By Torsten Schwanke
In ancient times, a brave duke
Named Hubert ruled Normandy.
He was married to the daughter
Of the Duke of Burgundy
And had taken up residence
In the city of Rouen.
Nothing was lacking in the happiness
Of the ruling couple but children.
They had been married for eighteen years,
When one day the Duke complained to his wife
Of the grief her childlessness was causing him.
The bitter words of the husband
Caused the wife such agitation
That she cried out in despair:
So it may happen in the name of the devil
That I have children,
Since God does not give them to me.
And if a child is given to me,
It shall belong body and soul
To the evil one!
Soon afterwards the duchess
Gave birth to a child,
But all the women who were present at the birth
Were terrified by the strange signs
That appeared in the sky.
For when the child was born,
The sky darkened, thunder rumbled,
And lightning followed lightning,
As if the end of the world had come.
The winds rushed against the house from all sides,
So that it trembled
As if it were about to collapse.
All those present believed
That their last hour had come.
The child was a boy
And was as tall as if he were a year old at birth.
At the christening he was given
The name Robin.
The boy immediately got teeth
And bit the nurses,
So that none of them wanted to suckle him any more
And they were forced to make him drink
From a horn that was put in his mouth.
Before a year was up,
He had already begun to walk
And spoke as fluently
As only children of five years of age normally do.
The older he got,
The more he proved to be a villain.
No one was able to restrain him.
When he met other children,
He hit them with his fist,
Threw stones at them
Or scratched their faces.
Often the boys would gather in the street
To beat him up, but when they saw him,
They would run away like sheep from a wolf,
Shouting, Robin the devil is coming!
When Robin was six or seven years old,
The duke, seeing his son's evil habits,
Called him and rebuked him,
My child, it is time you were given
A tutor to teach you good manners
And give you instruction;
Fr you are now old enough
To know what not to do!
Robin complied
And was now handed over to a clever
Experienced schoolmaster
Who was to educate and teach him.
One day, the master wanted to punish the boy
For some nasty things he had done.
Then Robin pulled a knife out of his pocket
And stabbed his teacher.
He threw the book in the dead man's face
And shouted: There is your Wisdom!
I don't need a teacher any more.
From then on, no one could be found
Who would dare to guide and teach the boy.
The boy was left to himself,
Surrendered to all evil
And mocked God and Holy Mother Church.
The Duchess was deeply distressed by this
And one day said to her husband,
"Robin is now grown up,
It seems best to me to make him a knight;
Perhaps then he will improve.
The duke agreed to this suggestion.
Robin was only eighteen years old at the time.
To his father's announcement
That he would knight him, Robin replied,
Do what you will!
I don't care whether I am high or low.
I am determined to continue
To do what I like,
I care little for being a knight.
The next morning he was nevertheless knighted.
The duke then called a tournament,
In which the knight Robin took part,
Fearing no one, neither God nor devil.
When the game had begun,
Knight after knight was seen to fall,
For Robin the Devil fought like a lion,
Sparing no one and throwing down everyone
Who got in his way.
No one who had to fight him
Came away unscathed.
Only when he noticed that there was no man left
In the ranks did he spur his horse,
Ride into the country
And dwell worse than before at court.
The duke received one report after another
About Robin's life in Normandy.
His heart was heavy at such news,
But he was at a loss
As to how to control these goings-on.
When one of the duke's servants saw
His master so sad,
He dared to address him as follows,
My high lord, I would advise you
To let your son come back to court.
Command him to desist from his wicked life.
But if he will not, have him thrown into prison
And punished as he deserves!
The duke immediately sent messengers
To find his son and bring him to court.
But Robin received them badly;
He gouged out their eyes and cried out,
Now you will sleep all the more soundly, my lords!
Go and tell my father
That I have blinded you
In defiance of his commission!
The duke was extremely enraged at this outrage
And racked his brains as to how
He could put a stop to his son's wickedness.
He assembled his secret council
And issued orders to all judges and officials
In his entire duchy to seize his son.
When Robin and his henchmen heard
Of the Duke's announcement,
Tthey were terrified.
Robin swore a gruesome oath
That he would wage war with his own father
And destroy the whole country.
Immediately he had a strong castle built
In a dense, dark forest to retreat to.
The place was eerie,
Surrounded by jagged rocks,
More suitable for wild animals
Than for humans to dwell.
