The Banishment of the Cid XXXIX
And Martin Antolínez a heavy stroke let driveAt Gálve. On his helmet the rubies did he rive;The stroke went through the helmet for it reached unto the flesh.Be it known, he dared not tarry for the man to strike afresh.King Fáriz and King Gálve, but beaten men are they.What a great day for Christendom! On every side awayFled the Moors. My lord Cid's henchmen still striking gave themchase.Into Terrér came Fáriz, but the people of the placeWould not receive King Gálve. As swiftly as he mightOnward unto Calatayúd he hastened in his flight.And after him in full pursuit came on the Campeador.Till they came unto Calatayúd that chase they gave not o'er.
Words in this poem
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- afresh adv.
- Anew; again; once more; newly. [Pref. a- + fresh.]
- christendom n.
- The profession of faith in Christ by baptism; hence, the Christian religion, or the adoption of it. [AS. cristend; cristen a Christian + -dom.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Banishment of the Cid XXXIX 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 XXXIX, 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-xxxix.html, id L15048.
Form and metre
The Banishment of the Cid XXXIX is 13 lines in a single stanza. The metre is iambic heptameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 81%). 85% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 12.5 syllables. 38% 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-DDEE-- driveA · riveA · fleshB · afreshB · theyC · awayC · them · chaseD · placeD · mightE · flightE · campeador · o'er
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 |
|---|---|---|
| And Martin Antolínez a heavy stroke let drive | 13 | ·/˘·····/˘··· |
| At Gálve. On his helmet the rubies did he rive; | 12 | ····/˘·/˘··· |
| The stroke went through the helmet for it reached unto the flesh. | 14 | ·····/˘······· |
| Be it known, he dared not tarry for the man to strike afresh. | 15 | ······/˘·····˘/ |
| King Fáriz and King Gálve, but beaten men are they. | 12 | ·······/˘··· |
| What a great day for Christendom! On every side away | 15 | ·····/˘˘·/˘˘·˘/ |
| Fled the Moors. My lord Cid's henchmen still striking gave them | 13 | ······/˘·/˘·· |
| chase. | 1 | · |
| Into Terrér came Fáriz, but the people of the place | 14 | ·········/˘··· |
| Would not receive King Gálve. As swiftly as he might | 12 | ··˘/···/˘··· |
| Onward unto Calatayúd he hastened in his flight. | 13 | /˘······/˘··· |
| And after him in full pursuit came on the Campeador. | 14 | ······˘/······ |
| Till they came unto Calatayúd that chase they gave not o'er. | 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.