Rinaldo and Marfisa

Come, listen to my song, the praise~and boast of errant knights of old.
Draw yourselves forward, listen to~the brave deeds of fit cavaliers,
 so daring, so great-hearted, who~when peril prompted grew more fierce.

Tonight, I speak of bold Rinaldo,~champion of Charlemagne.
He wields the famous sword Fusberta.
His horse: Baiardo, best of steeds.

That is, Baiardo /was/ his horse.
When magic lured this knight from France,
 his noble steed was left behind.

He found another in his travels,
 a /magic/ beast, of marvel great,
 a coal-black horse named Rabican.
Prince Argali, the son of great~King Galafrone, had.owned this steed,
 but when he died, the beast was lost.

Rinaldo has come to India,
 and here, he hears news of a fight:
 a siege at the city of Albraka.
It seems that one of the warriors there
 is his friend and cousin, Count Orlando.
Rinaldo wants to see, and help him
 so quickly he rides tow'rds Albraka.

This Indian city's been besieged
 by the Tartar lord, King Agrrican.
The king of India, Galafrone,
 rides in arms to repossess it.
As I have told in tales before,
 Galafrone has armies three;
The first two armies, I'll pass by,
 _tonight_ I'll tell you of the /third/.

The third of Galafrone's armies
 is commanded by a mighty queen.
Not a knight in all the East~could match this lady in the saddle.
She is bold, and she's lovely too.
The woman I've been speaking of~is named _Marfisa_,
 one so fierce~that she remained in arms *five years*
 from dawn until the dark of night.

The overreaching maid had sworn~a promise to her god Macon
 to wear her hauberk, plate, and mail
 till she subdued three kings in battle.
These were: the king of Serican --
 I mean Gradasso, who's so strong --
 King Agrican, the Tartar lord,
 and King Charles, France's emperor.

So proud her heart, such her presumption,
 that she herself would not contend
  in any way with anyone~whose head did not display a crown.
Therefore, she left the battlefield,
 and rode along the river's stream
 towards a pine tree's shade to sleep.

But first, as she dismounted, she gave~strict instructions to her maid.
Marfisa said, "Hear what I say!
 If you should see our squadron flee,
  see Galafrone slain or captured,~his standard fallen on the field,
  awaken me and bring my steed.
 Until that time, don't bother me --
  *I'm* all we need for victory!"

Meanwhile, Rinaldo reaches here.
His squire, when he sees Marfisa,
 offers Rinaldo some advice:
"If I remember that device,
  what you behold is not a /knight/,~but a _maiden_ who is named Marfisa.
 Search every realm, down every path,
  go where you will across this earth,
  you won't find _any_ one who's fiercer.

"Therefore, be warned: 
  if you should choose~to joust with her, it's at your peril.
 Let's hurry, let's go back, let's turn.
 Believe me -- I give you good counsel!
 We can escape /if/ we're not seen --
  but once she grips with her cruel talons,
  you're doomed to die in bitter pain.
 There's no defense against her might."

Rinaldo laughs to hear these words.
He says he's grateful for advice,
 but _wants_ to /test/ himself against her.

He grasps his strong shield, takes his lance.
The sun was halfway up the sky
  when those two closed in, eye to eye,
 both so brave, so powerful,
  that neither esteemed -- at all -- their rival.

Marfisa watched Rinaldo come.
She thought his steed already won -- 
 but she will have to sweat some first.
They settled, in their saddles,~and prepared for their ferocious clash.
They turned their horses toward each other,
_Just.then_... a herald reached the stream.

"Your enemy has won the field!"
  he told Marfisa, "We're dispersed!
 King Galafrone has only you --
  all of his hopes are in your hands.
 To you alone he sends for help.
 Allow your courage and your force
  to bring you fame from this day forth.
 Capture this proud King Agrrican,
  who thinks he can oppose the _earth!_
 Slaughter that man! Bring him down!"

Marfisa said, "Wait here a minute."
 I won't be slow to join the battle.
 After I've beaten _this_ bold knight
   (which I am sure will be quick work)
  I will _defeat_ King Agrrican,
   according to god Macon's will.
 Don't worry, I'll take him _alive_~and sentence him to spinning /thread!/"

That headstrong woman said no more
 but turned to face the cavalier.
 Then, in a threatening, fierce voice,
  she challenged him to charge at once.

That lovely damsel said, "Now quick,~come be unhorsed so I can leave.
 You see this herald hurries me,
  since Agrrican now wants to fight."

Marfisa bore a massive lance~of bone and sinew -- very large.
Her blue shield showed as its device
 a crown divided into thirds.
Her surcoat also showed those arms.

