..
XIX.
When it was night the Cid lay down. In a deep sleep he fell,
And to him in a vision came the angel Gabriel:
"Ride, Cid, most noble Campeador, for never yet did knight
Ride forth upon an hour whose aspect was so bright.
While thou shalt live good fortune shall be with thee and shine."
When he awoke, upon his face he made the holy sign.
XX.
He crossed himself, and unto God his soul commended then,
he was glad of the vision that had come into his ken
The next day at morning they began anew to wend.
Be it known their term of sufferance at the last has made an end.
In the mountains of MiÉdes the Cid encamped that night,
With the towers of AtiÉnza where the Moors reign on the right.
XXI.
'Twas not yet come to sunset, and lingered still the day.
My lord the Cid gave orders his henchmen to array.
Apart from the footsoldiers, and valiant men of war,
There were three hundred lances that each a pennon bore.
XXII.
"Feed all the horses early, so may our God you speed.
Let him eat who will; who will not, let him get upon the steed.
We shall pass the mountain ranges rough and of dreadful height.
The land of King Alfonso we can leave behind tonight.
And whosoe'er will seek us shall find us ready then."
By night the mountain ranges he traversed with his men.
Morn came. From the hills downward they were about to fare.
In a marvelous great forest the Cid bade halt them there,
And to feed the horses early; and he told them all aright
In what way he was desirous that they should march by night.
They all were faithful vassals and gave assent thereto;
The behests of their great captain it behooved them all to do.
Ere night, was every man of them unto the riding fit.
So did the Cid that no man might perchance get wind of it.
They marched all through the night-tide and rested not at all.
Near HenÁres a town standeth that CastejÓn men call.
There the Cid went into ambush with the men of his array.
XXIII.
He couched there in the ambush till the breaking of the day.
This Minaya Alvar FaÑez had counselled and had planned:
"Ha, Cid, in happy hour thou girdedst on the brand.
Thou with an hundred henchmen shalt abide to hold the rear.
Till we have drawn forth CastejÓn unto the bushment here.
But give me now two hundred men on a harrying raid to ride.
We shall win much if thy fortune and our God be on our side.
"Well didst thou speak, Minaya," the Campeador he said,
"Do thou with the two hundred ride on a harrying raid.
With Alvar SalvadÓrez, Alvar Alvarez shall advance,
likewise GalÍnd GarcÍaz, who is a gallant lance.
Let them ride beside Minaya, each valiant cavalier.
Let them ride unfearing forward and turn from naught for fear.
Out unto GuadalajÁra, from Hita far and wide,
To AlcalÁ the city forth let the harriers ride.
That they bring all the booty let them be very sure,
Let them leave naught behind them for terror of the Moor.
Here with an hundred lances in the rear will I remain,
And capture CastejÓn good store of provender to gain.
If thou come in any danger as thou ridest on the raid,
Send swiftly hither, and all Spain shall say how I gave aid."
Now all the men were chosen who on the raid should ride,
And those who in the rearguard with the lord Cid should abide.
And now the dawn was breaking and morning coming on,
And the sun rising. Very God! how beautifully it shone!
All men arose in CastejÓn, and wide they threw the gates;
And forth they went to oversee their farmlands and estates.
All were gone forth, and the gates stand open as they were thrown,
And but a little remnant were left in CastejÓn.
Round the city were the people scattered the whole country o'er.
Then forth out of the ambush issued the Campeador.
And without fail round CastejÓn he rushed along his way.
The Moors, both men and women, he took them for a prey,
And of their flocks as many as thereabouts there strayed.
My lord Cid don Rodrigo straight for the gateway made,
And they that held it, when they saw that swift attack begin,
Fled in great fear, and through the gates Roy Diaz entered in
With the sword naked in his hand; and fifteen Moors he slew
Whom he ran down. In CastejÓn much gold, and silver too,
He captured. Then unto him his knights the booty brought.
To my lord Cid they bore it. The spoil they valued naught.
Lo! the two hundred men and three to plunder that rode out,
Sped fearlessly, and ravaged the country roundabout.
