| The brothers get a fiery bush That will not be consumed, And take it to the central tower Where fighting is resumed. |
| 1. Of all the living creatures round about The siege of Glorianna’s capitol Not one is left upright; However stout And strong the warrior, down, down they fall Upon the four explosions; And each wall Is flattened, atomized, reduced to dust — Her city now has no defense at all; And Glorianna, struggling as she must To gain her feet, struggles to know what she can trust. 2. She trusts that everything will have an end — Her city and herself, the earth, the sun, The shapes of all the things that comprehend The one thing that persists, that’s never done; There’s comfort in that thought, because the One Perpetual will ever gather in The fleet existences of everyone And everything that is, all that has been, And there is is nothing to which we are not akin. 3. This means the Archimago and his lust, Her knights, benighted in their selfishness, Mammon, Enri, Fides, Ayez, the rest Of all the wizard’s army, none the less Affiliate (although they will profess War and division to the bitter end) With everything her heart might well confess To love, and everyone; While time will rend Connections, in time all such disconnections blend. 4. So as she gains her feet, she understands Whatever she stands for will fall in time, Yet stand she does, and issues her commands As strong and steady as a clockwork chime: Back on your feet dear hearts; The smoke and grime That billow up the tower’s four stair cases Would indicate the next creatures to climb These stairs we’ll not greet with embraces; Steady your minds and swords to stand and hold your places. 5. Imaginatius looks her in the eyes: Recall, your majesty, the fiend would trade Your person for a peace we would despise; Assure us no such bargain will be made — We will not have it . . . . Do not be afraid, She answers him; The time for any such Exchange has passed; No, I will not degrade Our people’s sacrifice; There is so much The enemy’s destroyed; Our bond they shall not touch. 6. The captain nods, grimly acknowledges His sovereign’s promise, then turns to assign The scanty guard their posts; Little he says To them; He does not bother to design Some clever scheme; Likewise he would decline The opportunity to make a stirring speech; These soldiers are the city’s final line Of battle, which they know; There’s naught to teach Them now the sacrifice is set, the end in reach. 7. They hear commotion on the northern stairs — Metal on metal, shouts, curses and groans Below, but moving near; A faint light flares Then brightens suddenly upon the stones Along the stairs; The smoke cloud’s ashen tones Redden and rise as bursting in the room A man appears — his grievous wounds and moans Draw less attention than the flaming plume He clutches — never wasting, ever burning bloom. 8. Enthuzias! his father catches him Before he tumbles weakly to the floor. Oh, father, gasps his son, the news is grim — It’s Enri’s snakemen pushing on the door; My man Camaraderie with but a score Of those surviving from the northern wall Can’t hold them off much longer. Speak no more, His father says; When they come in this hall Together we will fight and either stand or fall. 9. Then all at once, from every set of stairs On all four sides, a swarm of struggling men Burst in the tower room, some locked in pairs, And others overmatched as much as ten Of Archimago’s brutes to one often Both weak and wounded Elven warrior; The room takes on the aspect of a slaughter pen, With queen and captain joining in the stir; Against all odds, they are determined to endure. 10. Then in another instant, tumult halts; Aggressors suddenly evaporate Back down the stairs and cease their fierce assaults; Defenders stand forlorn, anticipate Renewal of the fight, and as they wait They look around to see who might remain With them, and who has fallen to his fate; Their happiness is jumbled with their pain — Greetings haunted by those they’ll never greet again. 11. Enthuzias, clutching his burning flower, Calls to his father and the queen: Look there! Amid the smoke-bound confines of the tower Across the way he notes another flare Much like the one he carries, and just where He sees the first flame, then he sees another; His heart races — he cannot help but stare, Searching the dim room for what he can gather About his fellow soldiers, and perhaps a brother. 