He raises sweetly fierce his regal brow,
And fixed on him alone is every eye.
Outstripping age and hope, but scarce appear
The flowers, than they to fruit mature give place
Armed cap-à-pie, to see him charge, you’d swear
’Twas fiery Mars; Cupid to see his face.
LIX.
Lui nella riva d’Adige produsse
A Bertoldo Sofia, Sofia la bella
A Bertoldo il possente: e pria che fusse
468 Tolto quasi il bambin dalla mammella,
Matilda il volle, e nutricollo, e instrusse
Nell’arti regie; e sempre ei fu con ella,
Sin ch’invaghì la giovinetta mente
472 La tromba che s’udia dall’Oriente.
LIX
Sophia by Adige’s flowery bank him bore,
Sophia the fair, spouse to Bertoldo great,
Fit mother for that pearl, and before
The tender imp was weaned from the teat,
The Princess Maud him took, in Virtue’s lore
She brought him up fit for each worthy feat,
Till of these wares the golden trump he hears,
That soundeth glory, fame, praise in his ears.
LIX
Him to Bertholdo fair Sophia bore,
Upon the Adige’s banks, their native nest —
Sophia to Bertholdo; but before
He as a child was taken from the breast,
Matilda took him, brought him up, and taught
In every princely art, and there he stayed,
Till the trump, pealing in the orient, caught
His ear and led him to the great Crusade.
LX.
Allor (nè pur tre lustri avea finiti)
Fuggì soletto, e corse strade ignote:
Varcò l’Egeo, passò di Grecia i liti,
476 Giunse nel campo in region remote.
Nobilissima fuga, e che l’imiti
Ben degna alcun magnanimo nipote.
Tre anni son ch’è in guerra: e intempestiva
480 Molle piuma del mento appena usciva.
LX
And then, though scantly three times five years old,
He fled alone, by many an unknown coast,
O’er Aegean Seas by many a Greekish hold,
Till he arrived at the Christian host;
A noble flight, adventurous, brave, and bold,
Whereon a valiant prince might justly boast,
Three years he served in field, when scant begin
Few golden hairs to deck his ivory chin.
LX
Then, nor three lustres could the stripling boast,
He fled alone by unknown ways, and passed
The Egean billows and the Grecian coast,
And reached the camp in distant lands at last.
Most noble flight! which rare example set
For imitation by his noble kin.
This is the third year that he wars, and yet
Scarce blooms the down upon his boyish chin.
LXI.
Passati i cavalieri, in mostra viene
La gente a piedi, ed è Raimondo avanti.
Reggea Tolosa, e scelse infra Pirene,
484 E fra Garona, e l’Ocean suoi fanti.
Son quattromila, e ben armati, e bene
Instrutti, usi al disagio, e tolleranti.
Buona è la gente, e non può da più dotta,
488 O da più forte guida esser condotta.
LXI
The horsemen past, their void-left stations fill
The bands on foot, and Reymond them beforn,
Of Tholouse lord, from lands near Piraene Hill
By Garound streams and salt sea billows worn,
Four thousand foot he brought, well armed, and skill
Had they all pains and travels to have borne,
Stout men of arms and with their guide of power
Like Troy’s old town defenced with Ilion’s tower.
LXI
The horse now passed, marched past the infantry,
Raimondo at their head — he ruled Toulouse,
And from the Pyrenees, between the sea
And the broad Garonne, his division chose;
In all four thousand, armed and smartly drilled,
Who used to hardships and most patient are —
A gallant race; nor could a chief more skilled,
Or more intrepid, lead them to the war.
LXII.
Ma cinquemila Stefano d’Ambuosa
E di Blesse, e di Turs in guerra adduce.
Non è gente robusta o faticosa,
492 Sebben tutta di ferro ella riluce.
La terra molle e lieta e dilettosa,
Simili a se gli abitator produce.
Impeto fan nelle battaglie prime;
496 Ma di leggier poi langue, e si reprime.
LXII
Next Stephen of Amboise did five thousand lead,
The men he prest from Tours and Blois but late,
To hard assays unfit, unsure at need,
Yet armed to point in well-attempted plate,
The land did like itself the people breed,
The soil is gentle, smooth, soft, delicate;
Boldly they charge, but soon retire for doubt,
Like fire of straw, soon kindled, soon burnt out.
LXII
But Stephen of Amboise, of Blois, and Tours,
Leads to the holy war five thousand on:
A race that cannot much fatigue endure,
Tho’ in the pomp of fulgent steel they shone.
The country like itself produces men,
And these, like theirs, are joyous, soft, and gay;
In the first shock they fiercely charge, and then
Faint in the fight, grow slack, and soon give way.
LXIII.
Alcasto il terzo vien, qual presso a Tebe
Già Capaneo, con minaccioso volto.
