FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154  
155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   >>   >|  
, conducts that band, And stripes his gonfalon with black and white; With Errol's earl upon his better hand, Who on a field of green displays a light. Now see the Irish, next the level land, Into two squadrons ordered for the fight. Kildare's redoubted earl commands the first; Lord Desmond leads the next, in mountains nursed. LXXXVIII "A burning pine by Kildare is displayed; By Desmond on white field a crimson bend. Nor only England, Scotland, Ireland, aid King Charlemagne; but to assist him wend The Swede and Norse, and succours are conveyed From Thule, and the farthest Iceland's end. All lands that round them lie, in fine, increase His host, by nature enemies to peace. LXXXIX "Issued from cavern and from forest brown, They sixteen thousand are, or little less; Visage, legs, arms, and bosom overgrown With hair, like beasts. Lo! yonder, where they press About a standard white, the level down Of lances seems a bristling wilderness. Such Moray's flag, the savage squadron's head, Who means with Moorish blood to paint it red." XC What time Rogero sees the fair array, Whose bands to succour ravaged France prepare, And notes and talks of ensigns they display, And names of British lords, to him repair One and another, crowding to survey His courser, single of its kind, or rare: All thither hasten, wondering and astound, And compassing the warrior, form a round. XCI So that to raise more wonder in the train. And to make better sport, as him they eyed, Rogero shook the flying courser's rein, And lightly with the rowels touched his side: He towards heaven, uprising, soared amain, And left behind each gazer stupefied. Having from end to end the English force So viewed, he next for Ireland shaped his course; XCII And saw fabulous Hibernia, where The goodly, sainted elder made the cave, In which men cleansed from all offences are; Such mercy there, it seems, is found to save. Thence o'er that sea he spurred, through yielding air, Whose briny waves the lesser Britain lave; And, looking down, Angelica descried In passing, to the rock with fetters tied; XCIII Bound to the naked rock upon the strand, In the isle of tears; for the isle of tears was hight, That which was peopled by the inhuman band, So passing fierce and full of foul despite; Who (as I told above) on every hand Cruized w
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154  
155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Ireland
 

Desmond

 

passing

 
courser
 

Rogero

 

Kildare

 

heaven

 

crowding

 

survey

 

stupefied


Having

 
repair
 

English

 
soared
 
uprising
 

single

 

hasten

 

wondering

 

compassing

 

warrior


astound

 

lightly

 

rowels

 

flying

 

thither

 
touched
 

offences

 

fetters

 

strand

 

descried


Angelica

 

lesser

 
Britain
 

Cruized

 

inhuman

 

peopled

 

fierce

 

sainted

 

goodly

 

Hibernia


shaped
 
fabulous
 

cleansed

 

spurred

 

yielding

 
Thence
 

viewed

 
Scotland
 
Charlemagne
 

assist