Once More

The following is a poem written in mester de clerecia, or cuaderna via (the way of four), a style of poetry used by 13th century intellectuals of Castile. When I first learned of this style, I read that it consisted of four-line stanzas of alexandrines. A conventional alexandrine consists of rhymed verses of six iambic feet. I later found in a more detailed book that the Spanish alexandrine has seven iambic feet. The following work is in the Spanish style. All allusions to modern-day politics are strictly coincidental.

Once More

Once more I hear the heralds cry that war has been declared.
Once more the women wonder if their menfolk will be spared.
Once more they muster, duty-called, to shirk none would have dared;
The fathers, husbands, sons and sweethearts march, a rhythm shared.
Is it for God and country, or to bring a tyrant down?
Or are they pawns of chess played out to mask mistakes well-known?
Rodrigo, Rey de Espanna, took the daughter of a Count.
Avenging her, the Moors and Julian had him overthrown.
Is honor bought with traded blows, with bodies as they fall?
Or is the duty tainted by the ones who made the call?
Though leadership be tainted and their conscience mud and gall,
Yet still soldados do obey, ennobled thus withal.
And we who stay behind know not the reasons why you go.
Nor do we care, we only know that we shall miss you so.
Comport yourselves with honor as you march to meet the foe.
Once more we pray your safe return, heads high and not brought low.

Written by Donna Ana Ravaya de Guzman, Trovadora, during the third week of Advent, A.S. XXXIII.

NOTES: "Espanna" is the way a 13th century literate would have spelled the Castilian word for Spain without a tilde. For those who may not know the story, it's been said that King Rodrigo (or Roderick, the last Gothic king of Spain) dishonored Florinda, the daughter of Count Julian. To avenge this, Count Julian helped bring the Moors into the Iberian peninsula in 711 A.D. Soldado is soldier in Spanish.