From
The Song of Roland
235
That admiral hath great possessions;
He makes them bear before him his dragon,
And their standard, Tervagan's and Mahom's,
And his image, Apollin the felon.
Ten Canelious canter in the environs,
And very loud the cry out this sermon:
"Let who would from our gods have garrison,
Serve them and pray with great affliction."
Pagans awhile their heads and faces on
Their breasts abase, their polished helmets doff.
And the Franks say: "Now shall you die, gluttons;
This day shall bring you vile confusion!
Give warranty, our God, unto Carlon!
And in his name this victory be won!"
In this verse, #235, the translator spells the name "Carlon,"
with an "o." Elsewhere, the name is "Carlun," with a "u."
(It's the penultimate line.)
I interpret this to be a variant spelling of "Carlin,"
sounded out phonetically.
And this verse can only mean that Carlon (or Carlun)
was one of their principal leaders, a leader high enough
for them to ask God to "Give [him] warranty." The final
sentence, which should morally and ethically read,
"And in His name this victory be won," doesn't use
the word "his" to mean God, but rather to mean Carlon.
They want the victory to be Carlon's victory.
I'm not about to develop a new career in literary interpretation,
or as an expert in The Song of Roland. But to me, it's a
positive indication... although I'm not exactly sure of what it
is that it's a positive indication of! <G>
So, here's the serious question:
Who were "Carlon" and "Carlun" in The Song of Roland?
Fred