Their babes more closely trembling mothers squeezed,
As with loose locks they fled in wild despair.
The spoilers, gorged with spoil and rapine, seized
The shrinking maidens by their flowing hair.
XXXI
But thro’ the streets that toward the highest hill
Westward ascend, where the great temple stands,
Horrid and wet with blood, unsated still,
Rinaldo drove the flying Pagan bands.
O’er their armed heads that hero whirled his sword,
And ‘mong their ranks caused massacre immense;
But poor protection helm and shield afford,
Nay, want of arms is now the best defence.
XXXII
Alone on steel his noble steel descended,
He scorned the unarmed rabble to chastise;
Whom courage armèd not nor arms defended,
By dreadful voice he chased, and flashing eyes.
There wondrous deeds of valour you might see,
How menaced, spurned, and slew the youthful knight,
And with unequal risk how equally
Armed and unarmed alike he put to flight.
XXXIII
Already a strong troop, the army’s flower,
Had with the rabble to that temple gone,
Which, oft burnt down and oft rebuilt, still bore
The name of its first founder, Solomon.
On it of yore were lavished cost and skill,
Most precious marbles, cedam wood, and gold;
Now not so rich as formerly, but still,
From towers and iron gates, a stout stronghold.
XXXIV
Reaching this keep, to which from all around
The crowds had fled for refuge, the great knight
Found all its portals closely barred, and found
Defences bristling on its lofty height.
Casting his eyes upon the edifice,
He twice the whole from top to bottom scanned,
To find some narrow entrance there, and twice
With rapid feet the pile’s vast circuit spanned.
XXXV
As plundering wolf, the honest daylight past,
Prowls round the fold with stealthy step at night,
Parched are whose greedy jaws, whose lengthened fast
His innate rage and cruelty incite;
So looked he round some secret pass to spy
(No matter rough or smooth), then made a halt
In the great square; the trembling crowds on high
Expecting every moment the assault
XXXVI
(For whatsoever use or purpose kept)
Upon one side a beam colossal lay,
Nor did the largest vessel that e’er swept
Liguria’s coast such lofty mast display.
This towards the massive gate the cavalier
Moved with that arm to which all weights are light,
And, poising it as ‘twere a simple spear,
It forward drove with all his main and might.
XXXVII
Marble could not, nor metal, stand before
The thundering blows, that ever grew more great;
The sounding hinges from the rock they tore,
Burst the lock open, and banged down the gate.
No battering-ram had vaunted to do more,
No bomb, Death’s bolt, had more destruction spread;
Thro’ the opened way, like a great torrent, pour
His troops, and follow where the victor led.
XXXVIII
Then frightful carnage black and mournful made
That lofty fane, which was Jehovah’s erst.
O Heaven! how much more heavy, when delayed,
Upon the impious do thy judgments burst
Thy providence aroused their wrathful mood,
And pious hearts to cruelty constrained;
The impious Pagans washed now with their blood
That temple their idolatry profaned.
XXXIX
Meanwhile to that huge pile called David’s Tower
Prince Solyman had gone, and there essayed.
Assembling the last remnant of his power,
The neighbouring streets to block and barricade.
There, too the tyrant Aladine had gone,
Whom, when he saw him. Solyman addressed:
‘Come, famous king, come hither, and upon
This keep impregnable in safety rest.
XL
‘Here from the violence of hostile swords
Thou mayst assure thy safety and thy crown.’
‘Alas, alas, ‘ he said. ‘barbaric hordes
Have shaken to its base our regal town.
My life, and with it my dominions fall;
I have lived and reigned — I live and reign no more:
Too truly we can say. We were — to all
Has come the destined day, the fatal hour.’
XLI
Angered at that, the soldan thundered: ‘Say
Whither. O king, is thy old valour down;
Let hostile Fate our kingdoms take away:
Is not still innate royalty our own?
But here within from further toil repose
Thy wearied limbs. Thus spoke, and bade them bring
Dreading his capture by the advancing foes’
Within the guarded sill the aged king.
XLII
His iron mace then grasping with both hands,
His trusty sword replacing on his flank,
At the dread pass the intrepid soldan stands,
The blocked-up streets to hold against the Frank.
Mortal were all the dreadful strokes it sped;
If it slew not, it levelled to the ground;
From the barred precincts all, despairing, fled,
When they the frightful mace approaching found.
XLIII
When, lo! attended by a valorous few,
Up came Raimondo, county of Toulouse,
And boldly to the perilous passage flew,
Scorning the weight of those terrific blows,
And gave first blow; but gave it all in vain:
But not in vain the second smiter smote,
Since caught his brow, upon the bloody plain
He laid him quivering, with his arms stretched out.
