The White Knight: Tirant Lo BlancMartorell, Joanot
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The White Knight: Tirant Lo Blanc
Martorell, Joanot
Adventure and adventurers -- Fiction; Adventure stories; Knights and knighthood -- Fiction
"I don't want anything that will bring my health back," said
Tirant. "I want only death."
They quickly went to tell the emperor, and the princess
overheard, for she had now regained consciousness. Then Tirant
said:
"Tell me how the princess is."
Hippolytus answered:
"Very well, my lord. She's recovered now."
"I'm sure she is," said Tirant. "Her illness could not be great.
A few days ago she had things she wanted a great deal, but now I
don't think she will brag much about them. She's not the first
to do this, nor will she be the last. I know very well that
she's not made of iron. Oh, how painful it is for a man not to be
able to share his grief."
At this moment the emperor came in, followed by all the ladies
with the empress, and they all asked him how he was. But he did
not want to answer anyone. They were all astonished that he had
not answered the greetings of the emperor or the ladies, and
continuing to show his grief he began to lament:
"Oh, Son of God, all powerful Jesus. I am dying of love, and You
wished to die for love, to free mankind. You suffered so much
pain, lashings, wounds and torments, and my pain was the sight of
a black Moor. Outside of You, Lord, who can compare with my
love? Lord, Your Holy Mother, and Our Lady, suffered great pain
at the foot of the cross, and I stood with a cord in my hand,
with two mirrors that represented, Lord, the greatest pain that
any Christian has ever endured."
The emperor and all the ladies were in the room, along with the
cardinal and many other clergymen, and they were all astonished
at the pious words they heard Tirant saying.
Then Tirant lowered his head, and began to lament again, because
death was calling him. The doctors ordered many things for him,
but they did not help. Hearing of his illness, an old Jewess
came to the emperor, and very boldly said:
"Your Majesty sees that Tirant's life is near its end, all the
doctors have given up hope, and I am the only one who can help
him. Call the soldiers together, and have them start shouting
and go into his chambers and beat their swords against their
shields. When he wakes up and sees so many armed men and hears
them shouting, and he asks what is happening, you can tell him
the Turks are at the gates of the city. Then all those thoughts
of his will disappear, and with that virtue he has and out of
fear of being shamed, he will get up."
The emperor sent for his doctors and his wise men and explained
what the Jewess had advised. They all agreed that it would be
worth trying.
The shouting and the uproar were so loud in the city that Tirant
heard it even before they came into his chamber. The Jewess, who
stood at the head of the bed, told him:
"Get up, my captain. Don't be afraid of death. Here are your
enemies, the Turks, at the gates to the city, and they're coming
to take revenge on you."
When Tirant heard the old lady saying this, he said:
"Is it true that the Turks are so close?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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