The Marriage of the Cid's Daughters XCIX
Glad was the King. Man gladder you never yet did see.He commanded all his nobles to ride forth hastily.And forth among the first of them did King Alfonso go,Of him who in good hour was born the tidings for to know.Know you the Heirs of Carrión happed in that place to be,Also Count don García the Cid's worst enemy.Of the tidings some were merry, and some were all folorn.They caught sight of his henchmen who in happy hour was born.They feared it was an army for no herald came before.Straightway the King Alfonso crossed himself o'er and o'er.Minaya and Per Vermudóz came forward with all speed,They leaped from the saddle, they dismounted from the steed.Before the King Alfonso upon their knees they fell.They kissed the ground beneath him, the kissed his feet as well:"Now a boon, King Alfonso. Thou art great and glorious.For my lord Cid the Campeador do we embrace thee thus.He holds himself thy vassal; he owns thee for his lord.He prizes high the honor thou didst to him accord.O King, but a few days agone in the fight he overcameThe King out of Morocco, Yússuf (that is his name),With a host of fifty thousand from the field he drove away.The booty that he captured was a great and sovran prey.Great wealth unto his followers because of this did fall.He sends thee twoscore horses and doth kiss thy hands withal.Said King Alfonso:"Gladly to accept them am I fain.To the Cid who sent me such a gift I send my thanks again.When I do unto his liking, may he live to see the day."
Thereat were many of good cheer and kissed his hands straightway.Grieved was Count don García. Wroth was his heart within.Apart he wells a little with ten men of his kin:"A marvel is this matter of the Cid, so grows his fame.Now by the honor that he hath we shall be put to shame.Kings he o'erthroweth lightly, and lightly bringeth steedsAs though he dead had found them; we are minished by his deeds."
Words in this poem 17
- gladder n.
- One who makes glad.
- happed p. a.
- Wrapped; covered; cloaked. [From 1st Hap.]
- straightway adv.
- Immediately; without loss of time; without delay.
- 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.]
- boon n.
- A prayer or petition. [OE. bone, boin, a petition, fr. Icel. b; akin to Sw. & Dan. b, AS. b, and perh. to E. ban; but influenced by F. bon good, fr. L. bonus. Ban, Bounty.]
- glorious a.
- Exhibiting attributes, qualities, or acts that are worthy of or receive glory; noble; praiseworthy; excellent; splendid; illustrious; inspiring admiration; as, glorious deeds. [OF. glorios, glorious, F. glorieux, fr. L. gloriosus. See Glory, n.]
- didst
- , the 2d pers. sing. imp. of Do.
- morocco n.
- A fine kind of leather, prepared commonly from goatskin (though an inferior kind is made of sheepskin), and tanned with sumac and dyed of various colors; -- said to have been first made by the Moors. [Named from Morocco, the country. Cf. Morris the dance.]
- drove n.
- A collection of cattle driven, or cattle collected for driving; a number of animals, as oxen, sheep, or swine, driven in a body. [AS. draf, fr. drifan to drive. See Drive.]
- sovran a.
- A variant of Sovereign.
- wealth n.
- Weal; welfare; prosperity; good. [OE. welthe, from wele; cf. D. weelde luxury. See Weal prosperity.]
- withal adv.
- With this; with that. [With + all.]
- gladly adv.
- Preferably; by choice. [From Glad, a.]
- fain v. t.
- To be glad ; to wish or desire.
- thereat adv.
- At that place; there.
- wroth a.
- Full of wrath; angry; incensed; much exasperated; wrathful. [OE. wroth, wrap, AS. wraedh wroth, crooked, bad; akin to wriedhan to writhe, and to OS. wreedhangry, D. wreed cruel, OHG. reid twisted, Icel. reiedhr angry, Dan]
- 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,]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Marriage of the Cid's Daughters XCIX 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 XCIX, 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-xcix.html, id L15104.