12. The points of light across the murky room Draw closer, and then closer in the dark; Each flame articulates into a bloom, Burning but not destroyed, familiar spark Of light that springs reliably to mark The downfall of the guilty and the innocent — The intermixture of their blood, the stark Explosion of their contrary intent, The offspring of an outcome none can circumvent. 13. Closer, yet closer, now three, and then four, The flames illuminate the weary faces: Four men who had expected nevermore To see or be seen, lacking any basis For such hope, given their perilous cases; Yet here they are together — Caritas, Episthomas, Integritis — with traces Of unlikely triumph, traces of loss In their gait as they make their way across. 14. And leaning, weak with pain, Fortus at last, Clutching a bundle of the fiery roses In his two weary arms, moves in their midst; All four meet where Enthuzias reposes; Their father gathers them; The queen imposes Her prerogative to bid them sit and rest; The halting movement of each man now shows his Dull pain and weariness — yet they invest Their energies to gather at their queen’s behest. 15. Dear brothers, (she says,) tell me each in turn How you came to possess these fatal roses Which grow more lovely even as they burn; I fear I know your answers — one supposes You gathered them yourselves; Each one discloses Some mortal bout such as killed Artegall, And clearly, wounded you; Dear hearts, this poses No hint of judgment on you — not at all; Don’t hesitate, but give account as you recall. 16. We stood up to them, (Enthuzias starts;) They were too much, but we fought all the same; They broke our bodies, but never our hearts; We could not stop them — on and on they came; Sarcasm, Ridicule, a vicious game They played with us, soul-wounding and blood flowing; Our pain fed their glee — proud monsters, no shame; Just at the peak of their cutting and crowing, The world blew up; I found this flower I am showing. 17. And in the aftermath I find I am Alive, not knowing how I came to be Here talking to you, Glorianna, ma’am, Nor how I came to hold this flower you see, Our combat’s byproduct, spontaneously Born from the blood of battle; Here — I give This flower for you to keep, your majesty; I find its blossoming warmth restorative — A cultivar of death, I find it helps me live. 18. Then Caritas chimes in: So much the same, Good queen, is my hard story — I can add But little to the tale; King Mammon’s game Was to release a monster on us, sad, Sad devastation of my troop; We had This followed by bullying jealousy We met with courage; You would have been glad To see your soldiers’ strength and bravery — Blood flowed, eruptions followed, and this rose you see. 19. With hesitation she accepts from him His burning blossom. Now, Episthomas, (She says,) tell me your trial, however grim. I will, (he answers;) Enemies rolled over us, But we managed to halt this dangerous Advance just at the school; Amid the stacks Of books we made a desperate stand — and thus Explosions rendered us faint ruins and wracks; We’re here; The wounded we have carried on our backs. 20. (He goes on:) Lady, further I can’t say What we hoped to accomplish coming here; No one expects that we will save the day; No hope we can preserve what we hold dear; But we will not succumb to pain and fear — And though we’ll die, we’ll never, never yield; Beyond reason, yes, yet this much is clear: This flower is our persistence, here revealed; Hold it, and hold the hope your people can be healed. 21. There’s no more time to talk, nor time to share Before hard hammering upon the door Just at the bottom of the eastern stair Rocks through the room; A gruff and muffled roar Demands attention, but it is a chore To understand what’s being said. Could be, (A yeoman calls,) he’s trying to implore Your majesty to see what you can see Down in the eastern courtyard — please look carefully! 22. Hold back! Imaginatius says; I first Will have a look, your majesty; This lot Is not at all trustworthy; Their accursed Parley began this twisted war, and brought Us naught but grief; So hard your army’s fought, We won’t be fooled; We’ll not give up the game Before we’re ready: Though we may be caught Here in this tower, we’re standing all the same, And won’t lie down for anyone, no, no such shame. 