The Song of the Cid (12 page)

 

 

63

 

Aguijava el conde e pensava de andar,
tornando va la cabeça e catandos' atrás;
miedo iva aviendo que Mio Cid se rrepintrá;

Living as men must, when their king has thrown them into exile.”
The happy count asked for water, to wash his hands;
It was brought at once, as he had asked,
And he and the two noblemen, as my Cid had agreed,
Began to eat. And eat. And eat!
He who was born in just the right time sat next to him:
“Remember, Count: you need to eat freely—
Or else we'll have to sit here forever, and never leave.”
The count replied: “O, I agree, I agree!”
He and his two noblemen fairly attacked their food,
And my Cid was pleased, seeing
For himself how quickly the count was wielding
His hands.
“At your pleasure, my Cid, we're ready to leave.
Have them bring our horses, and off we'll go.
In all my life as a count I've never eaten
Better. I'll never forget the delight of this meal.”
They were given three palfreys, very well saddled,
And also fine clothes, fur-lined, and mantles.
Count Ramón rode between the two nobles,
With the exiled Castilian as their escort, beside them.
“So here you leave us, Count, and you ride
As a free Catalonian. I'm grateful for all you've left
Behind. If ever you feel the need to find me
Again, and revenge yourself, do let me know.
Or not: just come and find me,
And either I'll take something from you, or you from me.”
“Ah, don't worry, my Cid, be at ease!
I've already paid you a year's assessment:
Returning for more is not my intention.”

 

 

63

 

The count spurred his horse and rode right off,
But kept turning his head and looking behind him,
Afraid my Cid might change his mind

lo que non ferié el caboso por quanto en el mundo ha,
una deslea[
l
]tança, ca non la fızo alguandre.
Ido es el conde, tornós' el de Bivar,
juntós' con sus mesnadas, conpeçó
s
' de
pa
gar
de la ganancia que an fecha maravillosa e grand.

And retake them—a betrayal this untainted hero could never
make:
In all his life he had never gone back on his word.
The count had gone. The man from Vivar
Turned back and joined his men, still delighted
With the marvelous wealth they'd earned in that day's fighting.
His men were now so rich they couldn't count it!

64

 

Aquís' conpieça la gesta de Mio Cid el de Bivar.
Tan rricos son los sos que non saben qué se an.
Poblado ha Mio Cid el puerto de Alucant,
dexado á Saragoça e las tierras ducá
e dexado á Huesa e las tierras de Mont Alván.
Contra la mar salada conpeçó de guerrear,
a orient exe el sol e tornós' a essa part.
Mio Cid gañó a Xérica e a Onda e [
a
] Almenar,
tierras de Borriana todas conquistas las ha.

 

 

65

 

Ayudól' el Criador, el Señor que es en cielo.
Él con todo esto priso a Murviedro;
ya v[
e
]yé Mio Cid que Dios le iva valiendo.
Dentro en Valencia non es poco el miedo.

 

 

66

 

Pesa a los de Valencia, sabet, non les plaze,
prisieron so consejo quel' viniessen cercar;
trasnocharon de noch, al alva de la man
acerca de Murviedro tornan tiendas a fıncar.
Violo Mio Cid, tomós' a maravillar;
“¡Grado a ti, Padre spiritual!
En sus tierras somos e fémosles todo mal,

 

 

64

 

Here begin the true heroics of my Cid, from Vivar.
He'd made his camp near the Olocau Pass,
Having left Saragossa and the duke's other lands,
Riding past Huesa and Montalbán.
Then he rode toward the sea, to fight down there—
As the sun rises in the east, that's where
He headed. He conquered Jérica, Onda, and Almenara,
And everything around Burriana, on the coast.

 

 

65

 

He was helped by God, the Lord of heaven on high.
And when he took Murviedro
He was convinced that God was on his side.
But to the south, in Moorish Valencia, people were afraid.

 

 

66

 

They were really concerned, God knows, not pleased at all.
Deciding to besiege him, there in the city he'd conquered,
They marched all night and, next morning, at break of dawn,
Their tents were set around Murviedro.
Seeing all this, my Cid was amazed:
“Our Father in heaven, thank you!
We've invaded their lands, we've wronged them over and over,
bevemos so vino e comemos el so pan;
si nos cercar vienen, con derecho lo fazen.

