The Song of the Cid (24 page)

Today, in these fierce mountains, we'll whip the skin off your flesh.
Then we'll leave you, abandon you here.
You'll never own Carrión land.
Tell this to your Warrior father, the Cid:
Here is our revenge for all that lion business!”
Then they pulled off the girls' mantles and capes,
Stripped them to their shifts and their filmy silk cloaks.
They put on their spurs, these miserable traitors,
Then unbuckled the heavy saddle straps, and pulled them free,
And took the hardened leather in their hands.
Seeing all this, Doña Sol spoke:
“We beg you, husbands, in the name of God!
Take your two swords, sharp and strong—
One named Colada, and the other Tizón—
Cut off our heads, let us be martyred!
Moors and Christians will cry out against you,
We have not deserved what you're doing to us.
What a horrible shame to commit!
If we are beaten and dishonored
It will fall on you, by law or in the king's court.”
The brothers did not hear a word they said,
But began to beat them, whipping at their heads
And bodies, digging sharp spurs into their flesh,
Ripping both their clothes and skin.
Blood stains grew on their long silk cloaks.
How deep in their hearts they suffered!
What wonderful fortune it would have been
Had God, at just that moment, sent Warrior Cid to the scene!
The girls were whipped so hard they had no feeling,
Bloody shifts sodden, blood dragging long silk cloaks to the
ground.
Both brothers attacked and whipped away,
Yelling, competing who could whip better,
Until the girls were barely conscious, and the Carrións tired.
They left them for dead on the forest floor.

 

 

129

 

Leváronles los mantos e las pieles armiñas,
mas déxanlas marridas en briales e en camisas
e a las aves del monte e a las bestias de la fıera guisa.
Por muertas la[
s
] dexaron, sabed, que non por bivas.
¡Quál ventura serié si assomás essora el Cid Campeador!

 

 

130

 

Los ifantes de Carrión en el rrobredo de Corpes | por muertas las
dexaron
que el una al otra nol' torna rrecabdo.
Por los montes dó ivan ellos ívanse alabando:
“De nuestros casamientos agora somos vengados;
non las deviemos tomar por varraganas | si non fuéssemos
rrogados,
pues nuestras parejas non eran pora en bracos.
La desondra del león assís' irá vengando.”

 

 

131

 

Alabandos' ivan los ifantes de Carrión,
mas yo vos diré d'aquel Félez Muñoz:
sobrino era del Cid Campeador;
mandáronle ir adelante, mas de su grado non fue.
En la carrera dó iva doliól' el coraçón,
de todos los otros aparte se salió,
en un monte espesso Félez Muñoz se metió
fasta que viesse venir sus primas amas a dos
o qué an fecho los ifantes de Carrión.
Violos venir e oyó una rrazón,
ellos nol' v[
e
]yén ni dend sabién rración;
sabet bien que si ellos le viessen non escapara de muert.

 

 

129

 

They rode away with costly cloaks and furs,
Leaving their wives lying, half-naked,
For mountain birds and forest beasts to eat as they pleased.
They were sure the girls were dead.

 

 

130

 

What luck it would have been, had Warrior Cid appeared!
But the noble Carrións rode through the woods,
Their wives apparently dead,
Unable to help each other or themselves.
They went galloping down the mountain:
“Now we've had our revenge for these weddings!
They weren't worth taking as mistresses,
Had we been properly approached;
They surely weren't good enough for marriage.
Now we've had our revenge for that lion business!”

 

 

131

 

And on they went, boasting as they rode.
Now I need to tell you what Félix Muñoz,
Warrior Cid's nephew, had been doing.
He too had been ordered to leave, but did not want to.
He went down the road, his heart heavy,
But stayed away from the troupe
Of Carrión servants. He went off the road,
Into a thick wood from which he hoped to see his cousins
coming
And learn what the Carrións were up to.
He heard their horses and heard their talk;
They did not see him or suspect his presence,

