MINISTRY OF EXPEDITION |
| DIRECTOR Ultra K. Madder |
ABOUT
TO paint what ills from dire ambition flow,
The hero's ardour, and the lover's woe;
The wondrous deeds of magic to relate,
And sketch the turns of fortune, and of fate ;-—
These be my themes.—GEnian nymphs prolong 5
Your sacred impulse, and assist my song.
Gradasso, monarch of that wide domain
(In ancient annals noted) Sericane,
Whose knightly feats have swell'd th' historic page;
A hero deem'd in an heroic age — 10
He, when his hardy prowess had subdued
His neighbour kings, and awed the nations rude,
To further conquests bent his daring aim ;
For what can slake the ardent thirst of fame,
Or curb that courage which impels the mind 15
To deeds that raise the wonder of mankind ?
A wond'rous coat of mail Gradasso's arms
Had erst obtain'd—so wrought by magic charms,
That on its temper no assay could gain,
And strongest lances oft had fall'n in vain: 20
Yet, not with this content, the warrior still
On distant prizes bent his stubborn will.
Orlando's sword, fam'd Durindana, known
As Hector's once:—from Agolante's son
Wrested in Aspramont by Brava's knight.— 25
Rinaldo's courser, swift Bayardo hight,
Well train'd in battle—These he burn'd to own,
And scorn'd for these the pleasures of a throne.