Jerusalem Delivered

by Torquato Tasso

  A little higher on the way they met

  A lion fierce that hugely roared and cried,

  His crest he reared high, and open set

  Of his broad-gaping jaws the furnace wide,

  His stern his back oft smote, his rage to whet,

  But when the sacred staff he once espied

  A trembling fear through his bold heart was spread,

  His native wrath was gone, and swift he fled.

  LI

  The hardy couple on their way forth wend,

  And met a host that on them roar and gape,

  Of savage beasts, tofore unseen, unkend,

  Differing in voice, in semblance, and in shape;

  All monsters which hot Afric doth forthsend,

  Twixt Nilus, Atlas, and the southern cape,

  Were all there met, and all wild beasts besides

  Hyrcania breeds, or Hyrcane forest hides.

  LII

  But yet that fierce, that strange and savage host

  Could not in presence of those worthies stand,

  But fled away, their heart and courage lost,

  When Lord Ubaldo shook his charming wand.

  No other let their passage stopped or crossed;

  Till on the mountain’s top themselves they land,

  Save that the ice, the frost, and drifted snow,

  Oft made them feeble, weary, faint and slow.

  LIII

  But having passed all that frozen ground,

  And overgone that winter sharp and keen,

  A warm, mild, pleasant, gentle sky they found,

  That overspread a large and ample green,

  The winds breathed spikenard, myrrh, and balm around,

  The blasts were firm, unchanged, stable been,

  Not as elsewhere the winds now rise now fall,

  And Phoebus there aye shines, sets not at all.

  LIV

  Not as elsewhere now sunshine bright now showers,

  Now heat now cold, there interchanged were,

  But everlasting spring mild heaven down pours, —

  In which nor rain, nor storm, nor clouds appear, —

  Nursing to fields, their grass; to grass, his flowers;

  To flowers their smell; to trees, the leaves they bear:

  There by a lake a stately palace stands,

  That overlooks all mountains, seas and lands:

  LV

  The passage hard against the mountain steep

  These travellers had faint and weary made,

  That through those grassy plains they scantly creep;

  They walked, they rested oft, they went, they stayed,

  When from the rocks, that seemed for joy to weep,

  Before their feet a dropping crystal played

  Enticing them to drink, and on the flowers

  The plenteous spring a thousand streams down pours,

  LVI

  All which, united in the springing grass,

  Ate forth a channel through the tender green

  And underneath eternal shade did pass,

  With murmur shrill, cold, pure, and scantly seen;

  Yet so transparent, that perceived was

  The bottom rich, and sands that golden been,

  And on the brims the silken grass aloft

  Proffered them seats, sweet, easy, fresh and soft.

  LVII

  “See here the stream of laughter, see the spring,”

  Quoth they, “of danger and of deadly pain,

  Here fond desire must by fair governing

  Be ruled, our lust bridled with wisdom’s rein,

  Our ears be stopped while these Sirens sing,

  Their notes enticing man to pleasure vain.”

  Thus passed they forward where the stream did make

  An ample pond, a large and spacious lake.

  LVIII

  There on a table was all dainty food

  That sea, that earth, or liquid air could give,

  And in the crystal of the laughing flood

  They saw two naked virgins bathe and dive,

  That sometimes toying, sometimes wrestling stood,

  Sometimes for speed and skill in swimming strive,

  Now underneath they dived, now rose above,

  And ticing baits laid forth of lust and love.

  LIX

  These naked wantons, tender, fair and white,

  Moved so far the warriors’ stubborn hearts,

  That on their shapes they gazed with delight;

  The nymphs applied their sweet alluring arts,

  And one of them above the waters quite,

  Lift up her head, her breasts and higher parts,

  And all that might weak eyes subdue and take,

  Her lower beauties veiled the gentle lake.

  LX

  As when the morning star, escaped and fled

  From greedy waves, with dewy beams up flies,

  Or as the Queen of Love, new born and bred

  Of the Ocean’s fruitful froth, did first arise:

  So vented she her golden locks forth shed

  Round pearls and crystal moist therein which lies:

  But when her eyes upon the knights she cast,

  She start, and feigned her of their sight aghast.

  LXI

  And her fair locks, that in a knot were tied

  High on her crown, she ‘gan at large unfold;

  Which falling long and thick and spreading wide,

  The ivory soft and white mantled in gold:

  Thus her fair skin the dame would clothe and hide,

  And that which hid it no less fair was hold;

  Thus clad in waves and locks, her eyes divine,

  From them ashamed did she turn and twine.

  LXII

  Withal she smiled and she blushed withal,

  Her blush, her smilings, smiles her blushing graced:

  Over her face her amber tresses fall,

  Whereunder Love himself in ambush placed:

  At last she warbled forth a treble small,

  And with sweet looks her sweet songs interlaced;

  “Oh happy men I that have the grace,” quoth she,

  “This bliss, this heaven, this paradise to see.