Vanse los ifantes, aguijan a espolón;
por el rrastro tornós' Félez Muñoz,
falló sus primas amortecidas amas a dos.
Llamando: “¡Primas, primas!,” luego descavalgó,
arrendó el cavallo, a ellas adeliñó:
“¡Ya primas, las mis primas, don Elvira e doña Sol,
mal se ensayaron los ifantes de Carrión!
¡A Dios plega e a Sancta María que dent prendan ellos mal
galardón!”
Valas tornando a ellas amas a dos,
tanto son de traspuestas que non pueden dezir nada.
Partiéronsele las telas de dentro del coraçón,
llamando: “¡Primas, primas, don Elvira e don Sol!
¡Despertedes, primas, por amor del Criador!
¡Mie[
n
]t
ra
es el día, ante que entre la noch,
los ganados fıeros non nos coman en aqueste mont!”
Van rrecordando don Elvira e doña Sol,
abrieron los ojos e vieron a Félez Muñoz:
“¡Esforçadvos, primas, por amor del Criador!
De que non me fallaren los ifantes de Carrión,
a grant priessa seré buscado yo;
si Dios non nos vale aquí morremos nós.”
Tan a grant duelo fablava doña Sol:
“Sí vos lo meresca, mio primo, nuestro padre el Canpeador,
¡dandos del agua, sí vos vala el Criador!”
Con un sonbrero que tiene Félez Muñoz,
nuevo era e fresco, que de Valéncial' sacó,
cogió del agua en él e a sus primas dio,
mucho son lazradas e amas las fartó.
Tanto las rrogó fata que las assentó,
valas conortando e metiendo coraçón
fata que esfuerçan, e amas las tomó
e privado en el cavallo las cavalgó,
con el so manto a amas las cubrió.
El cavallo priso por la rrienda e luego dent las part[
ió
],
todos tres señeros por los rrobredos de Corpes,
entre noch e día salieron de los montes,
a las aguas de Duero ellos arribados son,

But had they seen him, believe me, it would have meant his
death.
The Carrións went by, galloping fast.
Then Félix Muñoz retraced their tracks,
And found his cousins, both half-dead.
Crying, “O cousins, my cousins,” he leaped from his horse,
Tied its reins to a tree, and went to the girls:
“Ah, cousins, my cousins Doña Sol and Doña Elvira!
What horrible things these Carrións have done!
May it please the Lord and his mother that they pay for this!”
He carefully turned them over,
But their bodies had been too shocked, they could not speak.
He felt the strings of his heart breaking apart,
And cried, “Cousins! Cousins! Doña Elvira, Doña Sol!
Wake up, cousins, in the name of God!
It's still daylight, but the night is coming,
Wild mountain beasts will eat us all!”
They started coming back to themselves,
Opening their eyes, and recognizing Félix Muñoz.
“Quick, cousins, for the love of God!
When they find I've left them, they'll hurry back here,
And without God's help, this is where we'll die.”
Slowly, clearly suffering, Doña Sol spoke:
“Cousin, as you value my father, the Warrior,
Give us water, in the name of God!”
Using a clean new hat—just bought
In Valencia—Félix Muñoz
Brought water for them both,
And in their great pain they drank it down.
He kept insisting that they sit up,
Urging, consoling. At last they were sitting,
And he urged them on, until at last
He got them to his horse, lifted them up,
Covering them both with his cloak,
Then quickly took the reins and led them away.
Completely alone, in the Corpes forest,
He got them out of the mountains by the end of the day.
When they got to the river Duero, he made his way

a la torre de don Urraca elle las dexó.
A Sant Estevan vino Félez Muñoz,
falló a Diego Téllez, el que de Álbar Fáñez fue.
Quando él lo oyó, pesól' de coraçón,
priso bestias e vestidos de pro,
iva rrecebir a don Elvira e a doña Sol;
en Sant Estevan dentro las metió,
quanto él mejor puede allí las ondró.
Los de Sant Estevan siempre mesurados son,
quando sabién esto, pesóles de coraçón,
a llas fıjas del Cid danles esfuerço;
allí sovieron ellas fata que sanas son.
Alabandos' seían los ifantes de Carrión.
De cuer pesó esto al buen rrey don Alfonso.
Van aquestos mandados a Valencia la mayor,
quando ge lo dizen a Mio Cid el Campeador,
una grand ora pensó e comidió;
alçó la su mano, a la barba se tomó:
“Grado a Christus, que del mundo es señor,
quando tal ondra me an dada los ifantes de Carrión;
par aquesta barba que nadi non messó,
non la lograrán los ifantes de Carrión,
¡que a mis fıjas bien las casaré yo!”
Pesó a Mio Cid e a toda su cort
e [
a
] Álbar Fáñez d'alma e de coraçón.
Cavalgó Minaya con Pero Vermúez
e Martín Antolínez, el burgalés de pro,
con
dozientos
cavalleros quales Mio Cid mandó;
díxoles fuertemientre que andidiessen de día e de noch,
aduxiessen a sus fıjas a Valencia la mayor.
Non lo detardan el mandado de su señor,
apriessa cavalgan, andan los días e las noches,
vinieron a Gormaz, un castiello tan fuert,
í albergaron por verdad una noch.
A Sant Estevan el mandado llegó
que vinié Minaya por sus primas amas a dos.
Varones de Sant Estevan a guisa de muy pros
rreciben a Minaya e atodos sus varones,

