Jerusalem Delivered

by Torquato Tasso

  Who have so oft amid the dusty plain

  Turks, Persians, Syrians and Arabians slain.

  XLV

  “And thou Argantes wotest what they be;

  Oft hast thou fled from that victorious host,

  Thy shoulders often hast thou let them see,

  And in thy feet hath been thy safeguard most;

  Clorinda bright and I fled eke with thee,

  None than his fellows had more cause to boast,

  Nor blame I any; for in every fight

  We showed courage, valor, strength and might.

  XLVI

  “And though this hardy knight the certain threat

  Of near-approaching death to hear disdain;

  Yet to this state of loss and danger great,

  From this strong foe I see the tokens plain;

  No fort how strong soe’er by art or seat,

  Can hinder Godfrey why he should not reign:

  This makes me say, — to witness heaven I bring,

  Zeal to this state, love to my lord and king —

  XLVII

  “The king of Tripoli was well advised

  To purchase peace, and so preserve his crown:

  But Solyman, who Godfrey’s love despised,

  Is either dead or deep in prison thrown;

  Else fearful is he run away disguised,

  And scant his life is left him for his own,

  And yet with gifts, with tribute, and with gold,

  He might in peace his empire still have hold.”

  XLVIII

  Thus spake Orcanes, and some inkling gave

  In doubtful words of that he would have said;

  To sue for peace or yield himself a slave

  He durst not openly his king persuade:

  But at those words the Soldan gan to rave,

  And gainst his will wrapt in the cloud he stayed,

  Whom Ismen thus bespake, “How can you bear

  These words, my lord? or these reproaches hear?”

  XLIX

  “Oh, let me speak,” quoth he, “with ire and scorn

  I burn, and gains, my will thus hid I stay!”

  This said, the smoky cloud was cleft and torn,

  Which like a veil upon them stretched lay,

  And up to open heaven forthwith was borne,

  And left the prince in view of lightsome day,

  With princely look amid the press he shined,

  And on a sudden, thus declared his mind.

  L

  “Of whom you speak behold the Soldan here,

  Neither afraid nor run away for dread,

  And that these slanders, lies and fables were,

  This hand shall prove upon that coward’s head,

  I, who have shed a sea of blood well near,

  And heaped up mountains high of Christians dead,

  I in their camp who still maintained the fray,

  My men all murdered, I that run away.

  LI

  “If this, or any coward vile beside,

  False to his faith and country, dares reply;

  And speak of concord with yon men of pride,

  By your good leave, Sir King, here shall he die,

  The lambs and wolves shall in one fold abide,

  The doves and serpents in one nest shall lie,

  Before one town us and these Christians shall

  In peace and love unite within one wall.”

  LII

  While thus he spoke, his broad and trenchant sword

  His hand held high aloft in threatening guise;

  Dumb stood the knights, so dreadful was his word;

  A storm was in his front, fire in his eyes,

  He turned at last to Sion’s aged lord,

  And calmed his visage stern in humbler wise:

  “Behold,” quoth he, “good prince, what aid I bring,

  Since Solyman is joined with Juda’s king.”

  LIII

  King Aladine from his rich throne upstart

  And said, “Oh how I joy thy face to view,

  My noble friend! it lesseneth in some part

  My grief, for slaughter of my subjects true;

  My weak estate to stablish come thou art,

  And mayest thine own again in time renew,

  If Heavens consent:” with that the Soldan bold

  In dear embracements did he long enfold.

  LIV

  Their greetings done, the king resigned his throne

  To Solyman, and set himself beside,

  In a rich seat adorned with gold and stone,

  And Ismen sage did at his elbow bide,

  Of whom he asked what way they two had gone,

  And he declared all what had them betide:

  Clorinda bright to Solyman addressed

  Her salutations first, then all the rest.

  LV

  Among them rose Ormusses’ valiant knight,

  Whom late the Soldan with a convoy sent,

  And when most hot and bloody was the fight,

  By secret paths and blind byways he went,

  Till aided by the silence and the night

  Safe in the city’s walls himself he pent,

  And there refreshed with corn and cattle store

  The pined soldiers famished nigh before.

  LVI

  With surly countenance and disdainful grace,

  Sullen and sad, sat the Circassian stout,

  Like a fierce lion grumbling in his place,

  His fiery eyes that turns and rolls about;

  Nor durst Orcanes view the Soldan’s face,

  But still upon the floor did pore and tout:

  Thus with his lords and peers in counselling,

  The Turkish monarch sat with Juda’s king.

