The Affront of Corpes CXXVI
"My nephew Felez Múñoz, I prithee where art thou?Thou art my daughters' cousin in thy soul and in thine heart.With them even unto Carrión I command thee to depart.Thou shalt see what lands for dower to my girls are given o'er,And shalt come again with tidings unto the Campeador.''
Quoth Felez Múñoz: "Heart and soul that duty pleases me."Minaya Alvar Fañez before the Cid came he:"Back to the town of Valencia, Oh Cid, now let us go;For if our God and Father the Creator's will be so,To Carrión's lands thy daughters to visit we shall wend.Dame Sol and Dame Elvíra, to God do we commend.Such things may you accomplish as will make us glad and fain."
They lamented much at parting. Daughters and sire wept sore,So also wept the cavaliers of the Cid Campeador."Thou, cousin, Felez Múñoz, now hark to this aright.Thou shalt go by Molína, and there shalt lie one night,And greet fair the Morisco Avengalvón my friend;That he may most fair reception to my sons-in-law extend.Tell him I send my daughters to the lands of Carrión,In all their needs his courtesy as beseemeth shall be shown.Let him ward them to Medína for the love he beareth me.For all that he cloth for them I will give him a rich fee."
He turned back to Valencia who in happy hour was born.And now the Heirs of Carrión have fettled them to fare.Saint Mary of Alvarrazín, their halting-place was there.
From thence the Heirs of Carrión plied furiously the spur.Ho! in Molína with the Moor Avengalvón they were.The Morisco when he heard it in his heart was well content,And forth with great rejoicings to welcome them he went.Ah, God! how well he served them in what e 'er their joy might be!The next day in the morning to horse with them got he.He bade two hundred horsemen for escort forth to ride.They crossed the mountains of Luzón (so are they signified),And the Vale of Arbujuélo to the Jalón they came.The place where they found lodging, Ansaréra is its name.Unto the daughters of the Cid, the Moor fair presents gave,And to either Heir of Carrión beside a charger brave.For the love he bore the Campeador, all this for them he wrought.
They looked upon the riches that the Moor with him had broughtAnd then together treason did the brothers twain concert."Since the daughters of the Campeador we shortly shall desert,If but we might do unto death Aengalvon the Moor,The treasure he possesses for ourselves we should secureSafe as our wealth in Carrión those goods we will maintain.And ne'er will the Cid Campeador avenge on us the stain."While they of Carrión this shame complotted each with each,In the midst a Moor o'erheard them, that could of Latin speech.He kept no secret. With it to Avengalvón he ran:"Thou art my lord. Be wary of these persons, Castellan.I heard the heirs of Carrión that plotted death for thee."
Words in this poem 23
- nephew n.
- A grandson or grandchild, or remoter lineal descendant. [OE. neveu, nevou, nevu, fr. F. neveu, OF. also, nevou, L. nepos; akin to AS. nefa, D. neef, G. neffe, OHG. nevo, Icel. nefi a kinsman, gr. nepat grandson, desce]
- prithee interj.
- A corruption of pray thee; as, I prithee; generally used without I.
- depart v. i.
- To part; to divide; to separate. [OE. departen to divide, part, depart, F. départir to divide, distribute, se départir to separate one's self, depart; pref. dé- (L. de) + partir to part, depart,]
- shalt
- 2d per. sing. of Shall.
- quoth v. t.
- Said; spoke; uttered; -- used only in the first and third persons in the past tenses, and always followed by its nominative, the word or words said being the object; as, quoth I. quoth he. [AS.cweedhan, imp cwæedh, pl. cwædon; akin to OS. queedhan, OHG. quethan, quedan, Icel. kveedha, Goth. qiþan. sq. root22. Cf. Bequeath.]
- valencia n.
- A kind of woven fabric for waistcoats, having the weft of wool and the warp of silk or cotton. [Perhaps fr. Valence in France.]
