The Song of the Cid (27 page)

Count García Ordóñez said: “We'll talk about this.”
They went off all together, the Carrión heirs,
Their family and friends. Their talk went quickly;
They all decided, almost at once, to give in on this:
“He's doing us a favor, Warrior Cid,
Not asking a thing for his daughters' dishonor.
We can settle up nicely, just with the king.
Let's give him the swords, since that's all he wants,
And once he's gotten them, he'll leave the court.
Then no more righteous claims for justice, from Warrior Cid!”
This decided, they went back to court:
“By your grace, King Don Alfonso and our lord!
We cannot deny that he gave us two swords.
Since he wants them back, and he has that right,
We'll gladly hand them over, here in your presence.”
They brought the two swords, Colada and Tizón,
And put them in the king's hands.
He drew them, and they lit up the room,
Their pommels and hand guards made of gold:
All the good men in the court stared in wonder.
My Cid took them, kissed the king's hands,
Then turned and went back to his place,
Where he made a careful examination:
He couldn't be fooled, he knew them well.
His whole body spoke his joy; his heart was smiling.
He raised his hand, and grasped his beard:
“By my beard, which no one has ever pulled,
This begins my daughters' revenge!”
He called to his nephew, Pedro Bermúdez,
Took him by the arm and gave him Tizón.
“Take it, nephew: it suits you better.”
Then he called to Martín Antolínez, worthy man from Burgos,
Took his arm, and gave him Colada:
“Martín Antolínez, my first-class warrior,
Accept Colada—which I won from a very fine lord,
Count Ramón Berenguer, from great Barcelona—
I make this gift knowing you will treat it well.
Take it; it will earn you honor and praise.”

“Grado al Criador e a vós, rrey señor,
ya pagado só de mis espadas, de Colada e de Tizón.
Otra rrencura he de ifantes de Carrión:
quando sacaron de Valencia mis fıjas amas a dos
en oro e en plata tres mill marcos les di [
y
]o,
yo faziendo esto, ellos acabaron lo so;
denme mis averes quando mios yernos non son.”
¡Aquí veriedes quexarse ifantes de Carrión!
Dize el conde don Rremond: “Dezid de sí o de no.”
Essora rresponden ifantes de Carrión:
“Por éssol' diemos sus espadas al Cid Campeador
que ál no nos demandasse, que aquí fıncó la boz.”
“Si ploguiere al rrey, assí dezimos nós:
a lo que demanda el Cid quel' rrecudades vós.”
Dixo el buen rrey: “Assí lo otorgo yo.”
Levantós' en pie el Cid Campeador:
“D'estos averes que vos di yo
si me los dades, o dedes [d'ello rraçón].”
Essora salién aparte ifantes de Carrión,
non acuerdan en consejo ca los haveres grandes son,
espesos los han ifantes de Carrión.
Tornan con el consejo e fablavan a so s
eñ
or:
“Mucho nos afınca el que Valencia gañó
quando de nuestros averes assil' prende sabor,
pagar le hemos de heredades en tierras de Carrión.”
Dixieron los alcaldes quando manifestados son:
“Si esso ploguiere al Cid, non ge lo vedamos nós,
mas en nuestro juvizio assí lo mandamos nós
que aquí lo enterguedes dentro en la cort.”
A estas palabras fabló el rrey don Alfonso:
“Nós bien la sabemos aquesta rrazón
que derecho demanda el Cid Campeador.
D'estos
tres
mill marcos los
dozientos
tengo yo,
entr'amos me los dieron los ifantes de Carrión;
tornárgelos quiero, ca
tan de
sfechos son,
enterguen a Mio Cid, el que en buen ora nació;
quando ellos los an a pechar, non ge los quiero yo.”
Fabló Ferrán Go[
n
]çález: “Averes monedados non tenemos nós.”