Here he gathered around him
The most vicious fellows,
Thieves, murderers, highwaymen,
church desecrators, in short, the scum of humanity.
The captain of this rabble was Robin himself.
And now they committed the most shameful deeds,
So that no one dared even go out
Into the street for fear of Robin the devil and his gang,
For they were like ravening wolves.
When the robbers came home to their fortress,
They gave themselves up to be eaten
And lived splendidly on their prey.
Once, in the middle of a wood,
Robin met seven hermits, pious people,
Who were walking along carefree.
He slew them all seven and mockingly roared,
There I have gutted a beautiful bird's nest of saints;
Now they all wear martyr's crowns!
After this shameful deed,
The wicked man left the forest,
Looking like the devil from hell.
His clothes were stained with blood.
In this get-up he rode across the fields
And came to the area of Darques Castle.
On the way, a shepherd had told him
Tthat his mother, the Duchess,
Would be coming to the castle for lunch today.
When he approached the castle
And the people saw him,
They all ran away from him.
For the first time Robin noticed
That everything was fleeing from him,
For the first time he began to think of himself.
He sighed and said, How is it that
All the world is fleeing from me?
I must be a wretched man.
I feel as if I were a plague sufferer!
My life must be cursed from the beginning.
With such thoughts he reached
The gate of the castle
And jumped off his horse.
But there was no one there who would have dared
To come near him and take his horse;
So he had to tie it to the gate himself.
Then, with the bloody sword still in his hand,
He went to the hall
Where his mother was supposed to be.
When the duchess saw her son Robin
Coming along with a bare sword,
She wanted to flee in horror.
But Robin called to her from afar,
Dear mother, do not be afraid of me!
For the mercy of God, stay,
For I must speak to you.
Then he approached her submissively,
Lowered his sword and begged,
Tell me, I pray you, how is it that I am so cruel?
For it must come from you or from my father.
I beg you, tell me the truth!
The Duchess burst into tears,
Fell at her son's feet and told him
How it had all come about.
Then Robin threw himself to the ground
In grief and lamented,
The devils shake my soul and body;
But from this day I will renounce
Their infernal works and cease to do evil.
Then he turned to his disconsolate mother
And declared, I will go on pilgrimage to Rome
And do penance.
I will not rest
Until my evil deeds are forgiven.
So Robin left his mother,
Mounted his horse and rode away.
The Duchess was left without comfort or hope.
While she lamented herself and her son,
The Duke arrived.
When she saw him,
She burst into tears again
And told her husband
What Robin was up to.
Oh, sighed the Duke, it is all in vain.
How is he to repair the damage
He has done to the country!
But I beseech the Almighty to stand by him;
For only God's mercy can help him.
Robin had returned to his forest stronghold,
Where he met his fellows of shame at the table.
When they saw him,
Tey greeted him briskly.
Robin, however, began to give them ideas
About their shameful lives.
No sooner had he finished
Than one of the thieves stood up
And said to his companions with a sneer,
Take care, gentlemen,
The devil wants to become a hermit!
Robin has his mockery of us,
For he is our captain
And does worse than any of us.
But Robin cried, Dear fellows,
I beseech you, desist from your shameful doings,
And think of the salvation of your souls!
Another thief replied, Lord and master,
Think no more of it!
You are speaking into the wind!
Neither I nor my brethren will convert;
Peace is not to our taste;
It prevents us from doing evil,
And to that we are once accustomed!
The whole gang raised a loud cheer,
And all cried out in unison,
He is right, and should we have to die!
In future we shall do much worse!
When Robin heard their fine resolutions,
He went to the front door,
Pushed the bolt forward,
Then seized a knotted stick
And smashed in the skull
Of one of the thieves after another.
Their resistance was no match
For his superhuman strength.
When he had struck them all down, he said,
I have rewarded you according to your merit,
Ye fellows; as is the lord - so is the reward!
Then he wanted to burn the house of sin,
But suddenly it occurred to him
That there was much stolen property in it
That could be used for nobler purposes.
So he left it there, locked the door
And took the key with him.
Now he burst out into the forest
And sought the way to Rome.
Towards evening he passed an abbey
Which he had plundered several times,
Although the abbot was his cousin.
So he rode into the monastery
And spoke not a word.
The monks feared Robin like the evil enemy.