To Doña Urraca's tower, and left them there.
He went on to San Esteban, and located
Diego Téllez, one of Alvar Fáñez's men,
Who was deeply upset by what he heard.
Quickly gathering horses and fine clothes,
He went to welcome the great Cid's daughters,
And took them to San Esteban,
Honoring them as warmly as he could.
San Esteban's people are even-tempered, thoughtful:
When they heard what had happened, it hurt them,
And they took care of my Cid's daughters,
Who stayed there until they were well again.
The Carrións went on boasting, glorifying themselves.
Good King Alfonso was deeply moved.
Word of what had happened reached Valencia,
And when my Cid, the Warrior, was told,
He spent a long, long time thinking it over;
He raised his hand and tugged at his beard:
“I'm thankful to Christ, Lord of this world,
For the honor I've had from the Carrión heirs!
By this beard, which no one has ever pulled,
These Carrións won't be exulting for long,
Because I let them marry my daughters!”
He was troubled at heart, as were Alvar Fáñez
And all the members of his court.
My Cid sent Minaya, with Pedro Bermúdez,
And that fine man from Burgos, Martín Antolínez,
And two hundred well-armed men,
Telling them to ride all day and all night
And bring his daughters back to Valencia.
They did not keep him waiting:
They galloped hard, all day and all night,
Until they came to San Esteban's fortress, Gormaz,
Where, truth to tell, they rested one night.
San Esteban had heard, by this time,
That Minaya was coming for his two cousins;
The people there were glad to welcome
Minaya and all his companions,

presentan a Minaya essa noch grant enfurción,
non ge lo quiso tomar, mas mucho ge lo gradió:
“Gracias, varones de Sant Estevan, que sodes coñoscedores,
por aquesta ondra que vós diestes a esto que nos cuntió;
mucho vos lo gradece, allá dó está, Mio Cid el Canpeador,
assí lo fago yo que aquí estó.
Afé Dios de los cielos que vos dé dent buen galardón.”
Todos ge lo gradecen e sos pagados son,
adeliñan a posar pora folgar essa noch.
Minaya va ver sus primas dó son,
en él fıncan los ojos don Elvira e doña Sol:
“Atanto vos lo gradimos como si viéssemos al Criador
e vós a él lo gradid quando bivas somos nós.

 

 

132

 

“En los días de vagar toda nuestra rrencura sabremos contar.”
Lloravan de los ojos las dueñas e Álbar Fáñez
e Pero Vermúez otro tanto las ha:
“Don Elvira e doña Sol, cuidado non ayades
quando vós sodes sanas e bivas e sin otro mal.
Buen casamiento perdiestes, mejor podredes ganar.
¡Aún veamos el día que vos podamos vengar!”
Í yazen essa noche e tan grand gozo que fazen.
Otro día mañana piensan de cavalgar,
los de Sant Estevan escurriéndolos van
fata Rrío d'Amor, dándoles solaz;
d'allent se espidieron d'ellos, piénsanse de tornar
e Minaya con las dueñas iva cabadelant.
Trocieron Alcoceva, a diestro de
x
an Gormaz,
ó dizen Bado de Rrey allá ivan p
as
[
s
]ar,
a la casa de Berlanga posada presa han.
Otro día mañana métense a andar,
a qual dizen Medina ivan albergar
e de Medina a Molina en otro día van.
Al moro Avengalvón de coraçón le plaz,

Offering them a fine feast, that night,
Which Minaya really did not want, and gracefully declined:
“My thanks, people of San Esteban, for your thoughtfulness,
You who know the misfortune that has fallen on us.
We are very grateful, both my Cid, the Warrior,
And I, who am going to be so briefly here.
God on high will surely reward you!”
His graciousness was pleasing to them all;
Everyone went to take their rest.
Minaya went to where his cousins were lodged.
When Doña Elvira and Doña Sol saw him
They said: “You're as welcome to our eyes as God himself!
You find us alive only because of him.
When things are calmer, we'll tell you what we have suffered.”

 

 

132

 

Both ladies wept, and so did Alvar Fáñez,
And Pedro Bermúdez told them:
“Doña Elvira, Doña Sol: don't upset yourselves,
You're healthy, you're alive, there's no need to worry.
You've lost a good marriage, but you might get a better one.
Just you wait till we can revenge you!”
They rested there, that night, feeling very happy.
The next morning, when they were ready to ride,
San Esteban people escorted them as far
As Rio d'Amor, to help keep things cheerful,
Then said their farewells and went home.
Minaya and the ladies traveled on,
Crossing Alcoceba, with Gormaz to their right,
Going toward Vado de Rey, on the way
To Berlanga, the town where they would rest.
Early the next morning they traveled on,
Toward a town called Medinaceli, where they rested again,
Then spent the next day riding to Molina.
There, Albengalbón, the Moor, greeted them warmly,
Riding out to show his welcome;