And now the pyre around them is arranged,
Already do the bellows fan the flames;
When burst the young man forth in sad laments,
And said to her who was now joined to him:
"Is this the tie, then, which I hoped would bind
Me in companionship with thee for life?

Is this the flame which fondly I believed
Would burn with equal ardour in our hearts?

"Love promised other flames and other ties:
But cruel fortune these for us prepares.
Too long, alas! she has divided us,
But harshly now unites us in one death.
It pleases me at least, since you must die
So strangely, to be sharer in the pyre.
No sharer of thy bed, I mourn thy fate,
But not my own, since by thy side I die.

"And O completely fortunate my death!
My torments fortunate and sweet to me!
If I succeed in joining breast to breast,
And breathing out my life on thy dear lips
And thou, expiring at one time with me
Send forth on me thy latest dying gasp."
Thus spake he weeping, she with gentleness
Replied, and in these accents counselled him :

"Friend, other thoughts and other sad laments
For higher cause the present time demands.
Why not think of thy faults, and call to mind
What great reward God promises the good?
In His name suffer, pangs will then be sweet,
And gladly to the seat above aspire.
Behold how fair is heaven! behold the sun,
Which seems inviting and consoling us."

On this the Pagan people mourned aloud :
The faithful mourned in accents more subdued.
A sort of feeling, strange and tender, seemed
About to penetrate the king's hard heart.
Perceiving it beforehand, he was wroth,

Nor would he yield, but rolled his eyes and left.

Sofronia, thou alone the general grief

Sharest not, and, mourned by all, thou mournest not

While they were in this peril, lo! a knight
(For so it seemed) of lofty noble air;

And by his arms and foreign dress he looked
As if in travelling he came from far.

The tiger which upon the crest was worn
Attracted every eye, a famous crest-

The crest that brave Clorinda used in war:
Whence they believe 'tis she, nor do they err.

She all a woman's feelings and pursuits
E'en from her tender childhood e'er despised:
To labours of Arachne, needlework

And spinning, her proud hands disdained to stoop:
She shunned soft raiment and enclosed abodes,
For e'en in camps is dignity preserved:

She armed her countenance with pride, and chose
To make it stern, but still, though stern, it pleased.

While still a little girl, with childish hand

She tightened and relaxed a horse's rein:
Handled the spear and sword, and, wrestling oft,
Hardened the limbs, by running strengthened them.
And then in mountainous or woody paths
She tracked the savage lion and the bear:

Engaged in wars, in which and in the woods,
To men she fierce appeared, to beasts a man.

She now is coming from the Persian land,
The Christians to oppose with all her power;
At other times she strewed along the shores
Their limbs, and dyed the waters with their blood.
On her arrival here, to her first glance
Appeared the preparations made for death.
Eager to see, and know for what offence

The guilty were condemned, she reined her steed.

The crowd give way; she, closely to observe
The two together bound, draws near, and stops.
The one is silent, and the other groans,
The weaker sex the greater strength displays.
She sees him weep like one whom pity moves,
Not grief, or one who grieves not for himself;
Her silent, with her eyes so firmly fixed
On heaven, she seems departed ere her death.

Clorinda's heart was touched, and she was grieved
For both, and shed a copious flood of tears.
She felt more grief for her who did not grieve:
The silence moved her more, the weeping less.
Without too much delay she turned about,
And to a hoary man that stood beside,

Said: "Tell me who are these, and what their fate,
Or fault, that brings them to this punishment."

Thus she entreated him, and he a brief

But full reply to her inquiry gave.

She was amazed to hear, and quickly guessed
That these two equally were innocent.
She is determined to prevent their death,

As far as possible by prayers or arms.

In haste she ran, and got the flame withdrawn,
That now was near, and to the servants said:

"Let no one of you have the daring heart
In this hard duty further to proceed,
Till I have spoken to the king: be sure
He will not you accuse of this delay."
The sergeants rendered her obedience,
And were impressed by her grand royal air.

Then towards the king she went, whom in the way
She found, as he to meet her now advanced.

"I am Clorinda," said she; "you perhaps

Have heard me sometimes mentioned; here I come,

My lord, to be with you in the defence

Of our true common faith and of your throne;

I am prepared for every enterprise:

I fear not lofty ones, nor mean ones scorn.

Would you employ me in the open field,

Or in the city, I will nought refuse."

Here ceased she, and the king replied: "What land

Is so remote from Asia and the sun,

O glorious virgin, whither thy great fame

Has not arrived, nor does thy glory fly?

Now that thy sword is joined with me, thou freest

From every terror and consolest me.

I have more hope than if in my defence

A mighty army were collected here.

"Already Godfrey seems to me to stay
Beyond his proper time, and now thou ask'st
Employment: I believe that none but great
And difficult exploits are worthy thee.
To thee control o'er all our warriors

I yield, and be that law which thou commandst."
Thus did he speak. She courteous thanks returned
For his great praise, and thus resumed her speech.

“It must, indeed, appear unusual,

That the reward the service should precede;
But thy great bounty makes me bold to ask,
That thou as meed of future services

Wouldst give me these accused ones; if their guilt
Be doubtful, they are wrongfully condemned;
Of this I speak not, nor of those clear signs
From which I argue innocence in them.

"I will but say that here it is believed
The image was by Christians carried off:
But I dissent from you, nor do I hold
To my belief without sufficient cause.
It was irreverence against our laws
To do the deed the magian advised:
We should not idols in our temples have,
Still less an idol of another creed.

"I, then, ascribe to Mahomet on high
The marvel of the work, which he performed
To show it is not lawful to pollute
His temples with a worship strange to us.
Ismeno with enchantments every scheme
May try, to him they are instead of arms.
But let us warriors rather wield the sword;
This is our art, in this alone be hope."

This said, she ceased: the king his wrathful heart

To pity yielded, though reluctantly.

He wished to please her, and her argument
Persuaded, her entreaties conquered him.
"Let them have life," he said, " and liberty:
Be nought to such an advocate denied.
Whether it justice or a pardon be,
I free them guiltless, or as guilty give."

Thus were they both released. Most fortunate
Indeed appears Olindo's destiny,

Which now can manifest that love at last
Has love awakened in the generous heart.
He goes to marriage from the pyre, and now
Is spouse beloved, instead of lover and accused.
He wished to die with her; she is not loth,
That, since he died not, he should live with her.

But the suspicious king considered it
Unsafe to have such loving virtue near:
Hence, as he willed, they both in exile went
Beyond the boundaries of Palestine.

He, carrying his cruel purpose out,

Some of the faithful banished, some confined. How sadly do they leave their little ones, And aged fathers, and beloved homes !

A hard division! which drives only those
Away, in body strong, in temper fierce;
The gentle sex, and those of weaker years
He kept with him as hostages in pledge.
Many went wandering, but some rebelled,
And anger is more powerful than fear.
These with the Franks united, whom they met

Just on the day they entered Emmaus.