Jerusalem Delivered

by Torquato Tasso

  When from the tower, which Ismen could not shun,

  Out fled a mighty stone, late half a rock,

  Which light so just upon the wizards three,

  That driven to dust their bones and bodies be.

  LXXXIX

  To less than naught their members old were torn,

  And shivered were their heads to pieces small,

  As small as are the bruised grains of corn

  When from the mill dissolved to meal they fall;

  Their damned souls, to deepest hell down borne

  Far from the joy and light celestial,

  The furies plunged in the infernal lake:

  O mankind, at their ends ensample take!

  XC

  This while the engine which the tempest cold

  Had saved from burning with his friendly blast,

  Approached had so near the battered hold

  That on the walls her bridge at ease she cast:

  But Solyman ran thither fierce and bold,

  To cut the plank whereon the Christians passed.

  And had performed his will, save that upreared

  High in the skies a turret new appeared;

  XCI

  Far in the air up clomb the fortress tall,

  Higher than house, than steeple, church or tower;

  The Pagans trembled to behold the wall

  And city subject to her shot and power;

  Yet kept the Turk his stand, though on him fall

  Of stones and darts a sharp and deadly shower,

  And still to cut the bridge he hopes and strives,

  And those that fear with cheerful speech revives.

  XCII

  The angel Michael, to all the rest

  Unseen, appeared before Godfredo’s eyes,

  In pure and heavenly armor richly dressed,

  Brighter than Titan’s rays in clearest skies;

  “Godfrey,” quoth he, “this is the moment blest

  To free this town that long in bondage lies,

  See, see what legions in thine aid I bring,

  For Heaven assists thee, and Heaven’s glorious King:

  XCIII

  “Lift up thine eyes, and in the air behold

  The sacred armies, how they mustered be,

  That cloud of flesh in which for times of old

  All mankind wrapped is, I take from thee,

  And from thy senses their thick mist unfold,

  That face to face thou mayest these spirits see,

  And for a little space right well sustain

  Their glorious light and view those angels plain.

  XCIV

  “Behold the souls of every lord and knight

  That late bore arms and died for Christ’s dear sake,

  How on thy side against this town they fight,

  And of thy joy and conquest will partake:

  There where the dust and smoke blind all men’s sight,

  Where stones and ruins such an heap do make,

  There Hugo fights, in thickest cloud imbarred,

  And undermines that bulwark’s groundwork hard.

  XCV

  “See Dudon yonder, who with sword and fire

  Assails and helps to scale the northern port,

  That with bold courage doth thy folk inspire

  And rears their ladders gainst the assaulted fort:

  He that high on the mount in grave attire

  Is clad, and crowned stands in kingly sort,

  Is Bishop Ademare, a blessed spirit,

  Blest for his faith, crowned for his death and merit.

  XCVI

  “But higher lift thy happy eyes, and view

  Where all the sacred hosts of Heaven appear.”

  He looked, and saw where winged armies flew,

  Innumerable, pure, divine and clear;

  A battle round of squadrons three they show

  And all by threes those squadrons ranged were,

  Which spreading wide in rings still wider go,

  Moved with a stone calm water circleth so.

  XCVII

  With that he winked, and vanished was and gone;

  That wondrous vision when he looked again,

  His worthies fighting viewed he one by one,

  And on each side saw signs of conquest plain,

  For with Rinaldo gainst his yielding lone,

  His knights were entered and the Pagans slain,

  This seen, the duke no longer stay could brook,

  But from the bearer bold his ensign took:

  XCVIII

  And on the bridge he stepped, but there was stayed

  By Solyman, who entrance all denied,

  That narrow tree to virtue great was made,

  The field as in few blows right soon was tried,

  “Here will I give my life for Sion’s aid,

  Here will I end my days,” the Soldan cried,

  “Behind me cut or break this bridge, that I

  May kill a thousand Christians first, then die.”

  XCIX

  But thither fierce Rinaldo threatening went,

  And at his sight fled all the Soldan’s train,

  “What shall I do? If here my life be spent,

  I spend and spill,” quoth he, “my blood in vain!”

  With that his steps from Godfrey back he bent,

  And to him let the passage free remain,

  Who threatening followed as the Soldan fled,

  And on the walls the purple Cross dispread:

  C

  About his head he tossed, he turned, he cast,

  That glorious ensign, with a thousand twines,

  Thereon the wind breathes with his sweetest blast,

  Thereon with golden rays glad Phoebus shines,

  Earth laughs for joy, the streams forbear their haste,

  Floods clap their hands, on mountains dance the pines,

  And Sion’s towers and sacred temples smile

  For their deliverance from that bondage vile.

  CI

  And now the armies reared the happy cry

  Of victory, glad, joyful, loud, and shrill.

  The hills resound, the echo showereth high,

  And Tancred bold, that fights and combats still

  With proud Argantes, brought his tower so nigh,

  That on the wall, against the boaster’s will,

  In his despite, his bridge he also laid,

  And won the place, and there the cross displayed.