For the banner of Minaya unto AlcalÁ did gleam.
Then they bore home the booty up the HenÁres stream
Past GuadalajÁra. Booty exceeding great they bore
Of sheep and kine and vesture and of other wealth good store.
Straightway returned Minaya. None dared the rear attack.
With the treasure they had taken his company turned back.
Lo, they wore come to CastejÓn, where the Campeador abode.
He left the hold well guarded. Out from the place he rode.
With all his men about him to meet them did he come,
And with arms wide asunder welcomed Minaya home:
"Thou art come, Alvar FaÑez, good lance thou art indeed.
Whereso I send thee, in such wise I well may hope to speed.
Put straightway all together the spoil both shine and mine;
The fifth part of all, Minaya, an thou so desire, is thine."
XXIV.
"Much do I thank thee for it, illustrious Campeador.
With what thou giv'st me, the fifth part of all our spoils of war,
The King Alfonso of Castile full well content would be.
I renounce it in thy favor; and without a claim to thee.
But I swear to God who dwelleth in the high firmament,
That till upon my charger I gallop in content
Against the Moors, and till I wield both spear and brand again,
And till unto my elbow from the blade the blood doth drain
Before the Cid illustrious, howe'er so small it be,
I will not take the value of a copper groat from thee.
When through me some mighty treasure thou hast at thy command.
I will take thy gift; till such a time, all else is in thine
hand."
XXV.
They heaped the spoil together. Pondered the Cid my lord,
He who in happy hour had girded on the sword,
How tidings of his raiding to the King would come ere long,
And Alfonso soon would seek him with his host to do him wrong.
He bade his spoil-dividers make a division fair,
And furthermore in writing give to each man his share.
The fortune of each cavalier had sped exceeding well,
One hundred marks of silver to each of them there fell,
And each of the foot soldiers the half of that obtained.
A round fifth of the treasure for my lord the Cid remained
But here he could not sell it, nor in gifts give it away.
No captives, men or women, he desired in his array.
And with the men of CastejÓn he spoke to this intent
To Hita and GuadalajÁra ambassadors he sent
To find how high the ransom of the fifth part they would rate.
Even as they assessed it, his profit would be great.
Three thousand marks of silver the Moors agreed to pay.
The Cid was pleased. And duly was it paid on the third day.
My lord the Cid determined with all his men of war
That there within the castle they would abide no more,
And that they would have held it, but that water sore it lacked:
"Ye Moors are friendly to the King; even so runs the pact,
With his host will he pursue us. And I desire to flee
From CastejÓn; Minaya and my men, so hark to me;
XXVI.
"Nor take it ill, mine utterance. For here we cannot stay.
The king will come to seek us, for he is not far away;
But to destroy the castle seems in no way good to me.
An hundred Moorish women in that place I will set free
And of the Moors an hundred. Since there, as it befell,
I captured them. Hereafter shall they all speak of me well.
Ye all are paid; among you is no man yet to pay.
Let us on the morrow morning prepare to ride away,
For against my lord AIfonso the strife I would not stir."
What the Cid said was pleasing to his every follower.
Rich men they all departed from the hold that they had ta'en
And the Moors both men and women blessed them o'er and o'er again.
Up the HenÁres hastened they and hard they rode and strong.
They passed through the AlcÁrrias, and swift they marched along,
By the Caverns of AnquÍta they hastened on their way.
They crossed the stream. Into TarÁnz the great plain entered they,
And on down through that region as hard as they might fare.
Twixt FarÍza and CetÍna would the Cid seek shelter there.
And a great spoil he captured in the country as he went,
For the Moors had no inkling whatso'er of his intent.
On the next day marched onward the great Cid of BivÁr,
And he went by AlhÁma, and down the vale afar.
And he passed BubiÉrca and AtÉca likewise passed,
And it was nigh to AlcocÉr that he would camp at last
Upon a rounded hillock that was both strong and high.
They could not rob him of water; the JalÓn it flowed hard by.
