The Faerie Queene, Book I, Canto 11 (1596)
The Faerie Queene, Book I, Canto 11 (1596)
Original Text
Facsimile: Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene 1596, Volume 1, Introduction
by Graham Hough (London: Scolar Press, 1976). PR 2358 A2H6 1976 Robarts Library. Electronic Text from Ian Lancashire, in collaboration with John Bradley, Willard McCarty, Michael Stairs, and T. R. Wooldridge, Using TACT with Electronic Texts: A Guide to Text-Analysis Computing Tools, Version 2.1 for MS-DOS and PC DOS (New York: Modern Language Association of America, 1996). CD-ROM. QA 76.9.T48 L36.1976 Robarts Library.
2To thinke of those her captiue Parents deare,
3And their forwasted kingdome to repaire:
4Whereto whenas they now approched neare,
5With hartie words her knight she gan to cheare,
6And in her modest manner thus bespake;
7Deare knight, as deare, as euer knight was deare,
8That all these sorrowes suffer for my sake,
9High heauen behold the tedious toyle, ye for me take.
ii
10Now are we come vnto my natiue soyle,11And to the place, where all our perils dwell;
12Here haunts that feend, and does his dayly spoyle,
13Therefore henceforth be at your keeping well,
14And euer ready for your foeman fell.
15The sparke of noble courage now awake,
16And striue your excellent selfe to excell;
17That shall ye euermore renowmed make,
18Aboue all knights on earth, that batteill vndertake.
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19And pointing forth, lo yonder is (said she)20The brasen towre in which my parents deare
21For dread of that huge feend emprisond be,
22Whom I from far, see on the walles appeare
23[Fol. K7v; p. 156] Whose sight my feeble soule doth greatly cheare:
24And on the top of all I do espye
25The watchman wayting tydings glad to heare,
26That ô my parents might I happily
27Vnto you bring, to ease you of your misery.
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28With that they heard a roaring hideous sound,29That all the ayre with terrour filled wide,
30And seemd vneath to shake the stedfast ground.
31Eftsoones that dreadfull Dragon they espide,
32Where stretch[t] he lay vpon the sunny side,
33Of a great hill, himselfe like a great hill.
34But all so soone, as he from far descride
35Those glistring armes, that heauen with light did fill,
36He rousd himselfe full blith, and hastned them vntill.
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37Then bad the knight his Lady yede aloofe,38And to an hill her selfe with draw aside,
39From whence she might behold that battailles proof
40And eke be safe from daunger far descryde:
41She him obayd, and turnd a little wyde.
42Now O thou sacred Muse, most learned Dame,
43Faire ympe of Phœbus, and his aged bride,
44The Nourse of time, and euerlasting fame,
45That warlike hands ennoblest with immortall name;
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46O gently come into my feeble brest,47Come gently, but not with that mighty rage,
48Wherewith the martiall troupes thou doest infest,
49And harts of great Heroës doest enrage,
50That nought their kindled courage may aswage,
51Soone as thy dreadfull trompe begins to sownd;
52The God of warre with his fiers equipage
53Thou doest awake, sleepe neuer he so sownd,
54And sacred nations doest with horrour sterne astownd.
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55[Fol. K8r; p. 157] Faire Goddesse lay that furious fit aside,56Till I of warres and bloudy Mars do sing,
57And Briton fields with Sarazin bloud bedyde,
58Twixt that great faery Queene and Paynim king,
59That with their horrour heauen and earth did ring,
60A worke of labour long, and endlesse prayse:
61But now a while let downe that haughtie string,
62And to my tunes thy second tenor rayse,
63That I this man of God his godly armes may blaze.
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64By this the dreadfull Beast drew nigh to hand,65Halfe flying, and halfe footing in his hast,
66That with his largenesse measured much land,
67And made wide shadow vnder his huge wast;
68As mountaine doth the valley ouercast.
69Approching nigh, he reared high afore
70His body monstrous, horrible, and wast,
71Which to increase his wondrous greatnesse more,
72Was swolne with wrath, & poyson, & with bloudy gore.