- 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,]
- wend n.
- A large extent of ground; a perambulation; a circuit.
- dame n.
- A mistress of a family, who is a lady; a womam in authority; especially, a lady. [F. dame, LL. domna, fr. L. domina mistress, lady, fem. of dominus master, ruler, lord; akin to domare to tame, subdue. See Tame, and cf. Dam mother, Dan, Danger]
- fain v. t.
- To be glad ; to wish or desire.
- lamented a.
- Mourned for; bewailed.
- sire n.
- A lord, master, or other person in authority. See Sir. [F. sire, originally, an older person. See Sir.]
- aright adv.
- Rightly; correctly; in a right way or form; without mistake or crime; as, to worship God aright. [Pref. a- + right.]
- morisco n.
- A thing of Moorish origin; as: (a) The Moorish language. (b) A Moorish dance, now called morris dance. Marston. (c) One who dances the Moorish dance. Shak. (d) Moresque decoration or architecture. [Sp. morisco Moorish.]
- needs adv.
- Of necessity; necessarily; indispensably; -- often with must, and equivalent to of need. [Orig. gen. of need, used as an adverb. Cf. - wards.]
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- bade
- A form of the pat tense of Bid.
- vale n.
- A tract of low ground, or of land between hills; a valley. [OE. val, F. val, L. vallis; perhaps akin to Gr. Avalanche, Vail to lower, Valley.]
- charger n.
- One who, or that which charges.
- twain a.
- Two;- nearly obsolete in common discourse, but used in poetry and burlesque. [OE. twein, tweien, tweyne, AS. twegen, masc. See Two.]
- shortly adv.
- In a short or brief time or manner; soon; quickly. [AS. sceortlice.]
- wealth n.
- Weal; welfare; prosperity; good. [OE. welthe, from wele; cf. D. weelde luxury. See Weal prosperity.]
- castellan n.
- A goveror or warden of a castle. [OF. castelain, F. châtelain, L. castellanus pertaining to a castle, an occupant of a caste, LL., a governor of a castle, fr. L. catellum castle, citadel, dim. o]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Affront of Corpes CXXVI 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 CXXVI, 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-cxxvi.html, id L15130.
Form and metre
The Affront of Corpes CXXVI is 50 lines in 6 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 72% of the lines. The metre is iambic heptameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 77%). 92% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 13.8 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 -AA-- thou · heartA · departA · o'er · campeador
- 2 AABBCC- meA · heA · goB · soB · wendC · commendC · fain
- 3 --AABB--CC sore · campeador · arightA · nightA · friendB · extendB · carrión · shown · meC · feeC
- 4 -AA born · fareA · thereA
- 5 AABBCCDDEEFF- spurA · wereA · contentB · wentB · beC · heC · rideD · signifiedD · cameE · nameE · gaveF · braveF · wrought
- 6 AAABBCCDD--- broughtA · concertA · desertA · moorB · secureB · maintainC · stainC · eachD · speechD · ran · castellan · thee
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 |
|---|---|---|
| "My nephew Felez Múñoz, I prithee where art thou? | 13 | ·/˘·····/˘··· |
| Thou art my daughters' cousin in thy soul and in thine heart. | 14 | ···/˘/˘······· |
| With them even unto Carrión I command thee to depart. | 14 | ··/·····˘/··˘/ |
| Thou shalt see what lands for dower to my girls are given o'er, | 14 | ···········/˘· |
| And shalt come again with tidings unto the Campeador.'' | 14 | ···˘/·/˘······ |
| Quoth Felez Múñoz: "Heart and soul that duty pleases me." | 14 | ·········/˘/˘· |
| Minaya Alvar Fañez before the Cid came he: | 12 | ············ |