Form and metre
The Marriage of the Cid's Daughters XCIX is 35 lines in 2 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 69% of the lines. The metre is iambic heptameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 79%). 88% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 13.3 syllables. 4 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 6% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
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 A-BBA-CC--DDEEFFGGHHIIJJ-KKI seeA · hastily · goB · knowB · beA · enemy · folornC · bornC · before · o'er · speedD · steedD · fellE · wellE · gloriousF · thusF · lordG · accordG · overcameH · nameH · awayI · preyI · fallJ · withalJ · alfonso · fainK · againK · dayI
- 2 -AABBCC straightway · withinA · kinA · fameB · shameB · steedsC · deedsC
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Glad was the King. Man gladder you never yet did see. | 13 | ·····/˘·/˘··· |
| He commanded all his nobles to ride forth hastily. | 14 | ·˘/˘··/˘···/˘˘ |
| And forth among the first of them did King Alfonso go, | 14 | ·············· |
| Of him who in good hour was born the tidings for to know. | 15 | ·····/˘···/˘··· |
| Know you the Heirs of Carrión happed in that place to be, | 13 | ············· |
| Also Count don García the Cid's worst enemy. | 12 | /˘·······/˘˘ |
| Of the tidings some were merry, and some were all folorn. | 14 | ··/˘··/˘······ |
| They caught sight of his henchmen who in happy hour was born. | 15 | ·····/˘··/˘/˘·· |
| They feared it was an army for no herald came before. | 14 | ·····/˘··/˘··· |
| Straightway the King Alfonso crossed himself o'er and o'er. | 13 | /˘······˘/··· |
| Minaya and Per Vermudóz came forward with all speed, | 13 | ········/˘··· |
| They leaped from the saddle, they dismounted from the steed. | 13 | ····/˘······· |
| Before the King Alfonso upon their knees they fell. | 13 | ············· |
| They kissed the ground beneath him, the kissed his feet as well: | 13 | ············· |
| "Now a boon, King Alfonso. Thou art great and glorious. | 14 | ···········/˘˘ |
| For my lord Cid the Campeador do we embrace thee thus. | 14 | ··········˘/·· |
| He holds himself thy vassal; he owns thee for his lord. | 13 | ··˘/·/˘······ |
| He prizes high the honor thou didst to him accord. | 13 | ·/˘··/˘····˘/ |
| O King, but a few days agone in the fight he overcame | 15 | ······˘/····/˘/ |
| The King out of Morocco, Yússuf (that is his name), | 13 | ····˘/˘······ |
| With a host of fifty thousand from the field he drove away. | 15 | ····/˘/˘·····˘/ |
| The booty that he captured was a great and sovran prey. | 14 | ·/˘··/˘····/˘· |
| Great wealth unto his followers because of this did fall. | 14 | ·····/˘˘······ |
| He sends thee twoscore horses and doth kiss thy hands withal. | 14 | ·····/˘·····˘/ |
| Said King Alfonso: | 5 | ····· |
| "Gladly to accept them am I fain. | 9 | /˘·˘/···· |
| To the Cid who sent me such a gift I send my thanks again. | 15 | ·············˘/ |
| When I do unto his liking, may he live to see the day." | 15 | ······/˘······· |
| Thereat were many of good cheer and kissed his hands straightway. | 14 | ˘/·/˘·······/˘ |
| Grieved was Count don García. Wroth was his heart within. | 12 | ············ |
| Apart he wells a little with ten men of his kin: | 13 | ˘/···/˘······ |
| "A marvel is this matter of the Cid, so grows his fame. | 14 | ·/˘··/˘······· |
| Now by the honor that he hath we shall be put to shame. | 14 | ···/˘········· |
| Kings he o'erthroweth lightly, and lightly bringeth steeds | 13 | ·····/˘·/˘/˘· |
| As though he dead had found them; we are minished by his deeds." | 14 | ·········/˘··· |
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