Down they rode from the mountain

Sir Edward Senestre
Victorious in Spring Crown Tourney, A.S. XLII

gan seanchas gan seanlaoidhe,
go bráth, acht athair gach fhir,
rachaidh cách gan a chluinsin.
— A theachtaire thig ón Róimh (13th c. Irish poem)*

Down they rode from the mountain,
Their intent to declare
Came the knight and the archer,
Caid’s Crown hoped to wear.

At the call of the heralds
Crown lists soon would begin:
Stood the fighters and consorts,
A great Kingdom to win.

Not a stranger to combat
Lovely Ciar ingen Daire
Bravely challenged Sir Edward —
Rarely death looked so fair.

For wise Mistress Aldgytha
Clever Blaine sought the Crown:
Yet again did Sir Edward
Bring his foe falling down.

Now the mighty Orfhendr
Who had been Dolphin king
For Caid’s fair Earl Marshal
Felt Senestre’s sword’s sting.

Norman knight faced Lord Lorccan,
Circled both round and round.
When the fourth combat ended
Irish blood stained the ground.

Next came dark-browed Sir Asraf al-Mansur
Answered field herald’s call;
Learned a very good lesson:
Sometimes short is too tall.

Jarl Francesc, former monarch,
Ducal rank hoped to gain
But Senestre ferocious
Caused Seanach’s lord pain.

When the last combat finished
Looking much like round three:
To tenacious Sir Edward
Did Jarl Sven bend his knee.

Edward stands undefeated
At his side, Mora fair:
Now the knight and the archer,
Caid’s Crown they will wear.

—Duchess Natalya de Foix

...and her twin brother Gideon ben Levi, were born around 1473 in Spain to a Spanish-Jewish lady (and an English or Norman father, depending on which version of the story you hear.) She was taken as a child to France where she eventually inherited a vast estate. Natalya received her Laurel for Dramatic Performance and Needlework, but mostly enjoys cooking and writing as much poetry as she can.

Copyright

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