When they saw him coming,
They ran away shouting, Robin is coming,
The devil has brought him here!
But Robin came before the abbot and the monks
And greeted them kindly,
Abbot, I know that I have caused you
And your house much suffering.
I humbly beg your forgiveness.
Throwing himself on his knees, he continued,
Commend me to my father
And give him this key!
It leads to the house I used to live in with my robbers.
I have slain them all;
In this house are all the treasures I have robbed.
The duke might want to deliver them back
To the owners.
That night Robin stayed in the abbey.
The next morning he went on foot,
Lost in deep thought,
Along the road towards the city of Rome.
After many hardships,
He finally arrived at his destination
On a Holy Thursday.
It was just the right day to provide
For the salvation of his soul.
For the Holy Father himself was celebrating
In St Peter's Church, holding High Mass,
When Robin stepped among the gathering of the faithful.
He tried to push his way to the Holy Father.
But the Pope's spiritual assistance made him retreat.
At last he came near the Pope,
Fell at his feet and cried, O Holy Father,
Have pity on me!
He repeated these words several times.
The people who stood first of the Pope
Were annoyed at the fuss Robin was making
And wanted to drive him away.
But the Pope said to the people,
Let him ask; for, as far as I see,
He has true humility!
Then he took Robin's hand and asked,
My friend, what do you want?
O Holy Father, Robin replied, I beseech you,
Hear my confession;
For if you do not absolve me
From the grievous sins I have committed,
I am eternally damned.
When the Pope heard this,
He guessed that it was Robin the devil,
And asked him, Son, are you perhaps
That Robin of whom I have heard so much cruelty,
And who is thought to be the worst son of the earth?
Then Robin answered, I am!
Then the Pope took him aside,
And Robin confessed to him contritely,
And told how his mother had delivered him
To the devil.
When the Pope heard him speak thus,
He was frightened, crossed himself, and said,
My friend, go to Montalto,
Three miles from this town.
There you will find a hermit
Who is my own confessor.
Tell him that I am sending you
And confess all your sins to him.
He will give you the penance you deserve.
The next morning Robin left the town
And went to the hermit.
He welcomed him warmly
And Robin began to confess.
He confessed all the wrongdoings
He had ever committed,
Fom the hour of his birth to the present time.
The hermit was horrified by all this,
But at the same time he was delighted
That Robin confessed his sins with such contrition.
He therefore kindly invited him to stay
With him this night
And promised to impose the salutary penance
On him the next morning.
The hermit prayed for the sinner all night
Until he finally fell asleep.
Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him
In a dream and said,
Man of God, listen to the message I bring you.
If this Robin would receive pardon for his sins,
He must imitate the fool and the dumb man,
Must eat no food
But what he can snatch from the dogs,
And shall live in this way
Until it pleases God
To reveal to him that his sins are forgiven.
Startled, the hermit woke up.
When day dawned,
He summoned Robin
And comforted him with these words,
My friend, I know now what penance
Is to be imposed upon thee.
You shall behave like a fool and a mute,
Eat no food but what you snatch from the dogs,
And sleep with the dogs
As long as it will please God.
This is what the Lord told me this night
Through his angel.
This penance shall last
Until it shall please God
To announce to thee the forgiveness of thy sins.
When Robin heard this, he felt lighter.
He thanked God
That such gracious penance
Should be imposed on him
In comparison with all the suffering he had caused,
Took leave of the hermit
And went to do his penance.
No sooner had he re-entered
The city of Rome
Than he ran through the streets
Behaving like a madman.
The children were soon noisily chasing him
And throwing excrement and stones at him,
But the citizens of the city
Lay down in the windows at this spectacle
And mocked and laughed at him.
When he had wandered about Rome
For some days, he passed the palace
Of the Roman Emperor,
And seeing that the gates were open,
He went straight into the hall.
As he did so, he jumped from side to side,
Walking sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly,
And never staying in the same place for long.
When the emperor saw him, he said,
Do you see that handsome young man?
He looks like a knight,
But it seems he is foolish!
It is a pity about him.
Let him sit down; give him food and drink!
When he was then forced to sit at a table,
He would not eat anything,
Although wine, bread and meat were offered to him;
Everyone was astonished at this.
While the emperor was eating,
He threw a bone to a dog lying under the table.
As soon as Robin saw this,
He jumped up from the table
And pursued the dog
To take the bone away from him.
