Parlor Press: Trufaldino, the Evil King of Baghdad

Trufaldino: The Evil King of Baghdad
. . . continued

The full text of Boiardo's newly translated Orlando Innamorato will be published by Parlor Press in August 2003 in a new translation with an introduction and notes by Charles Stanley Ross, the book will appear in print and ebook versions. If you would like to be notified of its availablity, please let us know. Email editor@parlorpress.com or sign our guestbook.

Protected by Orlando, Trufaldino is finally hunted down by Ranaldo, who knows the evil king’s past and refuses to spare him.

Within this tale—somewhat before—
I left Ranaldo on his horse,
yelling insulting, shameful things
while challenging King Trufaldin.
And, as the canto ended, I
said Sacripante was released.
He with King Trufaldin made peace,
but King Torindo chose to leave.

And now Ranaldo blew his horn
and echoed words above its sound:
"You champions in the citadel
together with that evil man,
listen to what affects you all,
both cavaliers and kings with crowns:
If you let treachery run free,
unpunished, you're accomplices.

"Those capable of stopping crimes,
who do not do so, share the fault.
And every natural gentleman's
obliged by chivalry to be
the enemy of treachery,
to take revenge on villainy.
But you despise this, since you lack
compassion and gentility.

"Instead, you house a murderer,
a false dog cursed by God, I mean
Baghdad's King Trufaldino, who's
a traitor, thug, and criminal.
Now understand me, great and small:
I challenge you to take the field
where I will wait with my good blade
to prove you're all perfidious slaves."

With such words and with more, Ranaldo
condemned the other cavaliers.
They looked in one another's eyes,
because Ranaldo's speech was clear.
There was not one who did not know
that he upheld an unjust cause,
since all considered Trufaldino
traitorous, evil, and depraved.

But promises and sworn vows forced
them, armed for battle, through the doors,
and though men of audacity,
who all, for honor, don't mind dying,
they entered this war terrified.
None of those barons was so strong
that when he saw Ranaldo, he
did not lose feeling in his feet.

Six barons left the fortress to
descend the stone slopes to the plain:
Acquilant led Grif`on, his brother—
both with enchanted steeds, charmed armor—
King Hadrian, Oberto, and
Chiaron, while Trufaldino cringed
among them. Once they reached the field,
Grif`one recognized Ranaldo.

“Brother," he said to Aquilant,
"if I see right, it seems to me,
that is the lord of Montalbano.
It would be good to ride to him,
humor him, have a pleasant talk,
and find out if we might make peace.
To tell the truth, it bothers me
to fight a battle when we're wrong."

"I think," said Aquilant, "it's he—
and I'm convinced the more I see—
but I can't really say for certain,
since he's not on his horse, Baiardo.
Let's take a ride, and when we're close,
we'll know if it's the prince or not.
You talk with him as you see fit:
Accord or battle, peace or war."

They’d kept on riding as they talked.
Now he knew them and they knew him,
and so they rode aside and spoke
about what they should do. Each told
why he had come, and how, and when,
but all three knights were disappointed
that they could find no valid reason
why this death-dealing war should cease.

They're from Mongrana and from Clairmont,
two noble and related clans,
but now for others and because
of strange events, they met to die.
Grifone told Ranaldo—he
spoke boldly but politely—"Knight,
please! Luck and fortune do you wrong
to make you perish for this man.

"Seven knights, every one well known,
each highly praised, have sworn to keep
Trufaldin safe from all the world.
Dear cousin, I won't hide my thoughts:
I see you on the meadow, slain.
Since after one, the second comes,
and then the third, and then, at once,
the fourth! You can't outlast us all."

Ranaldo answered, "On my honor,
fighting you weighs me heavily,
and I'm not saying that from fear,
since all of you will fall to earth.
So monstrous is your arrogance
you undertake to fight the world!
You have no cause to be astounded
if I fight merely seven men!

"But we spend too long in debate;
I'd rather not be armed all day.
I defy anyone to fight
for Trufaldino. Take the field!
Surely the sun won't pass that hill
before I stretch you one by one,
and I will clearly demonstrate
it's you who move against what's right."

I want to tell you how these three
battles proceeded on the field.
As I said, evil Trufaldino
stood by himself and watched the war,
but when Chiaròn and Hadrian
fell back before Ranaldo's sword,
he fled and reached the fortress walls,
as one who had a lot to fear.

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