At unawares thus thundered in his ear:
VII
At length, when buried in Cimmerian gloom
Of deepest night, all things were calm around,
And he too, by exhaustion overcome,
In Lethe had his carking troubles drowned,
And, in a brief and fitful sleep, composed
His heavy limbs and eyes, — in tones severe
A voice, even while the wearied warrior dozed
And caught some rest, thus thundered in his ear:
VIII.
Soliman Solimano, i tuoi sì lenti
Riposi a miglior tempo omai riserva;
Chè sotto il giogo di straniere genti
60 La patria, ove regnasti, ancor è serva.
In questa terra dormi, e non rammenti
Ch’insepolte de’ tuoi l’ossa conserva?
Ove sì gran vestigio è del tuo scorno,
64 Tu, neghittoso, aspetti il novo giorno?
VIII
“O Solyman! thou far-renowned king,
Till better season serve, forbear thy rest;
A stranger doth thy lands in thraldom bring,
Nice is a slave, by Christian yoke oppressed;
Sleepest thou here, forgetful of this thing,
That here thy friends lie slain, not laid in chest,
Whose bones bear witness of thy shame and scorn!
And wilt thou idly here attend the morn?”
VIII
‘O Solymano, for a happier hour
And fitter time, thy slothful slumbers save,
Since, ‘neath the yoke of the accursed Giaour,
The land, once ruled by thee, is still a slave.
Canst on this earth repose thy sluggard head,
While here such marks of thy disgrace, remain?
While blanch the bones of thy unburied dead,
Canst idly wait till mom return again?’
IX.
Desto il Soldano, alza lo sguardo e vede
Uom che d’età gravissima ai sembianti,
Col ritorto baston, del vecchio piede
68 Ferma e dirizza le vestigia erranti.
E chi sei tu (sdegnoso a lui richiede)
Che, fantasma importuno ai viandanti,
Rompi i brevi lor sonni? e chè s’aspetta
72 A te la mia vergogna, o la vendetta?
IX
The king awoke, and saw before his eyes
A man whose presence seemed grave and old,
A writhen staff his steps unstable guies,
Which served his feeble members to uphold.
“And what art thou?” the prince in scorn replies,
“What sprite to vex poor passengers so bold,
To break their sleep? or what to thee belongs
My shame, my loss, my vengeance or my wrongs.”
IX
Awaked, the soldan lifts his eyes, and sees
One with appearance of extreme old age,
With a curved staff support his tottering knees
And guide his steps, and asks him in his rage:
‘What wantest here? and tell me who art thou,
Intrusive spirit, that has dared to break
The brief repose of travellers? and how
Can my revenge or shame thy interest wake?’
X.
Io mi son’un (risponde il vecchio) al quale
In parte è noto il tuo novel disegno:
E siccome uom, a cui di te più cale
76 Che tu forse non pensi, a te ne vegno.
Nè il mordace parlare indarno è tale:
Perchè della virtù cote è lo sdegno.
Prendi in grado, Signor, che ‘l mio sermone
80 Al tuo pronto valor sia sferza e sprone.
X
“I am the man of thine intent,” quoth he,
“And purpose new that sure conjecture hath,
And better than thou weenest know I thee:
I proffer thee my service and my faith.
My speeches therefore sharp and biting be,
Because quick words the whetstones are of wrath, —
Accept in gree, my lord, the words I spoke,
As spurs thine ire and courage to provoke.
X
‘I,’ said the hoary sage, ‘am one, to whom
Is known, at least in part, thy new design;
And, as a friend more careful of thee, come,
Than in thy ignorance thou mayst opine.
Nor idle are the biting truths I preach,
Since wrath is valour’s whetstone; whence, good sir,
Kindly receive these words, and let my speech
Act on thy ready heart as whip and spur.
XI.
Or perchè, s’io m’appongo, esser dee volto
Al gran Re dell’Egitto il tuo cammino;
Che inutilmente aspro viaggio tolto
84 Avrai, s’innanzi segui, io m’indovino:
Chè sebben tu non vai, fia tosto accolto
E tosto mosso il campo Saracino:
Nè loco è là dove s’impieghi e mostri
88 La tua virtù contra i nemici nostri.
XI
“But now to visit Egypt’s mighty king,
Unless my judgment fall, you are prepared,
I prophesy, about a needless thing
You suffer shall a voyage long and hard:
For though you stay, the monarch great will bring
His new assembled host to Juda-ward,
No place of service there, no cause of fight,
Nor gainst our foes to use your force and might.
XI
‘As, then, thy steps, if I judge right, are bent
Toward Egypt’s mighty monarch, I forebode
A rough and useless journey, if intent,
Thou still persistest to pursue that road.
The Saracens, ev’n if thou shouldst not go,
Will soon collect, and march to their allies;
Nor place is there, where to employ or show
Thy valour ‘gainst our common enemies.
XII.