But the dog would not let go of his prize,
And so they tugged at it,
Each on a different side.
Robin, crouching down on the ground,
Gnawed at one end of the bone,
The dog at the other.
The emperor and all those who saw this
Laughed out loud.
At last Robin got the upper hand
And kept the bone for himself alone,
And lay down and gnawed at it;
For he was very hungry.
At night he lay down with the dogs in the kennel.
The emperor heard of this
And felt great pity for Robin.
He therefore ordered a bed to be brought for him.
But Robin made a sign to the servants
That he would rather sleep on hard ground
Than in a soft bed.
So the man who had been accustomed,
As the son of a duke,
To sleep in a soft bed in a state chamber
And to dine on the most delicious dishes,
Had voluntarily left all glory,
Ate with the dogs under the table
And slept with the dogs in the stable,
All to save his soul.
This penance he did for seven years.
Meanwhile, the emperor grew
A beautiful daughter named Marian,
But she was mute.
The emperor's seneschal,
A man of influence, had already asked
His lord several times for her as his wife,
But the emperor had refused his consent.
The seneschal was annoyed by this
And went over to the Saracens.
He landed in Italy with a large army of infidels
And advanced against the city of Rome.
Now the nobility and the people
Rallied around the emperor,
And he himself placed himself
At the head of the army.
Although the emperor's forces were greater
Than those of the seneschal,
They would have been defeated
If God had not miraculously
Come to the aid of the Romans.
For on the same day
That the emperor went to fight the Saracens,
Robin the Devil went to the fountain
In the emperor's garden,
As was his custom.
Then he heard a voice from heaven calling,
Robin, hurry up!
God commands thee to arm thyself at once
With the white weapons
Which I here lay by thy side,
And mount the steed which I bring to thee,
And hasten without delay to the Emperor's aid!
Robin was greatly frightened,
But he dared not reply a word.
He found arms and horse beside him;
So he hastily equipped himself
With the white armour
Which the invisible angel had brought,
And mounted the horse.
But upstairs, at a window of the palace,
Stood the beautiful mute daughter
Of the emperor, Marian,
Gazing sadly down into the garden.
Then she saw Robin dressing and arming himself.
If she had been able to speak,
She would have told it on the spot;
But being mute, she could not tell
What she had seen,
But she remembered everything well.
Robin, armed and on horseback,
Rode into the emperor's camp.
The Saracens were so pressing
That the emperor was in the greatest danger.
But when Robin saw the enemy,
He threw himself into the thick of the battle
And struck at the heathens right and left.
No blow that was aimed at a Saracen was lost.
In this way, the bold knight also
Instilled courage into the Emperor's army,
So that it finally claimed victory.
When the battle was over,
Robin, in full armour, blasted back
Into the emperor's garden to the well.
Here he dismounted from his horse,
Which immediately disappeared,
Loosened his armour and his other weapons,
And found his old clothes
Just as he had left them,
So that he was soon standing
Before the fountain again
In his jester's costume.
Again the emperor's daughter Marian
Saw all this from her window
And wondered greatly at it.
Robin only had a scratch on his face from the fight,
Otherwise he was unhurt.
When the emperor, delighted with his victory,
Sat down to supper,
Robin also rejoined
And played his old foolish tricks as before.
The emperor was pleased when he saw his fool,
For he liked him well.
When he saw the smear on his face,
He thought that one of his servants had wounded him,
For which he was sorry.
He soon forgot the fool
And eagerly inquired w
Who the stranger on the white horse was
Who had fought so bravely.
I know not who he was, declared the emperor,
Certain it was one of the boldest
And noblest knights I have ever seen.
The emperor's daughter Marian was present
When he spoke these words.
She approached her father
And wanted to make him understand by signs
Tthat it was Robin
With whose help they had won the battle.
The emperor, however, did not understand
What his mute daughter Marian
Was trying to explain to him.
After some time, the seneschal,
Who had gathered a second Saracen army,
Approached again and once more besieged
The city of Rome.
And again the Romans would have had
To give up the field
If the white knight had not ridden in
On his white horse
At the command of the angel.
This time, too, he performed so many heroic deeds
Tat the Saracens were put to flight
And the Emperor's army won the day.
But when the encounter was over,
No one knew where the white knight had gone.
He had disappeared suddenly,
And no one
But the Emperor's mute daughter Marian
Could have told where he was hiding.
