Carve for themselves the best and happiest lot.
XXI.
Tu, questa destra invitta, a cui fia poco
Scuoter le forze del Francese impero,
Non che munir, non che guardar il loco
164 Che strettamente oppugna il popol fero,
Contra l’arme apparecchia, e contra ‘l foco:
Osa, soffri, confida; io bene spero.
Ma pur dirò, perchè piacer ti debbia,
168 Ciò ch’oscuro vegg’io, quasi per nebbia.
XXI
“That puissant arm of thine that well can rend
From Godfrey’s brow the new usurped crown,
And not alone protect, save and defend
From his fierce people, this besieged town,
Gainst fire and sword with strength and courage bend,
Adventure, suffer, trust, tread perils down,
And to content, and to encourage thee,
Know this, which as I in a cloud foresee:
XXI
‘Thy unconquered arm (to which it easy were
To shake the straggling forces of the West,
Much more to guard the strong position where
Their ruthless legions Salem’s walls invest)
Prepare ‘gainst fire — prepare, I say, ‘gainst arms
Dare, suffer, trust — my hope is great; but thee
I now will tell what should possess great charms,
And which, obscurely, as thro’ clouds I see.
XXII.
Veggio, o parmi vedere, anzi che lustri
Molti rivolga il gran pianeta eterno,
Uom che l’Asia ornerà co’ fatti illustri,
172 E del fecondo Egitto avrà il governo.
Taccio i pregj dell’ozio, e l’arti industri,
Mille virtù, che non ben tutte io scerno:
Basti sol questo a te, che da lui scosse
176 Non pur saranno le Cristiane posse;
XXII
“I guess, before the over-gliding sun
Shall many years mete out by weeks and days,
A prince that shall in fertile Egypt won,
Shall fill all Asia with his prosperous frays,
I speak not of his acts in quiet done,
His policy, his rule, his wisdom’s praise,
Let this suffice, by him these Christians shall
In fight subdued fly, and conquered fall.
XXII
‘I see, or seem to see, before me borne,
Ere yonder sun thro’ many lustres roll,
One that will Asia with bright deeds adorn,
And fruitful Egypt ‘neath his sway control.
I pass in silence, since I scarce can see,
The charms of peaceful arts and leisure hours,
And all his virtues; but enough for thee
That he’ll not only shake the Christian powers,
XXIII.
Ma insin dal fondo suo l’imperio ingiusto
Svelto sarà nell’ultime contese;
E le afflitte reliquie entro un angusto
180 Giro sospinte, e sol dal mar difese.
Questi fia del tuo sangue; e quì il vetusto
Mago si tacque: e quegli a dir riprese:
O lui felice eletto a tanta lode!
184 E parte ne l’invidia, e parte gode.
XXIII
“And their great empire and usurped state
Shall overthrown in dust and ashes lie,
Their woful remnant in an angle strait
Compassed with sea themselves shall fortify,
From thee shall spring this lord of war and fate.”
Whereto great Solyman gan thus reply:
“O happy man to so great praise ybore!”
Thus he rejoiced, but yet envied more;
XXIII
‘But, in his last proud triumph, from its base
Will hurl the fabric of their rule unjust,
And the sad remnant to a narrow place,
Alone defended by the ocean, thrust
He of thy blood will be.’ Here ceased the sage,
And the other said: ‘O happy, whom Fate’s voice
Selects for such a glorious heritage’ —
And tho’ he envies, inly doth rejoice.
XXIV.
Soggiunse poi: girisi pur Fortuna
O buona o rea, come è là su prescritto:
Chè non ha sovra me ragione alcuna,
188 E non mi vedrà mai se non invitto.
Prima dal corso distornar la Luna
E le stelle potrà, che dal diritto
Torcere un sol mio passo: e in questo dire
192 Sfavillò tutto di focoso ardire.
XXIV
And said, “Let chance with good or bad aspect
Upon me look as sacred Heaven’s decree,
This heart to her I never will subject,
Nor ever conquered shall she look on me;
The moon her chariot shall awry direct
Ere from this course I will diverted be.”
While thus he spake, it seemed he breathed fire,
So fierce his courage was, so hot his ire.
XXIV
Adding: ‘Let Fortune change, or good or ill,
As is predestined by divine decree,
No power has she to thwart my resolute will,
Nor me, shall ever but undaunted, see;
The moon and stars shall first their course forsake
Ere I one step from what is just and right
Swerve in the least.’ As thus the soldan spake,
His eye-balls Hashed with more than mortal light.
XXV.
Così gir ragionando, insin che furo
Là ‘ve presso vedean le tende alzarse:
Che spettacolo fu crudele e duro!
196 In quante forme ivi la morte apparse!
Si fè negli occhj allor torbido e scuro,
E di doglia il Soldano il volto sparse.