My lord Cid don Rodrigo planned to storm AlcocÉr.
XXVII. He pitched a strong encampment upon the hillock there,
Some men were toward the mountains, some by the stream arrayed.
The gallant Cid, who in good hour had girded on the blade,
Bade his men near the water dig a trench about the height,
That no man might surprise them by day nor yet by night.
So might men know that there the Cid had taken up his stand.
XXVIII.
And thereupon the tidings went out through all that land,
How my lord Cid the Campeador had there got footing sure,
He is gone forth from the Christians, he is come unto the Moor,
In his presence no man dareth plough the farmlands as of yore.
Very merry with his vassals was the great Campeador.
And AlcocÉr the Castle wider tribute had he laid.
XXIX.
In AlcocÉr the burghers to the Cid their tribute paid
And all the dwellers in TerrÉr and Teca furthermore.
And the townsmen of CalatayÚd, know well, it irked them sore.
Full fifteen weeks he tarried there, but the town yielded not.
And when he saw it forthwith the Cid devised a plot.
Save one left pitched behind him, he struck his every tent.
Then with his ensign lifted, down the JalÓn he went,
With mail-shirts on and girded swords, as a wise man should him
bear.
To draw forth to his ambush the men of AlcocÉr.
And when they saw it, name of God! How glad was everyone!
"The provender and fodder of my lord the Cid are gone.
If he leaves one tent behind him, the burden is not light
Of the others that he beareth. He 'scapes like one in flight.
Let us now fall upon him, great profit shall we gain.
We shall win a mighty booty before he shall be ta'en
By them who have their dwelling in the city of TerrÉr;
For if by chance they take him, in the spoil we shall not share.
The tribute that he levied, double he shall restore."
Forth from the town of AlcocÉr in wild haste did they pour.
When the Cid saw them well without he made as if he fled;
With his whole host in confusion down the JalÓn he sped.
"The prize 'scapes," cried the townsmen. Forth rushed both great
and small,
In the lust of conquest thinking of nothing else at all.
They left the gates unguarded, none watched them any more.
And then his face upon them turned the great Campeador,
He saw how twixt them and their hold there lay a mighty space;
He made them turn the standard. They spurred the steeds apace.
"Ho! cavaliers! Now swiftly let every man strike in,
By the Creator's favor this battle we shall win."
And there they gave them battle in the midmost of the mead.
Ah God! is the rejoicing on this morning great indeed.
The Cid and Alvar FaÑez went spurring on ahead;
Know ye they had good horses that to their liking sped.
'Twixt the townsmen and the castle swiftly the way they broke.
And the Cid's henchmen merciless, came striking stroke on stroke,
In little space three hundred of the Moors they there have slain.
Loud was the shouting of the Moors in the ambush that were ta'en.
But the twain left them; on they rushed. Right for the hold they
made
And at the gate they halted, each with a naked blade.
Then up came the Cid's henchmen for the foe were all in flight.
Know ye the Cid has taken AlcocÉr by such a sleight.
XXX.
Per VermudÓz came thither who the Cid's flag did bear.
On the high place of the city he lifted it in air.
Outspoke the Cid Roy Diaz. Born in good hour was he:
"To God in Heaven and all his saints great thanks and praises be.
We shall better now our lodging for cavalier and steed."
XXXI.
Alvar FaÑez and all ye my knights, now hearken and give heed
We have taken with the castle a booty manifold.
Dead are the Moors. Not many of the living I behold.
Surely we cannot sell them the women and the men;
And as for striking off their heads, we shall gain nothing then.
In the hold let us receive them, for we have the upper hand.
When we lodge within their dwellings, they shall do as we
command."
XXXII.
The Cid with all his booty lieth in AlcocÉr.
He let the tent be sent for, that he left behind him there.
It irked the men of Teca, wroth in TerrÉr were they;
Know ye on all CalatayÚd sorely the thing did weigh.
To the Sovereign of Valencia they sent the news apace:
How that the King Alfonso hath banished in disgrace
One whom men call my lord the Cid, Roy Diaz of BivÁr,
He came to lodge by AlcocÉr, and strong his lodgings are.
