The Banishment of the Cid XXIX
In Alcocér the burghers to the Cid their tribute paidAnd all the dwellers in Terrér and Teca furthermore.And the townsmen of Calatayúd, know well, it irked them sore.Full fifteen weeks he tarried there, but the town yielded not.And when he saw it forthwith the Cid devised a plot.Save one left pitched behind him, he struck his every tent.Then with his ensign lifted, down the Jalón he went,With mail-shirts on and girded swords, as a wise man should himbear.To draw forth to his ambush the men of Alcocér.And when they saw it, name of God! How glad was everyone!"The provender and fodder of my lord the Cid are gone.If he leaves one tent behind him, the burden is not lightOf the others that he beareth. He 'scapes like one in flight.Let us now fall upon him, great profit shall we gain.We shall win a mighty booty before he shall be ta'enBy them who have their dwelling in the city of Terrér;For if by chance they take him, in the spoil we shall not share.The tribute that he levied, double he shall restore."
Forth from the town of Alcocér in wild haste did they pour.When the Cid saw them well without he made as if he fled;With his whole host in confusion down the Jalón he sped.
"The prize 'scapes," cried the townsmen. Forth rushed both greatand small,In the lust of conquest thinking of nothing else at all.They left the gates unguarded, none watched them any more.And then his face upon them turned the great Campeador,He saw how twixt them and their hold there lay a mighty space;He made them turn the standard. They spurred the steeds apace."Ho! cavaliers! Now swiftly let every man strike in,By the Creator's favor this battle we shall win."And there they gave them battle in the midmost of the mead.Ah God! is the rejoicing on this morning great indeed.The Cid and Alvar Fañez went spurring on ahead;Know ye they had good horses that to their liking sped.'Twixt the townsmen and the castle swiftly the way they broke.And the Cid's henchmen merciless, came striking stroke on stroke,In little space three hundred of the Moors they there have slain.Loud was the shouting of the Moors in the ambush that were ta'en.But the twain left them; on they rushed. Right for the hold theymadeAnd at the gate they halted, each with a naked blade.Then up came the Cid's henchmen for the foe were all in flight.Know ye the Cid has taken Alcocér by such a sleight.
Words in this poem
- furthermore adv.
- or conj. Moreover; besides; in addition to what has been said.
- forthwith adv.
- Immediately; without delay; directly.
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- everyone n.
- Everybody; -- commonly separated, every one. [OE. everychon.]
- 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,]
- rushed a.
- Abounding or covered with rushes.
- lust v. i.
- To list; to like. [AS. lystan. See Lust, n., and cf. List to choose.]
- apace adv.
- With a quick pace; quick; fast; speedily. [Pref. a- + pace. OE. a pas at a walk, in which a is the article. See Pace.]
- midmost a.
- Middle; middlemost. [OE. middemiste. Cf. Foremost.]
- ahead adv.
- In or to the front; in advance; onward. [Pref. a- + head.]
- broke v. i.
- To transact business for another. Brome. [See Broker, and cf. Brook.]
- twain a.
- Two;- nearly obsolete in common discourse, but used in poetry and burlesque. [OE. twein, tweien, tweyne, AS. twegen, masc. See Two.]
- sleight n.
- Cunning; craft; artful practice. [OE. sleighte, sleihte, sleithe, Icel. sl (for sl) slyness, cunning, fr. sl (for sl) sly, cunning. See Sly.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Banishment of the Cid XXIX 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 Banishment of the Cid XXIX, in The Lay of the Cid (1919), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #6088, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/lay-of-the-cid/the-banishment-of-the-cid-xxix.html, id L15039.
