Jerusalem Delivered Part 24

The matrons grave within their temples high To idols false for succors call and cry,

x.x.x "O Macon, break in twain the steeled lance On wicked G.o.dfrey with thy righteous hands, Against thy name he doth his arm advance, His rebel blood pour out upon these sands;"

These cries within his ears no enterance Could find, for naught he hears, naught understands.

While thus the town for her defence ordains, His armies G.o.dfrey ordereth on the plains;

x.x.xI His forces first on foot he forward brought, With goodly order, providence and art, And gainst these towers which to a.s.sail he thought, In battles twain his strength he doth depart, Between them crossbows stood, and engines wrought To cast a stone, a quarry, or a dart, From whence like thunder's dint or lightnings new Against the bulwark stones and lances flew.

x.x.xII His men at arms did back his bands on foot, The light horse ride far off and serve for wings, He gave the sign, so mighty was the rout Of those that shot with bows and cast with slings, Such storms of shafts and stones flew all about, That many a Pagan proud to death it brings, Some died, some at their loops durst scant outpeep, Some fled and left the place they took to keep.

x.x.xIII The hardy Frenchmen, full of heat and haste, Ran boldly forward to the ditches large, And o'er their heads an iron pentice vast They built, by joining many a s.h.i.+eld and targe, Some with their engines ceaseless shot and cast, And volleys huge of arrows sharp discharge, Upon the ditches some employed their pain To fill the moat and even it with the plain.

x.x.xIV With slime or mud the ditches were not soft, But dry and sandy, void of waters clear, Though large and deep the Christians fill them oft, With rubbish, f.a.gots, stones, and trees they bear: Adrastus first advanced his crest aloft, And boldly gan a strong scalado rear, And through the falling storm did upward climb Of stones, darts, arrows, fire, pitch and lime:

x.x.xV The hardy Switzer now so far was gone That half way up with mickle pain he got, A thousand weapons he sustained alone, And his audacious climbing ceased not; At last upon him fell a mighty stone, As from some engine great it had been shot, It broke his helm, he tumbled from the height, The strong Circa.s.sian cast that wondrous weight;

x.x.xVI Not mortal was the blow, yet with the fall On earth sore bruised the man lay in a swoon.

Argantes gan with boasting words to call, "Who cometh next? this first is tumbled down, Come, hardy soldiers, come, a.s.sault this wall, I will not shrink, nor fly, nor hide my crown, If in your trench yourselves for dread you hold, There shall you die like sheep killed in their fold."

x.x.xVII Thus boasted he; but in their trenches deep, The hidden squadrons kept themselves from scath, The curtain made of s.h.i.+elds did well off keep Both darts and shot, and scorned all their wrath.

But now the ram upon the rampiers steep, On mighty beams his head advanced hath, With dreadful horns of iron tough tree great, The walls and bulwarks trembled at his threat.

x.x.xVIII An hundred able men meanwhile let fall The weights behind, the engine tumbled down And battered flat the battlements and wall: So fell Taigetus hill on Sparta town, It crushed the steeled s.h.i.+eld in pieces small, And beat the helmet to the wearers' crown, And on the ruins of the walls and stones, Dispersed left their blood their brains and bones.

x.x.xIX The fierce a.s.sailants kept no longer close Undcr the shelter of their target fine, But their bold fronts to chance of war expose, And gainst those towers let their virtue s.h.i.+ne, The scaling ladders up to skies arose, The ground-works deep some closely undermine, The walls before the Frenchmen shrink and shake, And gaping sign of headlong falling make:

XL And fallen they had, so far the strength extends Of that fierce ram and his redoubted stroke, But that the Pagan's care the place defends And saved by warlike skill the wall nigh broke: For to what part soe'er the engine bends, Their sacks of wool they place the blow to choke, Whose yielding breaks the strokes thereon which light, So weakness oft subdues the greatest might.

XLI While thus the worthies of the western crew Maintained their brave a.s.sault and skirmish hot, Her mighty bow Clorinda often drew, And many a sharp and deadly arrow shot; And from her bow no steeled shaft there flew But that some blood the cursed engine got, Blood of some valiant knight or man of fame, For that proud shootress scorned weaker game.

XLII The first she hit among the Christian peers Was the bold son of England's n.o.ble king, Above the trench himself he scantly rears, But she an arrow loosed from the string, The wicked steel his gauntlet breaks and tears, And through his right hand thrust the piercing sting; Disabled thus from fight, he gan retire, Groaning for pain, but fretting more for ire.

XLIII Lord Stephen of Amboise on the ditch's brim, And on a ladder high, Clotharius died, From back to breast an arrow pierced him, The other was shot through from side to side: Then as he managed brave his courser trim, On his left arm he hit the Flemings' guide, He stopped, and from the wound the reed out-twined, But left the iron in his flesh behind.

