Status Updates From Песен за Роланд

195-196 The queen says that the gods have abandoned them and allowed the French to destroy so many men. Roland maimed her husband. One envoy tells her to bridle her tongue. He explains their mission, the ships on the Erbo, and the emir’s vow to make Charlemagne pay. She says, “As far as France? Fie!” She warns them how fierce Charlemagne is and how he is not afraid of any man.

194-195 The pair mounts their horses and ride to Sargossa. They pass through gates and bridges and see the palace on the hill. The pagans are wailing because they “lost” their gods. Well, that’s on them. They smashed their idols. They are sad that their king has lost his right hand and his son. The envoys arrive and two Saracens hold the reins of their horses. They invoke the gods; the queen scoffs.

193 The emir promises to go to Aix and route the French. He picks two envoys with similar names and asks them to go to Saragossa to tell Marsilion that help is on the way. He gives them his white glove with a golden hem as a token. He also sends his golden wand. He says that he wants Marsilion to swear fealty (well he lost his hand a la Vader). He vows to make Charlemagne convert or rip his crown off his head.

191-192 Ahhhh! Another reminder of LotR. A fleet of ships comes up the river, unbeknownst to the good guys. They are bound for Sargasso. The emir arrives with seventeen kings and a slew of dukes and kings. On a snow white cloth beneath the laurel tree they place a throne of ivory for the emir. He sits and announces that he plans to put an end to Charlemagne and he slaps his thigh with his right glove.

189-191 Marsilion was so frustrated that, in the letter, he said he would renounce his faith and become a Christian. The long distance is what caused the delay. Before long, a fleet sat in Alexandria, and in May, the ships set sail for Spain. The force is so vast that, with lanterns lit, the night is bright and gay. Marsilion gets word that help is on the way. They find the Ebro and head up river.

188-189 I see where this is going. The queen tears out her hair and says that their emir is a coward if he doesn’t go out and avenge what has happened to Saragossa. If the French greybeard can do this, then she expects the same from their emir. Seven years ago, Charlemagne began the Spanish campaign. Marsilion sent a request for help from the emir in Babylon who outlived Homer and Virgil (literally?)

187-188 The gore is NOT over as the dream portends. Twenty thousand of his men curse France and Charlemagne as well as Apollo at his grotto. There must be an altar because they grab the crown and scepter and thrash his image with cudgels. They throw Mahommed to the ground to be chewed by pigs and dogs. They do the same for the third of their vile trinity. Marsilion recovers and his men take him to his bed chamber.

186-187 The bears beg for him to give them their kinsman. A greyhound races toward the biggest bear and attacks it. They fight with ferocity and it is hard to tell who will win. The emperor does not wake up and sleeps until morning. I had forgotten about Marsilion who has fled to Saragossa. The coward escaped but Charlemagne doesn’t know it. He may be in charge but he has lost his right hand. He and the queen swoons.

185-186 The people cry out to Charlemagne. He grieves for his people and then a huge lion leaps on him and they grapple. The real emperor does not wake up! I guess since it is medieval there has to be some dreams. He has a second dream after the first. He is on his dais in Aix and there is a bear bound up with a double chain. Then thirty more bears arrive and talk to them. Now where have I heard about talking bears??

185 What are they going to do if the foe is dead? There’s quite a lot of the poem left. I’m glad we were spared of the gore. LOL In the dream, Charles looks up to heaven because every weather phenomenon is happening and the lightning causes spears and bosses on shields to catch fire. Then terrible creatures come on the scene to devour them, including dragons, worms, wyverns, devils, and 30,000 griffins! End times!

183-185 The French cry “Mountjoy!” in battle for this reason. Charlemagne lies awake weeping all night, thinking of his men, especially Roland, Oliver, and the peers. He prays for their soulds to be brought into Paradise. He finally falls asleep. Horses are so tired they crop while lying down. God sends the angel Gabriel to guard the Emperor. In the likeness of a dream, he shows him a new battle in the future.

182-183 The French set up camp and unsaddle their horses who graze. The men camp in the grass. Because their enemy is dead, they post no guard. I hope that doesn’t come back to bite them. Charlemagne decides to sleep with his armor on. His lance is by his side. His sword is named is Joyeuse which changes color 30 times a day! Its pommel contains part of the relic of the spear that pierced the side of Christ.

180-181 Oh, wow, Narnia and Middle Earth! Charlemange does not have to kill the pagans. They reach the River Erbo and are cut off because it is swolen. This river cuts almost all the way across Spain. They have to chose between drowning or getting hacked to death. The sun goes down and they really can’t travel anymore. The emperor gets on his knees and thanks God for the two miracles of nature.

179-180 A valiant army follows Charlemagne. This reminds me of Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas trying to catch up with the orcs. Charlemagne kneels and prays for light to be prolonged and an angel tells them to run because God sees all. Sure enough, the sun stands still at midday. The French are fresh. Not only do they catch up with the pagans, they cut off their retreat. The river is too deep for the pagans to cross.

