THE ROYAL HOUSE OF FRANCE - outriders poetry project

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© 2009 Max Wickert
up and saw that they had turned vermilion and began to eat that fruit because of his great hunger.
When he had eaten of that fruit, he was as well sated as if he had eaten meat and choicest viands.
Then both Roland and Hugh at of it at pleasure.
As Roland rode away from the mountain, after leaving the hermit, he looked behind him to see the
hermit’s castle. Where that castle had stood, he saw the place utterly deserted, as if nothing had ever
stood there. Roland greatly wondered at this. When the three friends had eaten of that fruit, they
were all sated as though they had eaten meat and choice viands. Then the three companions
mounted and rode off to rejoin Charles’ army. Let us leave Roland and his friends, for we must tell
of other tidings.
Saracen Schemes, Maganza Treachery
39
The tale relates that, while Charles was staying near Pamplona, Answig of Maganza, Ganelon’s
brother, heard that Roland had left Charles’ host and had himself crowned king of France. He had
the roads, passes and paths blocked, so that no food or provender could reach Charles’ army.
Because of this, there was a famine in the camp of Charles’ knights so dire, that they nearly died of
hunger for lack of provisions.
Just at that time, as God pleased, Roland and his companions, on the seventh day, came to a noble
fountain. They dismounted, unbridled their horses to let them graze in the meadow, and sat down
by near the fountain. While the knights were thus resting, the falcon that was Roland’s when he left
the army, came flying up. Roland’s falconer, because of his great hunger, had let it fly to seize some
wild creature, so that he might eat. That falconer’s name was Rambault .