A menos de lid aquesto nos' partirá;
vayan los mandados por los que nos deven ayudar,
los unos a Xérica e los otros a Alucad,
desí a Onda e los otros a Almenar,
los de Borriana luego vengan acá;
conpeçaremos aquesta lid campal,
yo fío por Dios que en nuestro pro eñadrán.”
Al tercer día todos juntados son,
el que en buen ora nasco compeçó de fablar:
“¡Oíd, mesnadas, sí el Criador vos salve!
Después que nos partiemos de la linpia cristiandad,
non fue a nuestro grado ni nós non pudiemos más,
grado a Dios, lo nuestro fue adelant.
Los de Valencia cercados nos han,
si en estas tierras quisiéremos durar,
fırmemientre son éstos a escarmentar.

 

 

67

 

“Passe la noche e venga la mañana,
aparejados me sed a cavallos e armas,
iremos ver aquella su almofalla;
como omnes exidos de tierra estraña,
allí pareçrá el que merece la soldada.”

 

 

68

 

Oíd qué dixo Minaya Álbar Fáñez:
“Campeador, fagamos lo que a vós plaze.
A mí dedes
ciento
cavalleros, que non vos pido más,
vós con los otros fırádeslos delant,
bien los ferredes, que dubda non í avrá;
yo con los ciento entraré del otra part,
como fío por Dios, el campo nuestro será.”

We've eaten their bread and drunk their wine,
Here they are to besiege us; surely, they have that right.
But unless they beat us in battle, we will not leave.
Messages must be sent to those who should shield us—
Some to Jérica, others to Olocau,
Then on to Onda, and others to Almenara.
Men from Burriana should come at once.
We'll begin the fighting out in the open,
I trust in God to help us.”
It took three days for his troops to assemble;
Then he who was born in a lucky hour addressed them:
“Soldiers, listen to me! You who believe in our God!
Ever since we left Christian-clean lands—
By neither choice nor desire: there was no other way—
By God's great grace, we have prospered.
Valencia has now besieged us,
And if we want to linger where we've come,
We need to give these people a heavy-handed lesson.

 

 

67

 

“Let the night go by, but tomorrow at daybreak
I want to see you armed and already mounted,
So we can pay a visit to that army out there,
And I can see just who among you exiles from another land
Really deserves his soldier's wages!”

 

 

68

 

And then Minaya Alvar Fáñez spoke:
“O Warrior, we'll do what we're told to.
Let me have a hundred knights, I ask for no more.
You and all the others attack them straight on:
You'll hit them hard, I know you will.
And I with my hundred knights will strike from the side.
By my faith in God, the field will be ours!”
Como ge lo á dicho, al Campeador mucho plaze.
Mañana era e piénsanse de armar,
quis cada uno d'ellos bien sabe lo que ha de far.
Con los alvores Mio Cid ferirlos va:
“¡En el nombre del Criador e del apóstol Sancti Yagüe,
feridlos, cavalleros, d'amor e de grado e de grand voluntad,
ca yo só Rruy Díaz, Mio Cid el de Bivar!”
Tanta cuerda de tienda í veriedes quebrar,
arrancarse las estacas e acostarse a todas partes los tendales.
[Los] moros son muchos, ya quieren rreconbrar.
Del otra part entróles Álbar Fáñez,
maguer les pesa, oviéronse a dar e a arrancar,
de pies de cavallo los ques' pudieron escapar.
Grand es el gozo que va por és logar;
dos rreyes de moros mataron en és alcanz,
fata Valencia duró el segudar.
Grandes son las ganancias que Mio Cid fechas ha,
rrobavan el campo e piénsanse de tornar.
Prisieron Cebolla e quanto que es í adelant,
entravan a Murviedro con estas ganancias que traen grandes.
Las nuevas de Mio Cid, sabet, sonando van,
miedo an en Valencia que non saben qué se far.
Sonando van sus nuevas allent parte del mar.