XLIV
At length that courage fear had chased away
To the defeated Turks returned again,
And the Frank victors were repulsed, or they
Fell at the entrance of the fortress, slain.
But Solymano, who among the dead
Saw lying the half-lifeless warrior,
Cried to his knights: ‘Within the barricade
Let him be carried, and made prisoner.’
XLV
Forward they sprang to execute the deed,
But the task difficult and dangerous found;
Since not neglectful in the hour of need,
Raimondo’s followers their fallen lord surround.
Mad fury there, here pious duty fought;
Nor was the cause unworthy of the strife,
Since these to guard his life and freedom sought,
Those to destroy both liberty and life.
XLVI
Still stubborn for revenge, the soldan would
At length have crowned his efforts with success;
Not doubled shield or finest helmet could
Withstand the fury of his thundering mace;
But that he saw the adverse forces get
New and most powerful succour in the fight,
Since from two opposite points together met
The sovran captain and the peerless knight.
XLVII
Like herd, who, seeing round him lightning play,
And wind and thunder threaten coming rain,
And countless clouds obscure the light of day,
Leads b
ack his cattle from the open plain,
Seeking, solicitous, some sheltering nook,
Where he may safely ‘scape Heaven’s wrathful blast;
And, guiding them by cries and with the crook,
Urges them on, and is himself the last;
XLVIII
The Pagan so, when, hopeless, he beheld
The inevitable storm, and heard the sound
That to the heavens in horrid menace swelled,
And saw the arms that bristled all around,
Sent on his soldiers guarded to the tower,
And was himself the last that persevered;
He left the last, so yielding to their power,
That, altho’ cautious, gallant he appeared.
XLIX
Scarce with great travail had he shelter got
Within the gates — they scarcely bolted were —
When burst the bars, Rinaldo faltered not,
But gained the threshold, nor ev’n halted there.
Zeal to surpass him unsurpassed before,
And his vow, led him every nerve to strain;
Since not forgotten was the oath he swore,
Vengeance to wreak on him who slew the Dane.
L
And then, ev’n then, the unconquered boy had tried
To take, altho’ impregnable, the wall;
Nor safe, perhaps, were Solyman inside,
From his predestined foe; but hark, a call!
The captain’s clarions sounded a retreat,
And the horizon all around grew black;
His troops Prince Godfred bivouacked in the street,
So as at sunrise to renew the attack.
LI
And them addressed in joyous cheering strains:
‘Almighty God has blest His host’s career;
The worst is over, and there now remains
Little for us to do, and nought to fear.
The tower — last anchor of the infidel
Well storm to-morrow, at the dawn of day;
Meanwhile let pity, all who hear, impel
To tend with zeal the sick and maimed. Away!
LII
‘Away! and heal all those who have sacrificed
Their precious blood these hallowed realms to gain;
More fitting that for cavaliers of Christ,
Than sordid gold or vengeance to obtain.
Much, too much carnage has been seen to-day,
In some too great avidity of wealth;
Let blow the trumps, and my commands convey;
Forbid henceforth is cruelty and stealth.’
LIII
He ceased, and went to where Toulouse’s count,
Restored somewhat, continued still to groan.
Nor Solymano, with less hardy front,
Keeping his care concealed, addressed his own:
‘In spite of Fate, my friends, unconquered be,
While Hope is green nor fades into the sear;
Since ‘neath false terror, in reality
Our losses are much less than they appear.
LIV
‘The foe alone has ta’en our lowliest bands,
The walls, and roofs; the city is not won;
That is comprised in your own breasts and hands,
And in the head that wears the royal crown.
The king is safe with those of most renown,
Secure defence surrounding us I see;
Let then vain trophies of th’ abandoned town
The Franks retain; repulsed at length they’ll be.
LV
‘Convinced I am they’ll lose at last; besides
That, being so vapouring in prosperity,
They’ll turn to rapine and to homicides,
And to unbridled sensuality.
And, for it can’t be far, should Egypt’s host
Come, when to such excesses they give way,
With plunder gorged and ‘mid the ruins lost,
They to our swords will fall an easy prey.
LVI
Meanwhile with stones we can command from here
The lofty buildings of the town below,
And the streets leading to the Sepulchre
Our catapults can cut off from the foe.’
Thus, nerve infusing in their sinking hearts,
Their hopes he freshened and their fears allayed.
Now while such deeds were doing in these parts,
‘Mid countless armèd troops Vafrino strayed.
LVII
Selected spy against the adverse force,
Vafrino left by the sun’s setting rays,
And nightly, unknown pilgrim, bent his course
By most obscure and unfrequented ways.
