The Marriage of the Cid's Daughters CXI
To make beautiful the palace, then one and all began.There was displayed much arras on wall and pavement both,Much purple and much samite and store of precious cloth.'Twould have pleased you in that palace to have sat you down toeat.And speedily together did his knights assembled meet.
And for the Heirs of Carrión as at that time they sent,To horse they got and onward to the palace forth they went.And fine is all their raiment, and stuff of proof likewise.They came afoot and properly, God! in what lowly guise!The Cid and all his vassals received them when they came.They bowed the head before him; they bowed before his dame;Straightway to take their places on a noble seat they strode.Of my lord Cid all the henchmen exceeding wisdom showed,His speech who in good hour was born in quiet they expect.
And now the noble Campeador hath risen up erect:"Since such a deed is toward, why do we tarry here?Come hither Alvar Fañez whom I cherish and hold dear.My daughters twain, behold them, to thy hand I give them o'er.Be it known so to perform it unto the King I swore,To fail in our agreement is in no way mine intent.To the Heirs of Carrión their brides, now with thine hand present;Let them have benediction and speed the wedding through."
The ladies rose. He gave them into Minaya's care.To Carrión's Heirs, Minaya now doth his charge declare:"Lo! Minaya here before you, ye brothers born that be!By the hand of King Alfonso, who has laid this charge on me,I give to you these ladies that are both of noble blood,That to wife ye take them nobly and in fair guise and good."
And with a will and gladly to take their brides they came,And they kissed the hands straightway of my lord Cid and his dame.
They came forth from the palace when all these things were done.And then unto Saint Mary's in haste they got them gone.Bishop Jerome his vestments swiftly to him has ta 'en,And he abode the coming at the portal of the fane.He has given them his blessing, and chanted mass in course.
When from the church they issued with speed they got to horse.They hastened from Valencia forth on the sandy shore.God! the Cid and his companions, how well their arms they bore!He who in happy hour was born, three times hath changed his steed.With what he saw my lord the Cid was well content indeed,For the two heirs of Carrión have well their steeds bestrode.With the ladies to Valencia then home again they rode.In that fair hold resplendent was the wedding that they had.To rear up seven quintains the Cid next morning bade;Before they went to dinner, were the seven burst in twain.
Full fifteen days together at the wedding they remain.The fifteen days well nigh are done; homeward the nobles ride.My lord Cid don Rodrigo who was born in a good tideOf the mules and the palfreys and the battle-chargers swift,Of beasts alone an hundred has granted forth in gift,And cloaks, fur capes, and raiment of other sort great store,and bestowed wealth in money in abundance furthermore.The vassals of my lord the Cid, for they had counselled so,For their part bridal tokens upon the guests bestow.He came by great possession whoso thereof was fain,Who was at the bridal, wealthy came to Castile again.Now are all these guests together about to ride away;To Roy Diaz in good hour born their last devoirs they pay,And likewise to the ladies, and his men of high descent.My lord Cid and his vassals they left in high content.They said much honor of them as was indeed their due.Diégo and Ferrándo were passing merry too;Of the Count don Gonzálvo they were the children twain.
And now the guests came homeward unto Castile again.The Cid and his two sons-in-law in Valencia they stay.There dwell the Heirs until two years have well nigh passed away.It was a mighty welcome in that city that they had.The Cid and all his vassals were all exceeding glad.Saint Mary and our Father, may it please them to consentThat the Cid and he who wrought it with the bridal be content.Of this Cantar the couplets come now unto their end.The Saints and the Creator preserve you and defend.
Words in this poem 21
- arras n.
- Tapestry; a rich figured fabric; especially, a screen or hangings of heavy cloth with interwoven figures. [From Arras the capital of Artois, in the French Netherlands.]
- samite a.
- A species of silk stuff, or taffeta, generally interwoven with gold. [OF. samit, LL. samitum, examitum, from LGr. Six, and cf. Dimity.]
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- 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]
- straightway adv.
- Immediately; without loss of time; without delay.
- expect v. t.
- To wait for; to await. [L. expectatum, to look out for, await, expect; ex + out spectare to look at. See Spectacle.]
- twain a.
- Two;- nearly obsolete in common discourse, but used in poetry and burlesque. [OE. twein, tweien, tweyne, AS. twegen, masc. See Two.]
- nobly adv.
- Of noble extraction; as, nobly born or descended.
- gladly adv.
- Preferably; by choice. [From Glad, a.]
- abode n.
- Act of waiting; delay. [OE. abad, abood, fr. abiden to abide. See Abide. For the change of vowel, cf. abode, imp. of abide.]
- fane n.
- A temple; a place consecrated to religion; a church. [L. fanum a place dedicated to some deity, a sanctuary, fr. fari to speak. See Fame.]