 

 

69

 

Alegre era el Cid e todas sus compañas
que Dios le ayudara e fıziera esta arrancada.
Davan sus corredores e fazién las trasnochadas,
llegan a Gujera e llegan a Xátiva,
aún más ayusso a Deyna la casa;
cabo del mar tierra de moros fırme la quebranta,
ganaron Peña Cadiella, las exidas e las entradas.

The Warrior was more than merely satisfied.
Morning came, and they put on their armor,
Each man in the army knew what he had to do.
My Cid attacked at dawn's first light:
“In the name of God and the apostle Saint James,
At them, knights, with zest, and pleasure, and delight!
Because I am Cid, Ruy Díaz from Vivar!”
You should have seen the tent ropes snap,
Their poles yanked from the ground, canvas flapping, sagging.
There were a lot of Moors, they tried to stand and fight.
Then Alvar Fáñez came at them, from the other side:
Not wanting to retreat, they had to run or ride (if they could) for
their lives.
The battlefield became a happy place.
Two Moorish kings were killed, trying to escape;
The chase ran all the way to Valencia.
My Cid had won enormous booty.
They turned and took Cebolla and everything all around it,
Then stripped the field and rode back to Murviedro with their
loot.
Word of what my Cid had done, believe me, spread like fire,
Valencia was at a loss, and terrified.
The news went traveling over the ocean, spread far and wide.

 

 

69

 

My Cid and his men were glad that God had helped them
And made this victory happen.
They sent out raiding parties, riding at night,
Reaching Cullera, and then Játiva,
Roaming south, even as far as Denia,
Harassing and burning Moorish towns along the coast
And capturing Benicadell, and all roads leading in and out.

 

 

70

 

Quando el Cid Campeador ovo Peña Cadiella,
ma[
l
] les pesa en Xátiva e dentro en Gujera,
non es con rrecabdo el dolor de Valencia.

 

 

71

 

En tierra de moros prendiendo e ganando
e durmiendo los días e las noches tranochando,
en ganar aquellas villas Mio Cid duró
tres
años.

 

 

72

 

A los de Valencia escarmentados los ha,
non osan fueras exir nin con él se ajuntar;
tajávales las huertas e fazíales grand mal,
en cada uno d'estos años Mio Cid les tollió el pan.
Mal se aquexan los de Valencia que non sabent qués' far,
de ninguna part que sea non les vinié pan;
nin da cossejo padre a fıjo, nin fıjo a padre,
nin amigo a amigo nos' pueden consolar.
Mala cueta es, señores, aver mingua de pan,
fıjos e mugieres verlo[
s
] murir de fanbre.
Delante veyén so duelo, non se pueden uviar,
por el rrey de Marruecos ovieron a enbiar;
con el de los Montes Claros avié guerra tan grand,
non les dixo cossejo nin los vino uviar.
Sópolo Mio Cid, de coraçón le plaz,
salió de Murviedro una noch en trasnochada,
amaneció a Mio Cid en tierras de Mon Rreal.
Por Aragón e por Navarra pregón mandó echar,
a tierras de Castiella enbió sus mensajes:
quien quiere perder cueta e venir a rritad,

70

 

When my Cid, the Warrior, took Benicadell
The people of Cullera and Játiva were deeply concerned,
But in Valencia gloom was everywhere.

 

 

71

 

And so, for the next three years,
My Cid raided and robbed the Moors,
Sleeping by day, marching at night.

 

 

72

 

Valencia had learned its lesson:
People stayed inside the walls, no one confronted my Cid,
Who chopped down their fields and made their lives difficult,
For three long years taking away their food.
And how they grumbled, not knowing what else to do,
Unable to bring in food from anywhere—
Fathers not knowing what to say to sons, or sons to fathers,
Friends unable to comfort friends.
How hard it is, gentlemen, denied the food you need,
Watching your children, your wives, die of starvation!
Misery was their only future, they could not help
themselves—
And the King of Morocco, to whom they appealed,
Was so caught up in war with the Atlas mountain king
He could not help them, could not so much as advise them.
Learning of this, my Cid's heart leaped,
And he rode all night, to the far northwest, and from there
Sent messengers all through Aragon, and Navarre,
And everywhere in Castile:
“Whoever wants to give up poverty and become rich,
viniesse a Mio Cid que á sabor de cavalgar,
cercar quiere a Valencia por a cristianos la dar: