| |
Translated by Sir Walter Scott
HENRY and King Pedro, clasping, | |
| Hold in straining arms each other; | |
| Tugging hard, and closely grasping, | |
| Brother proves his strength with brother. | |
| |
| Harmless pastime, sport fraternal, | 5 |
| Blends not thus their limbs in strife; | |
| Either aims, with rage infernal, | |
| Naked dagger, sharpened knife. | |
| |
| Close Don Henry grapples Pedro, | |
| Pedro holds Don Henry strait, | 10 |
| Breathing, this, triumphant fury, | |
| That, despair and mortal hate. | |
| |
| Sole spectator of the struggle, | |
| Stands Don Henry’s page afar, | |
| In the chase who bore his bugle, | 15 |
| And who bore his sword in war. | |
| |
| Down they go in deadly wrestle, | |
| Down upon the earth they go, | |
| Fierce King Pedro has the vantage, | |
| Stout Don Henry falls below. | 20 |
| |
| Marking then the fatal crisis, | |
| Up the page of Henry ran, | |
| By the waist he caught Don Pedro, | |
| Aiding thus the fallen man. | |
| |
| “King to place, or to depose him, | 25 |
| Dwelleth not in my desire, | |
| But the duty which he owes him, | |
| To his master pays the squire.” | |
| |
| Now Don Henry has the upmost, | |
| Now King Pedro lies beneath, | 30 |
| In his heart his brother’s poniard | |
| Instant finds its bloody sheath. | |
| |
| Thus with mortal gasp and quiver, | |
| While the blood in bubbles welled, | |
| Fled the fiercest soul that ever | 35 |
| In a Christian bosom dwelled. | |
| |
