The Song of Roland (Webster's Thesaurus Edition)

270 Pages·2006·1.96 MB·English

by  C.K. Moncrief

THE SONG OF ROLAND

Webster’s Thesaurus Edition for PSAT®, SAT®, GRE®, LSAT®,
GMAT®, and AP® English Test Preparation

Translated by C.K. Moncrief

PSAT is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board and the National Merit Scholarship
Corporation neither of which sponsors or endorses this book; SAT is a registered trademark of the College
Board which neither sponsors nor endorses this book; GRE, AP and Advanced Placement are registered
trademarks of the Educational Testing Service which neither sponsors nor endorses this book, GMAT is a
registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admissions Council which is neither affiliated with this book
nor endorses this book, LSATis a registered trademark of the Law School Admissions Council which neither
sponsors nor endorses this product. All rights reserved.
The Song of Roland

Webster’s Thesaurus Edition for PSAT®, SAT®, GRE®, LSAT®,
GMAT®, and AP® English Test Preparation

Translated by C.K. Moncrief
PSAT® is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board and the National Merit
Scholarship Corporation neither of which sponsors or endorses this book; SAT® is a registered trademark of the
College Board which neither sponsors nor endorses this book; GRE®, AP® and Advanced Placement® are
registered trademarks of the Educational Testing Service which neither sponsors nor endorses this book,
GMAT® is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admissions Council which is neither affiliated
with this book nor endorses this book, LSAT® is a registered trademark of the Law School Admissions Council
which neither sponsors nor endorses this product. All rights reserved.
ICON CLASSICS

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www.icongrouponline.com

The Song of Roland: Webster’s Thesaurus Edition for PSAT®, SAT®, GRE®, LSAT®, GMAT®, and AP®
English Test Preparation

This edition published by ICON Classics in 2005
Printed in the United States of America.

Copyright ©2005 by ICON Group International, Inc.
Edited by Philip M. Parker, Ph.D. (INSEAD); Copyright ©2005, all rights reserved.

All rights reserved. This book is protected by copyright. No part of it may be reproduced, stored in a
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PSAT® is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board and the
National Merit Scholarship Corporation neither of which sponsors or endorses this book;
SAT® is a registered trademark of the College Board which neither sponsors nor endorses
this book; GRE®, AP® and Advanced Placement® are registered trademarks of the
Educational Testing Service which neither sponsors nor endorses this book, GMAT® is a
registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admissions Council which is neither
affiliated with this book nor endorses this book, LSAT® is a registered trademark of the Law
School Admissions Council which neither sponsors nor endorses this product. All rights
reserved.

ISBN 0-497-25304-6
iii

Contents

PREFACE FROM THE EDITOR..........................................................................................1

THE SONG OF ROLAND....................................................................................................3

GLOSSARY...................................................................................................................209

Translated by Moncrief 1

PREFACE FROM THE EDITOR

Designed for school districts, educators, and students seeking to maximize performance on
standardized tests, Webster’s paperbacks take advantage of the fact that classics are frequently
assigned readings in English courses. By using a running thesaurus at the bottom of each page, this
edition of The Song of Roland by Translated By C.K. Moncrief was edited for students who are
actively building their vocabularies in anticipation of taking PSAT®, SAT®, AP® (Advanced
Placement®), GRE®, LSAT®, GMAT® or similar examinations.1

Webster’s edition of this classic is organized to expose the reader to a maximum number of
synonyms and antonyms for difficult and often ambiguous English words that are encountered in
other works of literature, conversation, or academic examinations. Extremely rare or idiosyncratic
words and expressions are given lower priority in the notes compared to words which are “difficult,
and often encountered” in examinations. Rather than supply a single synonym, many are provided
for a variety of meanings, allowing readers to better grasp the ambiguity of the English language,
and avoid using the notes as a pure crutch. Having the reader decipher a word’s meaning within
context serves to improve vocabulary retention and understanding. Each page covers words not
already highlighted on previous pages. If a difficult word is not noted on a page, chances are that it
has been highlighted on a previous page. A more complete thesaurus is supplied at the end of the
book; Synonyms and antonyms are extracted from Webster’s Online Dictionary.

Definitions of remaining terms as well as translations can be found at www.websters-online-
dictionary.org. Please send suggestions to [email protected]

The Editor
Webster’s Online Dictionary
www.websters-online-dictionary.org
1 P S A T ® i s a r e g i s t e r e d t r a d e m a r k o f t h e College Entrance Examination Board and the National Merit
Scholarship Corporation neither of which sponsors or endorses this book; SAT® is a registered trademark of the
College Board which neither sponsors nor endorses this book; GRE®, AP® and Advanced Placement® are
registered trademarks of the Educational Testing Service which neither sponsors nor endorses this book,
GMAT® is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admissions Council which is neither affiliated
with this book nor endorses this book, LSAT® is a registered trademark of the Law School Admissions Council
which neither sponsors nor endorses this product. All rights reserved.

Translated by Moncrief 3

THE SONG OF ROLAND

I

Charles the King, our Lord and Sovereign,
Full seven years hath sojourned in Spain,
Conquered the land, and won the western main,
Now no fortress against him doth remain,
No city walls are left for him to gain,
Save Sarraguce, that sits on high mountain.%
Marsile its King, who feareth not God's name,
Mahumet's man, he invokes Apollin's aid,
Nor wards off ills that shall to him attain.
AOI.