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73And ouer, all with brasen scales was armd,74Like plated coate of steele, so couched neare,
75That nought mote perce, ne might his corse be harmd
76With dint of sword, nor push of pointed speare;
77Which as an Eagle, seeing pray appeare,
78His aery plumes doth rouze, full rudely dight,
79So shaked he, that horrour was to heare,
80For as the clashing of an Armour bright,
81Such noyse his rouzed scales did send vnto the knight.
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82His flaggy wings when forth he did display,83Were like two sayles, in which the hollow wynd
84Is gathered full, and worketh speedy way:
85And eke the pennes, that did his pineons bynd
86[Fol. K8v; p. 158] Were like mayne-yards, with flying canuas lynd,
87With which whenas him list the ayre to beat,
88And there by force vnwonted passage find,
89The cloudes before him fled for terrour great,
90And all the heauens stood still amazed with his threat.
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91His huge long tayle wound vp in hundred foldes,92Does ouerspred his long bras-scaly backe,
93Whose wreathed boughts when euer he vnfoldes,
94And thicke entangled knots adown does slacke.
95Bespotted all with shields of red and blacke,
96It sweepeth all the land behind him farre,
97And of three furlongs does but litle lacke;
98And at the point two stings in-fixed arre,
99Both deadly sharpe, that sharpest steele exceeden farre.
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100But stings and sharpest steele did far exceed101The sharpnesse of his cruell rending clawes;
102Dead was it sure, as sure as death in deed,
103What euer thing does touch his rauenous pawes,
104Or what within his reach he euer drawes.
105But his most hideous head my toung to tell,
106Does tremble: for his deepe deuouring iawes
107Wide gaped, like the griesly mouth of hell,
108Through which into his darke abisse all rauin fell.
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109And that more wondrous was, in either iaw110Three ranckes of yron teeth enraunged were,
111In which yet trickling bloud and gobbets raw
112Of late deuoured bodies did appeare,
113That sight thereof bred cold congealed feare:
114Which to increase, and all atonce to kill,
115A cloud of smoothering smoke and sulphur seare
116Out of his stinking gorge forth steemed still,
117That all the ayre about with smoke and stench did fill.
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118[Fol. L1r; p. 159] His blazing eyes, like two bright shining shields,119Did burne with wrath, and sparkled liuing fyre;
120As two broad Beacons, set in open fields,
121Send forth their flames farre off to euery shyre,
122And warning giue, that enemies conspyre,
123With fire and sword the region to inuade;
124So flam'd his eyne with rage and rancorous yre:
125But farre within, as in a hollow glade,
126Those glaring lampes were set, that made a dreadfull shade.
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127So dreadfully he towards him did pas,128Forelifting vp aloft his speckled brest,
129And often bounding on the brused gras,
130As for great ioyance of his newcome guest.
131Eftsoones he gan aduance his haughtie crest,
132As chauffed Bore his bristles doth vpreare,
133And shoke his scales to battell readie drest;
134That made the Redcrosse knight nigh quake for feare,
135As bidding bold defiance to his foeman neare.
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136The knight gan fairely couch his steadie speare,137And fiercely ran at him with rigorous might:
138The pointed steele arriuing rudely theare,
139His harder hide would neither perce, nor bight,
140But glauncing by forth passed forward right;
141Yet sore amoued with so puissant push,
142The wrathfull beast about him turned light,
143And him so rudely passing by, did brush
144With his long tayle, that horse and man to ground did rush.
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145Both horse and man vp lightly rose againe,146And fresh encounter towards him addrest:
147But th'idle stroke yet backe recoyld in vaine,
148And found no place his deadly point to rest.
149[Fol. L1v; p. 160] Exceeding rage enflam'd the furious beast,
150To be auenged of so great despight;
151For neuer felt his imperceable brest
152So wondrous force, from hand of liuing wight;
153Yet had he prou'd the powre of many a puissant knight.
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154Then with his wauing wings displayed wyde,155Himselfe vp high he lifted from the ground,
156And with strong flight did forcibly diuide
157The yielding aire, which nigh too feeble found
158Her flitting partes, and element [[[vnfound]]] [vnsound],
159To beare so great a weight: he cutting way
160With his broad sayles, about him soared round:
161At last low stouping with vnweldie sway,
162Snatcht vp both horse & man, to beare them quite away.
