The Book of the Epic: The World's Great Epics Told in StoryGuerber, H. A. (Hélène Adeline)
General
The Book of the Epic: The World's Great Epics Told in Story
Guerber, H. A. (Hélène Adeline)
Epic poetry -- Adaptations
On awakening from this vision, Godfrey loses no time in convening such
an assembly, and there eloquently urges the Christians to fight,
declaring their efforts have failed hitherto mainly because they have
lacked purpose and unity. Hearing this, Peter the Hermit suggests the
Crusaders should select one chief, whose orders they will obey, and
thereupon the warriors present unanimously elect Godfrey of Bouillon
as leader. Having secured this exalted post, Godfrey reviews his
force, thus giving the poet an occasion to enumerate the leaders of
the different corps, or armies, and explain from what countries they
come. Amongst other resounding names, the poet specially mentions
Edward and his fair bride Gildippe, who, unwilling to be parted from
her spouse, has donned a man's armor and followed him to the Crusade.
Among the bravest fighters there, he also quotes Tancred, who,
however, seems listless, and has accomplished no deed of valor since
he beheld near a fountain and fell in love with Clorinda, a fair
Amazon.
To the same warbling of fresh waters drew,
Arm'd, but unmhelm'd and unforeseen, a maid;
She was a pagan, and came thither too
To quench her thirst beneath the pleasant shade;
Her beautiful fair aspect, thus display'd,
He sees; admires; and, touch'd to transport, glows
With passion rushing to its fountain head,
The heart; 'tis strange how quick the feeling grows;
Scarce born, its power in him no cool calm medium knows.
Another hero is Rinaldo (the same as the French Renaud de Montauban),
who, although but a boy, escaped from his foster mother, Queen
Mathilda, to go and fight for the deliverance of the Holy Sepulchre.
His review completed, Godfrey of Bouillon orders his force to march on
toward Jerusalem, whence he wishes to oust the Sultan Aladine
(Saladin), who at present is sorely taxing the Christians to obtain
funds enough to make war against the advancing Crusaders.
_Canto II._ Advised by the sorcerer Ismeno, Aladine steals the image
of the Virgin from the Christian temple, and sets it up in his mosque,
where he resorts to all manner of spells and incantations to destroy
her power. During the night, however, the Virgin's image disappears
from the mosque and cannot be found, although Aladine offers great
rewards for its restoration. Finally, he decrees that, unless the
perpetrator of the theft denounces himself, he will slay all the
Christians in the town. He is about to execute this cruel threat when
Sophronia, a Christian maid, suddenly decides to sacrifice herself to
save her co-religionists. She therefore appears before Aladine,
declaring she stole the image from the temple, whereupon the sultan in
anger orders her bound to the stake and burned alive.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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