XLIV As Ademare stood to behold the fight High on the bank, withdrawn to breathe a s.p.a.ce, A fatal shaft upon his forehead light, His hand he lifted up to feel the place, Whereon a second arrow chanced right, And nailed his hand unto his wounded face, He fell, and with his blood distained the land, His holy blood shed by a virgin's hand.

XLV While Palamede stood near the battlement, Despising perils all, and all mishap, And upward still his hardy footings bent, On his right eye he caught a deadly clap, Through his right eye Clorinda's seventh shaft went, And in his neck broke forth a b.l.o.o.d.y gap; He underneath that bulwark dying fell, Which late to scale and win he trusted well.

XLVI Thus shot the maid: the duke with hard a.s.say And sharp a.s.sault, meanwhile the town oppressed, Against that part which to his campward lay An engine huge and wondrous he addressed, A tower of wood built for the town's decay As high as were the walls and bulwarks best, A turret full of men and weapons pent, And yet on wheels it rolled, moved, and went.

XLVII This rolling fort his nigh approaches made, And darts and arrows spit against his foes, As s.h.i.+ps are wont in fight, so it a.s.sayed With the strong wall to grapple and to close, The Pagans on each side the piece invade, And all their force against this ma.s.s oppose, Sometimes the wheels, sometimes the battlement With timber, logs and stones, they broke and rent,

XLVIII So thick flew stones and darts, that no man sees The azure heavens, the sun his brightness lost, The clouds of weapons, like to swarms of bees, Move the air, and there each other crossed: And look how falling leaves drop down from trees, When the moist sap is nipped with timely frost, Or apples in strong winds from branches fall; The Saracens so tumbled from the wall.

XLIX For on their part the greatest slaughter light, They had no shelter gainst so sharp a shower, Some left on live betook themselves to flight, So feared they this deadly thundering tower: But Solyman stayed like a valiant knight, And some with him, that trusted in his power, Argantes with a long beech tree in hand, Ran thither, this huge engine to withstand:

L With this he pushed the tower, and back it drives The length of all his tree, a wondrous way, The hardy virgin by his side arrives, To help Argantes in this hard a.s.say: The band that used the ram, this season strives To cut the cords, wherein the woolpacks lay, Which done, the sacks down in the trenches fall, And to the battery naked left the wall.

LI The tower above, the ram beneath doth thunder, What lime and stone such puissance could abide?

The wall began, new bruised and crushed asunder, Her wounded lap to open broad and wide, G.o.dfrey himself and his brought safely under The shattered wall, where greatest breach he spied, Himself he saves behind his mighty targe, A s.h.i.+eld not used but in some desperate charge.

LII From hence he sees where Solyman descends, Down to the threshold of the gaping breach, And there it seems the mighty prince intends G.o.dfredo's hoped entrance to impeach: Argantes, and with him the maid, defends The walls above, to which the tower doth reach, His n.o.ble heart, when G.o.dfrey this beheld, With courage new with wrath and valor swelled.

LIII He turned about and to good Sigiere spake, Who bare his greatest s.h.i.+eld and mighty bow, "That sure and trusty target let me take, Impenetrable is that s.h.i.+eld I know, Over these ruins will I pa.s.sage make, And enter first, the way is eath and low, And time requires that by some n.o.ble feat I should make known my strength and puissance great."

LIV He scant had spoken, scant received the charge, When on his leg a sudden shaft him hit, And through that part a hole made wide and large, Where his strong sinews fastened were and knit.

Clorinda, thou this arrow didst discharge, And let the Pagans bless thy hand for it, For by that shot thou savedst them that day From bondage vile, from death and sure decay.

LV The wounded duke, as though he felt no pain, Still forward went, and mounted up the breach His high attempt at first he nould refrain, And after called his lords with cheerful speech; But when his leg could not his weight sustain, He saw his will did far his power outreach, And more he strove his grief increased the more, The bold a.s.sault he left at length therefore:

LVI And with his hand he beckoned Guelpho near, And said, "I must withdraw me to my tent, My place and person in mine absence bear, Supply my want, let not the fight relent, I go, and will ere long again be here; I go and straight return:" this said, he went, On a light steed he leaped, and o'er the green He rode, but rode not, as he thought, unseen.

LVII When G.o.dfrey parted, parted eke the heart, The strength and fortune of the Christian bands, Courage increased in their adverse part, Wrath in their hearts, and vigor in their hands: Valor, success, strength, hardiness and art, Failed in the princes of the western lands, Their swords were blunt, faint was their trumpet's blast, Their sun was set, or else with clouds o'ercast.

LVIII Upon the bulwarks now appeared bold That fearful band that late for dread was fled!

