Dedication
To where his galleys lay.
The fifty galleys brave
Moved out upon the deep,
And to their chiming oars
Flerida fell asleep,
In Dom Duardos’ arms,
Whose heart with joy did leap.
Know all men that are born,
How sure is fate’s decree,
From neither love nor death
Can mortal man be free.
Ballads on the subject of the slaying a would-be ravisher with his own arms are common in popular poetry, and striking examples are found in Scotch, French, and Spanish. There are several variants in Portuguese of The Pilgrim Maid, but the best is that furnished by Almeida Garrett.