The Vengeance of Mudarra

To the chase goes Rodrigo, with hound and with hawk;
But what game he desires is reveal'd in his talk,—
"O, in vain have I slaughter'd the Infants of Lara:
There's an heir in his halls—there's the bastard Mudarra,
There's the son of the renegade—spawn of Mahoun—
If I meet with Mudarra, my spear brings him down."—

While Rodrigo rides on in the heat of his wrath,—
A stripling, arm'd cap-a-pee, crosses his path—
"Good morrow, young esquire."—"Good morrow, old knight."—
"Will you ride with our party, and share our delight?"—
"Speak your name, courteous stranger," the stripling replied;
"Speak your name and your lineage, ere with you I ride."—

"My name is Rodrigo," thus answer'd the knight;
"Of the line of old Lara, though barr'd from my right;
For the kinsman of Salas proclaims for the heir
Of our ancestor's castles and forestries fair,
A bastard, a renegade's offspring—Mudarra,
Whom I'll send, if I can, to the Infants of Lara."—

"I behold thee, disgrace to thy lineage!—with joy
I behold thee, thou murderer!"—answer'd the boy.
"The bastard you curse, you behold him in me;
But his brothers' avenger that bastard shall be;
Draw! for I am the renegade's offspring, Mudarra;
We shall see who inherits the life-blood of Lara!"—

"I am arm'd for the forest-chase—not for the fight—
Let me go for my shield and my sword," cries the knight—
"Now the mercy you dealt to my brothers of old,
Be the hope of that mercy the comfort you hold;
Die, foeman to Sancha—die, traitor to Lara!"—
As he spake, there was blood on the spear of Mudarra.