Ahi con quanto dispregio ivi le degne
200 Mirò giacer sue già temute insegne!
XXV
Thus talked they, till they arrived been
Nigh to the place where Godfrey’s tents were reared,
There was a woful spectacle yseen,
Death in a thousand ugly forms appeared,
The Soldan changed hue for grief and teen,
On that sad book his shame and loss he lead,
Ah, with what grief his men, his friends he found;
And standards proud, inglorious lie on ground!
XXV
Thus on they went conversing, till they were
Nigh where they saw the Frank pavilions rise.
Ah, cruel spectacle, and hard to bear!
Ah, in what various forms Death met their eyes!
With gloom and anger the fierce soldan’s swelled;
His face grew woe-begone, as, deeply sighing,
In abject degradation he beheld
Upon the ground his once-feared standards lying,
XXVI.
E scorrer lieti i Franchi, e i petti e i volti
Spesso calcar de’ suoi più noti amici:
E, con fasto superbo, agl’insepolti
204 L’arme spogliare e gli abiti infelici:
Molti onorare in lunga pompa accolti
Gli amati corpi degli estremi uficj:
Altri soppor le fiamme, e ‘l volgo misto
208 D’Arabi e Turchi, a un foco arder ha visto.
XXVI
And saw one visage of some well-known friend.
In foul despite, a rascal Frenchman tread,
And there another ragged peasant rend
The arms and garments from some champion dead,
And there with stately pomp by heaps they wend,
And Christians slain roll up in webs of lead;
Lastly the Turks and slain Arabians, brought
On heaps, he saw them burn with fire to naught.
XXVI
And
scouring o’er it, Franks, exulting, tread
Upon the face and breast of some known friend,
And scornfully from the unburied dead
Their armour and ill-fated vestments rend;
O’er their departed comrades some convene
To pay the last sad rites — some carry fire —
And here an intermingled crowd is seen
Of Turks and Arabs feed one common pyre.
XXVII.
Sospirò dal profondo, e ‘l ferro trasse,
E dal carro lanciossi, e correr volle;
Ma il vecchio incantatore a se il ritrasse
212 Sgridando, e raffrenò l’impeto folle.
E fatto che di novo ei rimontasse,
Drizzò il suo corso al più sublime colle.
Così alquanto n’andaro, insin ch’a tergo
216 Lasciar de’ Franchi il militare albergo.
XXVII
Deeply he sighed, and with naked sword
Out of the coach he leaped in the mire,
But Ismen called again the angry lord,
And with grave words appeased his foolish ire.
The prince content remounted at his sword,
Toward a hill on drove the aged sire,
And hasting forward up the bank they pass,
Till far behind the Christian leaguer was.
XXVII
Deeply he sighed, and, burning for the attack,
Sprang from the chariot with uplifted blade;
But the old wizard caught and drew him back,
And, having chid his mad resolve, and made
Him mount the car again, his course inclined
To where the mountain rears its lofty flanks.
Thus for a time they journeyed, till behind
They left the entire encampment of the Franks.
XXVIII.
Smontaro allor del carro, e quel repente
Sparve, e presono a piedi insieme il calle
Nella solita nube occultamente,
220 Discendendo a sinistra in una valle;
Sinchè giunsero là, dove al Ponente
L’alto monte Sion volge le spalle.
Quivi si ferma il Mago, e poi s’accosta
224 (Quasi mirando) alla scoscesa costa.
XXVIII
There they alight and took their way on foot,
The empty chariot vanished out of sight,
Yet still the cloud environed them about.
At their left hand down went they from the height
Of Sion’s Hill, till they approached the route
On that side where to west he looketh right,
There Ismen stayed, and his eyesight bent
Upon the bushy rocks, and thither went.
XXVIII
They then alighted from the magic car,
Which vanished; but, still screened beneath the veil
Of the same cloud, on foot the adventurous pair
Leftwards descended thro’ a lonely vale,
Until they reached a spot where, towards the west, (7)
Majestic Sion turns her shoulders; here
The wizard halted, and, as if in quest
Of something hid, the beetling steep drew near.
XXIX.
Cava grotta s’apria nel duro sasso,
Di lunghissimi tempi avanti fatta;
Ma, disusando, or riturato il passo
228 Era tra i pruni e l’erbe ove s’appiatta.
Sgombra il Mago gl’intoppi, e curvo e basso
Per l’angusto sentiero a gir s’adatta:
E l’una man precede, e ‘l varco tenta,
232 L’altra per guida al Principe appresenta.
XXIX
A hollow cave was in the craggy stone,
Wrought out by hand a number years tofore,
And for of long that way had walked none,
The vault was hid with plants and bushes hoar,
The wizard stooping in thereat to gone,
The thorns aside and scratching brambles bore,
His right hand sought the passage through the cleft,
And for his guide he gave the prince his left:
XXIX
In the hard rock a hollow cavern oped,
Wrought in the mountain centuries before;
But from disuse the aperture was stopped
By briars and brambles which concealed the door.
