XVIII. Now my Cid knew the evil disposition of the King towards him,
and when he received his bidding, he made answer that he would meet him
between Burgos and Bivar. And the King went out from Burgos and came
nigh unto Bivar; and the Cid came up to him and would have kissed his
hand, but the King withheld it, and said angrily unto him, Ruydiez,
quit my land. Then the Cid clapt spurs to the mule upon which he rode,
and vaulted into a piece of ground which was his own inheritance, and
answered, Sir, I am not in your land, but in my own. And the King
replied full wrathfully, Go out of my kingdoms without any delay. And
the Cid made answer, Give me then thirty days time, as is the right of
the hidalgos; and the King said he would not, but that if he were not
gone in nine days time he would come and look for him. The Counts were
well pleased at this; but all the people of the land were sorrowful.
And then the King and the Cid parted. And the Cid sent for all his
friends and his kinsmen and vassals, and told them how King Don Alfonso
had banished him from the land, and asked of them who would follow him
into banishment, and who would remain at home. Then Alvar Fañez, who
was his cousin-german, came forward and said, Cid, we will all go with
you, through desert and through peopled country, and never fail you. In
your service will we spend our mules and horses, our wealth and our
garments, and ever while we live be unto you loyal friends and vassals.
And they all confirmed what Alvar Fañez had said; and the Cid thanked
them for their love, and said that there might come a time in which he
should guerdon them.
XIX. And as he was about to depart he looked back upon his own home,
and when he saw his hall deserted, the household chests unfastened, the
doors open, no cloaks hanging up, no seats in the porch, no hawks upon
the perches, the tears came into his eyes, and he said, My enemies have
done this ... God be praised for all things. And he turned toward the
East and knelt and said, Holy Mary Mother, and all Saints, pray to God
for me, that he may give me strength to destroy all the Pagans, and to
win enough from them to requite my friends therewith, and all those who
follow and help me. Then he called for Alvar Fañez and said unto him,
Cousin, the poor have no part in the wrong which the King hath done us;
see now that no wrong be done unto them along our road: and he called
for his horse. And then an old woman who was standing at her door said,
Go in a lucky minute, and make spoil of whatever you wish. And with
this proverb he rode on, saying, Friends, by God's good pleasure we
shall return to Castilla with great honour and great gain. And as they
went out from Bivar they had a crow on their right hand, and when they
came to Burgos they had a crow on the left.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account