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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 841.1
EAN: 9780140445329
ISBN: 0140445323
Label: Penguin Classics
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 224
Publication Date: 1990-06-05
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Studio: Penguin Classics

Customer Rating:
Review Summary: The battle between the Caracens and the Franks
Review: Difficult to track the history of this stanza poem, but it is thought to be written in the twelfth century. It is "an epic clash between Christianity and Paganism" (Christians against Muslims, or more precisely, Caracens against Franks). "Based on the massacre in 778 of Charlemagn.......in Northern Spain." There is a lengthy introduction summarizing the story; in it Burgess helps to explain the nuances, history, composition, and the difficulties translating it into straight forward modern English. But Burgess says the main purpose was to make it readable. And he does this with powerful flowing words.

The poem is told from both sides, beginning with the pretext to war: "the betrayal". Then the hard fighting begins; it is unforgiving and graphic: "the battle". In the end justice is served: "the trial". You will discover the "Christians" could be evil in their own right, just as the Pagans, by forcing their "religion" on others.

Wish you well
Scott

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Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Must read
Review: 'A curse on the man who does not attack them
And a coward is he who allows them to escape!'

Do you like the sound of that? If that doesn't appeal then don't buy the book. There may be other translations, I have had my copy for a while, have read it twice and will read it again.

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Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Roland, toot that horn!
Review: The Song of Roland is an epic "song of deeds" from Medieval France. As epic poems go, this is a quick, easy read. It's also lively and pretty fun. The battle scenes are terrific, with lots of shining armor, clashing of steel, spouting blood, cleaved heads, and strewn corpses. On the other hand, it is historically inaccurate and it is nowhere near the towering quality of Homer, Virgil, or Ovid.

The poem comes from a long oral tradition, and it seems that the author tried to capture all of the different variations on the same verse. While reading, this is kind of weird. It's a lot like hearing variations on a popular joke told back-to-back (the same punch line, but slightly different setups). As a result, many verses are highly repetitive. But overall, the poem has some great lines and some very memorable scenes.

As epics go, this is a lesser work. So don't expect a life-changing read. But you can expect to be entertained. So if you enjoy epic poems, I recommend it.

I read the Glyn Burgess translation, which is smooth and very readable. His introduction is informative, too. For an excellent comparison of the different translations that are available, be sure to read the customer review by Boris Bangemann.

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Customer Rating:
Review Summary: great book, but i have a question
Review: hello experts, i need some assistance. i am doing research in regards to what actually happened in Spain in 778. i know that much of this story is fact but some is also fiction. are there any books or sources you can recommend that might lead me to a more truthful detail of the events? thanks.

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Customer Rating:
Review Summary: The slaughter and glory of battle
Review: 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.

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