Form and metre
The Banishment of the Cid XXIX is 44 lines in 3 stanzas. The metre is iambic heptameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 78%). 92% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 12.9 syllables. 16% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See 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 -AABBCC-D---EE---DA paid · furthermoreA · soreA · notB · plotB · tentC · wentC · him · bearD · alcocér · everyone · gone · lightE · flightE · gain · ta'en · terrér · shareD · restoreA
- 2 -AA pour · fledA · spedA
- 3 -AA--BBCCDDEEFF---GGHH great · smallA · allA · more · campeador · spaceB · apaceB · inC · winC · meadD · indeedD · aheadE · spedE · brokeF · strokeF · slain · ta'en · they · madeG · bladeG · flightH · sleightH
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 Alcocér the burghers to the Cid their tribute paid | 14 | ·····/˘····/˘· |
| And all the dwellers in Terrér and Teca furthermore. | 14 | ···/˘······/˘· |
| And the townsmen of Calatayúd, know well, it irked them sore. | 14 | ·············· |
| Full fifteen weeks he tarried there, but the town yielded not. | 13 | ·˘/·······/˘· |
| And when he saw it forthwith the Cid devised a plot. | 14 | ·····//··˘/˘·· |
| Save one left pitched behind him, he struck his every tent. | 14 | ··········/˘˘· |
| Then with his ensign lifted, down the Jalón he went, | 13 | ···/˘/˘······ |
| With mail-shirts on and girded swords, as a wise man should him | 14 | ·····/˘······· |
| bear. | 1 | · |
| To draw forth to his ambush the men of Alcocér. | 13 | ·····/······· |
| And when they saw it, name of God! How glad was everyone! | 14 | ···········/˘· |
| "The provender and fodder of my lord the Cid are gone. | 14 | ·/˘˘·/˘······· |
| If he leaves one tent behind him, the burden is not light | 14 | ·········/˘··· |
| Of the others that he beareth. He 'scapes like one in flight. | 14 | ··/˘··/˘······ |
| Let us now fall upon him, great profit shall we gain. | 13 | ········/˘··· |
| We shall win a mighty booty before he shall be ta'en | 14 | ····/˘/˘······ |
| By them who have their dwelling in the city of Terrér; | 14 | ·····/˘··/˘··· |
| For if by chance they take him, in the spoil we shall not share. | 14 | ·············· |
| The tribute that he levied, double he shall restore." | 13 | ·/˘··/˘/˘··˘/ |
| Forth from the town of Alcocér in wild haste did they pour. | 14 | ·············· |
| When the Cid saw them well without he made as if he fled; | 14 | ·············· |
| With his whole host in confusion down the Jalón he sped. | 14 | ·····˘/˘······ |
| "The prize 'scapes," cried the townsmen. Forth rushed both great | 11 | ··········· |
| and small, | 2 | ·· |
| In the lust of conquest thinking of nothing else at all. | 14 | ····/˘/˘·/˘··· |
| They left the gates unguarded, none watched them any more. | 14 | ····˘/˘··˘·/˘· |
| And then his face upon them turned the great Campeador, | 14 | ········˘····· |
| He saw how twixt them and their hold there lay a mighty space; | 14 | ···········/˘· |
| He made them turn the standard. They spurred the steeds apace. | 14 | ·····/˘··˘··˘/ |
| "Ho! cavaliers! Now swiftly let every man strike in, | 14 | ··˘/·/˘·/˘˘··· |
| By the Creator's favor this battle we shall win." | 13 | ··˘/˘/˘·/˘··· |
| And there they gave them battle in the midmost of the mead. | 14 | ·····/˘··/˘··· |
| Ah God! is the rejoicing on this morning great indeed. | 14 | ····˘/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| The Cid and Alvar Fañez went spurring on ahead; | 13 | ········/˘·˘/ |
| Know ye they had good horses that to their liking sped. | 13 | ·····/˘···/˘· |
| 'Twixt the townsmen and the castle swiftly the way they broke. | 14 | ······/˘/˘···· |
| And the Cid's henchmen merciless, came striking stroke on stroke, | 14 | ···/˘/˘˘·/˘··· |
| In little space three hundred of the Moors they there have slain. | 14 | ·/˘··/˘······· |
| Loud was the shouting of the Moors in the ambush that were ta'en. | 15 | ···/˘·····/···· |
| But the twain left them; on they rushed. Right for the hold they | 14 | ········˘····· |
| made | 1 | · |
| And at the gate they halted, each with a naked blade. | 14 | ·····/˘···/˘˘· |
| Then up came the Cid's henchmen for the foe were all in flight. | 14 | ·····/˘······· |
| Know ye the Cid has taken Alcocér by such a sleight. | 14 | ·····/˘······· |
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