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163Long he them bore aboue the subiect plaine,164So farre as Ewghen bow a shaft may send,
165Till struggling strong did him at last constraine,
166To let them downe before his flightes end:
167As hagard hauke presuming to contend
168With hardie fowle, aboue his hable might,
169His wearie pounces all in vaine doth spend,
170To trusse the pray too heauie for his flight;
171Which comming downe to ground, does free it selfe by fight.
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172He so disseized of his gryping grosse,173The knight his thrillant speare againe assayd
174In his bras-plated body to embosse,
175And three mens strength vnto the stroke he layd;
176Wherewith the stiffe beame quaked, as affrayd,
177And glauncing from his scaly necke, did glyde
178Close vnder his left wing, then broad displayd.
179The percing steele there wrought a wound full wyde,
180That with the vncouth smart the Monster lowdly cryde.
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181[Fol. L2r; p. 161] He cryde, as raging seas are wont to rore,182When wintry storme his wrathfull wreck does threat,
183The rolling billowes beat the ragged shore,
184As they the earth would shoulder from her seat,
185And greedie gulfe does gape, as he would eat
186His neighbour element in his reuenge:
187Then gin the blustring brethren boldly threat,
188To moue the world from off his stedfast henge,
189And boystrous battell make, each other to auenge.
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190The steely head stucke fast still in his flesh,191Till with his cruell clawes he snatcht the wood,
192And quite a sunder broke. Forth flowed fresh
193A gushing riuer of blacke goarie blood,
194That drowned all the land, whereon he stood;
195The streame thereof would driue a water-mill.
196Trebly augmented was his furious mood
197With bitter sense of his deepe rooted ill,
198That flames of fire he threw forth from his large nosethrill.
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199His hideous tayle then hurled he about,200And therewith all enwrapt the nimble thyes
201Of his froth-fomy steed, whose courage stout
202Striuing to loose the knot, that fast him tyes,
203Himselfe in streighter bandes too rash implyes,
204That to the ground he is perforce constraynd
205To throw his rider : who can quickly ryse
206From off the earth, with durty bloud distaynd,
207For that reprochfull fall right fowly he disdaynd.
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208And fiercely tooke his trenchand blade in hand,209With which he stroke so furious and so fell,
210That nothing seemd the puissance could withstand:
211Vpon his crest the hardned yron fell,
212[Fol. L2v; p. 162] But his more hardned crest was armd so well,
213That deeper dint therein it would not make;
214Yet so extremely did the buffe him quell,
215That from thenceforth he shund the like to take,
216But when he saw them come, he did them still forsake.
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217The knight was wrath to see his stroke beguyld,218And smote againe with more outrageous might;
219But backe againe the sparckling steele recoyld,
220And left not any marke, where it did light;
221As if in Adamant rocke it had bene pight.
222The beast impatient of his smarting wound,
223And of so fierce and forcible despight,
224Thought with his wings to stye aboue the ground;
225But his late wounded wing vnseruiceable found.
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226Then full of griefe and anguish vehement,227He lowdly brayd, that like was neuer heard,
228And from his wide deuouring ouen sent
229A flake of fire, that flashing in his beard,
230Him all amazd, and almost made affeard:
231The scorching flame sore swinged all his face,
232And through his armour all his bodie seard,
233That he could not endure so cruell cace,
234But thought his armes to leaue, and helmet to vnlace.
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235Not that great Champion of the antique world,236Whom famous Poetes verse so much doth vaunt,
237And hath for twelue huge labours high extold,
238So many furies and sharpe fits did haunt,
239When him the poysoned garment did enchaunt
240With Centaures bloud, and bloudie verses charm'd,
241As did this knight twelue thousand dolours daunt,
242Whom fyrie steele now burnt, that earst him arm'd,
243That erst him goodly arm'd, now most of all him harm'd.