A large green dragon was her crest,
 high on her helmet, breathing flames.
The flames were so constructed that~they 'burned' with noise and windy blasts,
 and when she fiercely joined a fight
 their roar increased and caused more fright.

The mail and metal plates she wore
 had all been forged by magic spells.
This suit of arms so shielded her
 she felt completely safe from harm.

Marfisa rode upon a charger,
 the largest nature ever made.
Though it was not enchanted, its~fierceness was boundless, its strength great.
Riding this horse, the mighty queen~moves rapidly, without restraint.

Bold Rinaldo faced her now,
 with a spear of amazing thickness.
Quickly, the lion-hearted knight~_charged_ and struck her visor's center.
He might as well have hit a /tower./
Marfisa did not move or bend
 as his lance _shattered_ noisily~to pieces smaller than a hand.

That wondrous woman hit /Rinaldo/~forcefully, on his helmet's front.
She bent him back, to his steed's rump
 and made his head ring in his helm.
Yet here, Marfisa lost her lance~because it split along its length.
One hundred times and six, she'd used~that spear, and it had always held.
It broke now in this furious~clash, and the maiden was amazed.

Marfisa's stabbed by bitter fury
 because Rinaldo kept his seat.
She called Macon unjust and evil,
 and cursed him as a horny goat.

She said to him, "Why do you keep~that baron in his seat, you rogue?
 Come down right now and show yourself!
 Select the weapon you prefer.
 I guarantee I'll leave your corpse~upside down, stretched.out on the field.
 You do not need to fear /my/ force,
   because I _can't_ ascend the sky,
  but if I *find* a way, be warned,
  I'll _kill_ you! I'll _burn_ *Paradise!*"

While the proud maiden threatens~to raze heaven and destroy Macon,
 Rinaldo turns in her direction --
  he has regained his wind by now --
 and rushes to encounter her.

She is not worried by that baron,
 and when she sees him ride against her,
 she laughs out heartily, and scoffs.

"Why don't you run along, you wretch,
  while I take care of other business?
 Do you seek death to flee your debts?
  Are you /excited/ by my blows?
 You're in trouble, on my honor.
 I'll cut both of your arms clean off,
  and then, I'll give you such a drubbing,
  that you will die to the sound of clubbing."

The proud maid spoke such words,~but bold Rinaldo did not answer back.
He had no idle chat for.that fierce one;
 his sharp sword was all his answer.

When he met her face to face,
 he swung his sword with all his might,
 aiming Fusberta at her helmet.
Marfisa did not feel a thing.
She does not change one whit when hit.

She gives the bold knight good return,
 smashing his helmet on his chin,
 sweeping his shield and slicing it.
His hauberk, mail and plates don't help,
 as she cuts -- cruelly -- his side.

After Rinaldo feels blood flow,
 his spirit, pride, and anger grow.
Through all his life, Rinaldo's never~been in a battle such as this.
He threw down what remained of his shield
 and in his fury swung both hands.
He saw this duel was difficult,
 but that bold baron felt no fear
 as with a double-grip he struck~her shield so hard it flew to earth.

This bold attack infuriates~as much as it amazes her.
She lifts herself high in her stirrups --
  her face is scarlet from her fury --
 and gives another monstrous swing
 _just_ as /Rinaldo/ strikes _again_!

Like her, he did not hesitate
 but flailed as soon as possible.
Each weapon met the other, and~when they collided, sparked and flamed.
The blades were well-honed, razor-sharp,
 but in this clash -- the final test -- 
 Fusberta *cut* Marfisa's sword~like wood and knocked a length to earth.

After Marfisa saw cut short~the point-end of her precious sword
  that was so prized by her before,
 she rained down rapid strokes upon~Rinaldo, like a desperate woman.
But he knew well the art of fencing.
He kept his eyes on every swing,
 guarding himself and parrying.

Marfisa made a vicious stroke --
  she thought she saw an opening --
 and if she'd landed that mad swipe,
  Rinaldo /would/ have lost his life.
He, with a wond'rously quick eye,
  defended with his sword Fusberta,
 parrying her with such a blow
  that she had to let her weapon go.

She saw her sword fall on the earth.
No frenzy ever equalled hers.
She spurred her horse with all her might,
 and charged in like a maddened boar.

Her face aflame, she _socked_ that knight,
  punching him on his left cheek-guard,
 battering him so very hard,
  she made their former joust seem slight.
I marvel at such fisticuffs,
 but I say just what Turpin writes.

