Orlando Furioso Canto 1 Poem Rhyme Scheme

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Ludovico Ariosto

Orlando Furioso Canto 1 Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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CANTO	A
	-
ARGUMENT	B
Angelica whom pressing danger frights	C
Flies in disorder through the greenwood shade	D
Rinaldo's horse escapes he following fights	C
Ferrau the Spaniard in a forest glade	D
A second oath the haughty paynim plights	C
And keeps it better than the first he made	D
King Sacripant regains his long lost treasure	E
But good Rinaldo mars his promised pleasure	E
	-
	-
I	-
OF LOVES and LADIES KNIGHTS and ARMS I sing	F
Of COURTESIES and many a DARING FEAT	G
And from those ancient days my story bring	F
When Moors from Afric passed in hostile fleet	G
And ravaged France with Agramant their king	F
Flushed with his youthful rage and furious heat	G
Who on king Charles' the Roman emperor's head	H
Had vowed due vengeance for Troyano dead	H
	-
II	-
In the same strain of Roland will I tell	I
Things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme	J
On whom strange madness and rank fury fell	I
A man esteemed so wise in former time	J
If she who to like cruel pass has well	I
Nigh brought my feeble wit which fain would climb	J
And hourly wastes my sense concede me skill	K
And strength my daring promise to fulfil	K
	-
III	-
Good seed of Hercules give ear and deign	L
Thou that this age's grace and splendour art	M
Hippolitus to smile upon his pain	L
Who tenders what he has with humble heart	M
For though all hope to quit the score were vain	L
My pen and pages may pay the debt in part	M
Then with no jealous eye my offering scan	N
Nor scorn my gifts who give thee all I can	N
	-
IV	-
And me amid the worthiest shalt thou hear	O
Whom I with fitting praise prepare to grace	C
Record the good Rogero valiant peer	P
The ancient root of thine illustrious race	C
Of him if thou wilt lend a willing ear	O
The worth and warlike feats I shall retrace	C
So thou thy graver cares some little time	J
Postponing lend thy leisure to my rhyme	J
	-
V	-
Roland who long the lady of Catay	M
Angelica had loved and with his brand	M
Raised countless trophies to that damsel gay	Q
In India Median and Tartarian land	M
Westward with her had measured back his way	Q
Where nigh the Pyrenees with many a band	M
Of Germany and France King Charlemagne	L
Had camped his faithful host upon the plain	L
	-
VI	-
To make King Agramant for penance smite	M
His cheek and rash Marsilius rue the hour	E
This when all trained with lance and sword to fight	M
He led from Africa to swell his power	E
That other when he pushed in fell despite	M
Against the realm of France Spain's martial flower	E
'Twas thus Orlando came where Charles was tented	M
In evil hour and soon the deed repented	M
	-
VII	-
For here was seized his dame of peerless charms	C
How often human judgment wanders wide	M
Whom in long warfare he had kept from harms	C
From western climes to eastern shores her guide	M
In his own land 'mid friends and kindred arms	C
Now without contest severed from his side	M
Fearing the mischief kindled by her eyes	C
From him the prudent emperor reft the prize	C
	-
VIII	-
For bold Orlando and his cousin free	-
Rinaldo late contended for the maid	M
Enamored of that beauty rare since she	-
Alike the glowing breast of either swayed	M
But Charles who little liked such rivalry	-
And drew an omen thence of feebler aid	M
To abate the cause of quarrel seized the fair	R
And placed her in Bavarian Namus' care	R
	-
IX	C
Vowing with her the warrior to content	M
Who in that conflict on that fatal day	M
With his good hand most gainful succour lent	M
And slew most paynims in the martial fray	M
But counter to his hopes the battle went	M
And his thinned squadrons fled in disarray	M
Namus with other Christian captains taken	S
And his pavilion in the rout forsaken	S
	-
X	C
There lodged by Charles that gentle bonnibel	K
Ordained to be the valiant victor's meed	M
Before the event had sprung into her sell	K
And from the combat turned in time of need	M
Presaging wisely Fortune would rebel	K
That fatal day against the Christian creed	M
And entering a thick wood discovered near	P
In a close path a horseless cavalier	P
	-
XI	C
With shield upon his arm in knightly wise	C
Belted and mailed his helmet on his head	M
The knight more lightly through the forest hies	C
Than half clothed churl to win the cloth of red	M
But not from cruel snake more swiftly flies	C
The timid shepherdess with startled tread	M
Than poor Angelica the bridle turns	C
When she the approaching knight on foot discerns	C
	-
XII	C
This was that Paladin good Aymon's seed	M
Who Mount Albano had in his command	M
And late Baiardo lost his gallant steed	M
Escaped by strange adventure from his hand	M
As soon as seen the maid who rode at speed	M
The warrior knew and while yet distant scanned	M
The angelic features and the gentle air	R
Which long had held him fast in Cupid's snare	R
	-
XIII	C
The affrighted damsel turns her palfrey round	M
And shakes the floating bridle in the wind	M
Nor in her panic seeks to choose her ground	M
Nor open grove prefers to thicket blind	M
But reckless pale and trembling and astound	M
Leaves to her horse the devious way to find	M
He up and down the forest bore the dame	T
Till to a sylvan river's bank he came	T
	-
XIV	-
Here stood the fierce Ferrau in grisly plight	M
Begrimed with dust and bathed with sweat and blood	M
Who lately had withdrawn him from the fight	M
To rest and drink at that refreshing flood	M
But there had tarried in his own despite	M
Since bending from the bank in hasty mood	M
He dropped his helmet in the crystal tide	M
And vainly to regain the treasure tried	M
	-
XV	-
Thither at speed she drives and evermore	U
In her wild panic utters fearful cries	C
And at the voice upleaping on the shore	U
The Saracen her lovely visage spies	C
And pale as is her cheek and troubled sore	U
Arriving quickly to the warrior's eyes	C
Though many days no news of her had shown	V
The beautiful Angelica is known	V
	-
XVI	-
Courteous and haply gifted with a breast	M
As warm as either of the cousins two	W
As bold as if his brows in steel were dressed	M
The succour which she sought he lent and drew	W
His faulchion and against Rinaldo pressed	M
Who saw with little fear the champion true	W
Not only each to each was known by sight	M
But each had proved in arms his foeman's might	M
	-
XVII	-
Thus as they are on foot the warriors vie	-
In cruel strife and blade to blade oppose	C
No marvel plate or brittle mail should fly	-
When anvils had not stood the deafening blows	C
It now behoves the palfrey swift to ply	-
His feet for while the knights in combat close	C
Him vexed to utmost speed with goading spurs	C
By waste or wood the frighted damsel stirs	C
	-
XVIII	-
After the two had struggled long to throw	A
Each other in the strife and vainly still	K
Since neither valiant warrior was below	A
His opposite in force and knightly skill	K
The first to parley with his Spanish foe	A
Was the good master of Albano's hill	K
As one within whose raging breast was pent	M
A reckless fire which struggled for a vent	M
	-
XIX	C
Thou think'st he said to injure me alone	V
But know thou wilt thyself as much molest	M
For if we fight because yon rising sun	S
This raging heat has kindled in thy breast	M
What were thy gain and what the guerdon won	S
Though I should yield my life or stoop my crest	M
If she shall never be thy glorious meed	M
Who flies while vainly we in battle bleed	M
	-
XX	C
Then how much better since our stake's the same	T
Thou loving like myself should'st mount and stay	M
To wait this battle's end the lovely dame	T
Before she fly yet further on her way	M
The lady taken we repeat our claim	T
With naked faulchion to t	M