No More Learning

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Yet, Sire, you'll pardon my temerity
If I commanded without authority.
Peril approached: their arms were ready;
Appearing then at Court would be foolhardy.
And if I were to die, it seemed sweeter
To give my life fighting in your honour.

King
I pardon now the matter of your vengeance;
The State, defended, speaks in your defence.
Henceforth Chimene's plea will go no further.
I will only hear her to console her.
But go on.

Rodrigue
Under me the troop advanced,
Displaying all its manly confidence.
We were five hundred, but with swift support
Grew to three thousand as we reached the port,
So that seeing us marching to that stage,
Those most terrified found new courage!
Arriving, I hid quite two thirds of the men
In the holds of the vessels there, and then
The rest, whose numbers now increased hourly,
Devoured by impatience, gathering round me,
Lay down on the ground, where in silence
The best part of a fine night was spent.
At my command the guards did the same,
And, staying hidden, helped my stratagem;
Then I boldly feigned to owe to you
The orders they and I would then pursue.
The faint light cast from every distant star
Showed thirty ships now crossing the bar;
The waves swelled beneath, and their effort
Brought the tide-borne Moors within the port.
We let them pass; all appearing tranquil;
No soldiers at the port, the city still.
The calm we maintained deceived their eyes.
They, believing they'd achieved surprise,
Fearless, closed, anchored, disembarked,
And then they ran against us in the dark.
We leapt up on the instant, copious cries
Uttered by our troops, rose to the skies.
Others echoed from our anchored fleet;
Thus the Moors' amazement proved complete,
Terror seized them just as they were landing.
They knew defeat, prior to any fighting.
They thought to pillage, but met with slaughter.
We pressed them on land, and on the water,
And high their blood lifted like a fountain,
Before they could resist, re-group, again.
But soon, in spite of us, their princes rallied,
Their courage was revived, their terror fled:
The shame of dying, without act of war,
Quelling confusion renewed their valour.
They drew their scimitars against us swiftly;
Mingling our blood with theirs most horribly.
The river, fleet, the port, the shore, the main,
Were sites of conflict now, where death did reign.
O countless the brave acts, courageousness
Concealed itself from knowledge in the darkness,
Where each, the sole true witness of his blows,
Could not discern whose side fortune chose!
I rushed everywhere, encouraging our men,
Making these advance, supporting them.
Deploying new-comers, urging them on,
Nor could I judge the outcome till the dawn.
But, at last, light showed us our advantage;
The Moors faced defeat, and so lost courage:
And seeing our reinforcements on the way,
Fear of death destroyed their hopes with day.
The re-gained their ships, they cut the cables,
Their dreadful cries rose high above the gables,
They retreated then, without considering
The action their kings were undertaking.
Their terror was too great to think of duty;
The tide that brought them on now helped them flee;
Yet their kings were still engaged in battle,
Handfuls of their men, pierced by our metal,
Disputed valiantly, sold their lives dearly.
In vain I begged them to surrender to me:
Scimitars in hand they would not listen;
But seeing their men fall all around them,
And that they were fighting on unshielded,
They sought our chief: answering, they yielded,
I sent them to you, with due compliments;
The war then ceased through lack of combatants.