Of this thy servant, chosen in thy sight! Be thou his counsellor, his comforter, His hope, his joy, his refuge, and his strength; Crown him with justice, and with fortitude, Defend him with thine all-sufficient shield, Surround him every where with the right hand Of thine all-present power, and with the might Of thine omnipotence, send in his aid Thy unseen Angels forth, that potently And royally against all enemies He may endure and triumph! Bless the land O’er which he is appointed: bless thou it With the waters of the firmament, the springs Of the low-lying deep, the fruits which Sun And Moon mature for man, the precious stores Of the eternal hills, and all the gifts Of Earth, its wealth and fulness! Then he took Pelayo’s hand, and on his finger placed The mystic circlet.... With this ring, O Prince, To our dear Spain, who like a widow now Mourneth in desolation, I thee wed: For weal or woe thou takest her, till death Dispart the union: Be it blest to her, To thee, and to thy seed! Thus when he ceased, He gave the awaited signal. Roderick brought The buckler: Eight for strength and stature chosen Came to their honour’d office: Round the shield Standing, they lower it for the Chieftain’s feet, Then, slowly raised upon their shoulders, lift The steady weight. Erect Pelayo stands, And thrice he brandishes the burnish’d sword, While Urban to the assembled people cries, Spaniards, behold your King! The multitude Then sent forth all their voice with glad acclaim, Raising the loud _Real_; thrice did the word Ring through the air, and echo from the walls Of Cangas. Far and wide the thundering shout, Rolling among reduplicating rocks, Peal’d o’er the hills, and up the mountain vales. The wild ass starting in the forest glade Ran to the covert; the affrighted wolf Skulk’d through the thicket to a closer brake; The sluggish bear, awakened in his den, Roused up and answer’d with a sullen growl, Low-breathed and long; and at the uproar scared, The brooding eagle from her nest took wing.