The Song of Roland: Translations of the Versions in Assonance and Rhyme of the Chanson de Roland

Despite its status as a masterpiece of world literature, the Song of Roland has only been available in English in translations based on the Oxford manuscript whose text dates to around 1100. But the medieval corpus of the Roland consists of seven substantial manuscripts, two in assonance and five in rhyme. The only complete text among the rhymed versions is found in two manuscripts housed respectively in Chateauroux and Venice, and thus known as CV7, which has never before been translated into a modern language. CV7 dates to the end of the twelfth century. It introduces five new episodes and expands others substantially, transforming the substance and sense of the narrative. The role of Aude is recomposed, raising her standing to one of the most important characters in the poem.Students of the epic and those taking courses on medieval literature and history will experience the vitality and mutability of the genre in the course of the century in which many of the great French epics and romances were composed. The present volume contains complete translations of Oxford and CV7, plus an introduction, notes, and indices of proper names and place-names that pertain to both texts.