His hand was kissed, the sword was given and received,
Then he rose, my Warrior Cid:
“Thanks to God, and to you, my lord the king,
My swords, Colada and Tizón, are mine again!
I have other complaints against the Carrión heirs:
When they took my daughters from Valencia,
I gave them three thousand marks in silver and gold.
I did my duty, but they did what they meant to do.
Give me back my money, for you are no longer my sons-in-law.”
You should have seen the Carrións moaning and groaning!
Count Don Ramón of Burgundy: “Answer him, yes or no.”
Then the Carrións said:
“The only reason we gave him back the swords
Was to stop him from claiming more, so this would end.”
“We declare,” said Don Ramón, “if the king so pleases,
That you must pay him what he asks.”
The good king said: “I hereby confirm this.”
Warrior Cid immediately rose:
“Either give me what I ask of you,
Or give some reason for refusing.”
Then the Carrións went out to discuss this;
They could not satisfy the claim, it was huge,
And most of the money had been spent.
They came back in, and said:
“He who conquered Valencia asks too much,
But if he wants more of what we have,
We'll pay him with land in Carrión.”
When they admitted this much, the judges said:
“If Warrior Cid approves, we'll allow it,
But we think he should receive his money
Here and now, right in this court.”
At these words, Don Alfonso, the king, declared:
“We fully approve this claim,
Asserted here by Warrior Cid.
I have in hand two hundred marks,
Given me by the Carrións.
I wish to return this, their purses being so drained;
Let them hand it to him who was born at a lucky hour;

Luego rrespondió el conde don Rremond:
“El oro e la plata espendiésteslo vós,
por juvizio lo damos ant'el rrey don Alfonso:
páguenle en apreciadura e préndalo el Campeador.”
Ya vieron que es a fer los ifantes de Carrión:
veriedes aduzir tanto cavallo corredor,
tanta gruessa mula, tanto palafré de sazón,
tanta buena espada con toda guarnizón;
rrecibiólo Mio Cid como apreciaron en la cort.
Sobre los dozientos marcos que tenié el rrey Alfonso,
pagaron los ifantes al que en buen ora nasco,
enpréstanles de lo ageno, que non les cumple lo suyo,
mal escapan jogados, sabed, d'esta rrazón.

 

 

138

 

Estas apreciaduras Mio Cid presas las ha,
sos omnes las tienen e d'ellas pensarán,
mas quando esto ovo acabado pensaron luego d'ál:
“¡Merced,
ya
rrey señor, por amor de caridad!
La rrencura mayor non se me puede olbidar.
Oídme toda la cort e pésevos de mio mal:
de los ifantes de Carrión, quem' desondraron tan mal,
a menos de rriebtos no los puedo dexar.

 

 

139

 

“Dezid, ¿qué vos merecí, ifantes [
de Carrión
],
en juego o en vero | o en alguna rrazón?
Aquí lo mejoraré a juvizio de la cort.
¿A quém' descubriestes las telas del coraçón?
A la salida de Valencia mis fıjas vos di yo
con muy grand ondra e averes a nombre;
quando las non queriedes, ya canes traidores,

Seeing how much they must pay, I don't want to keep this.”
Fernando González said: “There is no money in our purse.”
Then Count Don Ramón replied:
“Since you have spent all the silver and all the gold,
With the king's approval we judges decide
Payment must be made in kind, if Warrior Cid accepts this.”
And now the Carrións understood what had to be done.
You should have seen the racing horses brought in,
The fat mules, the first-rate palfreys,
Good swords with their accouterments.
My Cid accepted them, as the court had decreed.
In addition to two hundred marks the king had been holding,
The Carrións paid and paid Warrior Cid, born at a lucky hour,
Borrowing from whoever would lend, for they had to.
The court, please understand, had squeezed them dry as a bone.

 

 

138

 

My Cid took all of this property.
His men took it, and would guard it.
With this issue settled, he presented another:
“I ask your favor, my king and lord, in charity's name.
I cannot forget my most bitter complaint.
Let the court hear me, today, and feel my pain.
The Carrión heirs have so maliciously dishonored me,
I cannot accept anything less than a challenge to battle.

 

 

139

 

“Tell us what I deserved from you Carrións—
In jest? in truth? or some other way?
Let your actions be judged by this court.
Why did you pull at the deepest strings of my heart?
When you left Valencia, I gave you my daughters
With great honor and many gifts.
If you did not want my daughters—ah, you treacherous dogs!—

¿por qué las sacávades de Valencia sus honores?
¿A qué las fıriestes a cinchas e a espolones?
Solas las dexastes en el rrobredo de Corpes
a las bestias fıeras e a las aves del mont;
por quanto les fıziestes menos valedes vós.
Si non rrecudedes, véalo esta cort.”