The women that Clorinda's strength behold, Their country's love to war encouraged, They weapons got, and fight like men they would, Their gowns tucked up, their locks were loose and spread, Sharp darts they cast, and without dread or fear, Exposed their b.r.e.a.s.t.s to save their fortress dear.

LIX But that which most dismayed the Christian knights, And added courage to the Pagans most, Was Guelpho's sudden fall in all men's sights, Who tumbled headlong down, his footing lost, A mighty stone upon the worthy lights, But whence it came none wist, nor from what coast; And with like blow, which more their hearts dismayed, Beside him low in dust old Raymond laid:

LX And Eustace eke within the ditches large, To narrow s.h.i.+fts and last extremes they drive, Upon their foes so fierce the Pagans charge, And with good-fortune so their blows they give, That whom they hit, in spite of helm or targe, They deeply wound, or else of life deprive.

At this their good success Argantes proud, Waxing more fell, thus roared and cried aloud:

LXI "This is not Antioch, nor the evening dark Can help your privy sleights with friendly shade, The sun yet s.h.i.+nes, your falsehood can we mark, In other wise this bold a.s.sault is made; Of praise and glory quenched is the spark That made you first these eastern lands invade, Why cease you now? why take you not this fort?

What! are you weary for a charge so short?"

LXII Thus raged he, and in such h.e.l.lish sort Increased the fury in the brain-sick knight, That he esteemed that large and ample fort Too strait a field, wherein to prove his might, There where the breach had framed a new-made port, Himself he placed, with nimble skips and light, He cleared the pa.s.sage out, and thus he cried To Solyman, that fought close by his side:

LXIII "Come, Solyman, the time and place behold, That of our valors well may judge the doubt, What sayest thou? amongst these Christians bold, First leap he forth that holds himself most stout:"

While thus his will the mighty champion told, Both Solyman and he at once leaped out, Fury the first provoked, disdain the last, Who scorned the challenge ere his lips it pa.s.sed.

LXIV Upon their foes unlooked-for they flew, Each spited other for his virtue's sake, So many soldiers this fierce couple slew, So many s.h.i.+elds they cleft and helms they break, So many ladders to the earth they threw, That well they seemed a mount thereof to make, Or else some vamure fit to save the town, Instead of that the Christians late beat down.

LXV The folk that strove with rage and haste before Who first the wall and rampire should ascend, Retire, and for that honor strive no more, Scantly they could their limbs and lives defend, They fled, their engines lost the Pagans tore In pieces small, their rams to naught they rend, And all unfit for further service make With so great force and rage their beams they brake.

LXVI The Pagans ran transported with their ire, Now here, now there, and woful slaughters wrought, At last they called for devouring fire, Two burning pines against the tower they brought, So from the palace of their h.e.l.lish sire, When all this world they would consume to naught, The fury sisters come with fire in hands, Shaking their snaky locks and sparkling brands:

LXVII But n.o.ble Tancred, who this while applied Grave exhortations to his bold Latines, When of these knights the wondrous acts he spied, And saw the champions with their burning pines, He left his talk, and thither forthwith hied, To stop the rage of those fell Saracines.

And with such force the fight he there renewed, That now they fled and lost who late pursued.

LXVIII Thus changed the state and fortune of the fray, Meanwhile the wounded duke, in grief and teen, Within his great pavilion rich and gay, Good Sigiere and Baldwin stood between; His other friends whom his mishap dismay, With grief and tears about a.s.sembled been: He strove in haste the weapon out to wind, And broke the reed, but left the head behind.

LXIX He bade them take the speediest way they might, Of that unlucky hurt to make him sound, And to lay ope the depth thereof to sight, He willed them open, search and lance the wound, "Send me again," quoth he, "to end this fight, Before the sun be sunken under ground;"

And leaning on a broken spear, he thrust His leg straight out, to him that cure it must.

LXX Erotimus, born on the banks of Po, Was he that undertook to cure the knight, All what green herbs or waters pure could do, He knew their power, their virtue, and their might, A n.o.ble poet was the man also, But in this science had a more delight, He could restore to health death-wounded men, And make their names immortal with his pen.

LXXI The mighty duke yet never changed cheer, But grieved to see his friends lamenting stand; The leech prepared his cloths and cleansing gear, And with a belt his gown about him band, Now with his herbs the steely head to tear Out of the flesh he proved, now with his hand, Now with his hand, now with his instrument He shaked and plucked it, yet not forth it went.

LXXII His labor vain, his art prevailed naught, His luck was ill, although his skill were good, To such extremes the wounded prince he brought, That with fell pain he swooned as he stood: But the angel pure, that kept him, went and sought Divine dictamnum, out of Ida wood, This herb is rough, and bears a purple flower, And in his budding leaves lies all his power.