14 Ere fifteen days are gone and past,
If God assist the right,
Those tambours that now sound to scare,
Shall sound for your delight.
15 The Moors who pressed beneath the towers,
Now Allah! Allah! sung;
Each Christian knight his broadsword drew,
And loud the trumpets rung.
16 Then up, the noble Cid bespoke,
Let each brave warrior go,
And arm himself, in dusk of morn,
Ere chanticleer shall crow;
17 And in the lofty minster church,
On Santiago call,—
That good Bishop Hieronymo,
Shall there absolve you all.
18 But let us prudent counsel take,
In this eventful hour;
For yon proud infidels, I ween,
They are a mighty power.
19 Then Alvar Fanez counselled well,
I, noble Cid, will go,
And ambush with three hundred men,
Ere the first cock doth crow:
20 And when against the Moorish men
You, Cid, lead on your powers,
We, dauntless, on the other side
Will fall on them with ours.
21 This counsel pleased the Chieftain well:
He said, it should be so;
And the good Bishop should sing mass,
Ere the first cock did crow.
22 The day is gone, the night is come;
At cock-crow all appear,
In Pedro's church to shrive themselves,
And holy mass to hear:
23 On Santiago there they called,
To hear them and to save;
And that good Bishop, at the mass,
Great absolution gave.