He passed by Ascalon before the sun
Rose in the east; but when the solar lamp
Had reached mid heaven, and to decline begun,
Before him lay the vast Egyptian camp.
LVIII
Tents infinite, and, streaming in the breeze,
Blue, purple, yellow standards he surveyed,
While such a Babel of harsh languages,
Horns, timbals, cymbals, barbarous discord brayed;
Such cries of camels and of elephants
Were blent with neighs of the magnanimous horse,
That he exclaimed: ‘All Afric’s habitants
Are here transported, and all Asia’s force!’
LIX
He first examined was the camp’s site strong,
And if by trench or outworks fortified;
Then went not furtive sinuous paths along,
Nor from the passing people sought to hide,
But thro’ the imperial portals boldly sped,
Asking and answering all, nor caused surmise;
Such forward brazen front accompanied
His crafty questions and adroit replies.
LX
Here, there, inquisitive, he bent his course,
Thro’ every street and square and tent he turned,
Marked well the arms, the infantry, the horse,
Their habits, names, and discipline he learned;
Nor yet content, to greater things aspired,
Their secrets spied, and partly heard them; nay,
So deftly managed, that, as he desired,
To the imperial tent he made his way.
LXI
Where, looking round, he saw the canvas torn,
Which left free passage for the voice to come;
And as it faced it, every sound was borne
From the recesses of the king’s own room,
Whose secrets thus were ill-concealed from one
Who, watchful, listened at the outside; there
Vafrino watched, as if intent alone
The tent’s dissevered canvas to repair.
LXII
A purple cloak the belted captain wore,
And stood bare-headed in the lofty tent;
His helm and shield two youthful pages bore,
He held a spear on which he somewhat leant.
Gazing he was on one of giant frame
And look most sinister, who waited near.
Vafrino, listening, heard Prince Godfred’s name
Pronounced, and, thunderstruck, pricked up his ear.
LXIII
The chief was saying, ‘Art thou certain then
Godfred to kill?’ He answered him, ‘Signor,
Certain I am, and to thy court again
Swear to return not, save as conqueror;
Those who conspire with me I will forestall,
Nor other guerdon ask for, save it be,
His arms to hang up on Alcairo’s wall,
With these few lines subscribed in memory:
LXIV
“‘From the Frank captain, Asia’s plunderer,
These arms in battle Ormond took, when he
His life-blood took, and has suspended here,
That such remembrance should i
mmortal be.”’
‘Ne’er will our gracious liege a deed so grand
Unhonoured leave,’ the chief supreme replied:
‘He not alone will grant thy just demand,
But give thee ample recompense beside.
LXV
‘Now, then, the counterfeited arms prepare,
For, lo! the day of battle draweth nigh.’
‘Ready, O prince,’ he answered him, ‘they are.’
Thus ended parle, nor did the chief reply.
At these broad hints of danger imminent,
Vafrino paused in agony of doubt;
Pondering what was the secret plot, what meant
Counterfeit arms; and could make nothing out
LXVI
Whence he departed, and remained the whole
Long night awake, nor would his eyelids close:
But when the camp had every banderol
Spread to the matin breezes, he arose,
And with the other troops in consort went;
And when they halted, halted, and again,
Restless, impatient, roved from tent to tent,
To glean some news that might the facts explain.
LXVII
And found, while searching, on a pompous throne,
Armida, girt by maids and knights; apart,
The enchantress sat, dejected and alone,
And seemed to commune with her own sad heart.
On her fair hands reposed her cheek; she kept
Fixed on the ground those amorous stars, her eyes;
Nor could he say for certain if they wept,
But in them teeming pearls could recognise.
LXVIII
In front of her sat fierce Adrastus, who
Seemed not to breathe, or ev’n his eyelids move;
As on her, motionless, he seemed to glue
His hungry eyes, and feed his passionate love.
But Tisapherne, as him or her he scanned,
With anger kindled or with passion burned,
As envy on one, and love on the other hand,
Now pale, now red, his changing features turned.
LXIX
Then saw Prince Altamore; he stood apart,
Amid a bevy of fair girls, and rolled
His eager glances with discretionate art,
And by strong effort his desire controlled.
Now on her hand, now on her lovely face,
Now on more guarded charms his vision rests;
Now penetrates to where the truant lace
A secret path discloses ‘tween her breasts.
LXX
At length Armida lifts her eyes, awhile
Soft and serene her beauteous brow appears,
And of a sudden a celestial smile
Breaks out, and flashes through a cloud of tears.
Sir knights,’ she said, ‘remembrance of your vaunt
Doth much the anguish of my soul assuage;
For vengeance quick and summary I pant,
And with revenge in prospect, sweet is rage.’
Jerusalem Delivered Page 103