First of our Kings is he who left the soil
patrial, teaching Africk’s Paynimry,
by dint of arms, how much in word and deed
the Laws of Christ Mafamed’s laws exceed.
49
“See! thousand swimming Birds the silv’ery plain
of Thetis cleave, and spurn her fume and fret,
with bellied wings to seize the wind they strain,
where his extremest mete Alcides set:
Mount Abyla, and dight with tow’er and fane
Ceita, they seize, ignoble Muhammad
they oust: and thus our gen’eral Spain secure
from Julian-craft,98 disloyal and impure.
50
“Death granted not to Portugal’s desire
Hero so happy long should wear the crown;
but soon th’ angelick Host and heav’enly Choir
a home in highest Heaven made his own:
To ward his Lusia, and to raise her higher,
He who withdrew him left the goodly boon—
building our country on her broadest base—
of noble Infants a right royal Race.
51
“Noways so happy was Duarte’s fate,
what while he rose the royal rank to fill:
Thus troublous Time doth ever alternate
pleasure with pain, and temper good with ill.
What man hath lived through life in joyous state,
who firmness finds in Fortune’s fickle will?
Yet to this Kingdom and this King she deignèd
spare the vicissitudes her laws ordainèd.
52
“Captive he saw his brother, hight Fernand,
the Saint aspiring high with purpose brave,
who as a hostage in the Sara’cen’s hand,
betrayed himself his ’leaguer’d host to save.
He lived for purest faith to Fatherland
the life of noble Ladye sold a slave,
lest bought with price of Ceita’s potent town
to public welfare be preferred his own.
53
“Codrus, lest foemen conquer, freely chose
to yield his life and, conqu’ering self, to die;
Regulus, lest his land in aught should lose,
lost for all time all hopes of liberty;
this, that Hispania might in peace repose,
chose life-long thrall, eterne captivity:
Codrus nor Curtius with man’s awe for meed,
nor loyal Decii ever dared such deed.
54
“Afonso, now his kingdom’s only heir—
a name of Vict’ory on our Spanish strand—
who, the haught fierceness of the Moor’s frontier
to lowest mis’ery tamed with mighty hand,
pardie, had been a peerless cavalier
had he not lusted after Ebro-land:
But still shall Africk say, ’twere hopeless feat
on battle-plain such terr’ible King to beat.
55
“This could pluck Golden Apples from the bough,
which only he in Tiryns born could pluck:
He yoked the salvage Moor, and even now
the salvage Moorman’s neck must bear his yoke.
Still palms and greeny bays begird his brow
won from the barb’arous raging hosts that flock,
Alcacèr’s fortèd town with arms to guard,
Tangier the pop’ulous, and Arzille the hard.
56
“All these by gallant deeds, in fine, were gainèd,
and low lay ev’ery diamantine wall
anent the Portingalls, now taught and trainèd
to throw the Pow’er that lists to try a fall:
Such extreme marvels by strong arms attainèd—
right worthy el’oquent scripture one and all—
the gallant Cavaliers, whose Gestes of glory
added a lustre to our Lusian story.
57
“But soon, ambition-madded, goaded on
by Passion of Dominion bitter-sweet,
he falls on Ferdinand of Aragon,99
Castile’s haught kingdom hoping to defeat.
The swarming hostile crowds their armour don,
the proud and various races troop and meet,
from Cadiz fast to tow’ering Pyrenee,
who bow to Ferdinand the neck and knee.
58
“Scornèd an idler in the realm to rest
the youthful John; who taketh early heed
to aid his greedy father with his best,
and sooth, came th’ aidance at the hour of need.
Issued from bloody battle’s terr’ible test
with brow unmoved, serene in word and deed
maugre defeat, the Sire, that man of blood,
while ’twixt the rivals Vict’ory doubtful stood:
59
“For-that of valiant princely vein his son,
a gentle, stalwart, right magnan’imous Knight,
when to th’ opponents he such harm had done,
one whole day campèd on the field of fight.
Thus from Octavian100 was the vict’ory won,
while Anthony, his mate, was Victor hight,
when they the murth’erers who the Caesar slew,
upon Philippi-field the deed made rue.
60
“But as thro’ gathered shades of Night eterne
Afonso sped to realms of endless joy,
the Prince who rose to rule our realm in turn
was John the Second and the thirteenth Roy.
This, never-dying Glory’s meed to earn,
higher than ventured mortal man to fly,
ventured; who sought those bounds of ruddy Morn,
which I go seeking, this my voyage-bourne.
61
“Envoys commiss’ioneth he, who passing o’er
Hispania, Gaul, and honoured Italy,
took ship in haven of th’ illustrious shore
where erst inhumèd lay Parthenopè;
Naples, whose Dest’iny was decreed of yore,
the var’ious stranger’s slave and thrall to be,
and rise in honour when her years are full
by sovereign Hispania’s noble rule.
62
“They cleave the bright blue waves of Sic’ulan deeps;
by sandy marge of Rhodos-isle they go;
and thence debark they where the cliffy steeps
are still enfam’d for Magnus here lain low:101
To Memphis wend they, and the land that reaps
crops which fat Nylus’ flood doth overflow;
and climb ’yond Egypt to those Aethiop heights
where men conserve Christ’s high and holy rites.
63
“And eke they pass the waters Erythréan,
where past the shipless peoples Israelite;
remain arear the ranges Nabathéan,
which by the name of Ishmael’s seed are hight:
Those odoriferous incense-coasts Sabaean,
dainty Adonis’ Mother’s dear delight,
they round, and all of Happy Ar’aby known,
leaving the Waste of Sand and Reign of Stone.
64
“They push where still preserveth Persic Strait,
confusèd Babel’s darkling memory;
there, where the Tygre blendeth with Euphràte,
which from their head-streams hold their heads so high.
Thence fare they his pure stream to find, whose fate
’twill be to deal such length of history,
Indus, and cross that breadth of Ocean-bed
where daring Trajan never darèd tread.
65
“Strange tribes they saw, and through wild peoples past
Gedrosian, and Carmanian, and of Inde;
seeing the various custom, various caste,
which ev’ery Region beareth in her kind.
But from such asp’erous ways, such voyage vast
man finds not facile safe return to find:
In fine, there died they and to natal shore,
to home,