Ma se in duce me prendi, entro a quel muro
Che dall’armi Latine è intorno astretto,
Nel più chiaro del dì porti sicuro,
92 Senza che spada impugni, io ti prometto.
Quivi con l’arme e co’ disagj un duro
Contrasto aver ti fia gloria e diletto:
Difenderai la terra, insin che giugna
96 L’oste d’Egitto a rinnovar la pugna.
XII
“But if you follow me, within this wall
With Christian arms hemmed in on every side,
Withouten battle, fight, or stroke at all,
Even at noonday, I will you safely guide,
Where you delight, rejoice, and glory shall
In perils great to see your prowess tried.
That noble town you may preserve and shield,
Till Egypt’s host come to renew the field.”
XII
‘But if thou’lt follow me, I pledge my word
To lead thee safely, in the broad day light
(Nor wilt thou have occasion for thy sword),
Within those walls, now girt; by Latin might;
There thou mayst reap the glory and delight
Of struggles gainst discomforts and the Giaours,
And Salem hold till, to renew the fight,
The Egyptian army joins its force with ours,’
XIII.
Mentre ei ragiona ancor, gli occhj e la voce
Dell’uomo antico il fero Turco ammira;
E dal volto, e dall’animo feroce
100 Tutto depone omai l’orgoglio e l’ira.
Padre, risponde, io già pronto e veloce
Sono a seguirti: ove tu vuoi mi gira.
A me sempre miglior parrà il consiglio,
104 Ove ha più di fatica e di periglio.
XIII
While thus he parleyed, of this
aged guest
The Turk the words and looks did both admire,
And from his haughty eyes and furious breast
He laid apart his pride, his rage and ire,
And humbly said, “I willing am and prest
To follow where thou leadest, reverend sire,
And that advice best fits my angry vein
That tells of greatest peril, greatest pain.”
XIII
The Turk could not, though angry, fail to admire
The old man’s eyes and voice, as thus he spoke,
And cast away all trace of pride and ire
From his intolerant thoughts and savage look.
‘Ready,’ he said, ‘to follow thy behest
Am I, O father, nor will e’er recoil;
And that advice to me will seem the best
Which greatest risks combines with greatest toil.’
XIV.
Loda il vecchio i suoi detti: e perchè l’aura
Notturna avea le piaghe incrudelite,
Un suo licor v’instilla, onde ristaura
108 Le forze, e salda il sangue e le ferite.
Quinci veggendo omai ch’Apollo inaura
Le rose che l’Aurora ha colorite;
Tempo è, disse, al partir; chè già ne scopre
112 Le strade il Sol ch’altrui richiama all’opre.
XIV
The old man praised his words, and for the air
His late received wounds to worse disposes,
A quintessence therein he poured fair,
That stops the bleeding, and incision closes:
Beholding then before Apollo’s chair
How fresh Aurora violets strewed and roses,
“It’s time,” he says, “to wend, for Titan bright
To wonted labor summons every wight.”
XIV
The sage approved; and since his wounds were chilled
By the night breeze, which rankled them still more,
In them a sovran balsam he instilled,
To staunch the blood, and his lost strength restore;
When, seeing Apollo light with gold the roses,
Already blushing from Aurora’s hues:
“Tis time to leave; the sun our path discloses,
And the world calls to its diurnal dues.’
XV.
E sovra un carro suo, che non lontano
Quinci attendea, col fier Niceno ei siede:
Le briglie allenta, e con maestra mano
116 Ambo i corsieri alternamente fiede.
Quei vanno sì, che ‘l polveroso piano
Non ritien della ruota orma, o del piede.
Fumar gli vedi, ed anelar nel corso,
120 E tutto biancheggiar di spuma il morso.
XV
And to a chariot, that beside did stand,
Ascended he, and with him Solyman,
He took the reins, and with a mastering hand
Ruled his steeds, and whipped them now and than,
The wheels or horses’ feet upon the land
Had left no sign nor token where they ran,
The coursers pant and smoke with lukewarm sweat
And, foaming cream, their iron mouthfuls eat.
XV
To his chariot, then, which waited his command,
He with the fierce Nicæan straight proceeds;
Mounts, slacks the reins, and with a master hand
Lashes alternately the snorting steeds,
Who fly so swiftly that the dusty plain
No trace preserves of hoof or glowing wheel.
Away, away! — they smoke, they pant, they strain,
Blanching with flecks of foam the burnished steel.
XVI.
Maraviglie dirò: s’aduna e stringe
L’aer d’intorno, in nuvolo raccolto,
Sicchè ‘l gran carro ne ricopre e cinge;
124 Ma non appar la nube o poco o molto:
Nè sasso, che mural machina spinge,
Penetreria per lo suo chiuso e folto:
Ben veder ponno i duo’ dal curvo seno
128 La nebbia intorno, e fuori il Ciel sereno.
XVI
The air about them round, a wondrous thing,
Itself on heaps in solid thickness drew,
The chariot hiding and environing,
The subtle mist no mortal eye could view;
And yet no stone from engine cast or sling
Could pierce the cloud, it was of proof so true;
Yet seen it was to them within which ride,
And heaven and earth without, all clear beside.
