Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes.
Spain, Portugal, Belgium, and Holland: Vols. XIV–XV. 1876–79. | | | | Spain: Xerez | | The Pounder | | Spanish Ballad |
| | Translated by J. G. Lockhart
THE CHRISTIANS have beleaguered the famous walls of Xerez; | |
| Among them are Don Alvar and Don Diego Perez, | |
| And many other gentlemen, who, day succeeding day, | |
| Give challenge to the Saracen and all his chivalry. | |
| |
| When rages the hot battle before the gates of Xerez, | 5 |
| By trace of gore ye may explore the dauntless path of Perez; | |
| No knight like Don Diego,—no sword like his is found | |
| In all the host, to hew the boast of paynims to the ground. | |
| |
| It fell, one day, when furiously they battled on the plain, | |
| Diego shivered both his lance and trusty blade in twain; | 10 |
| The Moors that saw it shouted; for esquire none was near, | |
| To serve Diego at his need with falchion, mace, or spear. | |
| |
| Loud, loud he blew his bugle, sore troubled was his eye, | |
| But by God’s grace before his face there stood a tree full nigh,— | |
| An olive-tree with branches strong, close by the wall of Xerez: | 15 |
| “Yon goodly bough will serve, I trow,” quoth Don Diego Perez. | |
| |
| A gnarled branch he soon did wrench down from that olive strong, | |
| Which o’er his headpiece brandishing, he spurs among the throng: | |
| God wot, full many a pagan must in his saddle reel! | |
| What leech may cure, what beadsman shrive, if once that weight ye feel? | 20 |
| |
| But when Don Alvar saw him thus bruising down the foe, | |
| Quoth he, “I ’ve seen some flail-armed man belabor barley so;— | |
| Sure, mortal mould did ne’er infold such mastery of power: | |
| Let ’s call Diego Perez the Pounder, from this hour.” | | | | |
|
|