He drew them out to ambush; he has won the castle there.
"If thou aidest not needs must thou lose both Teca and TerrÉr,
Thou wilt have lost CalatayÚd that cannot stand alone.
All things will go to ruin on the banks of the JalÓn,
And round about JilÓca on the far bank furthermore."
When the King TamÍn had heard it, his heart was troubled sore:
"Here do I see three Moorish kings. Let two without delay
With three thousand Moors and weapons for the fight ride there
away;
Likewise they shall be aided by the men of the frontier.
See that ye take him living and bring him to me here.
He must pay for the realm's trespass till I be satisfied."
Three thousand Moors have mounted and fettled them to ride.
All they unto SegÓrbe have come to lodge that night.
The next day they got ready to ride at morning light.
In the evening unto Celfa they came the night to spend.
And there they have determined for the borderers to send.
Little enow they tarried; from every side they came.
Then they went forth from Celfa (of CanÁl it has its name),
Never a whit they rested, but marched the livelong day.
And that night unto their lodging in CalatayÚd came they.
And they sent forth their heralds through the length of all the
land.
A great and sovran army they gathered to their hand.
With the two Kings FÁriz and GÁlve (these are the names they
bear).
They will besiege my noble lord the Cid in AlcocÉr.
XXXIII.
They pitched the tents and got them to their lodging there and
then.
Strong grew their bands for thereabouts was found great store of
men.
Moreover all the outposts, which the Moors set in array,
Marched ever hither and thither in armour night and day.
And many are the outposts, and great that host of war.
From the Cid's men, of water have they cut off all the store.
My lord the Cid's brave squadrons great lust to fight they had,
But he who in good hour was born firmly the thing forbade.
For full three weeks together they hemmed the city in.
XXXIV.
When three weeks were well nigh over and the fourth would soon
begin,
My lord Cid and his henchmen agreed after this guise:
"They have cut us off from water; and our food must fail likewise.
They will not grant unto us that we depart by night,
And very great is their power for us to face and fight.
My knights what is your pleasure, now say, that we shall do?
Then first outspake Minaya the good knight and the true:
"Forth from Castile the noble unto this place we sped;
If with the Moors we fight not, they will not give us bread.
Here are a good six hundred and some few more beside.
In the name of the Creator let nothing else betide:
Let us smite on them tomorrow."
The Campeador said he:
"Minaya Alvar FaÑez, thy speaking liketh me.
Thou hast done thyself much honor, as of great need thou must."
All the Moors, men and women, he bade them forth to thrust
That none his secret counsel might understand aright
And thereupon they armed them all through that day and night.
And the next day in the dawning when soon the sun should rise,
The Cid was armed and with him all the men of his emprise.
My lord the Cid spake to them even as you shall hear.
"Let all go forth, let no one here tarry in the rear,
Save only two footsoldiers the gates to watch and shield.
They will capture this our castle, if we perish in the field;
But if we win, our fortunes shall grow both great and fair.
Per VermudÓz, my banner I bid thee now to bear;
As thou art very gallant, do thou keep it without stain.
But unless I so shall order thou shalt not loose the rein."
He kissed the Cid's hand. Forth he ran the battle-flag to take.
They oped the gates, and outward in a great rush did they break.
And all the outposts of the Moor beheld them coming on,
And back unto the army forthwith they got them gone.
What haste there was among the Moors! To arm they turned them
back.
With the thunder of the war-drum the earth was like to crack.
There might you see Moors arming, that swift their ranks did
close.
Above the Moorish battle two flags-in-chief arose,
But of their mingling pennons the number who shall name?
Now all the squadrons of the Moors marching right onward came,
That the Cid and all his henchmen they might capture out of hand.
"My gallant men here in this place see that ye firmly stand,
Let no man leave the war-ranks till mine order I declare."
Per VermudÓz, he found it too hard a thing to bear,
He spurred forth with the banner that in his hand he bore:
"May the Creator aid thee, thou true Cid Campeador,
Through the line of battle yonder thy standard I will take;
I shall see how you bring succor, who must for honor's sake."