177-178 Charlemagne does not call out for everything is still. He pulls hair out of his beard. Twenty thousand swoon out of grief for nephews, sons, brothers, and friends are all dead. Naimon grieves, but he also points out a cloud of dust left behind by the pagans. If they leave bring a group of man now, they might be able to avenge their deaths. Charles leaves some guards behind. Nobody is to touch them.

176-177 I wonder if he is intended to be an image of Christ here. Gabriel is at his side and he accepts the glove. Arms clasped to his chest, his head falls to his arms. Gabriel and cherubims take his soul to Mont Saint Michel first and then to Paradise. He’s really dead this time. Charles and his men make it through the pass. All he sees is death and yet he searches for his nephew, Oliver, archbishop, and peers.

175-176 What a dramatic death scene. He faces the pagans to show that the Christians prevailed. He confesses his sins and pleads for God’s mercy. He extends his right-hand glove to God as a token and angels rush down from Heaven. Now, that’s the way to go. Under a pine (eternity) tree (Jesus’ atoning death), he recalls his king and his men. He reminds God of Lazarus’s resurrection and Daniel’s escape from lions.

173-174 He keeps hitting his sword on the stone and is grieved that it will not break. He wonders about what relics may lie it: Peter’s tooth? Basil’s blood? Denis’s hair? A piece of Mary’s robe? It was sinful for a pagan to try to steal it. WAIT! So is this like the core of a wand in HP? Only Christians should wield it. Death presses him hard, creeping from head to heart. He looks at the pagans as conqueror.

171-172 He prays that nobody will own the sword who will flee from a foe. He keeps hitting the stone and he hopes to break it. He remembers the bright sunny day when Charlemagne gave him the sword because an angel told him to pick Roland who used it to help the emperor win cities in France and all over Europe (it’s a long list). He’s grieved that a pagan might steal his sword. He prays for help from God.

169-171 He plans to steal R’s sword but then Roland comes to! He speaks to the theif and hits him on the helmet with his horn. That was enough to knock him out dead to the ground. Now his horn is broken! BOROMIR!!!! R’s sight grows dim. His face turns pale. He hits a grey stone in front of him ten times out of rage. He prays to St. Mary for succour. The only left to talk to is his sword.

168-169 His brains are spilling out, but he prays for God to call his peers. St. Gabriel prays for Roland. He takes his horn and sword and walks toward a wide lawn, climbs a mound with a fair tree and four marble stones beneath it. He falls face down. He’ll be easy to find. One Saracen is left because he faked his own death and smeared blood all over himself. You’re kidding me! He runs toward Roland.

166-168 Roland rallies and stands up, in grievous pain. He looks around hill and vale. He sees the archbishop and beats his breast. He folds his hands and looks to Heaven and prays for the archbishop. Since he was a champion of faith, he prays for the bishop to have a place in heaven. He sees his ravaged body and laments for the man in the way that French do to commend him to Heaven. R is also at death’s door.

162-165 He gives them a blessing. He hopes to see them in Paradise amid the rose blossoms. R goes back for Oliver. The bishop shrives them all with prayers. R recalls O’s deeds and how valiant he was. Now R sees all the peers dead and he sees his best friend, Oliver. He cries and swoons a third time (more of the structure). The bishop takes the horn and fills it with water from a stream. He, too, faints.

161-162 The pagans flee to Spain but without a horse R cannot pursue. He turns to the archbishop and treats his wounds with bandages. He tells him he will find their friends and bring them to his sight. The archbiship is glad the pagans have left the field. I love the structure of this poem. R goes and finds the peers and lifts them up and carries them to the archbishop. On his knees, the latter lifts his hands.

160 The pagans regret the day they were born because their doom has come. They have lost their peers and their lords. The trumpets blare and they hear “Mountjoy!” The pagans let their spears fly at Roland and he’s fighting with full wrath. His shield is finally split; his hauberk, piered. His body is not by the spear but he has thirty wounds elsewhere and his horse is dead. The pagans flee and he is alone.

157-159 They fear they’ll not keep Spain. In all the dead bodies, they must not see Roland. Amazingly, he and the archbishop are still alive! What? R and the archbishop are like the terminator. The pagans cry out to each other to go to it. R hates cowards and, when he sees his companion on foot and he on horseback, he decides to take a stand with him. They know Charles is coming and they will do what they can.

156-157 R fights and fights and, when the end is near, he sounds his horn again but it is faint. Charlemagne hears it none the less but also knows it is R’s last call. C tells the host to blast the trumpets with all their might. Sixty thousand play and the valleys ring. The pagans are unappy at what that means. They know the French coming through the pass will rout them. If R survives, he will chase the to the end.