  LXIII

  “This is the place wherein you may assuage

  Your sorrows past, here is that joy and bliss

  That flourished in the antique golden age,

  Here needs no law, here none doth aught amiss:

  Put off those arms and fear not Mars his rage,

  Your sword, your shield, your helmet needless is;

  Then consecrate them here to endless rest,

  You shall love’s champions be, and soldiers blest.

  LXIV

  “The fields for combat here are beds of down,

  Or heaped lilies under shady brakes;

  But come and see our queen with golden crown,

  That all her servants blest and happy makes,

  She will admit you gently for her own,

  Numbered with those that of her joy partakes:

  But first within this lake your dust and sweat

  Wash off, and at that table sit and eat.”

  LXV

  While thus she sung, her sister lured them nigh

  With many a gesture kind and loving show,

  To music’s sound as dames in court apply

  Their cunning feet, and dance now swift now slow:

  But still the knights unmoved passed by,

  These vain delights for wicked charms they know,

  Nor could their heavenly voice or angel’s look,

  Surprise their hearts, if eye or ear they took.

  LXVI

  For if that sweetness once but touched their hearts,

  And proffered there to kindle Cupid’s fire,

  Straight armed Reason to his charge up starts,

  And quencheth Lust, and killeth fond Desire;

  Thus scorned were the dames, their wiles an
d arts

  And to the palace gates the knights retire,

  While in their stream the damsels dived sad,

  Ashamed, disgraced, for that repulse they had.

  SIXTEENTH BOOK

  THE ARGUMENT.

  Where in sweet prison lies Rinaldo pent,

  And do so much, that full of rage and spite,

  With them he goes sad, shamed, discontent:

  With plaints and prayers to retain her knight

  Armida strives; he hears, but thence he went,

  And she forlorn her palace great and fair

  Destroys for grief, and flies thence through the air.

  I

  The palace great is builded rich and round,

  And in the centre of the inmost hold

  There lies a garden sweet, on fertile ground,

  Fairer than that where grew the trees of gold:

  The cunning sprites had buildings reared around

  With doors and entries false a thousandfold,

  A labyrinth they made that fortress brave,

  Like Daedal’s prison, or Porsenna’s grave.

  II

  The knights passed through the castle’s largest gate,

  Though round about an hundred ports there shine,

  The door-leaves framed of carved silver-plate,

  Upon their golden hinges turn and twine.

  They stayed to view this work of wit and state.

  The workmanship excelled the substance fine,

  For all the shapes in that rich metal wrought,

  Save speech, of living bodies wanted naught.

  III

  Alcides there sat telling tales, and spun

  Among the feeble troops of damsels mild,

  He that the fiery gates of hell had won

  And heaven upheld; false Love stood by and smiled:

  Armed with his club fair Iole forth run,

  His club with blood of monsters foul defiled,

  And on her back his lion’s skin had she,

  Too rough a bark for such a tender tree.

  IV

  Beyond was made a sea, whose azure flood

  The hoary froth crushed from the surges blue,

  Wherein two navies great well ranged stood

  Of warlike ships, fire from their arms outflew,

  The waters burned about their vessels good,

  Such flames the gold therein enchased threw,

  Caesar his Romans hence, the Asian kings

  Thence Antony and Indian princes brings.

  V

  The Cyclades seemed to swim amid the main,

  And hill gainst hill, and mount gainst mountain smote,

  With such great fury met those armies twain;

  Here burnt a ship, there sunk a bark or boat,

  Here darts and wild-fire flew, there drowned or slain

  Of princes dead the bodies fleet and float;

  Here Caesar wins, and yonder conquered been

  The Eastern ships, there fled the Egyptian queen:

  VI

  Antonius eke himself to flight betook,

  The empire lost to which he would aspire,

  Yet fled not he nor fight for fear forsook,

  But followed her, drawn on by fond desire:

  Well might you see within his troubled look,

  Strive and contend, love, courage, shame and ire;

  Oft looked he back, oft gazed he on the fight,

  But oftener on his mistress and her flight.

  VII

  Then in the secret creeks of fruitful Nile,

  Cast in her lap, he would sad death await,

  And in the pleasure of her lovely smile

  Sweeten the bitter stroke of cursed fate:

  All this did art with curious hand compile

  In the rich metal of that princely gate.

  The knights these stories viewed first and last,

  Which seen, they forward pressed, and in they passed:

  VIII

  As through his channel crooked Meander glides

  With turns and twines, and rolls now to, now fro,

  Whose streams run forth there to the salt sea sides

  Here back return and to their springward go:

  Such crooked paths, such ways this palace hides;

  Yet all the maze their map described so,

  That through the labyrinth they got in fine,

  As Theseus did by Ariadne’s line.

  IX

  When they had passed all those troubled ways,

  The garden sweet spread forth her green to show,

  The moving crystal from the fountains plays,

  Fair trees, high plants, strange herbs and flowerets new,

  Sunshiny hills, dales hid from Phoebus’ rays,

  Groves, arbors, mossy caves, at once they view,

  And that which beauty moat, most wonder brought,

  Nowhere appeared the art which all this wrought.

