THE ROYAL HOUSE OF FRANCE - outriders poetry project

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© 2009 Max Wickert
When King Almont was killed by young Roland’s hands, Charlemagne considered it a miracle of
God in response to the prayer that he had offered, since young Roland had never born arms, and
since he had arrived on Duke Namo’s horse. He said: “You are God’s knight, for it is by a divine
miracle that, of so many warriors, you have been chosen to deliver the crowned head of the
Christian empire from woeful death.”
Young Roland, with the impetuousness of youth, scarcely heeded Charles’s words, but ran to fetch
the horse that had been Almont’s, picked up his sword, and laid its scabbard next to his dead body.
As he did so, he saw a beautiful horn made of ivory and covered with gold ornaments. This, too, he
picked up and hung around his neck. He tied the sword to the saddlebow of the horse, which was
called Briador by the pagans, but which from this moment on changed its name and was called
Veliantin by the Christians.
Roland did all this while Charles looked on. At this point, Ogier the Dane and Duke Namo of
Bavaria arrived and, seeing Charles, dismounted and ran up to him. They knelt down and looked at
him, with all his armor shattered and bloodied. Charles rose to his feet and pointed out Almont,
saying: “But for young Roland, this Saracen would have killed me. Never was there a lord abler in
body than this man.” Duke Namo said: “We have captured Balant, the man who came to France as
an envoy and brought you your white steed. When he saw you following this Saracen, he said it was
madness in you to pursue him and that we should fare the worse for it, for Ogier had no horse and
Roland had taken mine, so that we could not follow you.” “By my faith,” said Charles, “I swore
that, unless I caught up with him, I would follow him even to Reggio, and there plant my banner to