''The Tale of Ralph the Collier'', also known as ''The Tale of Ralph Collier'' and ''The Taill of Rauf Coilyear'', is a
Scottish dialect Middle English
Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English p ...
poem composed in the late fifteenth century. It constituted a revival of Middle English
alliterative verse, wherein the first and middle parts of each verse begin with the same sound.
Synopsis
The story concerns King Charlemagne, who has gotten lost and detached from his
retinue
A retinue is a body of persons "retained" in the service of a noble, royal personage, or dignitary; a ''suite'' (French "what follows") of retainers.
Etymology
The word, recorded in English since circa 1375, stems from Old French ''retenue'', it ...
in a storm. He is forced to take refuge in the home of a collier named "Rauf." While Rauf is more or less hospitable, he does not realize his guest is the king, and so treats him somewhat roughly.
Upon departing the next day, Charlemagne tells Rauf to come to the court in Paris so he can sell his goods at a very lucrative price. When he gets home, the king orders his best knight, Sir Roland, to scan the countryside and tell anyone on the road to come straight to Charlemagne. An encounter between Roland and Rauf ensues, in which Roland to no avail demands that Rauf come with him. Rauf, in spite of Roland's magnificence, defies him, keeping his word to do as his guest asked. Roland finally allows Rauf to go his way, but the two promise each other to meet later to resolve the dispute.
When Rauf finally gets to the court, he is bewildered, never having been to such a place. When Roland tells Charlemagne about his encounter, Charlemagne seeks out Rauf and, to everyone's surprise, makes him a knight, provoking the ridicule of the other knights in the court.
Rauf takes all of this in stride, and goes back to the place he promised to meet Roland. There, he sees a knight on a camel rushing toward him, whom he, somewhat foolishly, takes to be Roland. The two have a fight, during which Rauf gets the upper hand, then realizes this person is a "
Saracen
upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens
Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia Pe ...
" and not Roland. Roland comes at this point. He pleads with the Saracen to renounce his faith and convert to
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
, or else Roland and Rauf will be forced to kill him. The two discuss back and forth, bringing up issues of worldly gain and faith. Ultimately, the Saracen does as he's asked, and converts.
Further reading
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tale of Ralph the Collier
Scottish poems