The wizard cleared the way, and, stooping low,
With body suited to the passage, tried,
One hand being pilot, through the pass to go,
And to the prince the other gave as guide.
XXX.
Dice allora il Soldan: qual via furtiva
È questa tua, dove convien ch’io vada?
Altra forse miglior io me n’apriva,
236 Se ‘l concedevi tu, con la mia spada.
Non sdegnar, gli risponde, anima schiva,
Premer col forte piè la buja strada;
Chè già solea calcarla il grande Erode,
240 Quel c’ha nell’armi ancor sì chiara lode.
XXX
“What,” quoth the Soldan, “by what privy mine,
What hidden vault behoves it me to creep?
This sword can find a better way than thine,
Although our foes the passage guard and keep.”
“Let not,” quoth he, “thy princely foot repine
To tread this secret path, though dark and deep;
For great King Herod used to tread the same,
He that in arms had whilom so great fame.
XXX
Outspake the soldan then: ‘What! thither grope?
What end can this thy furtive path afford?
Other, it may be, better I could ope,
By thy permission, with my trusty sword,’
‘Disdain not thou, fastidious soul,’ he said,
‘Brave tho’ thou be, to pass these darksome ways;
Since mighty Herod here was wont to tread,
Whose feats in arms are still the theme of praise.
XXXI.
Cavò questa spelonca, allor che porre
Volse freno ai soggetti, il Re ch’io dico:
E per essa potea, da quella torre
244 Ch’egli Antonia appellò dal chiaro amico,
Invisibile a tutti il piè raccorre
Dentro la soglia del gran tempio antico:
E quindi occulto uscir della Cittate,
248 E trarne ed introdur genti celate.
XXXI
“This passage made he, when he would suppress
His subjects’ pride, and them in bondage hold;
By this he could from that small forteress
Antonia called, of Antony the bold,
Convey his folk unseen of more and less
Even to the middest of the temple old,
Thence, hither; where these privy ways begin,
And bring unseen whole armies out and in.
XXXI
‘The king of whom I speak this cavern framed,
‘ When the unruly Jews he would restrain,
And thro’ it, by that lofty turret, named,
From his great friend, Antonia, he could gain
A secure entrance, visible to none,
Into the massive venerable fane;
From thence escape in secret from the town,
Lead squadrons out and bring them back again.
XXXII.
Ma nota è questa via solinga e bruna
Or solo a me degli uomini viventi.
Per questa andremo al loco, ove raguna
252 I più saggj a consiglio e i più potenti
Il Re, ch’al minacciar della fortuna,
Più forse che non dee, par che paventi.
Ben tu giungi a grand’uopo: ascolta, e taci;
256 Poi muovi a tempo le parole audaci.
XXXII
“But now saye I in all this world lives none
That knows the secret of this darksome place,
Come then where Aladine sits on his throne,
With lords and princes set about his grace;
He feareth more than fitteth such an one,
Such signs of doubt show in his cheer and face;
Fitly you come, hear, see, and keep you still,
Till time and season serve, then speak your fill.”
XXXII
‘But to myself, alone of living men,
This dark and solitary path is known;
We will pass through its secret windings then,
To where the king has gathered round his throne
His wisest councillors. He seems to fear,
More than perhaps he should, the frowns of fate;
Much needed wilt thou come. In silence hear,
Then, at the fitting time — expostulate.’
XXXIII.
Così gli disse; e ‘l cavaliero allotta
Col gran corpo ingombrò l’umil caverna:
E per le vie, dove mai sempre annotta,
260 Seguì colui che ‘l suo cammin governa.
Chini pria se n’andar; ma quella grotta
Più si dilata, quanto più s’interna;
Sicchè asceser con agio, e tosto furo
264 A mezzo quasi di quell’antro oscuro.
XXXIII
This said, that narrow entrance passed the knight,
So creeps a camel through a needle’s eye,
And through the ways as black as darkest night
He followed him that did him rule and guie;
Strait was the way at first, withouten light,
But further in, did further amplify;
So that upright walked at ease the men
Ere they had passed half that secret den,
XXXIII
With his huge frame, as thus he spoke, the knight
Blocked up the low-roofed cave, and fearless sped
Thro’ paths obscured by never-ending night,
Following the wizard wheresoe’er he led.
At first they stooped, but as the little grot
Expanded more the farther they went on,
They mounted with facility and got
To the dark cavern’s centre; whereupon
XXXIV.
Apriva allora un picciol uscio Ismeno,
E se ne gían per disusata scala,
A cui luce mal certo e mal sereno
268 L’aere che giù d’alto spiraglio cala.
In sotterraneo chiostro alfin venieno,
E salian quindi in chiara e nobil sala.
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