 

 

140

 

El conde don García en pie se levantava:
“¡Merced, ya rrey, el mejor de toda España!
Vezós' Mio Cid a llas cortes pregonadas;
dexóla crecer e luenga trae la barba,
los unos le han miedo e los otros espanta.
Los de Carrión son de natura tal
non ge las devién querer sus fıjas por varraganas,
o ¿quién ge las diera por parejas o por veladas?
Derecho fızieron por que las han dexadas.
Quanto él dize non ge lo preciamos nada.”
Essora el Campeador prisos' a la barba:
“¡Grado a Dios que cielo e tierra manda!
Por esso es lue[
n
]ga que a delicio fue criada;
¿qué avedes vós, conde, por rretraer la mi barba?
Ca de quando nasco a delicio fue criada,
ca non me priso a ella fıjo de mugier nada,
nimbla messó fıjo de moro nin de cristiana,
como yo a vós, conde, en el castiello de Cabra;
quando pris a Cabra e a vós por la barba,
non í ovo rrapaz que non messó su pulgada.
La que yo messé aún non es eguada.”

 

 

141

 

Ferrán Go[
n
]çález en pie se levantó,
a altas vozes odredes qué fabló:
“Dexássedes vós, Cid, de aquesta rrazón;

Why did you steal them from their life in Valencia?
Why did you beat them with buckles and spurs?
You abandoned them, alone in the Corpes forest,
Food for wild beasts and mountain birds.
What you did to them was shameful, infamous!
Let this court pass judgment, if you refuse our challenge.”

 

 

140

 

Count Don García Ordóñez rose:
“May I speak, O greatest king in Spain?
Warrior Cid is an old hand at courts like this;
He carefully lets his beard grow long,
So some will fear him, and others will shake in terror.
The Carrións come from such noble stock
They couldn't conceivably want these girls as mistresses!
Who was it that gave them as wives and lawful spouses?
The Carrións were right to desert them.
Everything Cid says amounts to nothing whatever!”
Warrior Cid took hold of his beard:
“Thanks to God, who made heaven and earth!
This beard is long because he wants it long.
What has my beard done to you, Count, to be scolded like this?
I have loved and cherished it all my life,
No man born of woman has ever pulled it,
No son of Moor or Christian birth—
As happened to you, Count, in Cabra castle!
When I took that castle, I pulled your beard,
Every single Moorish boy took his turn—
And what I pulled out still hasn't grown back!”

 

 

141

 

Fernando González stood up,
Shouting what he thought honorable:
“Enough of this, Cid, enough, stop this!

de vuestros averes de todos pagado sodes.
Non creciés varaja entre nós e vós.
De natura somos de condes de Carrión,
deviemos casar con fıjas de rreyes o de enperadores,
ca non pertenecién fıjas de ifançones.
Por que las dexamos derecho fıziemos nós;
más nos preciamos, sabet, que menos no.”

 

 

142

 

Mio Cid Rruy Díaz a Pero Vermúez cata:
“¡Fabla, Pero Mudo, varón que tanto callas!
Yo las he fıjas e tú primas cormanas;
a mí lo dizen, a ti dan las orejadas.
Si yo rrespondier, tú non entrarás en armas.”

 

 

143

 

Pero Vermúez conpeçó de fablar,
detiénes'le la lengua, non puede delibrar,
mas quando enpieça, sabed, nol' da vagar:
“¡Dirévos, Cid, costu[
m
]bres avedes tales,
siempre en las cortes ‘Pero Mudo' me llamades!
Bien lo sabedes que yo non puedo más;
por lo que yo ovier a fer por mí non mancará.
Mientes, Ferrando, de quanto dicho has,
por el Campeador mucho valiestes más.
Las tus mañas yo te las sabré contar:
¡miémbrat' quando lidiamos cerca Valencia la grand!
Pedist las feridas primeras al Canpeador leal,
vist un moro, fústel' ensayar,
antes fuxiste que a'l te allegasses.
Si yo non uviás, el moro te jugara mal;
passé por ti, con el moro me of de ajuntar,
de los primeros colpes ofle de arrancar;
did' el cavallo, tóveldo en poridad,

You've gotten back what you lost, you've been paid;
We have no wish to fight with you.
We were born to be counts of Carrión!
We ought to be married to the daughters of kings, or emperors;
Even second-class nobles are unworthy of us.
Deserting your daughters was our right;
It does not hurt but elevates our honor: do you hear me?”

 

 

142

 

My Cid, Ruy Díaz, turned to Pedro Bermúdez:
“Speak, Pedro the Mute, who keeps his words to himself!
These are my daughters and your first cousins;
They've been talking to me, but pulling your ears.
If I make the challenge, you won't get another chance.”

 

 

143