The Song of Roland

[Ulf]

I
Charles the King, our Lord and Sovereign,
Full seven years hath sojourned in Spain,
Conquered the land, and won the western main,
Now no fortress against him doth remain,
No city walls are left for him to gain,
Save Sarraguce, that sits on high mountain.
Marsile its King, who feareth not God's name,
Mahumet's man, he invokes Apollin's aid,
Nor wards off ills that shall to him attain.

King Marsilies he lay at Sarraguce,
Went he his way into an orchard cool;
There on a throne he sate, of marble blue,
Round him his men, full twenty thousand, stood.
Called he forth then his counts, also his dukes:
"My Lords, give ear to our impending doom:
That Emperour, Charles of France the Douce,
Into this land is come, us to confuse.
I have no host in battle him to prove,
Nor have I strength his forces to undo.
Counsel me then, ye that are wise and true;
Can ye ward off this present death and dule?"
What word to say no pagan of them knew,
Save Blancandrin, of th' Castle of Val Funde.

[YggsVinr]

Not a .pfd, but since there are a few French speakers on the forum I thought I'd add this site providing La Chanson de Roland in Old French for anyone interested.

http://www.hs-augsburg.de/~harsch/gallica/Chronologie/11siecle/Roland/rol_ch00.html


I
Carles li reis, nostre emper[er]e magnes
Set anz tuz pleins ad estet en Espaigne:
Tresqu'en la mer cunquist la tere altaigne.
N'i ad castel ki devant lui remaigne;
5
Mur ne citet n'i est remes a fraindre,
Fors Sarraguce, ki est en une muntaigne.
Li reis Marsilie la tient, ki Deu nen aimet;
Mahumet sert e Apollin recleimet:
Nes poet guarder que mals ne l'i ateignet.

II
10
Li reis Marsilie esteit en Sarraguce.
Alez en est en un verger suz l'umbre;
Sur un perrun de marbre bloi se culchet,
Envirun lui plus de vint milie humes.
Il en apelet e ses dux e ses cuntes:
15
«Oëz, seignurs, quel pecchet nus encumbret:
Li emper[er]es Carles de France dulce
En cest païs nos est venuz cunfundre.
Jo nen ai ost qui bataille li dunne,
Ne n'ai tel gent ki la sue derumpet.
20
Cunseilez mei cume mi savie hume,
Si m(e) guarisez e de mort et de hunte.»
N'i ad paien ki un sul mot respundet,
Fors Blancandrins de Castel de Valfunde.

[Susi]

Hum, The Song of Roland is very interesting to read with Beowulf (Heaney tranlsation preferably). You can draw (somewhat broad, admittedly) comparisons between the tragic heroism of both Roland and Beowulf, as well as construct some conclusions as to the prevailing religious attitudes of the time period around which they were written. I should dig up those notes that I've written on this topic..

[Beorn]

Is this the same song which the Normans are credited as singing as they manoeuvred for the first assault on King Harold's shield wall at Hastings?

[YggsVinr]

Is this the same song which the Normans are credited as singing as they manoeuvred for the first assault on King Harold's shield wall at Hastings?

Indeed, it is.