Said the Campeador: "Of charity, go not to the attack."
For answer said Per VermudÓz: "Is naught shall hold me back."
Spurring the steed he hurled him through the strong line of the
foes.
The serried Moors received him and smote him mighty blows,
To take from him the banner; yet they could not pierce his mail.
Said the Campeador: "Of charity go help him to prevail."
XXXV.
Before their breasts the war-shields there have they buckled
strong,
The lances with the pennons they laid them low along,
And they have bowed their faces over the saddlebow,
And thereaway to strike them with brave hearts did they go.
He who in happy hour was born with a great voice did call:
"For the love of the Creator, smite them, my gallants ah.
I am Roy Diaz of BivÁr, the Cid, the Campeador."
At the rank where was Per VermudÓz the mighty strokes they bore.
They are three hundred lances that each a pennon bear.
At one blow every man of them his Moor has slaughtered there,
And when they wheeled to charge anew as many more were slain.
XXXV.
You might see great clumps of lances lowered and raised again,
And many a shield of leather pierced and shattered by the stroke,
And many a coat of mail run through, its meshes all to-broke,
And many a white pennon come forth all red with blood,
And running without master full many a charger good.
Cried the Moors "Mahound!" The Christians shouted on Saint James
of grace.
On the field Moors thirteen hundred were slain in little space.
XXXVII.
On his gilded selle how strongly fought the Cid, the splendid
knight.
And Minaya Alvar FaÑez who ZorÍta held of right,
And brave Martin AntolÍnez that in Burgos did abide,
And likewise MuÑo GustiÓz, the Cid's esquire tried!
So also Martin GustiÓz who ruled MontemayÓr,
And by Alvar SalvadÓrez Alvar Alvarez made war
And GalÍnd GarcÍaz the good knight that came from Aragon,
There too came Felez MÚÑoz the Cid his brother's son.
As many as were gathered there straightway their succor bore,
And they sustained the standard and the Cid Campeador.
XXXVIII.
Of Minaya Alvar FaÑez the charger they have slain
The gallant bands of Christians came to his aid amain.
His lance was split and straightway he set hand upon the glaive,
What though afoot, no whit the less he dealt the buffets brave.
The Cid, Roy Diaz of Castile, saw how the matter stood.
He hastened to a governor that rode a charger good.
With his right hand he smote him such a great stroke with the
sword
That the waist he clave; the half of him he hurled unto the sward.
To Minaya Alvar FaÑez forthwith he gave the steed.
"Right arm of mine, Minaya, now horse thee with all speed!
I shall have mighty succor from thee this very day.
The Moors leave not the battle; firm standeth their array,
And surely it behooves us to storm their line once more."
Sword in hand rode Minaya; on their host he made great war,
Whom he overtook soever, even to death he did.
He who was born in happy hour, Roy Diaz, my lord Cid,
Thrice smote against King FÁriz. Twice did the great strokes fail,
But the third found the quarry. And down his shirt of mail
Streamed the red blood. To leave the field he wheeled his horse
away.
By that one stroke the foeman were conquered in the fray.
XXXIX.
And Martin AntolÍnez a heavy stroke let drive
At GÁlve. On his helmet the rubies did he rive;
The stroke went through the helmet for it reached unto the flesh.
Be it known, he dared not tarry for the man to strike afresh.
King FÁriz and King GÁlve, but beaten men are they.
What a great day for Christendom! On every side away
Fled the Moors. My lord Cid's henchmen still striking gave them
chase.
Into TerrÉr came FÁriz, but the people of the place
Would not receive King GÁlve. As swiftly as he might
Onward unto CalatayÚd he hastened in his flight.
And after him in full pursuit came on the Campeador.
Till they came unto CalatayÚd that chase they gave not o'er.
XL.
Minaya Alvar FaÑez hath a horse that gallops well.
Of the Moors four and thirty that day before him fell.
