The Poem of the Cid (The Song of the Cid)

“And from their lips, all of them, fell the same prayer: / ‘Oh God, what a wonderful servant, if only he had a decent / master!’”

Even though the Cid has been exiled, the people of Castile remain on his side and recognize his goodness. “All of them” are sad to see him go, and from their mouths, speaking to God in prayer, they tacitly accuse the king of unjustly exiling the Cid. This moment sets up a major theme of the text: the Cid’s unjust exile and the duty of a leader to rule fairly rather than listen to gossip.

 “O, mighty Cid, born at a lucky hour! Stay here tonight, and we’ll leave in the morning— / Because, for sure, I’ll be accused of doing what I’ve done, / And King Alfonso’s anger will hunt me down. / If I run off with you, and stay in one piece, / Sooner or later the king will want to be friendly— / And if not, whatever I leave is dust on the ground.”

This quote is spoken by Martín Antolínez, the first follower of the Cid to be named. He gives up everything in his life to follow the Cid, because at this point in the narrative the King would punish anyone who helps a man exiled from court. Martín Antolínez speaks to that sacrifice here, but it is framed in a way that shows his enthusiasm and true support for the Cid, who he knows will be accepted back at court eventually.

“I call to your grace, O Cid, you who were born for grandeur! / You’ve been driven out of Castile by malicious informers.”

The Cid’s wife, Doña Jimena, speaks these words to him, giving the reader some insight into the cause of the exile, which is otherwise obscured by the loss of the first pages of The Cid. She mentions “malicious informers” have driven him from court,