THE ROYAL HOUSE OF FRANCE - outriders poetry project

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© 2009 Max Wickert
Young Roland returned to his mother with the bowl and the meat, and when she saw that other
bowl, she began to weep and said: “Alas, my son, you will yet be the death of me. I did me no good
to implore you not to go to court. Alas, my son, why does it please you to kill me? For if Charles
finds me, he will murder me.” Young Roland promised her never to go back there and stayed with
his mother all the rest of the day, and until the third hour the next morning. Then he left for Sutri,
and his mother began to weep and begged him not to go to court. He said: “Mother, I will not go
there.” Then he entered the city and went all through it, and could find no alms. Everyone said to
him: “Go to court.” So he, getting no alms, went to court. Many thieving scoundrels, seeing him,
abused him and felt sharp envy of him. When the trumpets sounded, Young Roland went into the
hall and hid among the crowd.
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When Young Roland came to hall and stood before Charles, the above said lords, namely Namo,
Solomon and Ogier, were there. The meal was carried in, by special order, on two huge platters.
Young Roland ran up and snatched up one of the platters, and as he took it Charles made an ugly
and spiteful face at him and loudly cleared his throat, thinking to make him afraid. Young Roland
let go of the platter, grasped Charles by the beard, and said: “What is the matter with you?” And the
look which Young Roland cast on Charles was steadier than that which Charles cast on him. Then
he let go of Charles, snatched the platter, and began to flee.
Duke Namo took up a golden cup, brimful with wine, which Charles had in front of him, and said:
“Take it, boy, so that you may have something to drink. 50 ” (Namo did this so that Roland would
not run.) Young Roland took it, went down the stairs and fled. But because the cup was filled with
50 Namo, too, speaks partly in French: “Tiene, valletto, che voi ‘aviate da boyre’.”