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244[Fol. L3r; p. 163] Faint, wearie, sore, emboyled, grieued, brent245With heat, toyle, wounds, armes, smart, & inward fire
246That neuer man such mischiefes did torment;
247Death better were, death did he oft desire,
248But death will neuer come, when needes require.
249Whom so dismayd when that his foe beheld,
250He cast to suffer him no more respire,
251But gan his sturdie sterne about to weld,
252And him so strongly stroke, that to the ground him feld.
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253It fortuned (as faire it then befell)254Behind his backe vnweeting, where he stood,
255Of auncient time there was a springing well,
256From which fast trickled forth a siluer flood,
257Full of great vertues, and for med'cine good.
258Whylome, before that cursed Dragon got
259That happie land, and all with innocent blood
260Defyld those sacred waues, it rightly hot
261The well of life, ne yet his vertues had forgot.
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262For vnto life the dead it could restore,263And guilt of sinfull crimes cleane wash away,
264Those that with sicknesse were infected sore,
265It could recure, and aged long decay
266Renew, as one were borne that very day.
267Both Silo this, and Iordan did excell,
268And th'English Bath, and eke the german Spau,
269Ne can Cephise, nor Hebrus match this well:
270Into the same the knight backe ouerthrowen, fell.
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271Now gan the golden Phœbus for to steepe272His fierie face in billowes of the west,
273And his faint steedes watred in Ocean deepe,
274Whiles from their iournall labours they did rest,
275[Fol. L3v; p. 164] When that infernall Monster, hauing kest
276His wearie foe into that liuing well,
277Can high aduance his broad discoloured brest,
278Aboue his wonted pitch, with countenance fell,
279And clapt his yron wings, as victor he did dwell.
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280Which when his pensiue Ladie saw from farre,281Great woe and sorrow did her soule assay,
282As weening that the sad end of the warre,
283And gan to highest God entirely pray,
284That feared chance from her to turne away;
285With folded hands and knees full lowly bent
286All night she watcht, ne once adowne would lay
287Her daintie limbs in her sad dreriment,
288But praying still did wake, and waking did lament.
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289The morrow next gan early to appeare,290That Titan rose to runne his daily race;
291But early ere the morrow next gan reare
292Out of the sea faire Titans deawy face,
293Vp rose the gentle virgin from her place,
294And looked all about, if she might spy
295Her loued knight to moue his manly pace:
296For she had great doubt of his safety,
297Since late she saw him fall before his enemy.
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298At last she saw, where he vpstarted braue299Out of the well, wherein he drenched lay;
300As Eagle fresh out of the Ocean waue,
301Where he hath left his plumes all hoary gray,
302And deckt himselfe with feathers youthly gay,
303Like Eyas hauke vp mounts vnto the skies,
304His newly budded pineons to assay,
305And marueiles at himselfe, still as he flies:
306So new this new-borne knight to battell new did rise.
308No wonder if he wondred at the sight,
309And doubted, whether his late enemy
310It were, or other new supplied knight.
311He, now to proue his late renewed might,
312High brandishing his bright deaw-burning blade,
313Vpon his crested scalpe so sore did smite,
314That to the scull a yawning wound it made:
315The deadly dint his dulled senses all dismaid.
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316I wote not, whether the reuenging steele317Were hardned with that holy water dew,
318Wherein he fell, or sharper edge did feele,
319Or his baptized hands now greater grew;
320Or other secret vertue did ensew:
321Else neuer could the force of fleshly arme,
322Ne molten mettall in his bloud embrew:
323For till that stownd could neuer wight him harme,
324By subtilty, nor slight, nor might, nor mighty charme.
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325The cruell wound enraged him so sore,326That loud he yelded for exceeding paine;
327As hundred ramping Lyons seem'd to rore,
328Whom rauenous hunger did thereto constraine:
329Then gan he tosse aloft his stretched traine,
330And therewith scourge the buxome aire so sore,
331That to his force to yeelden it was faine;
332Ne ought his sturdie strokes might stand afore,
333That high trees ouerthrew, and rocks in peeces tore.