23. Then look, says Glorianna; You will see Below the messengers of death come calling; I know that you believe you’re saving me, Imaginatius, but there’s no more stalling — I rise and fall with you, there’ll be no crawling; So stand aside, dear captain, or come look Beside me; Whatever we see, however appalling, Whatever we hear, be sure we will not brook That single word — surrender; Come, my shepherd’s crook. 24. She gestures to the casement, and they go Together, shoulder to shoulder to view Legions of their tormentors spread below; But where the first light showed an army true — Ordered battalions, perfect rank and queue — Now disarray infects their wounded lines; Still numerous, there are but very few Of them unscathed; None of this undermines Their menace, though — through raging eyes their hatred shines. 25. Well, (Glorianna calls,) I understand You’d ask me to the window to show me The sorry state of your depleted band; So this must be your sad, pitiful plea For mercy on our parts; Well, we shall see — If you repair and leave the city as You found it, resurrect the dead and flee The way you came, perhaps we’ll let it pass. Her men laugh quietly. A voice replies: Such brass! 26. Such brass emitting from a golden throat; (It is the Archimago in the square;) And now I see the lovely countenance I dote Upon in every dream; Dear woman, spare Your listeners this mockery, and if you care For everything you claim to hold so dear, You’ll cease your railleries, as I declare Renewed proposal of the truce; Please hear My proposition — since I’ve proved myself sincere. 27. You’ve proved yourself (the queen hotly retorts) A monster of uncommon cruelty! Not so, (he says,) and who gives such reports Should be rebuked; But look around and see — Those non-combatants that have come to be Within our fast advancing lines are safe — For now; You’ve lost some soldiers, such vain gallantry, But such vain gallantry I’ve seen enough — And I’ve preserved for you the old and weak as proof. 28. The thread (he says) has played out, Glorianne; Accept this and accept me; It is love That moves my armies, love that makes this man Do everything he does, and love, above Mere might and power, that I seek to prove To you by everything my armies undertake, By every word I say; Does this not move Consideration? It was for your sake All this was done; You must accept, make no mistake. 29. Imaginatius whispers: I’d assumed He killed our people whom he overran. The queen replies: Yes, I thought they were doomed As well; This changes things; Now if I can, I’ll save our families; We cannot ban The possibility of making bad Bargains for good results; When we began I promised you that I would not be had By him, but we must try; To hold back would be mad. 30. Her captain’s eyes widen with wild alarm; He strides up to the casement and calls out: Hear, wizard, you will do our queen no harm — We will not give her up to you! We doubt Each syllable, each lie you dare to spout And spew from your own crooked countenance; If our poor loved ones live, then let them shout To us that this is so; Give them a chance To join us here; And then we can resume the dance. 31. He swings his heavy sword above his head; Yes, we shall have at you again, you lot, And mow you down in windrows of the dead Before we yield to your disgusting plot To take our queen and leave our world to rot. Dear captain, calm yourself (whispers the queen;) We’ll try out-thinking him, for we cannot Expect he’ll be impressed with anything so mean As fear; Just what he’s thinking is yet to be seen. 32. So you would purchase me (she calls below) With threats and lies and savage violence; Or with a promise that you will forego Your preference for such behavior — hence I am to be convinced of your good sense, Your fond affection; These are pains you take To show your love for me; Your talk is dense With contradictions; You will have me break The bond between my folk and me for your love’s sake. 33. Ridiculous, (she says,) unless you hide Some revelation you have yet to share That will move me to set your crimes aside. He interrupts: If you would pause and care To listen for a moment, I’ll declare Just such a revelation; Disabuse Yourself of your strange notion that you bear Some true connection to these scum; They’ll use You like they used your knights; So listen if you choose. 34. My knights! (the queen says;) Go on then — explain. I will (he answers) with a tale to turn Your mind, for they were each cut down and slain By one of your yeomen; Oh, cold and stern He was as he dealt death amid the churn And thrust of battle; One by one they died; I wonder how you’ll see him once you learn How he behaved — presumptuous in his pride — Adept at killing nobles, why not regicide? 