- 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.]
- steed n.
- A horse, especially a spirited horse for state of war; -- used chiefly in poetry or stately prose. [OE. stede, AS. steda a stud-horse, war horse, fr. stod a stud of breeding steeds; akin to G. stute a mare, Icel. stedda, sto, a stud. *163. See Stud of horses.]
- rode n.
- Redness; complexion. [See Rud.]
- bade
- A form of the pat tense of Bid.
- homeward a.
- Being in the direction of home; as, the homeward way.
- wealth n.
- Weal; welfare; prosperity; good. [OE. welthe, from wele; cf. D. weelde luxury. See Weal prosperity.]
- furthermore adv.
- or conj. Moreover; besides; in addition to what has been said.
- whoso pron.
- Whosoever. Piers Plowman.
- fain v. t.
- To be glad ; to wish or desire.
- dwell v. i.
- To delay; to linger. [OE. dwellen, dwelien, to err, linger, AS. dwellan to deceive, hinder, delay, dwelian to err; akin to Icel. dvelja to delay, tarry, Sw. dväljas to dwell, Dan. dv]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Marriage of the Cid's Daughters CXI 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 Marriage of the Cid's Daughters CXI, in The Lay of the Cid (1919), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #6088, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/lay-of-the-cid/the-marriage-of-the-cid-s-daughters-cxi.html, id L15116.
Form and metre
The Marriage of the Cid's Daughters CXI is 73 lines in 9 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 71% of the lines. The metre is iambic heptameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 79%). 89% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 13.5 syllables. 2 lines end 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 began · both · cloth · to · eatA · meetA
- 2 AABBCCDD- sentA · wentA · likewiseB · guiseB · cameC · dameC · strodeD · showedD · expect
- 3 -AA--BB- erect · hereA · dearA · o'er · swore · intentB · presentB · through
- 4 AABBCC careA · declareA · beB · meB · bloodC · goodC
- 5 AA cameA · dameA
- 7 -AABBCC--- horse · shoreA · boreA · steedB · indeedB · bestrodeC · rodeC · had · bade · twain
- 8 ABBCCDDEEAAFFGGHHA remainA · rideB · tideB · swiftC · giftC · storeD · furthermoreD · soE · bestowE · fainA · againA · awayF · payF · descentG · contentG · dueH · tooH · twainA
- 9 -AABBCCDD again · stayA · awayA · hadB · gladB · consentC · contentC · endD · defendD
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 |
|---|---|---|
| To make beautiful the palace, then one and all began. | 14 | ··/˘˘·/˘····˘/ |
| There was displayed much arras on wall and pavement both, | 14 | ··˘/˘·/˘···/˘· |
| Much purple and much samite and store of precious cloth. | 13 | ·/˘··/˘···/˘· |
| 'Twould have pleased you in that palace to have sat you down to | 14 | ······/˘······ |
| eat. | 1 | · |
| And speedily together did his knights assembled meet. | 14 | ·/˘˘˘/˘···˘/˘· |
| And for the Heirs of Carrión as at that time they sent, | 13 | ············· |
| To horse they got and onward to the palace forth they went. | 14 | ·····/˘··/˘··· |
| And fine is all their raiment, and stuff of proof likewise. | 13 | ·····/˘····/· |
| They came afoot and properly, God! in what lowly guise! | 14 | ··˘/·/˘˘···/˘· |
| The Cid and all his vassals received them when they came. | 14 | ·····/˘˘/˘···· |
| They bowed the head before him; they bowed before his dame; | 14 | ··˘··········· |
| Straightway to take their places on a noble seat they strode. | 14 | /˘···/˘··/˘··· |
| Of my lord Cid all the henchmen exceeding wisdom showed, | 14 | ······/˘˘/˘/˘· |
| His speech who in good hour was born in quiet they expect. | 14 | ·····/···/˘·˘/ |
| And now the noble Campeador hath risen up erect: | 14 | ···/˘····/˘·˘/ |
| "Since such a deed is toward, why do we tarry here? | 13 | ··········/˘· |
| Come hither Alvar Fañez whom I cherish and hold dear. | 14 | ·/˘······/˘··· |
| My daughters twain, behold them, to thy hand I give them o'er. | 14 | ·/˘·˘/········ |
| Be it known so to perform it unto the King I swore, | 14 | ·····˘/······· |
| To fail in our agreement is in no way mine intent. | 14 | ···/˘/˘·····˘/ |
| To the Heirs of Carrión their brides, now with thine hand present; | 14 | ············/˘ |