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334The same aduauncing high aboue his head,335With sharpe intended sting so rude him smot,
336That to the earth him droue, as stricken dead,
337Ne liuing wight would haue him life behot:
338[Fol. L4v; p. 166] The mortall sting his angry needle shot
339Quite through his shield, and in his shoulder seasd,
340Where fast it stucke, ne would there out be got:
341The griefe thereof him wondrous sore diseasd,
342Ne might his ranckling paine with patience be appeasd.
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343But yet more mindfull of his honour deare,344Then of the grieuous smart, which him did wring,
345From loathed soile he can him lightly reare,
347Which when in vaine he tryde with struggeling,
348Inflam'd with wrath, his raging blade he heft,
350Of his huge taile he quite a sunder cleft,
351Fiue ioynts thereof he hewd, and but the stump him left.
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352Hart cannot thinke, what outrage, and what cryes,353With foule enfouldred smoake and flashing fire,
354The hell-bred beast threw forth vnto the skyes,
355That all was couered with darknesse dire:
356Then fraught with rancour, and engorged ire,
357He cast at once him to auenge for all,
358And gathering vp himselfe out of the mire,
359With his vneuen wings did fiercely fall,
360Vpon his sunne-bright shield, and gript it fast withall.
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361Much was the man encombred with his hold,362In feare to lose his weapon in his paw,
363Ne wist yet, how his talants to vnfold;
364Nor harder was from Cerberus greedie iaw
365To plucke a bone, then from his cruell claw
366To reaue by strength, the griped gage away:
367Thrise he assayd it from his foot to draw,
368And thrise in vaine to draw it did assay,
369It booted nought to thinke, to robbe him of his pray.
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370[Fol. L5r; p. 167] Tho when he saw no power might preuaile,371His trustie sword he cald to his last aid,
372Wherewith he fiercely did his foe assaile,
373And double blowes about him stoutly laid,
374That glauncing fire out of the yron plaid;
375As sparckles from the Anduile vse to fly,
376When heauie hammers on the wedge are swaid;
377Therewith at last he forst him to vnty
378One of his grasping feete, him to defend thereby.
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379The other foot, fast fixed on his shield380Whenas no strength, nor stroks mote him constraine
381To loose, ne yet the warlike pledge to yield,
382He smot thereat with all his might and maine,
383That nought so wondrous puissance might sustaine;
384Vpon the ioynt the lucky steele did light,
385And made such way, that hewd it quite in twaine;
386The paw yet missed not his minisht might,
387But hong still on the shield, as it at first was pight.
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388For griefe thereof, and diuelish despight,389From his infernall fournace forth he threw
390Huge flames, that dimmed all the heauens light,
391Enrold in duskish smoke and brimstone blew;
392As burning Aetna from his boyling stew
393Doth belch out flames, and rockes in peeces broke,
394And ragged ribs of mountaines molten new,
395Enwrapt in coleblacke clouds and filthy smoke,
396That all the land with stench, and heauen with horror choke.
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397The heate whereof, and harmefull pestilence398So sore him noyd, that forst him to retire
399A little backward for his best defence,
400To saue his bodie from the scorching fire,
401[Fol. L5v; p. 168] Which he from hellish entrailes did expire.
402It chaunst (eternall God that chaunce did guide)
403As he recoyled backward, in the mire
404His nigh forwearied feeble feet did slide,
405And downe he fell, with dread of shame sore terrifide.
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406There grew a goodly tree him faire beside,407Loaden with fruit and apples rosie red,
408As they in pure vermilion had beene dide,
409Whereof great vertues ouer all were red:
410For happie life to all, which thereon fed,
411And life eke euerlasting did befall:
412Great God it planted in that blessed sted
413With his almightie hand, and did it call
414The tree of life, the crime of our first fathers fall.
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415In all the world like was not to be found,416Saue in that soile, where all good things did grow,
417And freely sprong out of the fruitfull ground,
418As incorrupted Nature did them sow,
419Till that dread Dragon all did ouerthrow.
420Another like faire tree eke grew thereby,
421Whereof who so did eat, eftsoones did know
422Both good and ill: O mornefull memory:
423That tree through one mans fault hath doen vs all to dy.
