Status Updates From Rolandsången

147-148 In the mean time, he’s lopping off body parts left and right because he knows it’s a mortal wound and he’s going to do as much damage as possible wether it be limbs or weapons. He shouts, “Mountjoy!” and calls out to Roland that they will part from one another today. R sees that his face is grey. R is grief striken and gives him words of comfort and then swoons in his saddle.

145-146 Why is Oliver’s back turned? Was this while speaking to his men? Also are Roland, Oliver, and Turpin the tripartite soul (body, mind, and hear)? Anyway, O is pierced from back to front. The pagan says that his death alone pays for all their loss. O has enough left in him to kill the pagan who got him! WOW! Then he tells the pagan he will never be able to go back home and brag. O cries out to R for help.

144-14 R looks at the Africans and says that death shall betide the French and Oliver adds that the devil should take them. The French respond and resume fighting. It sounds like the fighting comes in waves as the next batch shows up to fight when the previous batch dies. The pagans puff up with pride at the small numbers of French. The leader spurs on his sorrel colt. Then he gets Oliver in the back.

142-143 The pagans hesitate and wonder if they should flee. Then they see Marsile flee and they follow! I didn’t expect that. However, we know it’s false hope. His uncle leads African tribes, 50,000. They ride with the pagan battle cry. R fires up those who are left. They are going to kill us all so let’s make them pay dearly: 15 of them per one of us. When Charlemagne arrives, he will see their valor by body count.

142 Marsilion kills one French after another effortlessly. Roland curses him. I’m glad I’m reading this and not watching. I could not watch all the bloodshed. MA or X-rated for sure! The way they speak during battle reminds me of LotR. R kills a M’s son after his speech. The pagans call on Mohommed and their gods. They fear they will never get rid of the French. Well, y’all don’t belong in Spain. So, there’s that!

140-142 R knows he messed up and he shows grace to O. He calls him brother and vows to fight by his side unto the end. He returns to the fight and kills 24. His aim is now revenge. The archbishop commends him and says that, if a warrior can’t fight with ferocity, he should become a monk and pray. All are spurred to action, but losses are steep. They fight hard because no prisoners will be taken.

137-140 If I’m ever in a bar fight, I want the cooks on my side! They sound the trumpets and march with grief and anger in their eyes. All they want is to fight by Roland’s side, but they fear it will be too late. Charlemagne fears for R. Sixty men are left so this all happened quickly. R looks around and prays that his men will enter Paradise and have bright flowers on their grave. He calls them brave and true.

136-137 Charlemagne’s men strap on their armor and suit up. They grab arms. They mount horses and hope they will not be too late. The sun reflects off steel. Vespers will start soon. All but Ganelon are full of wrath and fear for Roland. Charles has G arrested and he turns G over to the goods to be guarded. The kitchen knaves shave off his facial hair and baste him with sticks. They chain him and put him on a horse.

134-136 Roland sounds it a second time. Blood comes out of his mouth because the veins in his temple burst. More people hear it and again Ganelon is GASLIGHTING them. He piles one lie on top of another! Roland is in bad shape. It’s almost as if blowing the horn is killing him. The emperor says the horn has a long breath and Naimon, a desperate lament. He calls the French to arms. Charles sounds his horn.

131-133 O says that R’s pride over his strength and courage has destroyed the French. Charlemagne could have made it in time to face the pagans and kill Marsilion. He thinks R has cursed them. O’s bitter and unforgiving and consoles himself that they will have a proper burial. R is finally humble and says his words are right and true. R finally blows Oliphaunt (SAMWISE!). Charlemagne hear it. Ganelon is scornful.

129-131 I wonder if Oliver is being snarky “How should I know how to reach Charlemagne?” He’s the one who told Roland to use the horn THREE TIMES! Clearly, he’s still angry. He told R he will get no praise for sounding it now because it’s the wrong time to blow and he thinks it’s cowardly. O blames R because he will never see his sister again. When asked about his anger, O say prudence is worth more than foolishness.