Sei mila Elvezj, audace e fiera plebe,
500 Dagli Alpini castelli avea raccolto:
Che ‘l ferro uso a far solchi, e franger glebe,
In nove forme, e in più degne opre ha volto,
E con la man, che guardò rozzi armenti,
504 Par che i Regi sfidar nulla paventi.
LXIII
The third Alcasto marched, and with him
The boaster brought six thousand Switzers bold,
Audacious were their looks, their faces grim,
Strong castles on the Alpine clifts they hold,
Their shares and coulters broke, to armors trim
They change that metal, cast in warlike mould,
And with this band late herds and flocks that guide,
Now kings and realms he threatened and defied.
LXIII
Alcasto comes the third. Such lowering face
Of yore had Capaneus when threatening Thebes.
Six thousand Swiss — a bold and hardy race —
From the Alps he brings. The steel which once broke
glebes
Or turned the fallow furrow with its share,
They to new shapes had turned for nobler things;
And the rude hand that erst of flocks took care,
Now hurls defiance fearlessly at kings.
LXIV.
Vedi appresso spiegar l’alto vessillo
Col diadema di Piero, e con le chiavi.
Quì settemila aduna il buon Cammillo
508 Pedoni, d’arme rilucenti e gravi:
Lieto, ch’a tanta impresa il ciel sortillo,
Ove rinnovi il prisco onor degli avi:
O mostri almen ch’alla virtù Latina,
512 O nulla manca, o sol la disciplina.
LXIV
The glorious standard last to Heaven they sprad,
With Peter’s keys ennobled and his crown,
With it seven thousand stout Camillo had,
Embattailed in walls of i
ron brown:
In this adventure and occasion, glad
So to revive the Romans’ old renown,
Or prove at least to all of wiser thought,
Their hearts were fertile land although unwrought.
LXIV
Beneath the lofty standard’s outstretched wings,
That bears St Peter’s diadem and keys,
With him seven thousand foot Camillus brings,
Glistering in armour, from across the seas.
O’erjoy’d, Heaven chose him for an emprise, where
He might renew his ancestors’ renown,
And prove that if his Latin soldiers were
Wanting in aught, ’twas discipline alone.
LXV.
Ma già tutte le squadre eran con bella
Mostra passate, e l’ultima fu questa:
Quando Goffredo i maggior duci appella,
516 E la sua mente a lor fa manifesta.
Come appaja diman l’alba novella
Vuo’ che l’oste s’invii leggiera e presta:
Sicch’ella giunga alla città sacrata,
520 Quanto è possibil più, meno aspettata.
LXV
But now was passed every regiment,
Each band, each troop, each person worth regard
When Godfrey with his lords to counsel went,
And thus the Duke his princely will declared:
“I will when day next clears the firmament,
Our ready host in haste be all prepared,
Closely to march to Sion’s noble wall,
Unseen, unheard, or undescried at all.
LXV
Now all the squadrons had marched past him, all
In order of review, this being the last,
When Godfrey sent the leading chiefs to call,
And to them said, as round him they were massed:
‘My orders are, the host move swiftly down, ‘
Soon as to-morrow’s dawn regilds the east,
So as to reach the consecrated town
Early as possible, when looked for least.
LXVI.
Preparatevi dunque ed al viaggio
Ed alla pugna, e alla vittoria ancora.
Questo ardito parlar d’uom così saggio
524 Sollecita ciascuno, e l’avvalora.
Tutti d’andar son pronti al novo raggio,
E impazienti in aspettar l’aurora.
Ma ‘l provvido Buglion senza ogni tema
528 Non è però, benchè nel cor la prema.
LXVI
“Prepare you then for travel strong and light,
Fierce to the combat, glad to victory.”
And with that word and warning soon was dight,
Each soldier, longing for near coming glory,
Impatient be they of the morning bright,
Of honor so them pricked the memory:
But yet their chieftain had conceived a fear
Within his heart, but kept it secret there.
LXVI
‘Prepare then for the march, and for the fight;
Nay more, my friends, prepare for victory.’
Language so bold, from such a cautious knight,
Inspired each soldier with fresh energy:
All are prepared to march when dawn appears,
Nor from impatience can get any rest;
But provident Bouillon is not without fears,
Though close he locked them in his silent breast;
LXVII.
Perch’egli avea certe novelle intese,
Che s’è d’Egitto il Re già posto in via
In verso Gaza, bello e forte arnese
532 Da fronteggiare i regni di Soria.
Nè creder può, che l’uomo, a fere imprese
Avvezzo sempre, or lento in ozio stia;
Ma d’averlo, aspettando, aspro nemico,
536 Parla al fedel suo messaggiero Enrico:
LXVII
For he by faithful spial was assured,
That Egypt’s King was forward on his way,
And to arrive at Gaza old procured,
A fort that on the Syrian frontiers lay,
Nor thinks he that a man to wars inured
Will aught forslow, or in his journey stay,
For well he knew him for a dangerous foe:
An herald called he then, and spake him so:
LXVII
Since he had from reliable report,
Heard Egypt’s king was posted in the line
Of Gaza’s walls — a fine commanding fort,
Built to o’erawe the power of Palestine —
And scarce could deem that one, accustomed so
To deeds of bloodshed, would remain at rest.
