The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1898-09-01
The Ci& Of Spanish Legend
THE Cid of Spanish ballad. the Ci
By FRANK WALLER ALLEN.

THE Cid of Spanish ballad, the Cid
OF legend, romance and drama,
the Cid OF hundred thousand battles,
the Gid OF famous Spanish epic. the Cid
invoked 10y all Spaniards, good and
bad, at all times when the nation is in
danger, and whose very name inspires
Ihe tree soldier on to victory. and has
ever been perpetual in inspiring Span
lsh patriotism, is 4 mythological char
acter in Spanish tradition that has
doubtless grown from the real char
acter OF Rodrigo Diaz De Bivar--a sort
OF freebooter and rebel whose daring
bravery ami many victories won him
the nainc of The Cid, or The Lord"
The people not only worshiped this
perfect one while he lived. but in all
the ages since they have sung his
praises III song and ballad until to-day
among the Spanish soldiers he is the
invincibe, magnanmous, the aIl-pow-
erfnl "Ny Cid who is the type of all
manly virtue, the mirror of all patriot
lc duty. and the blossoming flower of
all Christian grace. He is everything.
He is almost the Christ as the Jews
'"'' ItN' Isi'i HlIH i1c Is .\dioitOH,
Wellington and Nelson, and Washing
ton, Lincoln and Lee all in one.
In all the other nations of the world.
not excepting King Arthur, of English
legend. there is no character that holds
the place of that of the Cid in Spanish
literature. IN fact. most all of the
Spanish classics arc built around some
story of his NEUROLOGICAL life. The
song of the Cid that was chanted bv
the wandering minstrels in the twelfth
century has survived to be hymned in
the odcs of the Spanish soldier t o. day.
They believe just as firmly as they be-
Neve in God that the Cid will deliver
them finally victorious from the hands
OF the Americans in this present war.
Within hundred years of his death
the Cid had become the center of hun
dreds Of myths. The Poem Del Cid"
writtenin the latter half of the twelfth
century, has scarcely any trace of his
torical character. The poem of the Cid
is but a fragment of 3 ,74i lines writ
ten In baTharous style, in rugged asso-
nant rhymes, and a rude Alexandrine
measure, but it glows with the pure
flre of poetry. and is full of a noble sim
phclty and a true cpical value and
grandeur. and is invaluable as a living
picture of the age. Most of the ballads
OF the Cid arc extinct. There were at
one time over 200 of them; to-day. how
ever, there are not more than a half
dozen ttat can be traced without
doubt over a few centuries back. One
OF the most beautiful of these is given
further on. All these ballads take
great liberties with history. thus belly
ing the opinion of Sancho Panza that
the ballads are too old to tell lies"
The real Cid Of history. although fall
ing short of the poetical ideal which
his coun;rymen have bestowed upon
INN, was great warrior, gaining his
name in the Ion" struggle between the
christians and the Aoslem. He was
born at Bivar, from which he derives
his name Rodrigo Diaz de Bivar. of a
noble family, some time between the
years 1890 and ,040. His exploits were
great, but nevertheless he was a man
with human power. From this person,
however. doubtless started all the
oeautlfnl Spanish legends that hover
about the Cid.
While these legends, written in both
prose and poetry, are very beautiful
ana form great part of Spanish lit
erature. they cannot be relied upon,
and some aspiring Spanish author is
continually discovering a new one,
doubtless concocted in his own brain.
There is one beautiful story of his
blrth that tells of his mother praying
TO the Virgin 20 give her son. She
continued her prayer day after day
until one morning she begins her
prayers over beautiful red rose and
while praying her tears drop on it's pc
tals and turn them white. When she
stops her prayers and glances down
ward, there in the heart of the white
rose she finds little wee baby nesting
among the immaculate petals. Such
was the birth of the Cid.
Like cur own great men, the famous
nero of Spain is represented as exhib-
iang Oh SO many occasions great gen