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424From that first tree forth flowd, as from a well,425A trickling streame of Balme, most soueraine
426And daintie deare, which on the ground still fell,
427And ouerflowed all the fertill plaine,
428As it had deawed bene with timely raine:
429Life and long health that gratious ointment gaue,
430And deadly woundes could heale and reare againe
431The senselesse corse appointed for the graue.
432Into that same he fell: which did from death him saue.
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433[Fol. L6r; p. 169] For nigh thereto the euer damned beast434Durst not approch, for he was deadly made,
435And all that life preserued, did detest:
436Yet he it oft aduentur'd to inuade.
437By this the drouping day-light gan to fade,
438And yeeld his roome to sad succeeding night,
439Who with her sable mantle gan to shade
440The face of earth, and wayes of liuing wight,
441And high her burning torch set vp in heauen bright.
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442When gentle Vna saw the second fall443Of her deare knight, who wearie of long fight,
444And faint through losse of bloud, mou'd not at all,
445But lay as in a dreame of deepe delight,
446Besmeard with pretious Balme, whose vertuous might
447Did heale his wounds, and scorching heat alay,
448Againe she stricken was with sore affright,
449And for his safetie gan deuoutly pray;
450And watch the noyous night, and wait for ioyous day.
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451The ioyous day gan early to appeare,452And faire Aurora from her deawy bed
453Of aged Tithone gan her selfe to reare,
454With rosie cheekes, for shame as blushing red;
455Her golden lockes for haste were loosely shed
456About her eares, when Vna her did marke
457Clymbe to her charet, all with flowers spred;
458From heauen high to chase the chearelesse darke,
459With merry note her loud salutes the mounting larke.
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460Then freshly vp arose the doughtie knight,461All healed of his hurts and woundes wide,
462And did himselfe to battell readie dight;
463Whose early foe awaiting him beside
464[Fol. L6v; p. 170] To haue deuourd, so soone as day he spyde,
465When now he saw himselfe so freshly reare,
466As if late fight had nought him damnifyde,
467He woxe dismayd, and gan his fate to feare;
468Nathlesse with wonted rage he him aduaunced neare.
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469And in his first encounter, gaping wide,470He thought attonce him to haue swallowd quight,
471And rusht vpon him with outragious pride;
472Who him r'encountring fierce, as hauke in flight,
473Perforce rebutted backe. The weapon bright
474Taking aduantage of his open iaw,
475Ran through his mouth with so importune might,
476That deepe emperst his darksome hollow maw,
477And back retyrd, his life bloud forth with all did draw.
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478So downe he fell, and forth his life did breath,479That vanisht into smoke and cloudes swift;
480So downe he fell, that th'earth him vnderneath
481Did grone, as feeble so great load to lift;
482So downe he fell, as an huge rockie clift,
483Whose false foundation waues haue washt away,
484With dreadfull poyse is from the mayneland rift,
485And rolling downe, great Neptune doth dismay;
486So downe he fell, and like an heaped mountaine lay.
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487The knight himselfe euen trembled at his fall,488So huge and horrible a masse it seem'd;
489And his deare Ladie, that beheld it all,
490Durst not approch for dread, which she misdeem'd,
491But yet at last, when as the direfull feend
492She saw not stirre, off-shaking vaine affright,
493She nigher drew, and saw that ioyous end:
494Then God she praysd, and thankt her faithfull knight,
495That had atchieu'd so great a conquest by his might.
Notes
1] Old spelling is retained except for ligatured letters, which are normalized. Contractions and abbreviations are expanded and underlined. Italics and original lineation are retained, but not small capitals and the text of catchwords, signatures, and running titles. Irregularities in spacing are ignored. Reference citations are by signatures and page numbers, and by editorial canto, stanza, and verse line numbers. Emendations are noted. Hung words are reattached to the end of the lines to which they belong. Back to Line
307] spy,: "spy." in original. Back to Line
346] sting: "string" in original. Back to Line
349] sting: "string" in original. Back to Line
Publication Start Year
1596
RPO poem Editors
Ian Lancashire
Rhyme
Form