A short time later, the seneschal returned
With a much larger army
And besieged Rome for the third time.
Before the emperor went out to fight,
He ordered all his nobles
Tthat if the knight on the white horse came again,
They should try to confront him.
The nobles promised to do so,
And some of the bravest rode secretly
Into a nearby forest
To wait for the white knight.
But it was in vain.
Before anyone knew it,
Robin was in the midst of battle.
When victory was won for the third time,
Robin wanted to turn back to his fountain
To lay down his weapons.
But the nobles sprung towards him
And cried out in a loud voice,
Noble knight, tell us who you are,
For we want to tell our emperor,
Who would very much like to know.
When Robin heard this, he was very ashamed.
He put spurs to his horse
And it galloped over hill and dale.
But one of the most daring knights pursued him
And finally threw his spear at him,
Not to kill him himself,
But to hit the white steed.
But he missed the animal,
And Robin was hit by the spear.
The tip of the spear broke off
And got stuck in his thigh,
But Robin, ignoring his wound, rode away.
So the knight again did not learn
Who the hero was,
He only brought back the broken spear
To his comrades-in-arms.
Meanwhile, Robin hurried back to the well
By a roundabout route.
There he dismounted from his horse
And laid down his weapons.
The horse and armour disappeared immediately.
But he pulled the tip of his lance out of his thigh
And hid it between two large stones by the fountain.
Robin did not know
By whom he should be bandaged;
He felt compelled to take grass and moss
And lay it on.
Then he tore the lining of his dress
And bandaged the wound with it.
And again the emperor's daughter Marian
Saw everything from her window
And took good note of it.
Since Robin was such a noble and brave knight,
She took a tender love to him.
When Robin had dressed his wound,
He went to the emperor's kitchen
To get something to eat.
A little while later the knight
Who had wounded him
Came and told the emperor
How the stranger on the white horse
Had eluded him and how
He had wounded him against his will.
The best thing, my emperor, he suggested,
Is for you to proclaim publicly
Throughout the empire
That every knight with a white horse
And white armour
Is to be brought to you,
And he must bring the lance point
With which he has been wounded
And show his wound.
Then give this knight your daughter
Marian in marriage
And half the kingdom as a dowry.
The emperor approved this advice
And immediately had the order made public.
This public appeal also reached
The ears of the seneschal,
Who was still inflamed
By a fierce love for the emperor's daughter.
Now he thought of a ruse
And surely hoped to achieve his goal.
He had a white horse, a white lance
And white armour searched for,
Then he took a broken lance tip
And thrust it into his thigh.
In this way he hoped to deceive
The emperor and obtain his daughter
Marian as his wife.
With great splendour and a splendid retinue
He travelled to Rome,
Stood before the emperor and declared,
My lord, I am the one
Who has stood by you so bravely three times,
Who has cut down so many enemies
For love of you.
Three times I have been the cause of your victory
Over the accursed Saracens!
The emperor, not recognising
His old servant and enemy,
Said graciously to him,
You are certainly a brave knight!
But I cannot quite believe what you say!
Then the seneschal replied,
Sir, to prove to you that I speak the truth,
See here the spearhead which I have kept.
With that he uncovered the place
Where he had inflicted the wound himself.
But the knight by whom Robin had been wounded
Was also present.
When he looked more closely
At the point of the spear,
He had to smile,
For he saw at once
That it was not the point of his spear.
But in order not to get into a quarrel,
He did not want to claim the opposite now,
But to wait for a more favourable opportunity.
And now the time had come
When Robin was to be freed
From his heavy penance.
The latter lay in the dog's stable,
Badly wounded,
And had his wound licked by the dogs.
At the same time, the angel of God
Appeared to the pious hermit,
To whom Robin had made his confession,
In his sleep and told him to rise immediately
And go on pilgrimage to Rome,
For Robin's penance was complete
And all his sins were forgiven.
The hermit rejoiced at this,
Got up early in the morning
And walked to Rome.
That same morning in Rome,
The seneschal came before the emperor
To ask him for his daughter's hand in marriage,
In accordance with his public announcement,
Which the emperor granted him
Without much deliberation.
When the emperor's daughter Marian
Heard that she was to be given
To the seneschal as his wife,
She, who had recognised the enemy
And seen through all his deceit,
Was beside herself, tore her clothes
And tussled her hair.
