Glen Collection of printed music > Printed text > Charms of melody, or, Siren medley

40
OLD BALLADS.
King Zaydc and Zelindaxa.
FROM THE SPANISH.
From itmojig other romances cf the mofi famous feqfis
and tournaments of the Moors, the Jbllomiiig ont
has bectifeUcled, the Orivintil of ■whkh miijl have
been -very ancient, as ij. relates the catajirophe of a
Mo'^rr/h knight hi the court of one of the kings of
Toledo, rvhich city tt'as re-conquercd by the Chrif-
tians in the year 1085.
N troops of' eight, and troops of ten,
Thi; Alitavian race,
Vv'ith many a Saracinian r;hief,
Toledo's circus grace :
To tfirow the cane, and prove their Arength,
With theAzarques bold,
With 'dalife's comely riien,
Ths tournament to hold.
Thefe royal fports the king proclaims
For peace then lately made
Between Granada s prince Atarfe
And Belchite's king Zayde.
But fame reports, th-e Monarch's love
For a fair Moorifti dame
Was the true caufe of all ihefe feafts:— .
Zelindaxa her name.
Firft to the field, on fiery Heeds,
The Saracini flew— .
Their cloaks and jackets richly ilione
Of green \and orange hue.
Sharp fcymeters, emboft with gold.
Each fiiining target fhows -,
.And letters which defiance bor-e , '
Againft their country's foes.
Swiftly the Alitares next
Enter the lifted field ;
A goodly fight their fcarkt coats
With fnow-white flow'rcts yield.
Their targets, for device the fky.
By Atlas propt, did lhoT.v,
.And a motto fair, which faid,
" Until fatigued I grow."
Next Dalife's gallant knights
G'er the field flately ride,
W^ith coats of red and yellow clad,
A veil f to.each aim tied.
A double knot was their device.
By a wild man undone,
■ On whofe enormous club was writ,
" This through our valour won."
Thelaft, but braveft troop, tire Moor
Azarque moft portly. leads •.
Their veils were purple mixt with blue,
And plumes adorn their heads.
"On their green fhields, ^ with azure ground,
Two joined hands are feen.
And the letters thare inscribed,
" Surrounded by the green."
'T"he furious king this emblem read.
And, jealous, could not bear
That Zelindaxa's heart with him
Another man fhould fhare-
To Selim, his Alcayde, he faid,
" This Sun, which fliines fo bright,
" And dares, in my defpite, to blaze,
" Shall quenched be this night."
i* Alraayzal i: the Arabic name of a ftriptd filken veil, nr
head-drelX, worn by the Moorith women. It was the ufual fa-
vour, in the daj's of knight-errantry, for '.he ladies to gi^'e them
to-their knights, v,ho lied them asa fignal on their arms, as bci:ig
the moft confpicuoup plaee.
fj Green wa^the peculiar colour affct^ed by Mahomet, hi^def-
;cerdanir., and the princes of the Mahometan faith : this device
Aey/s, that Zeliudaxa was t/f royal blood.
With m.5tchlefs art, refiftlefs force,
Azarque now throws his cane,
§ And as his courfer meafures back
With- fpeed the ditlly plain.
The 'dmiring croud tumultuou.s fhout,
" Alha thee fave !" they cry :
The ladies, from the royal feats-,
/Applaud him .palling by.
Tranfported Zelindaxa throws
t Perfumes upon her knight.
The king, with bitter grief and rage,
At this heart-breaking fight,
Calls to the cavaliers to caft
Their flender canes 'away,
And the prefumptuous Azarque
To feize without delay.
'^"wo of the four quad rills, with hafte,
Take lances in their hands ;
For who fliall venture to refift
An angry king^s commands ?
The other tv.-o would fain have fought,
Their utmoft aid to lend ;
jBut Azarque cries, ■''In vain you try
'' To fave, your wretched friend.
" Put down ybur lancfis ; let them come
" And firifce thf deadly biow^
" :. hail, a lover fue, expire,
•" This fatal day llinll ibciv."
Azarque, at length, o'ercome and feiz'd.
With grief the people fee,
-And take up ?rms to give him help,
So well belov'd was he,
:From her balcony Zelindaxa
Exclaims, with all her might,
" Save him, ye moors, O fave him now,
.Preferve rny faithful knight."
'Then Tieadlong down Ihe ftrives to throT'
' HerfeH in fell defpair;
Her mother holds her in her arras,
And foothcs her frantic care.
■" Dofl: thou not fee, my daughter dear,
" That nothing can withftand
" What a ilern, royal lover's rage
" Shall cruelly command ?"
A meffage from the monarch came.
Enjoining her to choofe
In fome relation's fecret houfe.
Her liberty to lofe.
Tair Zelindaxa to the king
Made llraightway this reply.":
" The memory of Azarque- fhall lie
" My prifon till I die.
" And thou ftiall fee that I will dare
" Refift with conifancy,
" Whate'er a lavage, bloody king,
" May impioufly decree."
§ The chief art in the Juego de Canas is, 'to ride full-fpecd,
throw the cane at a ceitain marks, and (hen fuddenly turn the
horfe back with equaj fwiftne!«. -It was furely invented to traia
their horfesto the Arabian n-uinoer of riding up to their cneiijy,
and, after calling javelins, retreating with expedition before the
adverfary could returti their. ftroke. This cuHora, Isold as the
Parthian empire in the ealit, is, to this day, pradlifed in Arabia.
His prefent Catholic majefly revived this fport, on the mar-
riage of the prince of Allurias, at Madrid, where the quadriUef
were compofed of the npbkll: youth in the kingdom, headed each
by a prince of the blood.
f The Spanidi ladies have retained from the Moors their
pallant way of tlirowing rofe-water, perfumes, flowers, &c. on
their lovers and favourites, as they pafs under their balconies
during the carnival ; a liberty allowed at no other fcafon. Many
a Irdy wait~ (he rei^urn of the carnival, to make 'his tacit- de-
clarr.lion of her fentir^jcnts.