  CII

  But on the southern hill, where Raymond fought

  Against the townsmen and their aged king,

  His hardy Gascoigns gained small or naught;

  Their engine to the walls they could not bring,

  For thither all his strength the prince had brought,

  For life and safety sternly combating,

  And for the wall was feeblest on that coast,

  There were his soldiers best, and engines most.

  CIII

  Besides, the tower upon that quarter found

  Unsure, uneasy, and uneven the way,

  Nor art could help, but that the rougher ground

  The rolling mass did often stop and stay;

  But now of victory the joyful sound

  The king and Raymond heard amid their fray;

  And by the shout they and their soldiers know,

  The town was entered on the plain below.

  CIV

  Which heard, Raymondo thus bespake this crew,

  “The town is won, my friends, and doth it yet

  Resist? are we kept out still by these few?

  Shall we no share in this high conquest get?”

  But from that part the king at last withdrew,

  He strove in vain their entrance there to let,

  And to a stronger place his folk he brought,

  Where to sustain the assault awhile he thought.

  CV

  The conquerors at once now entered all,

&
nbsp; The walls were won, the gates were opened wide,

  Now bruised, broken down, destroyed fall

  The ports and towers that battery durst abide;

  Rageth the sword, death murdereth great and small,

  And proud ‘twixt woe and horror sad doth ride.

  Here runs the blood, in ponds there stands the gore,

  And drowns the knights in whom it lived before.

  NINETEENTH BOOK

  THE ARGUMENT.

  Argantes strong: the king and Soldan fly

  To David’s tower, and save their persons so;

  Erminia well instructs Vafrine the spy,

  With him she rides away, and as they go

  Finds where her lord for dead on earth doth lie;

  First she laments, then cures him: Godfrey hears

  Ormondo’s treason, and what marks he bears.

  I

  Now death or fear or care to save their lives

  From their forsaken walls the Pagans chase:

  Yet neither force nor fear nor wisdom drives

  The constant knight Argantes from his place;

  Alone against ten thousand foes he strives,

  Yet dreadless, doubtless, careless seemed his face,

  Nor death, nor danger, but disgrace he fears,

  And still unconquered, though o’erset, appears.

  II

  But mongst the rest upon his helmet gay

  With his broad sword Tancredi came and smote:

  The Pagan knew the prince by his array,

  By his strong blows, his armor and his coat;

  For once they fought, and when night stayed that fray,

  New time they chose to end their combat hot,

  But Tancred failed, wherefore the Pagan knight

  Cried, “Tancred, com’st thou thus, thus late to fight?

  III

  “Too late thou com’st, and not alone to war,

  But yet the fight I neither shun nor fear,

  Although from knighthood true thou errest far,

  Since like an engineer thou dost appear,

  That tower, that troop, thy shield and safety are,

  Strange kind of arms in single fight to bear;

  Yet shalt thou not escape, O conqueror strong

  Of ladies fair, sharp death, to avenge that wrong.”

  IV

  Lord Tancred smiled, with disdain and scorn,

  And answerd thus, “To end our strife,” quoth he,

  “Behold at last I come, and my return,

  Though late, perchance will be too soon for thee;

  For thou shalt wish, of hope and help forlorn,

  Some sea or mountain placed twixt thee and me,

  And well shalt know before we end this fray

  No fear of cowardice hath caused my stay.

  V

  “But come aside, thou by whose prowess dies

  The monsters, knights and giants in all lands,

  The killer of weak women thee defies.”

  This said, he turned to his fighting bands,

  And bids them all retire. “Forbear,” he cries,

  “To strike this knight, on him let none lay hands;

  For mine he is, more than a common foe,

  By challenge new and promise old also.”

  VI

  “Descend,” the fierce Circassian gan reply,

  “Alone, or all this troop for succor take

  To deserts waste, or place frequented high,

  For vantage none I will the fight forsake:”

  Thus given and taken was the bold defy,

  And through the press, agreed so, they brake,

  Their hatred made them one, and as they went,

  Each knight his foe did for despite defend:

  VII

  Great was his thirst of praise, great the desire

  That Tancred had the Pagan’s blood to spill,

  Nor could that quench his wrath or calm his ire

  If other hand his foe should foil or kill.

  He saved him with his shield, and cried “Retire!”

  To all he met, “and do this knight none ill:”

  And thus defending gainst his friends his foe,

  Through thousand angry weapons safe they go.

  VII

  They left the city, and they left behind

  Godfredo’s camp, and far beyond it passed,

  And came where into creeks and bosoms blind

  A winding hill his corners turned and cast,

  A valley small and shady dale they find

  Amid the mountains steep so laid and placed

  As if some theatre or closed place

  Had been for men to fight or beasts to chase.