But because she lacked a voice,
All this was in vain.
She had to dress up like a bride,
And the emperor himself led her
Into the church in imperial splendour,
Accompanied by counts, knights and noblewomen.
But now a great miracle happened.
For just as the priest was about
To perform the wedding ceremony,
The Virgin Marian's tongue tied
And she cried out to the emperor,
Father, are you out of your mind
To believe what this arrogant,
Wretched traitor has told you?
Everything he said is a lie.
Here in this city lives a man
To whom we all owe our lives,
Whose rare virtues I have long known;
But no one would believe my signs!
Then the scales fell from the emperor's eyes
And he immediately recognised
His enemy, the seneschal.
He fled from the church in shame,
Mounted his horse and rode off
With his whole company.
But the Pope, who was present,
Asked the maiden who the man was
Of whom she had spoken.
The maiden led the emperor and the pope
In silence to the garden,
To the fountain where Robin had taken
And laid down his angelic weapons each time.
Here she pulled out the lance tip
From between the two stones
Under which Robin had hidden it.
Now the knight, by whom Robin had been wounded,
Also presented his broken spear;
There the shaft and point joined together
As if they had never been in two.
Then the maiden said to the pope,
Three times we have gained the victory
By the bravery of the noble knight
Against the infidels,
Three times I have seen his horse and his armour,
Which three times he has put away again.
But where they have gone I cannot tell you.
This, however, I know, that the knight himself
Afterwards lay down each time
With the hounds where his place was.
Turning to her father, she added,
It is he who has saved
Your honour and your country;
You have him to thank.
Let us go to him and hear
The truth from his mouth!
Then all present went to the corner
Where Robin lay with the dogs,
And the Emperor said to him,
I pray thee, my friend, come hither
And show me thy thigh!
Robin well perceived why he said this,
But pretended not to understand him.
Now the Pope turned to Robin
And bade him, I command you in the name of God
To speak to us!
But Robin, believing himself
Not yet absolved of his penance,
Sprang up like a fool and,
As if he were the Pope himself,
Gave the Pope his blessing
With ridiculous gestures.
Then he looked around
And saw the hermit
Who had imposed the penance on him.
But he called out to him in a loud voice,
My friend, I know quite well
That you are Robin,
Whom men call the devil.
But from now on you shall be a man of God,
For it is you who have saved this land
From the Saracens.
The Lord God sends me to you
And commands you to speak
And to play the fool no more!
For thou hast atoned,
And all thy sins are forgiven thee!
When Robin heard this,
He fell down on his knees,
Lifted his eyes and hands to heaven,
And exulted, o King of Heaven,
I thank thee that thou hast forgiven me
My terrible sins,
And that my little penance hath pleased thee!
Then he took leave of all
Ad left Rome to wander atoned
To his homeland.
He had not yet gone far
When the angel of God appeared to him
And commanded him to turn back to Rome,
Where great happiness awaited him.
In Rome, the emperor brought
His daughter Marian to meet him
And gave her to him as his wife.
The wedding lasted for fourteen days,
Then Robin took leave of the Emperor
To visit his parents in Normandy
And introduce his wife to them.
The emperor gave him a princely escort
And delicious gifts.
In Rouen, Robin and his wife Marian
Were received with great pomp
As lord and lady of the land,
For Robin's father had died in the meantime.
Duke Robin mourned his father,
But at the same time he was happy
To be with his mother again
And told her all his adventures.
One day a messenger arrived
From his father-in-law, the emperor,
Who, after greeting him respectfully,
Reported that the seneschal had again
Revolted against the emperor
And was threatening to lay to waste Rome
With fire and sword.
The emperor asked Robin for his assistance.
Concerned, Robin hurriedly gathered his army
And left for Rome.
But before he got there,
The traitor had slain the emperor
Who had advanced to meet him.
Robin, however, besieged the city
And came face to face
With the seneschal in a scuffle.
When the faithless saw the Robin,
He tried to flee.
But Robin pursued him and slew the traitor.
Then he returned to Rouen with his whole host.
Since then, Duke Robin lived
In love with his noble wife Marian,
Feared by his enemies
And loved by his friends and subjects.
He left behind a son named Richard,
Who performed many glorious feats of arms
At the side of the French King Charles,
Waged mighty wars against the Saracens
And helped to fortify
Christianity throughout the world.