| Let them have benediction and speed the wedding through." | 13 | ····˘/˘···/˘· |
| The ladies rose. He gave them into Minaya's care. | 12 | ·/˘········· |
| To Carrión's Heirs, Minaya now doth his charge declare: | 12 | ··········˘/ |
| "Lo! Minaya here before you, ye brothers born that be! | 13 | ········/˘··· |
| By the hand of King Alfonso, who has laid this charge on me, | 15 | ··············· |
| I give to you these ladies that are both of noble blood, | 14 | ·····/˘····/˘· |
| That to wife ye take them nobly and in fair guise and good." | 14 | ······/˘······ |
| And with a will and gladly to take their brides they came, | 13 | ·····/˘······ |
| And they kissed the hands straightway of my lord Cid and his dame. | 14 | ·····/˘······· |
| They came forth from the palace when all these things were done. | 13 | ·····/˘······ |
| And then unto Saint Mary's in haste they got them gone. | 13 | ·····/˘······ |
| Bishop Jerome his vestments swiftly to him has ta 'en, | 14 | /˘˘/···/˘····· |
| And he abode the coming at the portal of the fane. | 14 | ··˘/·/˘··/˘··· |
| He has given them his blessing, and chanted mass in course. | 14 | ··/˘··/˘·/˘··· |
| When from the church they issued with speed they got to horse. | 14 | ·····/˘˘······ |
| They hastened from Valencia forth on the sandy shore. | 14 | ·/˘·˘/˘˘···/˘· |
| God! the Cid and his companions, how well their arms they bore! | 14 | ·····˘/˘······ |
| He who in happy hour was born, three times hath changed his steed. | 14 | ···/˘/········ |
| With what he saw my lord the Cid was well content indeed, | 14 | ··········˘/˘/ |
| For the two heirs of Carrión have well their steeds bestrode. | 13 | ···········˘/ |
| With the ladies to Valencia then home again they rode. | 14 | ··/˘·˘/˘··˘/·· |
| In that fair hold resplendent was the wedding that they had. | 14 | ····˘/˘··/˘··· |
| To rear up seven quintains the Cid next morning bade; | 13 | ···/˘·····/˘· |
| Before they went to dinner, were the seven burst in twain. | 14 | ·····/˘··/˘··· |
| Full fifteen days together at the wedding they remain. | 14 | ·//·˘/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| The fifteen days well nigh are done; homeward the nobles ride. | 14 | ·˘/·····/˘·/˘· |
| My lord Cid don Rodrigo who was born in a good tide | 14 | ····˘/˘······· |
| Of the mules and the palfreys and the battle-chargers swift, | 14 | ·····/˘··/˘/˘· |
| Of beasts alone an hundred has granted forth in gift, | 14 | ··˘/·/˘˘·/˘··· |
| And cloaks, fur capes, and raiment of other sort great store, | 13 | ·····/˘·/˘··· |
| and bestowed wealth in money in abundance furthermore. | 14 | ·˘/··/˘·˘/˘/˘· |
| The vassals of my lord the Cid, for they had counselled so, | 14 | ·/˘········/˘· |
| For their part bridal tokens upon the guests bestow. | 13 | ···/˘/˘····˘/ |
| He came by great possession whoso thereof was fain, | 13 | ····˘/˘/˘···· |
| Who was at the bridal, wealthy came to Castile again. | 15 | ····/˘/˘·····˘/ |
| Now are all these guests together about to ride away; | 14 | ·····˘/˘····˘/ |
| To Roy Diaz in good hour born their last devoirs they pay, | 14 | ··/···/······· |
| And likewise to the ladies, and his men of high descent. | 14 | ·/···/˘·····˘/ |
| My lord Cid and his vassals they left in high content. | 13 | ·····/˘····/˘ |
| They said much honor of them as was indeed their due. | 13 | ···/˘····˘/·· |
| Diégo and Ferrándo were passing merry too; | 12 | ·······/˘/˘· |
| Of the Count don Gonzálvo they were the children twain. | 13 | ··········/˘· |
| And now the guests came homeward unto Castile again. | 14 | ·····/˘·····˘/ |
| The Cid and his two sons-in-law in Valencia they stay. | 14 | ·········˘/˘·· |
| There dwell the Heirs until two years have well nigh passed away. | 14 | ············˘/ |
| It was a mighty welcome in that city that they had. | 14 | ···/˘/˘··/˘··· |
| The Cid and all his vassals were all exceeding glad. | 13 | ·····/˘··˘/˘· |
| Saint Mary and our Father, may it please them to consent | 14 | ·/˘·//˘·····˘/ |
| That the Cid and he who wrought it with the bridal be content. | 15 | ··········/˘·˘/ |
| Of this Cantar the couplets come now unto their end. | 13 | ············· |
| The Saints and the Creator preserve you and defend. | 13 | ····˘/˘˘/··˘/ |
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