# The Works of J. W. von Goethe/Volume 10/Reynard the Fox/Argumenta

Argumenta
CANTO I.
The Pentecostal days have come, And Leo now resolves with some Of his good lords to hold a feast, At which the greatest and the least Shall be commanded to attend. The fox, however, keeps away; He knows what they of him will say, For he has badly injured all; So, loudly though they may him call, He will not e'en excuses send.
He there is charged with all the crimes That have been known from olden times, And only one dares him defend. This does not much his matters mend, For all the cases are too clear, The council then is summoned forth, Which thinks that, be he south or north, To be compelled to come he ought. The king declares he shall be brought, And sends to summon him the bear.
CANTO II.
Forth Bruin goes upon his task, Assured if he but Reynard ask To go with him as bidden, back, He'll find him nothing loth or slack. But Reynard is of other mind; He pleasant greeting gives the bear And asks what he with him can share; Then, finding honey's to his taste, ​He takes him to a place in haste Where he a good supply shall find.
To get the honey Bruin sticks, Through one of Reynard's scurvy tricks, His head within a gaping tree; And if you read you'll surely see How the peasants, learning that, Find him in a sorry plight, And beat him till, in sheer affright, He makes escape and gets again Back to court in grief and pain; And in his place is sent the cat.
CANTO III.
Now Tybert meets an omen bad, But still pursues his way, though sad. He finds the fox, his message gives; Then Reynard asks him how he thrives And what he would prefer to eat. When mice he finds that he would like, He plays him, too, a dirty trick. With eye knocked out and wounded sore The cat gets back to court once more, Like Bruin lamed in head and feet.
The Badger now essays to do What bear and cat have let fall through. A third time does the fox not dare To disregard, or he will fare Full badly at his monarch's hand. With Grimbart he at length sets out, Beset with many an anxious doubt; He finally begins to pray, So Grimbart shrives him on the way And warns him evil to withstand.
CANTO IV.
Excitement's high when it is known That Reynard now draws near the throne. No sooner there than he begins To shift on others all his sins ​And boast of service to the king. This, howe'er, doth not avail, For all the beasts do him assail And bring complaints, by anger moved. Their charges are considered proved, And he condemned for them to swing
But now he talks of treasures vast, Which he discovered in the past; And tells of crimes that then were rife, And plots to take the monarch's life And set up Bruin in his place. These words the king do greatly rouse, And likewise much excite his spouse; So he is ordered to descend And tell them all from end to end, Without evasion, face to face.
CANTO V.
Reynard now the plot sets forth, And shows the treasure's princely worth; Maligns his father, scores the bear, And makes the badger out as clear A traitor as was ever found. He tells what he himself has done, For firmer friend the king has none, To frustrate all their base designs. Of how he's treated then he whines, As if in loyalty not sound.
The king and queen his lies believe, And promise that he shall receive Forgiveness full for all mistakes That he has made, or ever makes, If only now he change his life. He, too, before returning home, Permission gets to visit Rome, To get release from papal ban, Which Leo thinks a worthy plan, As also does the queen, his wife.
CANTO VI.
Now Reynard to the wolves' dismay, From both their hides has cut away A slice, to make him sack and shoes, And then upon his journey goes; But first he by the priest is blest. A cavalcade of nobles go With him some steps, respect to show; But ram and hare induces he To travel on, his home to see, And there before return to rest.
Inside the house he takes the hare, And slaughters him as soon as there; His head he puts within the sack, Which by the ram he sendeth back, As if it bore a king's despatch. The head is found, the ram's condemned, And with the captives matters mend; Once more to honour they are brought, And Reynard's life again is sought, Who deed so dastardly could hatch.
CANTO VII.
A feast of such display and size Is seldom seen by mortal eyes As now is carried on because The wolves and bear, against just laws, Have been to punishment condemned. Before its close, complaints anew Against the fox are brought to view; The rabbit and the crow lament That he on them his spite hath spent, And urge the king such things to end.
An expedition now is formed, And Reynard's fort is to be stormed; Each one desires that he be sent, For they his acts do all resent, And would chastise him out of hand. The badger runs the fox to find, ​And tell him what they have in mind; Then him induces back to go, As he will have much better show If there on his defence he stand.
CANTO VIII.
The fox again that journey takes, A second time confession makes, And as before he tries to shift His sins to others' backs, and lift The burden thus from off his own. The clergy now he takes in hand, The king and courtiers of the land: These all can do whate'er they will, But should a poor man fall, they'll fill The air with shrieks and hunt him down.
The ape now comes upon the two, And tells the fox bold front to show; To Rome he goes, and there he will Make slander's tongue keep very still And Reynard's matters straighten out. He knows them all at court of Rome, With all their tactics is at home; His kinsmen are in numbers there, With them he'll manage this affair, And Reynard need not give it thought.
CANTO IX.
With Grimbart Reynard comes to court, Begins a discourse far from short, In which he labours hard to show That his accusers, as they know, Dare nought against him bring point-blank. He challenges to mortal strife Each one of those who seek his life And equals are with him in birth; For thus is settled, o'er the earth, Disputes 'tween gentlemen of rank.
The king in fury seeks his room, And there he finds the queen, with whom ​Dame Rückenau, old Martin's wife, In converse is about this strife. She Reynard's cause begins to plead, Shows how in court his father shone, How Reynard, too, had often done Most worthy deeds where others failed. The king his anger then bewailed, And let the fox again proceed.
CANTO X.
The fox describes those treasures vast Mentioned in some cantos past: I meant them all for queen and king, And now the ram has everything, Which nought can e'er replace, purloined; Those things I sent by ram and hare, And thus am caught within a snare, For Bellyn has poor Lampen killed; A comrade's blood he's foully spilled, With whom he was as envoy joined.
And I am charged with this base crime; You think me guilty every time Some wicked handicraft is done, Though I am ever on the run My king to serve, whom I adore. His speech is clever, well designed, The king's induced to change his mind, Extends to Reynard leave to go And seek those treasures high and low; But Isengrim feels very sore.
CANTO XI.
The wolf in ferment seeks the king, The air with caustic words doth ring; The king hears all he has to say, And then decides that Reynard may His version of the matter give. The fox once more, with tricks of speech, Makes out himself a saint, who'd teach All beasts how proper lives to lead; ​Yet they through spite, he says, proceed To claim that he's not fit to live.
The furious wolf throws down his glove, To signify that he will prove, In combat, all his charges true. Poor Reynard now can nothing do But take the challenge up and fight. The she-ape comes and proffers aid And Reynard soon by her is made All ready for the coming strife, In which is wagered life for life, To manifest where dwells the right.
CANTO XII.
The fox and wolf within the ring Their duel fight before the king; And never have elsewhere before Sly Reynard's tricks availed him more. With body shorn and laved with oil Evades he all the wolf's attacks; And then with subtle twists and knacks He conquers Isengrim outright. Low cunning better serves than might, In folly's strife or reason's toil.
The wolf from off the field is borne, Defeated, wounded, and forlorn; His wife and friends about him grieve, And think that he can hardly live. But Reynard is exalted high; Success has brought a change of front; The king and all who him were wont To vilify are now his friends. And thus it is this fable ends; Its moral you can now supply.