| "Back to the town of Valencia, Oh Cid, now let us go; | 14 | ·····˘/˘······ |
| For if our God and Father the Creator's will be so, | 14 | ··/··/˘·˘/˘··· |
| To Carrión's lands thy daughters to visit we shall wend. | 13 | ·····/˘·/˘··· |
| Dame Sol and Dame Elvíra, to God do we commend. | 13 | ···········˘/ |
| Such things may you accomplish as will make us glad and fain." | 14 | ····˘/˘······· |
| They lamented much at parting. Daughters and sire wept sore, | 14 | ·˘/˘··/˘/˘·/·· |
| So also wept the cavaliers of the Cid Campeador. | 14 | ·/˘···˘/······ |
| "Thou, cousin, Felez Múñoz, now hark to this aright. | 13 | ·/˘········˘/ |
| Thou shalt go by Molína, and there shalt lie one night, | 13 | ············· |
| And greet fair the Morisco Avengalvón my friend; | 13 | ····˘/˘······ |
| That he may most fair reception to my sons-in-law extend. | 15 | ·····˘/˘·····˘/ |
| Tell him I send my daughters to the lands of Carrión, | 13 | ·····/˘······ |
| In all their needs his courtesy as beseemeth shall be shown. | 14 | ·····/˘······· |
| Let him ward them to Medína for the love he beareth me. | 15 | ············/˘· |
| For all that he cloth for them I will give him a rich fee." | 14 | ·············· |
| He turned back to Valencia who in happy hour was born. | 14 | ····˘/˘··/˘/·· |
| And now the Heirs of Carrión have fettled them to fare. | 13 | ·········˘··· |
| Saint Mary of Alvarrazín, their halting-place was there. | 14 | ·/˘······/˘··· |
| From thence the Heirs of Carrión plied furiously the spur. | 14 | ········/˘˘˘·· |
| Ho! in Molína with the Moor Avengalvón they were. | 14 | ·············· |
| The Morisco when he heard it in his heart was well content, | 15 | ·˘/˘·········˘/ |
| And forth with great rejoicings to welcome them he went. | 13 | ····˘/˘·/˘··· |
| Ah, God! how well he served them in what e 'er their joy might be! | 15 | ··············· |
| The next day in the morning to horse with them got he. | 13 | ·····/˘······ |
| He bade two hundred horsemen for escort forth to ride. | 14 | ···/˘˘/˘·˘/··· |
| They crossed the mountains of Luzón (so are they signified), | 14 | ···/˘······/˘· |
| And the Vale of Arbujuélo to the Jalón they came. | 14 | ·············· |
| The place where they found lodging, Ansaréra is its name. | 14 | ·····/˘······· |
| Unto the daughters of the Cid, the Moor fair presents gave, | 14 | ···/˘······/˘· |
| And to either Heir of Carrión beside a charger brave. | 14 | ··/˘····˘/·/˘· |
| For the love he bore the Campeador, all this for them he wrought. | 15 | ··············· |
| They looked upon the riches that the Moor with him had brought | 14 | ·····/˘······· |
| And then together treason did the brothers twain concert. | 14 | ··˘/˘/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| "Since the daughters of the Campeador we shortly shall desert, | 15 | ··/˘······/˘·˘/ |
| If but we might do unto death Aengalvon the Moor, | 13 | ············· |
| The treasure he possesses for ourselves we should secure | 14 | ·/˘·˘/˘·˘/··˘/ |
| Safe as our wealth in Carrión those goods we will maintain. | 14 | ··/˘········˘/ |
| And ne'er will the Cid Campeador avenge on us the stain." | 14 | ········˘/···· |
| While they of Carrión this shame complotted each with each, | 13 | ············· |
| In the midst a Moor o'erheard them, that could of Latin speech. | 14 | ···········/˘· |
| He kept no secret. With it to Avengalvón he ran: | 14 | ···/˘········· |
| "Thou art my lord. Be wary of these persons, Castellan. | 14 | ·····/˘··/˘/˘˘ |
| I heard the heirs of Carrión that plotted death for thee." | 13 | ········/˘··· |
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