The Affront of Corpes CXVI
"In the name of every charity I tell thee, Campeador,That today to be their keeper I never will remain.To me they matter little--let him keep them who is fain.I with my men about me against their van will smite;Do thou with thine hold firmly the rearward of the fight.Then canst thou aid me lightly if peril should arise."
Minaya Alvar Fañez came then to him likewise."Oh, Cid, give ear, and hearken, Oh faithful Campeador!For surely in this battle shall God himself make war,And He will make thee worthy with Him therein to share.Where 'er thou deemest fitting bid us attack them there.Each man must do his duty. Upon them let us thrust.On God and on thy fortune now hangeth all our trust."My lord Cid said: "Then prithee tarry here yet awhile."Lo! don Jerome the Bishop who was armed in gallant style,He stopped before the Campeador. Fair fortune had he aye."The Mass of Holy Trinity I sang for thee this day.For this cause from mine own country did I seek thee and ensue,Since in the slaughter of the Moor such great delight I knew.And I am fain to honor both mine order and mine hand.In the forefront of the battle it is my desire to stand.And crosses on my pennant, and blazoned arms have I.If it be God his pleasure, I am fain mine arms to try,That so at last my spirit in perfect peace may be,And thou mayst be, my lord the Cid, better content with me.If thou cost me not this honor, from thy side I will retire."
The lord Cid gave him answer: "I am pleased with thy desire.Of the Moors go make a trial, lo, where they are in sight.From hence we shall behold it, how the Abbot fights the fight."
Words in this poem
- fain v. t.
- To be glad ; to wish or desire.
- rearward n.
- The last troop; the rear of an army; a rear guard. Also used figuratively. [Rear + ward.]
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- prithee interj.
- A corruption of pray thee; as, I prithee; generally used without I.
- awhile adv.
- For a while; for some time; for a short time. [Adj. a + while time, interval.]
- ensue v. t.
- To follow; to pursue; to follow and overtake. [OF. ensevre, OF. & F. ensuivre, fr. L. insequi; in + sequi to pursue. See Sue.]
- forefront n.
- Foremost part or place.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Affront of Corpes CXVI is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Lay of the Cid, Project Gutenberg ebook #6088, the R. Selden Rose and Leonard Bacon translation; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Anonymous, The Affront of Corpes CXVI, in The Lay of the Cid (1919), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #6088, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/lay-of-the-cid/the-affront-of-corpes-cxvi.html, id L15120.
Form and metre
The Affront of Corpes CXVI is 29 lines in 3 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 69% of the lines. The metre is iambic heptameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 80%). 88% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 13.7 syllables. 1 line ends on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending.
See other poems in rhyming couplets, other poems in iambic heptameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 -AABB- campeador · remainA · fainA · smiteB · fightB · arise
- 2 ---AABBCCD-EEFFDDGG- likewise · campeador · war · shareA · thereA · thrustB · trustB · awhileC · styleC · ayeD · day · ensueE · knewE · handF · standF · iD · tryD · beG · meG · retire
- 3 -AA desire · sightA · fightA
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic heptameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| "In the name of every charity I tell thee, Campeador, | 14 | ····/˘/˘······ |
| That today to be their keeper I never will remain. | 14 | ·˘/···/˘·/˘·˘/ |
| To me they matter little--let him keep them who is fain. | 14 | ···/˘/˘······· |
| I with my men about me against their van will smite; | 13 | ············· |
| Do thou with thine hold firmly the rearward of the fight. | 13 | ·····/˘·/˘··· |
| Then canst thou aid me lightly if peril should arise." | 13 | ·····/˘·/˘·˘/ |
| Minaya Alvar Fañez came then to him likewise. | 12 | ··········/· |
| "Oh, Cid, give ear, and hearken, Oh faithful Campeador! | 13 | ·····/˘·/˘··· |
| For surely in this battle shall God himself make war, | 13 | ·/˘··/˘··˘/·· |
| And He will make thee worthy with Him therein to share. | 13 | ·····/˘······ |
| Where 'er thou deemest fitting bid us attack them there. | 13 | ···/˘/˘··˘/·· |
| Each man must do his duty. Upon them let us thrust. | 13 | ·····/˘······ |
| On God and on thy fortune now hangeth all our trust." | 14 | ·····/˘·/˘·/˘· |
| My lord Cid said: "Then prithee tarry here yet awhile." | 13 | ·····/˘/˘··˘/ |
| Lo! don Jerome the Bishop who was armed in gallant style, | 14 | ··˘/·/˘····/˘· |
| He stopped before the Campeador. Fair fortune had he aye. | 14 | ·········/˘··· |
| "The Mass of Holy Trinity I sang for thee this day. | 14 | ···/˘/˘˘······ |
| For this cause from mine own country did I seek thee and ensue, | 15 | ······/˘·····˘/ |
| Since in the slaughter of the Moor such great delight I knew. | 14 | ···/˘·····˘/·· |
| And I am fain to honor both mine order and mine hand. | 14 | ·····/˘··/˘··· |
| In the forefront of the battle it is my desire to stand. | 15 | ··/···/˘···˘/·· |
| And crosses on my pennant, and blazoned arms have I. | 14 | ·/˘··/˘···˘··· |
| If it be God his pleasure, I am fain mine arms to try, | 14 | ·····/˘······· |
| That so at last my spirit in perfect peace may be, | 13 | ·····/˘·˘/··· |
| And thou mayst be, my lord the Cid, better content with me. | 14 | ········/˘/˘·· |
| If thou cost me not this honor, from thy side I will retire." | 15 | ······/˘·····˘/ |
| The lord Cid gave him answer: "I am pleased with thy desire. | 15 | ·····/˘·····˘/˘ |
| Of the Moors go make a trial, lo, where they are in sight. | 14 | ······/˘······ |
| From hence we shall behold it, how the Abbot fights the fight." | 14 | ····˘/···/˘··· |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.