  IX

  There stayed the champions both with rueful eyes,

  Argantes gan the fortress won to view;

  Tancred his foe withouten shield espies,

  And said, “Whereon doth thy sad heart devise?

  Think’st thou this hour must end thy life untrue?

  If this thou fear, and dost foresee thy fate,

  Thy fear is vain, thy foresight comes too late.”

  X

  “I think,” quoth he, “on this distressed town,

  The aged Queen of Judah’s ancient land,

  Now lost, now sacked, spoiled and trodden down,

  Whose fall in vain I strived to withstand,

  A small revenge for Sion’s fort o’erthrown,

  That head can be, cut off by my strong hand.”

  This said, together with great heed they flew,

  For each his foe for bold and hardy knew.

  XI

  Tancred of body active was and light,

  Quick, nimble, ready both of hand and foot;

  But higher by the head, the Pagan knight

  Of limbs far greater was, of heart as stout:

  Tancred laid low and traversed in his fight,

  Now to his ward retired, now struck out,

  Oft with his sword his foe’s fierce blows he broke,

  And rather chose to ward-than bear his stroke.

  XII

  But bold and bolt upright Argantes fought,

  Unlike in gesture, like in skill and art,

  His sword outstretched before him far he brought,

  Nor would his weapon touch, but pierce his heart,

  To catch his point Prince Tancred strove and sought,

  But at his breast or helm’s unclosed part

  He threatened death, and would with stretched-out brand

  His entrance close, and fierce assaults withstand.

  XIII

  With a tall ship so doth a galley fight,

  When the still winds stir not the unstable main;

  Where this in nimbleness as that in might

  Excels; that stands, this goes and comes again,

  And shifts from prow to poop with turnings light;

  Meanwhile the other doth unmoved remain,

  And on her nimble foe approaching nigh,

  Her weighty engines tumbleth down from high.

  XIV

  The Christian sought to enter on his foe,

  Voiding his point, which at his breast was bent;

  Argantes at his face a thrust did throw,

  Which while the Prince awards and doth prevent,

  His ready hand the Pagan turned so,

  That all defence his quickness far o’erwent,

  And pierced his side, which done, he said and smiled,

  “The craftsman is in his own craft beguiled.”

  XV

  Tancredi bit his lip for scorn and shame,

  Nor longer stood on points of fence and skill,

  But to revenge so fierce and fast he came

  As if his hand could not o’ertake his will,

  And at his visor aiming just, gan frame

  To his proud boast an answer sharp, but still

  Argantes broke the thrust; and at half-sword,

  Swift, hardy, bold, in
stepped the Christian lord.

  XVI

  With his left foot fast forward gan he stride,

  And with his left the Pagan’s right arm bent,

  With his right hand meanwhile the man’s right side

  He cut, he wounded, mangled, tore and rent.

  “To his victorious teacher,” Tancred cried,

  “His conquered scholar hath this answer sent;”

  Argantes chafed, struggled, turned and twined,

  Yet could not so his captive arm unbind:

  XVII

  His sword at last he let hang by the chain,

  And griped his hardy foe in both his hands,

  In his strong arms Tancred caught him again,

  And thus each other held and wrapped in bands.

  With greater might Alcides did not strain

  The giant Antheus on the Lybian sands,

  On holdfast knots their brawny arms they cast,

  And whom he hateth most, each held embraced:

  XVIII

  Such was their wrestling, such their shocks and throws

  That down at once they tumbled both to ground,

  Argantes, — were it hap or skill, who knows,

  His better hand loose and in freedom found;

  But the good Prince, his hand more fit for blows,

  With his huge weight the Pagan underbound;

  But he, his disadvantage great that knew,

  Let go his hold, and on his feet up flew:

  XIX

  Far slower rose the unwieldy Saracine,

  And caught a rap ere he was reared upright.

  But as against the blustering winds a pine

  Now bends his top, now lifts his head on height,

  His courage so, when it ‘gan most decline,

  The man reinforced, and advanced his might,

  And with fierce change of blows renewed the fray,

  Where rage for skill, horror for art, bore sway.

  XX

  The purple drops from Tancred’s sides down railed,

  But from the Pagan ran whole streams of blood,

  Wherewith his force grew weak, his courage quailed

  As fires die which fuel want or food.

  Tancred that saw his feeble arm now failed

  To strike his blows, that scant he stirred or stood,

  Assuaged his anger, and his wrath allayed,

  And stepping back, thus gently spoke and said:

  XXI

  “Yield, hardy knight, and chance of war or me

  Confess to have subdued thee in this fight,

  I will no trophy, triumph, spoil of thee,

  Nor glory wish, nor seek a victor’s right

  More terrible than erst;” herewith grew he

  And all awaked his fury, rage and might,

  And said, “Dar’st thou of vantage speak or think,

  Or move Argantes once to yield or shrink?

  XXII

  “Use, use thy vantage, thee and fortune both