The Marriage of the Cid's Daughters XCIII
Even to the pavilions the pursuers would not slack;They had done much and nobly when they thought of turning back.There Alvar Salvadórez a prisoner did remain.Then those that ate his bread returned to the lord Cid again.With his own eyes he beheld it, to his face they spake thereon;My lord the Cid was gladdened of the deeds that they had done."My knights we cannot other. Then harken unto me:'Tis a noble day, yet nobler will tomorrow's battle be.Arm you ere dawn. The Bishop don Jerome our souls will shrive,Saying mass for us ere at them we are ready to let drive.It shall be in no other fashion, we will go smite the foe,In God's name and his Apostle's the good Saint James also.For better fight than let them in the land devour our bread.""With a good will and gladly," in reply to him they said
And then outspake Minaya, for nothing tarried he:"Since thou wishest this, give orders of another sort to me.For the sore need of battle grant me six score horse and ten;From the far flank, when thou charges will I fall on them then.On one side or the other the Lord will stand our stead.""With right good will," unto him answered the Cid and said.
Words in this poem
- nobly adv.
- Of noble extraction; as, nobly born or descended.
- thereon adv.
- On that or this. [AS. . See There, and On.]
- shrive v. t.
- To hear or receive the confession of; to administer confession and absolution to; -- said of a priest as the agent. [OE. shriven, schriven, AS. scrivan to shrive, to impose penance or punishment; akin to OFries. skriva to impose punishment; cf. OS. biskriban to be troubled. Cf]
- 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,]
- gladly adv.
- Preferably; by choice. [From Glad, a.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Marriage of the Cid's Daughters XCIII 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 XCIII, 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-xciii.html, id L15098.
Form and metre
The Marriage of the Cid's Daughters XCIII is 20 lines in 2 stanzas. The metre is iambic heptameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 81%). 92% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 14.1 syllables. 1 line ends on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 5% 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 AABB--CCDD--EE slackA · backA · remainB · againB · thereon · done · meC · beC · shriveD · driveD · foe · also · breadE · saidE
- 2 AABBCC heA · meA · tenB · thenB · steadC · saidC
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Even to the pavilions the pursuers would not slack; | 14 | /˘··˘/˘·˘/˘··· |
| They had done much and nobly when they thought of turning back. | 14 | ·····/˘····/˘· |
| There Alvar Salvadórez a prisoner did remain. | 14 | ········/˘˘·˘/ |
| Then those that ate his bread returned to the lord Cid again. | 14 | ······˘/····˘/ |
| With his own eyes he beheld it, to his face they spake thereon; | 15 | ·····˘/······˘/ |
| My lord the Cid was gladdened of the deeds that they had done. | 14 | ·····/˘······· |
| "My knights we cannot other. Then harken unto me: | 13 | ···/˘/˘·/˘··· |
| 'Tis a noble day, yet nobler will tomorrow's battle be. | 15 | ··/˘··/˘·˘/·/˘· |
| Arm you ere dawn. The Bishop don Jerome our souls will shrive, | 14 | ·····/˘·˘//··· |
| Saying mass for us ere at them we are ready to let drive. | 15 | /˘········/˘··· |
| It shall be in no other fashion, we will go smite the foe, | 15 | ·····/˘/˘······ |
| In God's name and his Apostle's the good Saint James also. | 14 | ·····˘/˘····/˘ |
| For better fight than let them in the land devour our bread." | 14 | ·/˘·······˘//· |
| "With a good will and gladly," in reply to him they said | 14 | ·····/˘·˘/···· |
| And then outspake Minaya, for nothing tarried he: | 11 | ·······/˘·· |
| "Since thou wishest this, give orders of another sort to me. | 15 | ··/˘··/˘·˘/˘··· |
| For the sore need of battle grant me six score horse and ten; | 14 | ·····/˘······· |
| From the far flank, when thou charges will I fall on them then. | 14 | ······/˘······ |
| On one side or the other the Lord will stand our stead." | 14 | ·····/˘····/˘· |
| "With right good will," unto him answered the Cid and said. | 14 | ·······/˘˘···· |
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