II

Thesaurus
attain: (v) make, reach, achieve, (n, v) decrease; (v) reduce, scatter, sits: (n) sat.
acquire, gain, strike, catch, arrive at, collapse. walls: (n) brickwork, buttresses,
find, obtain, come to. ANTONYMS: remain: (n, v) abide, endure, continue, defenses, masonry, ramparts,
(v) lose, fail, abandon, surrender, last; (v) bide, linger, stay, keep, fortifications.
differ. persist, live, hold. ANTONYMS: (v) western: (adj) occidental, Hesperian,
fortress: (n) fort, bulwark, fortification, leave, depart, change, move, go, occasive, occiduous, ponent,
castle, stronghold, citadel, alcazar, become, stop. westbound; (n) horse opera, western
tower, presidio, redoubt; (n, v) keep. seven: (adj, n) VII; (n) September, sandwich, western movie, country,
gain: (n, v) profit, benefit, win, catch, septet, week, nine, knave, king, jack, cowboy picture.
advance; (v) derive, earn, get, attain, queen, digit, Sevener.
reach; (n) earnings. ANTONYMS: (n) shall: (n) must, necessity; (v) require,
loss, deficit, disadvantage, setback; bequeath, leave.
4 The Song of Roland
King Marsilies he lay at Sarraguce,
Went he his way into an orchard cool;
There on a throne he sate, of marble blue,
Round him his men, full twenty thousand, stood.
Called he forth then his counts, also his dukes:
"My Lords, give ear to our impending doom:
That Emperour, Charles of France the Douce,
Into this land is come, us to confuse.%
I have no host in battle him to prove,
Nor have I strength his forces to undo.
Counsel me then, ye that are wise and true;
Can ye ward off this present death and dule?"
What word to say no pagan of them knew,
Save Blancandrin, of th' Castle of Val Funde.

III

Blancandrins was a pagan very wise,
In vassalage he was a gallant knight,
First in prowess, he stood his lord beside.
And thus he spoke: "Do not yourself affright!
Yield to Carlun, that is so big with pride,
Faithful service, his friend and his ally;
Lions and bears and hounds for him provide,
Thousand mewed hawks, sev'n hundred camelry;

Thesaurus
affright: (v) frighten, scare, horrify, hawks: (n) Falconiformes, caracaras, saturate, gorge, take, surfeit, content,
startle, terrorize, terrify, intimidate; order Falconiformes, harriers. replete.
(n) dread, alarm, fear; (n, v) fright. pagan: (adj, n) gentile, ethnic, agnostic; undo: (v) loosen, open, annul, cancel,
doom: (n, v) sentence, destine, fate; (v) (n) idolater, infidel, paynim, heretic; separate, disentangle, untie, unfold,
condemn, convict, damn; (n) destiny, (adj) heathenish, irreligious, ethnical, reverse, disconnect, nullify.
day of reckoning, chance, luck, lot. profane. ANTONYMS: (v) attach, close, do,
ANTONYMS: (n) plan; (v) absolve. prowess: (n) bravery, valor, art, wrap, tangle, validate, knot, lock,
gallant: (adj) fearless, brave, daring, heroism, proficiency, mastery, permit, unite, approve.
courageous, chivalrous, bold, manly, expertise, gallantry, intrepidity, vassalage: (n) servitude, captivity,
heroic, dashing, courteous, fine. chivalry, skill. ANTONYMS: (n) serfhood, serfdom, villenage,
ANTONYMS: (adj) boorish, rude, inability, ineptitude. bondage, subjection, dependence,
selfish. sate: (v) fill, satisfy, glut, satiate, pall, enslavement, inthrallment, manrent.
Translated by Moncrief 5
Silver and gold, four hundred mules load high;
Fifty wagons his wrights will need supply,
Till with that wealth he pays his soldiery.%
War hath he waged in Spain too long a time,
To Aix, in France, homeward he will him hie.
Follow him there before Saint Michael's tide,
You shall receive and hold the Christian rite;
Stand honour bound, and do him fealty.
Send hostages, should he demand surety,
Ten or a score, our loyal oath to bind;
Send him our sons, the first-born of our wives; --
An he be slain, I'll surely furnish mine.
Better by far they go, though doomed to die,
Than that we lose honour and dignity,
And be ourselves brought down to beggary."
AOI.

IV

Says Blancandrins: "By my right hand, I say,
And by this beard, that in the wind doth sway,
The Frankish host you'll see them all away;
Franks will retire to France their own terrain.
When they are gone, to each his fair domain,
In his Chapelle at Aix will Charles stay,

Thesaurus
fealty: (n) loyalty, homage, scuff. guarantor, certainty, assurance,
faithfulness, devotion, fidelity, faith, oath: (n) expletive, malediction, sponsor, bail.
constancy, feute, feutee, genuflection, imprecation, promise, affidavit, cuss, sway: (n, v) command, rule, control,
kneeling prostration. swearing, pledge, assurance, rock, stagger, roll; (v) oscillate, reel,
first-born: (adj) older. asseveration; (v) swear. lurch, shake; (n) reign. ANTONYMS:
furnish: (v) afford, provide, rite: (n) custom, observance, form, (v) stay, dissuade, discourage.
contribute, render, offer, ritual, liturgy, ceremonial, formality, terrain: (n) ground, field, land,
accommodate, supply, outfit, yield, office, practice, sacrament, worship. country, area, grounds, region, earth,
decorate; (n, v) give. ANTONYM: (v) slain: (v) slay; (adj) overthrown, mat, territory, topography, scenery.
divest. fallen, dejected, cast down. ANTONYM: (n) sea.
homeward: (adj) oriented, orientated. surety: (n) collateral, pledge, hostage, wives: (n) woman.
mules: (n) mule, scuffs, carpet slipper, guarantee, earnest, guaranty,