The Duke of Neimes Final Words

Shannon Flynn
4/9/2014
All Rights Reserved

The Duke of Neimes Final Words

                The Duke of Neimes was a very honorable person in the Song of Roland. According to the poem, he had done many great deeds in his life, and was also a good friend and colleague of his king, Charlemagne. They were such good friends, that when the Duke died, the King wept in the middle of the battlefield for him. The Duke was valiant, courageous, and a very good comrade. But, his final few words to the King, showed us more, of how much this Duke was really worth.

                The finally words the Duke of Neimes spoke to the King, were complex in saying, but simple in meaning. The words are complex to us of course, but in those times they were the speech of the day, but once told in a way all in this day could understand, they were simple in meaning. He was telling the King, that if a person wronged him and asked for forgiveness, he should grant it to him. For if he did not, that would be sinning against the person and God. He knew that the King would listen to his words, because Charlemagne was a God fearing man.

                Now, the reasons for this warning, was because of the situations around the King. They were attacking the Saracens in revenge for their brutal attack on the Kings rear flank of his army when they were heading to Spain to finish the treaty. This attack caused the death of the Kings nephew Roland, and his comrade Olivier. The King was furious at their deaths, and decided to avenge his two best generals. But, during the battle, the Saracens tried to retreat and surrender. The King would not let this happen. But, as the Duke of Neimes was dying from a spear wound, he told the King those words so that he would no longer she any further blood on either side.

                As the Duke hoped and intended,  those words he spoke saved lives. If it was not for them, Charlemagne would have not stopped the attack, and moved his army forward to the fortress of the Saracens. He would have not accepted the surrender, and entered the city.  If he had not accepted the plea of forgiveness, the Queen of the Saracens, Bramimund, would have not accepted Christianity and had been baptized. If he had not listened to the Duke, more men would have been lost, and the battle would have probably turned out in a draw.

                If you still don't believe that the Duke's words were credible, let me put it to you this way. Let's say that you had been wronged by a person. Let's say that he (or she) hurt you with some very nasty words. Then, the next day they walked up to you, and said they were sorry for the things they said yesterday, and wanted your forgiveness. What would you say? If what they said to you hurt you so much and made you so angry, what would you do? Well, if you told them you would not forgive them, this would happen in a round-about-way: the person would desert you. They would hardly ever talk to you again, and they possibly would never like you either. But, if you accepted their plea of forgiveness, friendship would be restored between you two. The Duke knew that it was practically the same with the Saracens and the French in the Song of Roland. He knew that if Charlemagne didn't accept the Saracens plea, not only would half or all of the battlefield be stained with both side's blood, but more contempt would grow between the nations, and more blood would be shed.

                  If it still confuses you why these words were true, let's look back in history. The Americans were very rough to the Indians, and still are today. We kept pushing and pushing the back away from their homeland. Because of that, they gave back equal force against us. They did things to us that I cannot explain this way, or any way without any discretion. So, how could have this been prevented? If we had just kept our promises and let the Indians be, this would have not happened. The Indians even gave us plenty of chances to cooperate, and they pleaded for mercy many times, but we did not listen. Though it was the opposite between Charlemagne and the Saracens, it still can be compared. The Americans and the Indians is the story to tell us what the Duke was saying would happen if we didn't accept forgiveness, and the Saracens and Charlemagne were the side of the story that showed the good outcome of it all.

                So, as the Duke said, "Now that he comes on your mercy to call, foul sin it were to vex him anymore." We should not be unforgiving in any way. The Bible says that we should. "Love your enemies as yourself," Jesus said on the Mount of Olives. We should never rash in our decision to not forgive. because if we hurt a person that hurt us so horribly and so wrongly, aren't we just as bad as them?

                So to recap, the Duke of Neimes words were spoken on a field of battle, and in a mind of wisdom. We should learn and gain from this, to never hurt our friends or enemies even if they hurt us. And when they do, we should forgive them, especially if they ask us for it, and even if they don't.