ABOUT THE BOOK
“Marsile among the rushes cried,
‘A Caliph I shall be!’
He grabbed the princess by the hand,
And yelled, ‘You’ll come with me!’
‘I’ll not!’ protested Brommamonde,
‘To Vivien I’ll be wed!
To go with you and be your Queen,
I’d sooner just be dead!’
The two boys then began to fight,
With reeds they’d made for swords.
But just as Vivien gained the height,
Out sprang the Mamluk hordes!”
These words brought those seated to their feet with shrieks and cursing, as all manner of consternation erupted; so much so, Courtenay found it necessary to pause his Chanson de Geste while the uproar ensued.
The peasant near the nobleman who’d explained what a Mamluk was, unconsciously and spontaneously tugged at his sleeve. “Oh, my heavens! The Mamluks!”
The nobleman nodded back smiling and took no offense.
