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The Song of Roland Paperback – December 30, 1957

by Dorothy L. Sayers (Translator)

30 customer reviews

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On 15 August 778, Charlemagne’s army was returning from a successful expedition against Saracen Spain when its rearguard was ambushed in a remote Pyrenean pass. Out of this skirmish arose a stirring tale of war, which was recorded in the oldest extant epic poem in French. The Song of Roland, written by an unknown poet, tells of Charlemagne’s warrior nephew, Lord of the Breton Marches, who valiantly leads his men into battle against the Saracens, but dies in the massacre, defiant to the end. In majestic verses, the battle becomes a symbolic struggle between Christianity and paganism, while Roland’s last stand is the ultimate expression of honour and feudal values of twelfth-century France.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

The Song of Roland

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Product Details

Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Penguin Classics; Reprint edition (December 30, 1957)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0140440755
ISBN-13: 978-0140440751
Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.5 x 7.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,657 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Regional & Cultural > European > French
- #53 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Ancient, Classical & Medieval > Ancient & Classical

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4.5 out of 5 stars

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67 of 72 people found the following review helpful

"Mountjoy!" Surely thou dost geste....

By A Customer on February 20, 2004

Format: Paperback

This review relates to the volume -The Song of Roland-,
Translated and with an Introduction by Dorothy L. Sayers,
Penguin Classics, 1957 (first translation, 1937). 206 pp.
There seems little point in giving a work of world literature
a rating of stars as to whether it is better or lesser than
some other work of world literature, even of the same genre.
The rating for this review is based on this particular
edition and translation.
The excellent qualities of this Penguin edition include
the "Introduction." Sayers discusses this "earliest,
the most famous, and the greatest of those Old French
epics which are called Songs of Deeds." Her "Introduction"
is divided into the highly enlightening subsections titled:
The Poem; The Feudal Picture; Vassalage; Tokens; Chivalry;
The Rules of Battle; Nurture and Companionage; Horses and
Swords; and The Verse and the Translation. She says the
poem as we have it "would appear to have achieved its
final shape towards the end of the eleventh century." But
the events described in the epic took place in 778, and
"the anonymous poet describes in detail the betrayal and
slaughter by Saracens of the rearguard of Charlemagne's
army under Roland -- at Rencevaux -- and Charlemagne's
bitter revenge."
Perhaps most interesting in the "Introduction" are Ms.
Sayers' character studies. She sees that in Charlemagne,
"beneath this larger-than-life-size figure, we discern
another: the portrait of the ideal earthly sovereign --
just, prudent, magnanimous, and devout." She goes
further and posits that in the way he is described
in this epic he even seems like an early medieval version
of a "constitutional" monarch.Read more ›

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51 of 55 people found the following review helpful

Are you Kidding? Buy This Book!

By Guerrilla Reader VINE VOICE on August 27, 2004

Format: Paperback

This is "The Song Of Roland," as Dorothy Sayers remarks in the introduction to this fine translation, is 'the earliest, the most famous, and the greatest of those Old French epics which are called Songs of Seeds.'

This book, written around the end of the eleventh century, and recalling an actual disaster in 778 A.D., the anonymous poet describes in detail the betrayal and slaughter by Saracens the rearguard of Charlemagne's army under ROLAND at Rencevaux and Charlemagne's bitter revenge. Nowhere in literature is the medievel Code of Chivalry more perfectly expressed than in this masterly and exciting poem.

This text includes an extensive introduction to the Eurpoean Medieval world and provides explanations on civil and military costume.

"When Thierry feels the blade bite through his flesh,
And sees the blood upon the grass run red,
Then he lets drive a blow at Pinabel.
Down to the nasal he cleaves the bright steel helm,
Shears through the brain and spills it from his head,
Wrenches the blade out and shakes it from it dead.
With that great stroke he wins and makes an end.
The Franks all cry: "God's might is manifest!"

Yes!!!! Buy this book! You will not be disappointed.
Five stars. Without equal.

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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful

Surprisingly lively

By A Customer on June 27, 1999

Format: Paperback

This translation of the Old French tale is highly entertaining, with flashes of poetic invention that enliven the medieval folderol of swords, steeds and deeds. The story concerns the betrayal of the brave but foolhardy Roland, his knightly companions and his army by the treacherous Ganelon. Sayers cleaves closely to the meter of the original Old French, which requires clever feats of circumlocution and diction. The translation has a charmingly archaic quality, in keeping with the ancient nature of the tale.

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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

Sayers translates more than just the poem

By J. Jackson on April 27, 2010

Format: Paperback

I chose this version of the Roland over a later, clod-hopping translation I'd been bumping along with. What made that translation so awkward--besides the caesura that broke the flow of every line--was a complete lack of sympathy with the poem and the culture that produced it. From the way lines were rendered to the way the notes were written it was clear that the (Western) Medieval world was full of backward boneheads who just needed to put "Coexist" bumper stickers on rumps of their war horses.

Yes, I know the surviving Old French manuscripts come complete with caesuras--Ms. Sayers told me so. But a good translator can take what is useful to their audience and leave the rest. That's exactly what Sayers does here. Rendering lines written a thousand years ago in accordance with an aesthetic long since forgotten in an idiom no one speaks is no mean feat. And Sayers does it with few wobbles or missteps.

But what really makes this book purchase-worthy is Sayers' basic empathy with the material. Rather than do the obvious thing and roll her eyes at the irony of two deeply religious peoples hacking and hewing away at each other, Sayers takes you into that world and helps you understand it. Her introduction combines scholarship with a real enthusiasm for the subject. Her verse is fluid and conveys more than a little of what I imagine to be the poem's original drama. Like her contemporary C. S. Lewis, Sayers is known only for her fiction these days. But like Lewis, her academic work (including her version of the Divine Comedy, in terza rima no less) more than rewards inspection.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Four Stars

I can't fully understand all the fuss.

Published 1 month ago by PastaMan

Epic Saga of Charlemagne and his right hand Knight Roland

Epic Saga of Charlemagne's era, of mounted knights waging war against the Saracens in Spain. Translated in verse form from the original French,it takes an extra effort to follow,... Read more

Published 4 months ago by John W. Engelmann

Classic tale in a nice edition. Reminds us how long violence has...

Classic tale in a nice edition. Reminds us how long violence has dominated our cultures. It is a good translation.

Published 5 months ago by Mark A. Wasser

Great Epic of Western Canon

This is a great French epic poem of the Middle Ages. If one enjoys suspense, intense drama, riveting action, chivalry, battles, and honor, then one would most surely enjoy this... Read more

Published 7 months ago by Honest Citizen

Five Stars

This is wonderful! A must read!

Published 10 months ago by elizabeth parker

Specialists only

You won't like this long, long poem. But you should--it will stiffen your spine. Unusual translation strategy.

Published 10 months ago by Fat Old Person

Five Stars

Great and quick service!

Published 15 months ago by Donald L. Hines, Jr.

Five Stars

Fast shipping. Description was accurate.

Published 15 months ago by Brandon Simmons

Interesting Story, Cheap Edition

I had to buy this for a Medieval History course, but found the poem entertaining. I wasn't very impressed with the printing. Read more

Published 18 months ago by C French

My grandson's name

Checking in to see what he did during the last gasp of the Moors in Spain. I think the next kid will be named Charlemagne. More books to choose from.

Published 23 months ago by Rico X Ludovici

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