And all his arm was bloody, for 'tis a biting sword;
And streaming from his elbow downward the red blood poured.
Said Minaya: "Now am I content; well will the rumor run
To Castile, for a pitched battle my lord the Cid hath won."
Few Moors are left, so many have already fallen dead,
For they who followed after slew them swiftly as they fled.
He who was born in happy hour came with his host once more.
On his noble battle-charger rode the great Campeador.
His coif was wrinkled. Name of God! but his great beard was fair.
His mail-hood on his shoulders lay. His sword in hand he bare.
And he looked upon his henchmen and saw them drawing nigh:
"Since we ha' won such a battle, glory to God on high!"
The Cid his henchmen plundered the encampment far and wide
Of the shields and of the weapons and other wealth beside.
Of the Moors they captured there were found five hundred steeds
and ten.
And there was great rejoicing among those Christian men,
And the lost of their number were but fifteen all told.
They brought a countless treasure of silver and of gold.
Enriched were all those Christians with the spoil that they had
ta'en
And back unto their castle they restored the Moors again;
To give them something further he gave command and bade.
With all his train of henchmen the Cid was passing glad.
He gave some monies, some much goods to be divided fair,
And full an hundred horses fell to the Cid's fifth share.
God's name! his every vassal nobly did he requite,
Not only the footsoldiers but likewise every knight.
He who in happy hour was born wrought well his government,
And all whom he brought with him therewith were well content.
"Harken to me, Minaya, my own right arm art thou.
Of the wealth, wherewith our army the Creator did endow,
Take in thine hand whatever thou deemest good to choose.
To Castile I fain would send thee to carry there the news
Of our triumph. To Alphonso the King who banished me
A gift of thirty horses I desire to send with thee.
Saddled is every charger, each steed is bridled well.
There hangeth a good war-sword at the pommel of each selle."
Said Minaya Alvar FaÑez: "I will do it with good cheer.
XLI.
"Of the gold and the fine silver, behold a bootful here.
Nothing thereto is lacking. Thou shalt pay the money down
At Saint Mary's Church for masses fifty score in Burgos town;
To my wife and to my daughters the remainder do thou bear.
Let them offer day and night for me continually their prayer.
If I live, exceeding wealthy all of those dames shall be.
XLII.
Minaya Alvar FaÑez, therewith content was he.
They made a choice of henchmen along with him to ride.
They fed the steeds. Already came on the eventide.
Roy Diaz would decide it with his companions leal.
XLIII.
"Dost thou then go, Minaya, to the great land of Castile
And unto our well-wishers with a clear heart canst thou say:
'God granted us his favor, and we conquered in the fray?'
If returning thou shalt find us here in this place, 'tis well;
If not, where thou shalt hear of us, go seek us where we dwell.
For we must gain our daily bread with the lance and with the
brand,
Since otherwise we perish here in a barren land.
And therefore as methinketh, we must get hence away."
XLIV.
So was it, and Minaya went at the break of day.
But there behind the Campeador abode with all his band.
And waste was all the country, an exceeding barren land.
Each day upon my lord the Cid there in that place they spied,
The Moors that dwelt on the frontier and outlanders beside.
Healed was King FÁriz. With him they held a council there,
The folk that dwelt in Teca and the townsmen of TerrÉr,
And the people of CalatayÚd, of the three the fairest town.
In such wise have they valued it and on parchment set it down
That for silver marks three thousand AlcocÉr the Cid did sell.
XLV.
Roy Diaz sold them AlcocÉr. How excellently well
He paid his vassals! Horse and foot he made them wealthy then,
And a poor man you could not find in all his host of men.
In joy he dwelleth aye who serves a lord of noble heart.
XLVI.
When my lord the Cid was ready from the Castle to depart,
The Moors both men and women cried out in bitter woe:
"Lord Cid art thou departing? Still may our prayers go
Before thy path, for with thee we are full well content."
For my lord the great Cid of BivÁr, when from AlcocÉr he went,
The Moors both men and women made lamentation sore.
He lifted up the standard, forth marched the Campeador.