  X

  So with the rude the polished mingled was

  That natural seemed all and every part,

  Nature would craft in counterfeiting pass,

  And imitate her imitator art:

  Mild was the air, the skies were clear as glass,

  The trees no whirlwind felt, nor tempest smart,

  But ere the fruit drop off, the blossom comes,

  This springs, that falls, that ripeneth and this blooms.

  XI

  The leaves upon the self-same bough did hide

  Beside the young the old and ripened fig,

  Here fruit was green, there ripe with vermeil side,

  The apples new and old grew on one twig,

  The fruitful vine her arms spread high and wide

  That bended underneath their clusters big,

  The grapes were tender here, hard, young and sour,

  There purple ripe, and nectar sweet forth pour.

  XII

  The joyous birds, hid under greenwood shade,

  Sung merry notes on every branch and bough,

  The wind that in the leaves and waters played

  With murmur sweet, now sung, and whistled now;

  Ceased the birds, the wind loud answer made,

  And while they sung, it rumbled soft and low;

  Thus were it hap or cunning, chance or art,

  The wind in this strange music bore his part.

  XIII

  With party-colored plumes’ and purple bill,

  A wondrous bird among the rest there flew,

  That in plain speech sung love-lays loud and shrill,

  Her leden was like human language true;

  So much she talked, and with such wit and skill,

  That strange it seemed how much good she knew,

  Her feathered fellows all stood hush to hear,

  Dumb was the wind, the waters silent were.

  XIV

  “The gently budding rose,” quoth she, “behold,

  That first scant peeping forth with virgin beams,

  Half ope, half shut, her beauties doth upfold

  In their dear leaves, and less seen, fairer seems,

  And after spreads them forth more broad and bold,

  Then languisheth and dies in last extremes,

  Nor seems the same, that decked bed and bower

  Of many a lady late, and paramour;

  XV

  “So, in the passing of a day, doth pass

  The bud and blossom of the life of man,

  Nor e’er doth flourish more, but like the grass

  Cut down, becometh withered, pale and wan:

  Oh gather then the rose while time thou hast

  Short is the day, done when it scant began,

  Gather the rose of love, while yet thou mayest,

  Loving, be loved; embracing, be embraced.”

  XVI

  He ceased, and as approving all he spoke,

  The choir of birds their heavenly tunes renew,

  The turtles sighed, and sighs with
kisses broke,

  The fowls to shades unseen by pairs withdrew;

  It seemed the laurel chaste, and stubborn oak,

  And all the gentle trees on earth that grew,

  It seemed the land, the sea, and heaven above,

  All breathed out fancy sweet, and sighed out love.

  XVII

  Through all this music rare, and strong consent

  Of strange allurements, sweet bove mean and measure,

  Severe, firm, constant, still the knights forthwent,

  Hardening their hearts gainst false enticing pleasure,

  Twixt leaf and leaf their sight before they sent,

  And after crept themselves at ease and leisure,

  Till they beheld the queen, set with their knight

  Besides the lake, shaded with boughs from sight:

  XVIII

  Her breasts were naked, for the day was hot,

  Her locks unbound waved in the wanton wind;

  Some deal she sweat, tired with the game you wot,

  Her sweat-drops bright, white, round, like pearls of Ind;

  Her humid eyes a fiery smile forthshot

  That like sunbeams in silver fountains shined,

  O’er him her looks she hung, and her soft breast

  The pillow was, where he and love took rest.

  XIX

  His hungry eyes upon her face he fed,

  And feeding them so, pined himself away;

  And she, declining often down her head,

  His lips, his cheeks, his eyes kissed, as he lay,

  Wherewith he sighed, as if his soul had fled

  From his frail breast to hers, and there would stay

  With her beloved sprite: the armed pair

  These follies all beheld and this hot fare.

  XX

  Down by the lovers’ side there pendent was

  A crystal mirror, bright, pure, smooth, and neat,

  He rose, and to his mistress held the glass,

  A noble page, graced with that service great;

  She, with glad looks, he with inflamed, alas,

  Beauty and love beheld, both in one seat;

  Yet them in sundry objects each espies,

  She, in the glass, he saw them in her eyes:

  XXI

  Her, to command; to serve, it pleased the knight;

  He proud of bondage; of her empire, she;

  “My dear,” he said, “that blessest with thy sight

  Even blessed angels, turn thine eyes to me,

  For painted in my heart and portrayed right

  Thy worth, thy beauties and perfections be,

  Of which the form; the shape and fashion best,

  Not in this glass is seen, but in my breast.

  XXII

  “And if thou me disdain, yet be content

  At least so to behold thy lovely hue,

  That while thereon thy looks are fixed and bent

  Thy happy eyes themselves may see and view;

  So rare a shape no crystal can present,