Something of a departure from what I've been reading lately, but I have several ancient/pre-modern sources that I've been wanting to get through for some time, so here it is! Despite its fairly short length, this illustrious work is one of the most significant medieval compositions which has survived, so it's definitely a Classic work of literature, if seldom read outside of history or literature courses.
The Song of Roland is reportedly the oldest surviving major work of French Literature, probably owing to its great popularity. The more copies made of something, the greater the likelihood that it will survive to the present-day. The number of manuscripts, along with its appeal as quasi-epic literature, recounting the Battle of Roncevaux Pass (778), contributed to its survival. In fact, only a single Old French copy, dating to about 1129-1165, has been passed down, which is now housed in the Bodleian Library at Oxford. It is unclear how many earlier versions there may have been, which have been lost. It was composed some time between 1040 and 1115, but continued to undergo multiple alterations and additions over the centuries. It was likely composed much earlier than it was written, as it was set in the Carolingian era. No one knows the author, but there have been some potentials: one prominent candidate is Turold (Turoldus), but we will likely never know, unless additional copies are discovered.
The poem was a primary influence for the First Crusade. It tells the story of Charlemagne's army, who was attempting to stem the tide of the Muslim conquest of Europe. At the time the story takes place, his army had been campaigning for seven years, and were just on the brink of driving out the Muslim leader Marsile, whose military advisor beseeches him to surrender and to meet Charlemagne's terms to get them to relinquish the siege and to return to France. Family and court intrigue intervene, however, as Roland, Charlemagne's nephew, is essentially betrayed by his stepfather, who instructs the Saracens on how to ambush the rear guard of the army, which is led by Roland, to ensure his untimely demise. The rear guard is attacked, but Roland is reluctant to blow his horn to call for aid, which he considers cowardice. Eventually, with much urging, and when he sees that his forces are being annihilated, he relents and calls for assistance from Charlemagne, who hears the call and rushes into the fray, but, alas, it's nearly too late: most of the Franks have been killed, having been greatly outnumbered. Roland himself continues to blow his trumpet, until his temples burst, and he dies on the field of battle along with his men. Charlemagne is incensed at this treachery, by both the Muslim army and Roland's stepfather. He subsequently engages the former in battle, and drives the Muslims out of Saragossa. After the conquest, he and his men return to France. Roland's stepfather also pays the price for his betrayal, however: he was essentially "quartered" by four wild horses, and thirty of his relatives are also hanged.
The story of this translation is interesting, too, but I won't belabor it too much here, other than to state that the story of how these sources survive is often as fascinating as the text itself, so it's worth reading the introduction to get a sense of how this volume came about. It's difficult to critique a primary source, so it shall suffice to say that if you're really invested in a work of this type, if you can't read it in the original text, it's always advisable to use multiple translations. The matter becomes even more complicated when something is in verse, and is as highly formulated as this early medieval poem: translating the meter is almost impossible, but reading multiple versions, along with their explanation of which manuscripts they've used and how they've interpreted them, become all-important to really get the sense of the original text.
The Song of Roland is reportedly the oldest surviving major work of French Literature, probably owing to its great popularity. The more copies made of something, the greater the likelihood that it will survive to the present-day. The number of manuscripts, along with its appeal as quasi-epic literature, recounting the Battle of Roncevaux Pass (778), contributed to its survival. In fact, only a single Old French copy, dating to about 1129-1165, has been passed down, which is now housed in the Bodleian Library at Oxford. It is unclear how many earlier versions there may have been, which have been lost. It was composed some time between 1040 and 1115, but continued to undergo multiple alterations and additions over the centuries. It was likely composed much earlier than it was written, as it was set in the Carolingian era. No one knows the author, but there have been some potentials: one prominent candidate is Turold (Turoldus), but we will likely never know, unless additional copies are discovered.
The poem was a primary influence for the First Crusade. It tells the story of Charlemagne's army, who was attempting to stem the tide of the Muslim conquest of Europe. At the time the story takes place, his army had been campaigning for seven years, and were just on the brink of driving out the Muslim leader Marsile, whose military advisor beseeches him to surrender and to meet Charlemagne's terms to get them to relinquish the siege and to return to France. Family and court intrigue intervene, however, as Roland, Charlemagne's nephew, is essentially betrayed by his stepfather, who instructs the Saracens on how to ambush the rear guard of the army, which is led by Roland, to ensure his untimely demise. The rear guard is attacked, but Roland is reluctant to blow his horn to call for aid, which he considers cowardice. Eventually, with much urging, and when he sees that his forces are being annihilated, he relents and calls for assistance from Charlemagne, who hears the call and rushes into the fray, but, alas, it's nearly too late: most of the Franks have been killed, having been greatly outnumbered. Roland himself continues to blow his trumpet, until his temples burst, and he dies on the field of battle along with his men. Charlemagne is incensed at this treachery, by both the Muslim army and Roland's stepfather. He subsequently engages the former in battle, and drives the Muslims out of Saragossa. After the conquest, he and his men return to France. Roland's stepfather also pays the price for his betrayal, however: he was essentially "quartered" by four wild horses, and thirty of his relatives are also hanged.
The story of this translation is interesting, too, but I won't belabor it too much here, other than to state that the story of how these sources survive is often as fascinating as the text itself, so it's worth reading the introduction to get a sense of how this volume came about. It's difficult to critique a primary source, so it shall suffice to say that if you're really invested in a work of this type, if you can't read it in the original text, it's always advisable to use multiple translations. The matter becomes even more complicated when something is in verse, and is as highly formulated as this early medieval poem: translating the meter is almost impossible, but reading multiple versions, along with their explanation of which manuscripts they've used and how they've interpreted them, become all-important to really get the sense of the original text.