  LVII

  Godfrey this while gave victory the rein,

  And following her the straits he opened all;

  Then for his soldiers and his captains slain,

  He celebrates a stately funeral,

  And told his camp within a day or twain

  He would assault the city’s mighty wall,

  And all the heathen there enclosed doth threat,

  With fire and sword, with death and danger great.

  LVIII

  And for he had that noble squadron known,

  In the last fight which brought him so great aid,

  To be the lords and princes of his own

  Who followed late the sly enticing maid,

  And with them Tancred, who had late been thrown

  In prison deep, by that false witch betrayed,

  Before the hermit and some private friends,

  For all those worthies, lords and knights, he sends;

  LIX

  And thus he said, “Some one of you declare

  Your fortunes, whether good or to be blamed,

  And to assist us with your valors rare

  In so great need, how was your coming framed?”

  They blush, and on the ground amazed stare,

  For virtue is of little guilt ashamed,

  At last the English prince with countenance bold,

  The silence broke, and thus their errors told:

  LX

  “We, not elect to that exploit by lot,

  With secret flight from hence ourselves withdrew,

  Following false Cupid, I deny it not,

  Enticed forth by love and beauty’s hue;

  A jealous fire burnt in our stomachs hot,

  And by close ways we passed least in view,

  Her words, her looks, alas I know too late,

  Nursed our love, our jealousy, our hate.

  LXI

  “At last we gan approach that woful clime,

  Where fire and brimstone down from Heaven was sent

  To take revenge for sin and shameful crime

  Gainst kind commit, by those who nould repent;

  A loathsome lake of brimstone, pitch and lime,

  O’ergoes that land,
erst sweet and redolent,

  And when it moves, thence stench and smoke up flies

  Which dim the welkin and infect the skies.

  LXII

  “This is the lake in which yet never might

  Aught that hath weight sink to the bottom down,

  But like to cork or leaves or feathers light,

  Stones, iron, men, there fleet and never drown;

  Therein a castle stands, to which by sight

  But o’er a narrow bridge no way is known,

  Hither us brought, here welcomed us the witch,

  The house within was stately, pleasant, rich.

  LXIII

  “The heavens were clear, and wholsome was the air,

  High trees, sweet meadows, waters pure and good;

  For there in thickest shade of myrtles fair

  A crystal spring poured out a silver flood;

  Amid the herbs, the grass and flowers rare,

  The falling leaves down pattered from the wood,

  The birds sung hymns of love; yet speak I naught

  Of gold and marble rich, and richly wrought.

  LXIV

  “Under the curtain of the greenwood shade,

  Beside the brook upon the velvet grass,

  In massy vessel of pure silver made,

  A banquet rich and costly furnished was,

  All beasts, all birds beguiled by fowler’s trade,

  All fish were there in floods or seas that pass,

  All dainties made by art, and at the table

  An hundred virgins served, for husbands able.

  LXV

  “She with sweet words and false enticing smiles,

  Infused love among the dainties set,

  And with empoisoned cups our souls beguiles,

  And made each knight himself and God forget:

  She rose and turned again within short whiles,

  With changed looks where wrath and anger met,

  A charming rod, a book with her she brings,

  On which she mumbled strange and secret things.

  LXVI

  “She read, and change I felt my will and thought,

  I longed to change my life, and place of biding,

  That virtue strange in me no pleasure wrought,

  I leapt into the flood myself there hiding,

  My legs and feet both into one were brought,

  Mine arms and hands into my shoulders sliding,

  My skin was full of scales, like shields of brass,

  Now made a fish, where late a knight I was.

  LXVII

  “The rest with me like shape, like garments wore,

  And dived with me in that quicksilver stream,

  Such mind, to my remembrance, then I bore,

  As when on vain and foolish things men dream;

  At last our shade it pleased her to restore,

  Then full of wonder and of fear we seem,

  And with an ireful look the angry maid

  Thus threatened us, and made us thus afraid.

  LXVIII

  “‘You see,’ quoth she, ‘my sacred might and skill,

  How you are subject to my rule and power,

  In endless thraldom damned if I will

  I can torment and keep you in this tower,

  Or make you birds, or trees on craggy hill,

  To bide the bitter blasts of storm and shower;

  Or harden you to rocks on mountains old,

  Or melt your flesh and bones to rivers cold:

  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 Godfredo 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 horsemen 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 Godfrey 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 lustre chased,

  When all full sweetly in their cabins slept,

  Save he, whose thoughts his eyes still open kept.

  ELEVENTH BOOK

  THE ARGUMENT.

  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:

  Godfrey 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 assault 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, assistance, 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 godliness and faith examples be.”

  III

  Thus spake the hermit grave in words severe:

  Godfrey 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 assemble 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 buttoned 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,