The faithful Knight in equal field
Subdues his faithless foe;
Whom false Duessa saves, and for
His cure to hell does go.
THE noble heart that harbours virtuous thought,
And is with child of glorious great intent,
Can never rest until it forth have brought
Th' eternal brood of glory excellent.
Such restless passion did all night torment
The flaming courage of that Faery Knight,
Devising how that doughty tournament
With greatest honour he atchieven might:
Still did he wake, and still did watch for dawning
light.
At last, the golden oriental gate
Of greatest heaven gan to open fair;
And Phoebus, fresh as bridegroom to his mate,
Came dancing forth, shaking his dewy hair;
And hurl'd his glist'ring beams through gloomy
Which when the wakeful Elfe perceiv'd,
He started up, and did himself prepare
In sunbright arms, and battailous array;
For with that Pagan proud he combat will that day.
And forth he comes into the common hall;
Where early wait him many a gazing eye,
To weet1 what end to stranger knights may fall.
There many minstrels maken melody,
To drive away the dull melancholy;
And many bards, that to the trembling chord
Can tune their timely voices cunningly;"
And many chroniclers, that can record
Old loves, and wars for ladies done by many a lord.
Soon after comes the cruel Sarazin,
In woven mail all arméd warily;
And sternly looks at him, who not a pin
Does care for look of living creature's eye.
They bring them wines of Greece and Araby,
And dainty spices fetcht from farthest Ind,
To kindle heat of courage privily;
And in the wine a solemn oath they bind
T'observe the sacred laws of arms, that are assign'd.
At last forth comes that far renowned queen.
With royal pomp and princely majesty
She is ybrought unto a paléd green,
And placed under stately canopy,
The warlike feats of both those knights to see.
On th' other side in all men's open view
Duessa placéd is, and on a tree
Sansfoy his shield is hang'd with bloody hue: Both those, the laurel garlands to the victor due.
A shrilling trumpet sounded from on high,
And unto battle bade themselves address:
Their shining shields about their wrestes 1 they tie,
And burning blades about their heads do bless,2
The instruments of wrath and heaviness:
With greedy force each other doth assail,
And strike so fiercely, that they do impress
Deep dinted furrows in the batter'd mail: [fraii. The iron walls to ward their blows are weak and
The Sarazin was stout and wondrous strong,
And heapéd blows like iron hammers great;
For after blood and vengeance he did long.
The Knight was fierce, and full of youthly heat,
And doubled strokes, like dreaded thunder's threat:
For all for praise and honour did he fight.
Both stricken strike, and beaten both do beat;
That from their shields forth flieth fiery light,
And helmets, hewen deep, show marks of either's
might.
So th' one for wrong, the other strives for right:
As when a gryfon,1 seizéd of his prey,
A dragon fierce encount'reth in his flight,
Through widest air making his idle way,
That would his rightful ravine 2 rend away:
With hideous horror both together smite,
And souce so sore, that they the heavens affray: Strike. The wise soothsayer, seeing so sad sight,
Th' amazód vulgar tells of wars and mortal fight.
So th' one for wrong, the other strives for right;
And each to deadly shame would drive his foe:
The cruel steel so greedily doth bite
In tender flesh, that streams of blood down flow;
With which the arms, that erst so bright did
show,
Into a pure vermilion now are dy'd.
Great ruth 5 in all the gazers' hearts did grow,
Seeing the goréd wounds to gape so wide,
That victory they dare not wish to either side.
At last the Paynim chanc'd to cast his eye,
His sudden eye, flaming with wrathful fire,
Upon his brother's shield, which hung thereby :
Therewith redoubled was his raging ire,
And said; Ah! wretched son of woeful sire,
Dost thou sit wailing by black Stygian lake,
Whilst here thy shield is hang'd for victor's hire?
And, sluggish german,1 dost thy forces slake
To after-send his foe, that him may overtake?
'Go, caytive 2 Elfe, him quickly overtake,
And soon redeem from his long-wand'ring woe:
Go, guilty ghost, to him my message make,
That I his shield have quit 3 from dying foe.'
Therewith upon his crest he stroke him so,
That twice he reeléd, ready twice to fall:
End of the doubtful battle deeméd tho1
The lookers on; and loud to him gan call
The false Duessa, 'Thine the shield, and I, and all!'
Soon as the Faerie heard his lady speak,
Out of his swowning 5 dream he gan awake;
And quick'ning faith, that erst was waxen weak,
The creeping deadly cold away did shake:
Then mov'd with wrath, and shame, and lady's
sake,
Of all at once he cast' aveng'd to be,
And with so' exceeding fury at him strake,
That forced him to stoop upon his knee:
Had he not stoopéd so, he should have cloven be.
And to him said; Go now, proud miscreant,
Thyself thy message do to german3 dear;
Alone he, wand'ring, thee too long doth want:
Go, say, his foe thy shield with his doth bear.'
Therewith his heavy hand he high gan rear,
Him to have slain; when lo! a darksome cloud
Upon him fell; he nowhere doth appear,
But vanisht is. The Elfe him calls aloud,
But answer none receives; the darkness him does
shroud.
In haste Duessa from her place arose,
And to him running said; O prowest1 Knight,
That ever lady to her love did chose,
Let now abate the terror of your might,
And quench the flame of furious despite
And bloody vengeance: lo! th' infernal Powers,
Covering your foe with cloud of deadly night,
Have borne him hence to Pluto's baleful bowers:
The conquest yours; I yours; the shield and glory
yours!'
Not all so satisfied, with greedy eye
He sought, all round about, his thirsty blade
To bathe in blood of faithless enemy;
Who all that while lay hid in secret shade:
He stands amazed how he thence should fade.
At last the trumpets triumph sound on high;
And running heralds humble homage made,
Greeting him goodly with new victory;
And to him brought the shield, the cause of enmity.
Wherewith he goeth to that sovereign queen;
And, falling her before on lowly knee,
To her makes present of his service seen :2
Which she accepts with thanks and goodly gree,33 Favour.
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