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ISBN-10: 0-451-52857-3
ISBN-13: 9780451528575
Publisher: Signet Classics
Country:
Year: September 3, 2002
Size: 10.41 x 16.76 x 1.78cm
Number of pages: 192
Weight: 45gr
Binding: Paperback
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Anonymous, Robert Harrison (translator)
Signet; 1970
Mass Market Paperback
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It is a timeless story of war and vengeance, of Good versus Evil. And at the center of this heroic epic stands Roland-the supreme embodiment of chivalry and honor.
reviews
although the song of Roland is a very poetic, i just could not follow the story, this rating is my own opinion, i know many historians that believe this is one of the most beautiful stories ever written.
Cost being a factor in determining books to be purchased by students, I strongly recommend this translation by Leonard Bacon (1914). The lines are mainly in iambic heptameter (seven beats per line) with a clear caesura, which facilitates a student's oral reading of the poem. Though the original French used assonance more than end rhyme, Bacon does rhyme his English lines. Compared to the iambic pentameter of the Dorothy L. Sayers translation, Bacon's is a little faster paced, but one senses the hoofbeats of the horses with two more beats per line, which isn't altogether bad for an epic poem about a military massacre. Though a good choice in terms of price, Bacon's translation lacks glosses of archaisms (e.g., the word »eme« is not explained as an archaism of »uncle«). Still, the teacher can supply these as necessary. For [the money], you can't go wrong!
The Song of Roland is the most famous of the »chansons de geste« (songs of deeds) of the Middle Ages. It provides a fascinating view into the spirit of warriors of that time and their motivation. The Song of Roland gives an idealized picture, of course, and if we can believe the historians, the medieval knights never lived up to their chivalric ideal.
The Song of Roland is not commonly included in the canon of must-read classics. Except in France, maybe. I assume the reason is that people in our time do not trace back their roots to the feudalism of the Middle Ages, and that they consider the chapter of chivalry closed after Cervantes's satirical portrait of knighthood in »Don Quixote«. In one respect, however, this gory tale of slaughter, martyrdom and revenge is very contemporary. It illustrates the mindset of crusaders who see the world in terms of Good and Evil, and the language they use to incite contempt of the other party.
Apart from its historical value, the Song of Roland is also worth reading as literature – as an outstanding example for the heroic epic and as a piece of art whose »simple yet elevated style and tone of high moral purpose« (R. Harrison) is reminiscent of the Old Testament.
The three most easily available translations of the Song of Roland in the market are:
W.S. Merwin's 1963 prose translation with introduction, re-published in paperback by Random House's »Modern Library« in 2001 (ISBN 0375757112). His nine-page introduction is a succinct but sufficient overview of the historical events of AD 778 that became the basis of the Song of Roland. The translation stands out for its readability, and Merwin's choice of modern English makes the descriptions of violence even more direct and graphic: »And Oliver rides through the battle, with his spear shattered to a stump, charges against Malun, a pagan, breaks his gilded shield with the flowers painted on it, knocks the eyes out of his head and brings his brains tumbling down to his feet.« (page 43).
Robert Harrison's 1970 translation for Penguin Book's budget line »Mentor Books« (ISBN 0451528573) captures the throbbing, urgent rhythm of the verse form best: »Olivier now gallops through the fray – / his lance has snapped, he only has a stump – / and goes to strike a pagan, Malsaron. / He breaks his gilt, fleuron-emblazoned shield, / bursting both his eyeball from his head – / his brain comes tumbling downward to his feet – « (page 93). »Fleuron-emblazoned« is quite enigmatic compared to Merwin's clear »with the flowers painted on it«, but Harrison redeems himself by choosing »bursting« to emphasize the violence of the attack. The big plus of Harrison's book is his 42-page introduction. He explains the logic of medieval chivalry, why cruelty coexisted with sensitivity, and butchery with prayer. One interesting concept is the medieval »ethos of success,« or in other words the idea that the outcome justifies the means: When a knight killed another knight it was the will of God that this had happened, no matter by what means. Make the opponent trip and chop off his head – see, God is on your side. Harrison goes to quite some length to introduce the instruments of war, the armor and weapons, which is very helpful since the main body of the Song of Roland is about the glory and slaughter of battle.
Glyn Burgess's 1990 translation for Penguin Classics (ISBN 0140445323) is the most recent translation of the three. He stays closest to the form of the original, which gives his translation a certain wooden inflexibility but also a not entirely unbecoming pathos. His translation of Olivier's attack on Malun is quite telling: »Oliver rides through the thick of the fray; / His lance shaft is broken, only a stump remains. / He goes to strike a pagan, Malun; / He breaks his shield, wrought with gold and flowers, / and smites both his eyes out of his head. / His brains come spilling out over his feet;« (page 72) While the use of »wrought« and »smite« sounds a bit old-fashioned, »spilling« is an excellent choice. Burgess added a 19-page introduction to his translation. It focuses mostly on the literary qualities of the Song of Roland; for the first-time reader of the Song of Roland, Harrison's introduction is more helpful. The additional value of the Penguin Classics edition lies in an Appendix with about one third of the original version of the »Chanson de Roland« – the key passages of the work in Old French.
While all three translations have their pros and cons, I tend to recommend Harrison's book over the two others. It strikes a good balance between the clarity of Merwin's prose translation and the wooden feel of Burgess's more literal verse translation. In addition, it impresses with its useful introduction and its unbeatable value for money.
Yes it is true Frenchmen appreciate Bravery too. A little missed fact by many people calling them sissies due to politics and sheer American pride, is that they conquered many empires at one time.And the fighting was more brutal than any American combat(except possibly Vietnam) This political talk should be irrelevant except while I was reading this book, as a proud american, I came to the realization that French people dont totally suck. Amateur(and very amateurish) political thought aside, the book Songs of Roland is masterfully written. It is fast paced, and an enjoyable( as opposed to SOME classics, not going to name anything mr German Ne … ) If you have ANY interest in medeival literature, then you should own this book. Its only 7 bux.
There's no denying this long epic poem was written at a certain place and time, and many of the lines reflect that. Unlike some other epics of this nature, there doesn't seem to be a lot of equanimity; the French Christians are depicted as the good guys, epitomes of courage and bravery (apart from a few instances of pride, vanity, and hubris, but those are individual characteristics and not attributed to their race or religion), while the Arab Muslims are demonised and made out to be horrible »heathens« and »pagans« who deserve to be murdered in really graphic ways, routinely depicted as worshipping Mohammad (which is completely untrue), Apollo, and Tergament, and having their souls carried away by Satan. Obviously most people in Europe at this time weren't very enlightened about other religions and cultures, and while I agree it's ridiculous to want people of another era and culture to think and behave exactly like people of the 21st century, it is still pretty hard to read a lot of these passages with slander against Islam and the Moors in Spain. I was actually rooting for them and not the French, and wished it could have given a more balanced view, showing the faults and virtues of both sides, or letting the reader make up his or her own mind about which side is the righteous side, or if neither side is any better or worse than the other. Particularly chilling is the passage towards the end, after the battle is over, when Charlemagne and his remaining army go through the city destroying all of the mosques and synagogues and force-converting the remaining civilian population. Still, as uncomfortable as such things are to the average modern reader, it's still a quite good story, with a lot of good descriptions and poetry, and as one-sided as it may be, as well as having some probable exaggerations or falsifications in order to make the French and Charlemagne seem even more victorious and virtuous, it also does a good job of depicting politics and warfare in the later part of the early Middle Ages. Most of the classic works of Medieval literature most people are most familiar with hail from after the year 1000, but this takes place in the 700s.
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