127-128 What a freaky coincidence! Sixty of the French survive and that’s how many survived the Starving Time in Jamestown which I read with my class in TCOO. Only by God’s grace will they persevere and they will pay dearly. Roland looks around and mourns the loss of the flower of French knighthood. Then he has the audacity to ask why the emperor isn’t there. What? He asks how he can send word? Duh! The horn.

124-127 The pagans bawl over the loss of the prince. Wait? What? The poet teases us by asking if the pagans will flee across the plain and the French chase them. All the body parts being hacked off are described in detail. The Saracens are ready to turn tell. They cry out to Mahoumed and their fearless leader Marsilion. Roland makes a comment to Oliver about how well the archbishop is fighting. They join him.

121-124 The archbishop goes after the African because he has slain one of the best and down he goes. Then a pagan with a horse that gallops fater than birds fly takes down FOUR of the peers, one by one. The French are heartbroken. Roland cries out for God to plague the pagan with plagues. Roland wants to fight face to face. The princely pagan sees Roland and recognizes him. Down the pagan goes in a very gory manner.

118-120 Marsilion's godfather is a powerful man who owns a fleet of ships. He sacked Salem and the Temple. Samson rides out to face him and is killed. I think Roland will watch the peers die, one by one, and then Oliver. Then he and Marsilion will face off, and Roland will die. For now, Roland goes after the godfather and down the godfather goes. An African dripping in gold kills another French count.

115-117 They encourage Roland and Oliver to face the pagans. If they flee, nobody will remember them. If they stay and fight, they will be remembered in song and heaven will welcome them into the white-robed army of martyrs. All shout “Mountjoy!” There’s a saracen who witnessed Ganelon’s treacherous deed intended to win Charlemagne’s crown. A worthy Gascon goes after him and the Frenchman falls.

113-115 He’s bold and brash. His symbol is the dragon. The archbishop know’s he’s a heretic. It’s like when the witch king shows up. The archbishop goes after him first. He’s riding a beautiful steed who’s fleet of foot. The archbishop nails him and I’m pretty sure the devil dragged his body away! The French cheer for their shepherd with a crook. The French men know their doom has come.

111-113 The tone change2 with Marsilion’s arrival. It’s abut to go down. Roland sees the vast horde and he knows it’s the end. He has no fault that Ganelon lied. Like Samwise and Frodo, he speaks to Oliver of the ballads that will remember this moment. Marsilion sees his slaughtered twelve and he’s ticked. He sends in this evil knight (Abisme). He is not a believer. He’s black as black in his heart. He loves to kill.

110-111 Charles scans the pass and is concerned that he sees nothing. The weather is stormy, the sky turns black, earthquakes rock the area. People safe in their homes know that something bad is about to happen. The Great Doom is nigh. They can read the signs. The peers are glad at the results of their fighting but, as the look around, they see so many dead and they are in tears at the loss. It’s like WWI!!!

108-110 The archbishop kills a guy who visited Hell helped by Jupiter and they crack jokes about him going back. Many spears are broken. The swords have strong strokes and parries. The flower of French youth have already died. Families will never see them again. There is a flashforward. Ganelon’s treachery will cause him to hang as well as thirty people in his family! The peers survive but it will not be for long.

106-108 The banter is like LotR. Oliver slays another pagan. The death toll is 700 for the pagans. His spear finally shatters and Roland teases him for forgetting to draw his sword. Oliver says he hasn’t had time. Everyone is covered in blood. I can’t imagine. He draws his sword and kills another. Roland congratulations. They shout, “Mountjoy!” Attention shifts to two more French peers. They both spear the same guy.

104-106 Roland gets in fifteen great blows with his spear before it splinters and takes his sword. He kills one of the twelve and it’s gory alright. He also talks smack to a dead guy. For a while, the French twelve are glorious in their fighting, slaying one pagan after another. The archbishop notices that the knights are blessed. Another war cry of “Mountjoy!” Oliver goes after a pagan and destroys him.