Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.1959, Side 207
193
V
Flight of the pagans; the second battie, vv. 1423—1670
V. 1422 is not really the end of an episode in the poem, nor even of a
laisse, but it has been chosen here because from this point onwards the
difference between Kms and the other assonanced versions becomes very
important.
O differs from all the other versions of the poem in its description of
the second battie: O laisses CXIII-CXIV (vv. 1467-1509), which in this
version are the first episode of the second battie, are placed after O v. 1670
in all the other versions, including Kms, and mark the beginning of the
third battie39. In many “critical” editions of the Chanson de Roland,
these laisses are moved to the place they occupy in V4 and the version
rimée, and the numbering of verses and laisses is changed accordingly
(thus, Bédier’s vv. 1510-1670 become, e.g. in Stengel’s ed., vv. 1467-1627,
and Bédier’s vv. 1467-1509 become Stengel’s vv. 1628-70).
V4 and the version rimée have a number of additional laisses in this
episode, and the incidents described, such as the flight of Margariz, are
also referred to in the foreign versions, the Welsh, German, Flemish, and
English texts. A table will show the difference between O, V4 (and the
version rimée), and the Kms:
V4 (and
CV7PTL) O Kms
1337-46 1423-37 Portents. om.
1347-57 More portents. p. 5128-13
1358-74 Flight of the pagans, victory of the French. om.
1375-81 1438-44 So many pagans have been killed that not two remain. om.
om. (butcp. 1445-48 The French search the battlefield. Mar- om.
C 2492-95). 1382-92 silie approaches. The peers have fought well, only one of
the pagans, Margariz, remains, he is
wounded, and rides towards Spain to
bring the news to Marsilie.
39 Vide the discussion of this problem in Horrent: La Chanson de Roland etc. pp.
222-30.
13 Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana, XIX