THE ROYAL HOUSE OF FRANCE - outriders poetry project

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© 2009 Max Wickert
When young Roland arrived at Saint Sylvester’s Well and saw so many shattered lances and pieces of
armor, with Charlemagne in such dire peril, he at once leapt from his horse and picked a the largest
broken lance shaft he could see on the ground. As he approached the two, Charles saw him.
Charles felt greater grief than for himself to see young Roland arrive unarmed at this juncture. He
wept for young Roland and commended him to God. Said Almont: “O Charles, King of France, is
this your only succor? By my faith, your life is at an end, for if there were a hundred such, I would
not esteem them so much as one wretched servant.” At these words, young Roland struck Almont’s
helmet with such a mighty blow that he stunned him utterly. Now Almont was afraid and reached
for his sword to strike at young Roland, but Charles held him tight. Roland drew back a little and
then approached to give him another blow. But Almont was guarding himself with his sword, so
that Roland’s blow landed on Almont’s wrist and struck the sword from Almont’s hand and threw it
a spear’s length away from him. Almont struggled to get free of Charles to reach the blade and
Roland shouted: “Hold him fast, my lord, for he has lost his sword.” And then, wielding the spear
shaft with both hands, he struck so many blows upon his helmet that his brains issued from his
mouth. Charles would not have seen it if blood had not spurted from Almont’s visor and wetted all
of Charles’s face. Then Charles twisted him upon his back.
I have read in another book that Almont let go his sword and that young Roland picked and lifted it
in both hands to strike Almont, but Charles cried out: “Do not strike, my son, for you will kill us
both.” But it seems more likely to me that he killed him with the spear shaft.
Then Roland unlaced his helmet and cut off his head with the sword. So died Almont, son of King
Anglant, who was one of the three bravest and most valiant Saracens that ever lived, and he was the
best of the three. The second was Theobald of Arabia, and the third was Saladin, Sultan of Babylon
and of Egyptian Cairo.