The Faerie Queene · Book I · Canto 1 6 (2/2)

“Ah! dearest Lord,” (quoth she) “how might that bee,

And he the stoutest knight that ever wonne?”

“Ah! dearest dame,” (quoth hee) “how might I see

The thing that might not be, and yet was donne?”

“Where is,” (said Satyrane) “that Paynims sonne,

That him of life, and us of joy, hath refte?”

“Not far away,” (quoth he) “he hence doth wonne,

Foreby a fountaine, where I late him lefte

Washing his bloody wounds, that through the steele were cleft.”

Therewith the knight thence marched forth in hast,

Whiles Una, with huge heavinesse opprest,

Could not for sorrow follow him so fast;

And soone he came, as he the place had ghest,

Whereas that Pagan proud him selfe did rest

In secret shadow by a fountaine side:

Even he it was, that earst would have supprest

Faire Una; whom when Satyrane espide,

With foule reprochfull words he boldly him defide.

And said; “Arise, thou cursed Miscreaunt,

That hast with knightlesse guile, and trecherous train,

Faire knighthood fowly shamed, and doest vaunt

That good knight of the Redcrosse to have slain:

Arise, and with like treason now maintain

Thy guilty wrong, or els thee guilty yield.”

The Sarazin, this hearing, rose amain,

And, catching up in hast his three-square shield

And shining helmet, soone him buckled to the field.

And, drawing nigh him, said; “Ah! misborn Elfe,

In evill houre thy foes thee hither sent

Anothers wrongs to wreak upon thy selfe:

Yet ill thou blamest me for having blent

My name with guile and traiterous intent:

That Redcrosse knight, perdie, I never slew;

But had he beene where earst his armes were lent,

Th’enchaunter vaine his errour should not rew:

But thou his errour shalt, I hope, now proven trew.”

Therewith they gan, both furious and fell,

To thunder blowes, and fiersly to assaile

Each other, bent his enimy to quell,

That with their force they perst both plate and maile,

And made wide furrowes in their fleshes fraile,

That it would pitty any living eie.

Large floods of blood adowne their sides did raile;

But floods of blood could not them satisfie:

Both hongred after death; both chose to win, or die.

So long they fight, and full revenge pursue,

That, fainting, each themselves to breathen lett,

And, ofte refreshed, battell oft renue.

As when two Bores, with rancling malice mett,

Their gory sides fresh bleeding fiercely frett;

Til breathlesse both themselves aside retire,

Where foming wrath their cruell tuskes they whett,

And trample th’earth, the whiles they may respire,

Then backe to fight againe, new breathed and entire.

So fiersly, when these knights had breathed once,

They gan to fight retourne, increasing more

Their puissant force, and cruell rage attonce,

With heaped strokes more hugely then before;

That with their drery wounds, and bloody gore,

They both, deformed, scarsely could bee known.

By this, sad Una fraught with anguish sore,

Led with their noise which through the aire was thrown,

Arriv’d wher they in erth their fruitles blood had sown.

Whom all so soone as that proud Sarazin

Espide, he gan revive the memory

Of his leud lusts, and late attempted sin,

And lefte the doubtfull battell hastily,

To catch her, newly offred to his eie;

But Satyrane, with strokes him turning, staid,

And sternely bad him other businesse plie

Then hunt the steps of pure unspotted Maid:

Wherewith he al enrag’d these bitter speaches said.

“O foolish faeries’ sonne! what fury mad

Hath thee incenst to hast thy dolefull fate?

Were it not better I that Lady had

Then that thou hadst repented it too late?

Most sencelesse man he, that himselfe doth hate,

To love another: Lo! then, for thine ayd,

Here take thy lovers token on thy pate.”

So they to fight; the whiles the royall Mayd

Fledd farre away, of that proud Paynim sore afrayd.

But that false Pilgrim, which that leasing told,

Being in deed old Archimage, did stay

In secret shadow all this to behold;

And much rejoyced in their bloody fray:

But, when he saw the Damsell passe away,

He left his stond, and her pursewd apace,

In hope to bring her to her last decay.

But for to tell her lamentable cace,

And eke this battels end, will need another place.