Thinking in him to find a bitter foe,
His faithful herald, Henry, he addressed:
LXVIII.
Sovra una lieve saettía, tragitto
Vuo’ che tu faccia nella Greca terra.
Ivi giunger dovea (così m’ha scritto
540 Chi mai per uso in avvisar non erra)
Un giovine regal, d’animo invitto,
Ch’a farsi vien nostro compagno in guerra:
Prence è de’ Dani, e mena un grande stuolo
544 Sin dai paesi sottoposti al polo.
LXVIII
“A pinnace take thee swift as shaft from bow,
And speed thee, Henry, to the Greekish main,
There should arrive, as I by letters know
From one that never aught reports in vain,
A valiant youth in whom all virtues flow,
To help us this great conquest to obtain,
The Prince of Danes he is, and brings to war
A troop with him from under the Arctic star.
LXVIII
‘With all despatch, I want thee to repair,
In a light pinnace, to the coast of Greece,
Where should arrive (thus writes me one who ne’er
Errs in his judgment, or gives false advice),
A royal youth of most undaunted soul,
Who seeks to join us in our great emprise;
Prince of the Danes, from regions near the pole,
He leads a numerous band as our allies.
LXIX.
Ma perchè ‘l Greco Imperator fallace
Seco forse userà le solite arti,
Per far ch’o torni indietro, o ‘l corso audace
548 Torca in altre da noi lontane parti;
Tu, nunzio mio, tu, consiglier verace,
In mio nome il disponi a ciò che parti
Nostro e suo bene: e dì che tosto vegna;
552 Chè di lui fora ogni tardanza indegna.
LXIX
“And for I doubt the Greekish monarch sly
Will use with him some of his wonted craft,
To stay his passage, or divert awry
Elsewhere his forces, his first journey laft,
My herald good and messenger well try,
See that these succors be not us beraft,
But send him thence with such convenient speed
As with his honor stands and with our need.
LXIX
‘But, since the false Greek emperor may chance
On him to practise his accustomed arts,
To urge him back, or turn his bold advance,
Unto, from us remote, outlandish parts;
Do thou, my herald and adviser true,
Dispose him in my name, to that which may
Profit us both. Tell him to hasten too,
Since quite unworthy were the least delay.
LXX.
Non venir seco tu; ma resta appresso
Al Re de’ Greci a procurar l’ajuto;
Che già più d’una volta a noi promesso,
556 È per ragion di patto anco dovuto.
Così parla, e l’informa; e poichè ‘l messo
Le lettre ha di credenza, e di saluto;
Toglie, affrettando il suo partir, congedo:
LXX
“Return not thou, but Legier stay behind,
And move the Greekish Prince to send us aid,
Tell him his kingly promise doth him bind
To give us succors, by his covenant made.”
This said, and thus instruct, his letters signed
The trusty herald took, nor longer stayed,
But sped him thence to done his Lord’s behest,
And thus the Duke reduced his thoughts to rest.
LXX
‘Return thou not with him, but there remain
With the Greek monarch, to procure his aid,
Which he has promised o’er and o’er again,
And which is due by force of treaties made.’
Thus spoke and charged his envoy, who, at eve,
Soon as he had his lord’s credentials got,
Straight hastened his departure and took leave,
And wearied Godfrey made a truce with thought.
LXXI.
Il dì seguente, allor ch’aperte sono
Del lucido Oriente al Sol le porte,
Di trombe udissi, e di tamburi un suono,
564 Ond’al cammino ogni guerrier s’esorte.
Non è sì grato ai caldi giorni il tuono,
Che speranza di pioggia al mondo apporte,
Come fu caro alle feroci genti
568 L’altero suon de’ bellici instrumenti.
LXXI
Aurora bright her crystal gates unbarred,
And bridegroom-like forth stept the glorious sun,
When trumpets loud and clarions shrill were heard,
And every one to rouse him fierce begun,
Sweet music to each heart for war prepared,
The soldiers glad by heaps to harness run;
So if with drought endangered be their grain,
Poor ploughmen joy when thunders promise rain.
LXXI
The following mom, as soon as opened were
The lucid orient’s portals to the sun,
The crash of drums and trumpets shook the air,
And to the march urged every soldier on.
Less welcome far the sound, in summer’s heat,
Of rumbling thunder, big with hopes of rain,
Than was, to those stout-hearted legions, sweet
The haughty summons of that warlike strain.
LXXII.
Tosto ciascun, da gran desio compunto,
Veste le membra delle usate spoglie:
Jerusalem Delivered Page 159