"Olivant" in the original was not "Oliver" but rather "oliphant," the elephant ivory horn. I was wondering why Oliver was blowing Roland's horn!
The original has "blaumen" (blue men?) for the Moors. Okay, the religious war theme is tricky enough already without going there. I just call them Moors for the most part. I use 'heathen' a few times, hopefully understood as a descriptor and not a pejorative?
I saw in the Faroese songbook that their version has masculine rhyme, too. So nyah!
Tidied up the scansion in verse 3, corrected a few typos.
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"Six of my earls will stay at home to guard the rings of gold
The other six in heathen lands are swinging their iron cold"
CHORUS
Ride they out from Frankish lands on horses finely saddled
Blow the horn Oilphant at Ronsavollen (or Roncevaux, dealer's choice)
Raised they up their silken sails high upon the masts
Sailed they to the heathen lands before two weeks had passed
Oaken oars and anchors strong then touched the clean white sand
Next was Roland, king's own friend, the first upon the land
Slaughtered they at Roncevaux for two days and for three
On Roland's sword the Moors did die; a scythe they could not flee
The sun in the sky was blotted out as Moors their spears did throw
A frightened fellow Frankish man asked Roland his horn to blow
He set the horn to his bloody mouth, the blast heard o'er the fray
Over mountains went the sound; it was heard three days away
Charlemagne the mighty king cries with grief and woe:
"What has passed with my own dear friend that he sounded such a blow?"
Charlemagne the mighty king came to the heathen land
Dead lay Roland, king's own friend, his sword still in his hand
Buried at home were the mighty earls and many a tear was shed
Their ship was full of gems and gold and the heathens were left for dead
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