XVI
I will tell marvels: The surrounding air
Was gathered and embodied in a shroud,
Veiling the enchanted chariot, altho’ there
Appeared not ev’n the vestige of a cloud;
Yet rocks could not have pierced its density,
When launched from war’s most powerful machine;
Still from its deep recess they both could see
Around the cloud, beyond the sky serene.
XVII.
Stupido il cavalier le ciglia inarca,
Ed increspa la fronte, e mira fiso
La nube, e ‘l carro ch’ogni intoppo varca
132 Veloce sì, che di volar gli è avviso.
L’altro, che di stupor l’anima carca
Gli scorge all’atto dell’immobil viso,
Gli rompe quel silenzio, e lui rappella;
136 Ond’ei si scuote, e poi così favella:
XVII
His beetle brows the Turk amazed bent,
He wrinkled up his front, and wildly stared
Upon the cloud and chariot as it went,
For speed to Cynthia’s car right well compared:
The other seeing his astonishment
How he bewondered was, and how he fared,
All suddenly by name the prince gan call,
By which awaked thus he spoke withal:
XVII
The warrior gazed in mute bewilderment,
With brow contracted and uplifted eye,
At cloud and car, which all impediment
So swiftly passed that they appeared to fly.
The sage, who, by his fixed, yet vacant stare,
Perceived his stupor, the dead silence broke,
Calling the prince from his abstracted air,
Who with an effort roused himself, and spoke:
XVIII.
O chiunque tu sia che, fuor d’ogni uso,
Pieghi natura ad opre altere e strane:
E spiando i secreti, entro al più chiuso
140 Spazi a tua voglia delle menti umane;
S’arrivi col saper, ch’è d’alto infuso,
Alle cose remote anco e lontane;
Deh dimmi, qual riposo o qual ruina
144 Ai gran moti dell’Asia il Ciel destina?
XVIII
“Whoe’er thou art above all worldly wit
That hast these high and wondrous marvels brought,
And know’st the deep intents which hidden sit
In secret closet of man’s private thought,
If in thy skilful heart this lot be writ,
To tell the event of things to end unbrought;
Then say, what issue and what ends the stars
Allot to Asia’s troubles, broils and wars.
XVIII
‘Whoe’er thou art, that, passing mortal skill,
To strange unearthly use doth Nature bind,
And, secrets scanning, rangest at thy will
Thro’ the most dark recesses of the mind;
If, with the knowledge that thy God bestows,
Thou canst things hidden and remote foresee,
Ah, tell me, pray, amid her mighty throes,
Is peace or ruin Asia’s destiny?
XIX.
Ma pria dimmi il tuo nome, e con qual arte
Far cose tu sì inusitate soglia:
Chè se pr
ia lo stupor da me non parte,
148 Com’esser può ch’io gli altri detti accoglia?
Sorrise il vecchio, e disse: in una parte
Mi sarà leve l’adempir tua voglia.
Son detto Ismeno, e i Siri appellan Mago
152 Me, che dell’arti incognite son vago.
XIX
“But tell me first thy name, and by what art
Thou dost these wonders strange, above our skill;
For full of marvel is my troubled heart,
Tell then and leave me not amazed still.”
The wizard smiled and answered, “In some part
Easy it is to satisfy thy will,
Ismen I hight, called an enchanter great,
Such skill have I in magic’s secret feat;
XIX
‘But first reveal thy name, and by what art
Thou doest things that mortal powers transcend;
But if this stupor does not first depart,
How to thy other words can I attend?’
The old man smiled: ‘In one part not at all
’Tis hard to gratify thy wish. I am hight
Ismeno, and the Syrian people call
Me wizard, since those arts are my delight.
XX.
Ma ch’io scopra il futuro, e ch’io dispieghi
Dell’occulto destin gli eterni annali,
Troppo audace è il desio, troppo alti preghi:
156 Non è tanto concesso a noi mortali.
Ciascun, qua giù, le forze e ‘l senno impieghi
Per avanzar fra le sciagure e i mali:
Chè sovente addivien che ‘l saggio e ‘l forte
160 Fabbro a se stesso è di beata sorte.
XX
“But that I should the sure events unfold
Of things to come, or destinies foretell,
Too rash is your desire, your wish too bold,
To mortal heart such knowledge never fell;
Our wit and strength on us bestowed I hold,
To shun the evils and harms, mongst which we dwell,
They make their fortune who are stout and wise,
Wit rules the heavens, discretion guides the skies.
XX
‘But to unveil the future, and unfold
The eternal records of hid Destiny,
Is aim too lofty and desire too bold,
Nor is such granted to mortality;
To face misfortune and contend ‘gainst wrong,
Let each employ his head and hands, since not
Unoft it happens that the wise and strong
Jerusalem Delivered Page 221