E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland, Turgut Dincer, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) LA CHANSON DE ROLAND Translated from the Seventh Edition of Leon Gautier, Professor at the Ecole des Chartes, Paris. by LEONCE RABILLON, Licencie en droit, Paris University, French Lecturer at Johns Hopkins University. New York Henry Holt and Company 1885 Copyright, 1885 by Henry Holt & Co. W. L. Mershon & Co., Printers and Electrotypers, Rahway, N. J. TO DANIEL C. GILMAN, _President of Johns Hopkins University_, _THIS TRANSLATION_ _IS MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED._ PREFACE. Several years ago, the maker of this version translated into French one of the early works of H. W. Longfellow. This circumstance was not forgotten by the American poet who kindly consented to listen to this new attempt at rendering into English the "CHANSON DE ROLAND." To his encouragement is due the present publication. The writer will ever proudly treasure up the remembrance of his friendly welcome and counsel.... * * * * * The translator has followed, as literally as possible, the text of the Oxford MS., as revised by Leon Gautier. The parts inclosed in parentheses are interpolations of the learned Professor. This revised text should be kept in hand by the English reader for comparison with the original, which is nine centuries old. The translator may thus be more likely to obtain the indulgence of the reader for the quaint representation, in a modern language, of the coloring of this most ancient poem. The orthography of all the names, as well as their prosodic accent, has been preserved in their ancient form; and accordingly, an index has been appended to the work. The seventh edition of Leon Gautier's "CHANSON DE ROLAND," contains a vast amount of explanatory notes, grammatical and historical, to which the reader is referred. HISTORY OF THE POEM. On the 15th of August, 778, in a little Pyrenean Valley, still known in our days by the name of Ronceval, a terrible event took place. Charlemagne, returning from his expedition to Spain, crossed that valley and the Pyrenees, leaving his rear-guard in command of Roland, Prefect of the Marches of Brittany. His main army had passed unmolested; but at the moment when the rear-guard advanced into the defiles of the mountain, thousands of Gascons rushed from their ambush, fell upon the French army and slaughtered the whole guard to the last man. So perished Roland.