THE ROYAL HOUSE OF FRANCE - outriders poetry project

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© 2009 Max Wickert
“Long live Young Roland!” They were eager to proclaim him lord of the feast that lay ahead of
them.
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As Young Roland stood amid this crowd of boys and they wished to proclaim him lord of the feast,
one boy, the son of a merchant of clothing, said to the other boys: “By my faith, what a disgrace it
would be to us to make Young Roland our lord, who walks about in clothes so tattered and poor.
And we are supposed to be on holiday!” The others replied that he spoke truly. So they agreed that
four of them should go and beg money for the love of God to clothe Young Roland. The boys gave
four silver pieces her and five there, and in two day’s space almost two golden ducats’ worth of
Roman coin was collected. They divided the money in four parts and used one to buy a yard and a
half for cloth and made the purchase. Two parts of it went for white cloth, and another for red
cloth. Those two colors stood for two virtues that reigned supreme in Young Roland, that is perfect
chastity and charity. They had a garment quartered in white and red fashioned for Young Roland.
The portion near his right arm was white, and the one near his left was red; and the portion near his
left flank was red, and the one near his right flank, white. When he had received these garments,
they acclaimed him King of the Boys during the festival.
Orlando was greatly pleased. He returned to Bertha, his mother, and she too was delighted by this.
She remembered the man who fathered him, burst into tears, and said: “Young Roland, my dear
son, may God grant you good fortune, and the grace to return to Clairmont!” Young Roland did
not understand her words. At the festival, he was much honored by the boys, and all through the
feast, he was also much honored and loved by the youth of the surrounding countryside. All who
knew him wished him well. And while he continued in this way, he always wore this quartered