Down the JalÓn he hastened, on he went spurring fast.
He saw birds of happy omen, as from the stream he passed.
Glad were the townsmen of TerrÉr that he had marched away,
And the dwellers in CalatayÚd were better pleased than they.
But in the town of AlcocÉr 'twas grief to all and one,
For many a deed of mercy unto them the Cid had done.
My lord the Cid spurred onward. Forward apace he went;
'Twas near to the hill MonreÁl that he let pitch his tent.
Great is the hill and wondrous and very high likewise.
Be it known from no quarter doth he need to dread surprise.
And first he forced DorÓca tribute to him to pay,
And then levied on MolÍna on the other side that lay,
TeruÉl o'er against him to submit he next compelled
And lastly Celfa de CanÁl within his power he held.
XLVII.
May my lord the Cid, Roy Diaz, at all times God's favor feel.
Minaya Alvar FaÑez has departed to Castile.
To the King thirty horses for a present did he bring.
And when he had beheld them beautifully smiled the King:
"Who gave thee these, Minaya, so prosper thee the Lord?"
"Even the Cid Roy Diaz, who in good hour girded sword.
Since you banished him, by cunning has he taken AlcocÉr.
To the King of Valencia the tidings did they bear.
He bade that they besiege him; from every water-well
They cut him off. He sallied forth from the citadel,
In the open field he fought them, and he beat in that affray
Two Moorish kings he captured, sire, a very mighty prey.
Great King, this gift he sends thee. Thine hands and feet also
He kisses. Show him mercy; such God to thee shall show."
Said the King:
"'Tis over early for one banished, without grace
In his lord's sight, to receive it at the end of three week's
space.
But since 'tis Moorish plunder to take it I consent.
That the Cid has taken such a spoil, I am full well content.
Beyond all this. Minaya. thine exemption I accord,
For all thy lands and honors are unto thee restored.
Go and come! Henceforth my favor I grant to thee once more.
But to thee I say nothing of the Cid Campeador.
XLVIII.
"Beyond this, Alvar FaÑez, I am fain to tell it thee
That whosoever in my realm in that desire may be,
Let them, the brave and gallant, to the Cid betake them straight.
I free them and exempt them both body and estate."
Minaya Alvar FaÑez has kissed the King's hands twain:
"Great thanks, as to my rightful lord I give thee, King, again.
This dost thou now, and better yet as at some later hour.
We shall labor to deserve it, if God will give us power."
Said the King: "Minaya, peace for that. Take through Castile thy
way.
None shall molest. My lord the Cid seek forth without delay."
XLIX.
Of him I fain would tell you in good hour that girt the blade.
The hill, where his encampment in that season he had made,
While the Moorish folk endureth, while there are Christians still,
Shall they ever name in writing 'My Lord the Cid, his Hill.'
While he was there great ravage in all the land he made,
Under tribute the whole valley of the Martin he laid.
And unto Zaragoza did the tidings of him go,
Nor pleased the Moors; nay rather they were filled with grievous
woe.
For fifteen weeks together my lord Cid there did stay.
When the good knight saw how greatly Minaya did delay,
Then forth with all his henchmen on a night march he tried.
And he left all behind him, and forsook the mountain side,
Beyond the town of TeruÉl good don Rodrigo went.
In the pine grove of TÉvar Roy Diaz pitched his tent.
And all the lands about him he harried in the raid,
And on Zaragoza city a heavy tribute laid.
When this he had accomplished and three weeks had made an end,
Out of Castile Minaya unto the Cid did wend.
Two hundred knights were with him that had belted on the brands.
Know ye well that there were many foot-soldiers in his bands.
When the Cid saw Minaya draw near unto his view,
With his horse at a full gallop to embrace the man he flew.
He kissed his mouth, his very eyes in that hour kissed the Cid.
And then all things he told him, for naught from him he hid.
Then beautifully upon him smiled the good Campeador:
"God and his righteousness divine be greatly praised therefor.
While thou shalt live, Minaya, well goeth this my game."