The red blood spurted like a fountain
 from Rinaldo's nose and mouth and ears.
The magic of Rinaldo's helmet
  saved the knight from a _mortal_ fate,
 since if he'd worn a _lesser_ helm
  she would have knocked his head *clean off*.

Rinaldo lost his faculties,
 though he stayed saddled on his steed.
His charger bore him off, full speed,
 and the maid can't catch up with him.
Rabican raced so rapidly,
 his hooves made no mark on the grass.
He's not just silent, but scarce seen.

Marfisa lifts her eyebrows, shocked~to see a steed that moves so fast. 
She goes back to retrieve her sword
 and then begins to chase once more.
By now, Rinaldo is far off,
 but when he wakes again, at once~he hurries _towards_ Marfisa,
 since~he's eager to exact revenge.

He felt blood flowing down his face,
 and he reproved himself this way:
"Where would you like your cowardice,
  your low, vile soul, to be displayed?
 Look here, a *woman's* chasing you!
 What would the Count Orlando say
  if he could see me in this field,
  unable to subdue a maid?"

He dies from shame, he feels disgraced.
He's sure that he'll be scorned and mocked
 because a /woman/ made him dance
 and yield more than he could advance.

Marfisa is herself enraged --
 and shows it more than her opponent.
She wished she never had been born,
 since in so much /time/ she's not _won_.

Her shield is hacked, her sword cut short,
 her weary body growing sore,
 yet she's not wounded, and she pours~no blood, for her armor's magical.

These two battled on for *hours*,
 and neither of them advanced one jot.
While the two fought, King Galafrone,
 with.Orlando's help, has won the day.
He now pursues the enemy
 as all of that beaten rabble fled.

The army passed the two knights' duel,
 with Galafrone close behind.
When Galafrone saw their fight,
 he knew Marfisa at first sight.
Not knowing who the strange knight is
 who fights with her on equal terms,
 he judges him an eminent,~powerful and audacious man.

While watching, Galafrone sees
 Rinaldo's steed, good Rabican.
This horse, you may recall,
 had once been owned by Galafrone's son.

The aged parent made laments
 when he beheld that coal-black steed.
"O star of virtue! Argali!
 The one I loved more than my life!
 Is this the traitor who killed you?
 My nostrils smell the evil-doer~who took your life by treachery.
 
"But quarter me to feed my hounds
  and grind my body down to dust
  if this deceiver thinks 
   that he~can boast of your death in foreign lands!"
 
So saying, his sword in both hands,
 he madly charges at Rinaldo,
 hitting him with a swing so hard~Rinaldo hangs from his horse's neck.

Marfisa, seeing that old man~disturb the battle that is _hers,_
 flies into a fearsome rage.
She wants to avenge that _base_ offense,~and angry, charges Galafrone!

Now Brandymart had just arrived
 with Albarossia's Antifor.
Neither knew who the woman was.
They figured she must be a knight~from the opposing camp, who fought,
 and seeing her assault so hard,
 they interposed to help the king.

That haughty damsel, lit by rage,
  had unhorsed Galafrone by.then,
 and had her sword possessed a point,
  the old king would have died at once.

Galafrone /would/ have died,
  since he had fallen from his steed,
 but Brandymart now fought for him,
 and Antifor was there to help.

Their assistance cost them dearly.
Antifor was the first to go.
Marfisa walloped him so hard,
 she beat him down and knocked him cold.

Brandymart was much harder work,
 since he more nearly matches her.
That knight knew /all/ the arts of war,
 but this maid had _enormous_ force.

Rinaldo draws himself aside,
 thinking Eternal Providence~wishes these two to kill each other,
 since Pagans are beyond his law.
As he observed that deadly test
  to see who swung his sword the best,
 he judged that both of them had worth
  but thought the maid had greater prowess.

Look, Antifor rose off the ground~and quickly leaped to his horse's saddle.
Galafrone draws.his.sword, joins him,
 and both move fast against Marfisa.

Here comes Oberto dal Leon,
 and also mighty King Ballano,
 King Adrian, and bold Chiaron.
Now three kings and three barons~charge against the glorious damsel,
 who's _already_ fighting Brandymart.

She, like a mastiff-baited boar
 that madly circles in a ring
  and arches its proud forehead hairs~while foam pours down its bloody teeth,
 whose tiny eyes are like two flames,
  whose bristles rise, 
 who with no rest~revolves its lightning-quick fierce head,
  and gives the nearest hound the worst --

Not otherwise battles proud Marfisa,
 with cuts and thrusts past any measure,
 as she assaults them, ruthless, cruel,
 intimidating all of them.