35. The queen turns round to look back in the tower; There she sees Fortus with his strange bouquet; So weak with wounds, and drained of every power, He moves toward her and makes his weary way; His voice breaking, he has his weary say: This rose (he says, raising one bloom) sprang from Discourteous Calidore, whom I did slay; Two more recall Cambel and Triamon — Unfriendly pair; Intemperate Guyon grew this one. 36. Then George, the Redcross Knight, died cursing Unholy yeomen, and made this bloom From his own blood; Then Scudamore, rehearsing The reasons why it was a mark of doom That one low born as I would dare presume To cross my sword with such a one as he, Died disbelieving; Finally, your groom, Haughty Prince Arthur, died despising me; And yes, I killed them one and all, heartbrokenly. 37. Heartbrokenly, you say, (rejoins the queen;) But you have shattered every atom of My very self, and nothing I have seen Or heard could hurt me more; Arthur, above Them all — how could my prince betray my love? I cannot look at you, Fortus; A stone Is all that’s left of my heart; What could move That weight, and what apologies atone For what I’ve lost? They’ve gone and left me all alone. 38. Fortus draws nearer to her, then lets fall Cascades of flaming flowers at her feet; She cannot see this, for thick tears appall Her eyes; Blindly she reaches out to meet Him in a sad embrace; No words to greet This gesture are required; They bear the pain Together, mourn together the complete Downfall of nobles they thought would sustain Their world; She calms, then speaks to Fortus once again. 39. Necessity (she whispers) moved your hand. What moved my hand (he answers) broke my heart. Yes, so it did, (she says;) I understand. She steps gently away from him to start Toward the casement and its high rampart That overlooks the square; She pauses there — Turns back and stoops to gather every part Of the bouquet, then turns again to bear It in her arms, and face the Archimago’s snare. 40. So she emerges on the balcony Outside the casement; There she makes her show, Standing stock still; All watch her silently; Then, one by one, the queen begins to throw The flaming blossoms to the crowd below: A rose for justice serving cynicism; A rose for chastity by lust brought low, For courtesy enforcing smug division, For friendship derogated to a rash misprision. 41. For matrimony chained to dominance, For holiness profaned as priggery, For every virtue fallen to offense, A rose for each to mark the calumny Of loud and prating-proud hypocrisy; For Arthur, then, she casts the final rose — The very thought of him hurts her so bitterly; Her arms empty, with nothing to dispose, It strikes her then — she’ll bring this battle to a close. 42. She sees that at the crux of this disaster Are two lives crossed, the causes of this clash — Hers and the Archimago’s; Acting faster Than she can think, she makes a sudden dash Up to the parapet, and in a flash, Before Imaginatius intervenes, She leaps up on the rail, a move so rash That no one understands just what it means; Intentions clarify as they see how she leans. 43. As from the lofty view that we assumed When Archimago’s army first attacked, She sees below the one whose lust has doomed Her suffering city to be burned and sacked; She flings herself on him; At this impact Their blood flows and co-mingles to produce A flash of force; At once the bonds are cracked That hold all things together, cutting loose Cohesion — forcing on the earth a violent truce. 44. The power of it erupts so all the world At once ignites and sweeps into the sky, And not a single atom but is hurled Up, ever upward; Now there is no eye But ours to witness how a time can die Abruptly, hastily, impulsively; And not one human voice remains to cry In pain — no pain, no friend, no enemy — Just one enormous, burning, somehow growing tree. 45. What was she thinking? What did she intend? Once she and Archimago paid the price She thought the warfare would come to an end; She saw this as a fitting sacrifice, And saw it in a flash, not thinking twice; All other courses would only prolong The fight, she thought; Not pausing for advice, She made her sudden choice, secure and strong; So beautiful she was, so beautifully wrong. finis canto X |
| Glorianna Table of Contents |
| The Cantos |
| Appendices |