Now, over _thirty_ form a group~against the damsel in battle fierce.
Soon, *a hundred,* and the ranks _still_ swell.
She /greets/ the newcomers _as well._

To bold Rinaldo, as he watched,
 it seems the maid is being wronged.
He cries to her, "I want to help,
  even if I must die with you."

Marfisa, when she heard his offer,
 was soothed, and greatly reassured.
She called out,
"Jolly knight, if /you're/~with _me_, I need not fear the *world*!"
 
Speaking like that, the savage woman~charges and swings at bold Oberto,
 squashes his helmet on his head,
 and slices up his shield so that~it falls on both sides of his saddle.

No help was King Ballano's prowess.
Marfisa *grabs* /him/ by the helm,
 unsaddles him, and slams him flat.

Rinaldo does yet greater deeds,
 but only some can I tell you,
 since he confronted many men~whose names wise Turpin never knew.
He wounded five men in the chest
 and cut clean off the heads of seven.
He gave a dozen monstrous blows.
Everyone was afraid of him.

But more men joined and poured down on~the two of them with each passing moment,
 since those behind don't know what trials~Rinaldo offers those in front.

Marfisa yelled, in her proud voice,
"You'll never make me move from here!
 I'll leave you all my land and wealth
  if you can force me back _one_ step!"

_Now..._ stretched along the river comes~a mighty and destructive horde,
 whose banner shows the broken crown~that is their queen's heraldic sign.
All of them are Marfisa's men;
They run in ranks that never end,
 seeking to save their lady's life,
 fearing to find her caught or slain.
A fearsome contest started then.
That day there was no bloodier.

Marfisa waded through the mob
 and in a fury whirled around,
 hacking men, cutting, left and right.
Rinaldo, baron bold, chops off~no fewer arms and legs and heads.
Each man who sees them prays to god.

All day the Drada River ran~rapidly, swollen high with blood,
 teeming with moaning men in pain
  and steeds and cavaliers, defeated,
  fleeing before Marfisa's fury.
She flashed her sword on every side.
As flames burn dry straw, she created~a space around her with her blade.

Elsewhere, valiant Rinaldo~had stricken these unlucky men,
 who ran alone, or fled in groups,
 like swallows, when a /falcon/ swoops.

King Galafrone's out in front with Adrian,
 and the flight includes Oberto, Antifor,
 and King Ballano, flailing spurs.
I can't explain why everyone~lost his nerve in the rout that day.
Chiaron showed his heels, and so~did many barons I can't name.

They galloped on their steeds full tilt
 until they reached the castle's bridge.
Every great lord and baron entered,
 then with dismay, hauled up the bridge.

Those whose horses were not fast,
 Marfisa slaughtered by the ditch.
Her anger mounted to a rage
 because she'd clearly ascertained
 false Galafrone had escaped~within, before the drawbridge raised.

And so, she circled, menacing:
"I'll *kick* this citadel to pieces!
 I'd be ashamed to use my /blade/!"
I can't repeat her other boasts,
 but they were of this kind, and worse.
When nobody appears (because~all of them cringe inside the castle)
 she scorns to enter it, and leaves.

Down on the plain, she found Rinaldo,
 and she said, "Knight, within those walls~are men who won't survive for long.
 I am determined to make sure
  that nobody escapes this castle.

"And /when/ I've razed _that_ citadel,
  I want to battle *all the world!*
 I want to smash Gradasso first,
  king of the great land Serican.
 Then I will search for Agrrican,
  the lord of all of Tartary.
 Next I will have to travel west,
  to topple France, and Charles the Great.

"Until I do, I can't remove~my hauberk, mail, or armor plate
 I've sworn an oath to god Macon
   never to take this armor off
  till I have captured *every* last~province and town and castle fortress.

"So, baron, /either/ leave my sight,~*or* promise you will _join_ with me,
  because I tell you plainly,
  he not with me is my enemy."

Rinaldo answered bold Marfisa,
"I'm happy to enlist with you,
  and fight beneath your signs and pennants
  until you take _this_ citadel.
 But I will join no /other/ action
  till time and place yield my decision."

When they agreed, the great Marfisa~ordered her soldiers to make camp.
No further fray occurred that day,
 but on the next, when the sun first shone,
 Rinaldo armed and blew his horn.
He sounds, he shouts, and he declares~those men are renegades and traitors.

Now the squalid brawl draws near
 in which the Paladin Rinaldo
 had more distress than e'er before,
 but of that I will say no more.
It takes so long to tell that fight,
 I'll save it for a later night.

I thank you gentle ladies, lords,
 for listening, here, to my words;
I wish you long life, health, and ease,
 but _I_ have said enough, and cease.