A green island
Like an emerald burning in the ocean
On the shore, a woman fishing
The net was made from strands of her own shining hair
And fish jumped in of their own accord.
Ruggiero flew over a land of meadows
Orange groves, and shady forests
Where the nightingale shelters
As soon as he was close enough
He leapt to the ground
He dragged his steed to earth
And tethered her to a nearby myrtle bush
While he stopped to drink from a pool of clear water
Travelling a thousand miles in full armour gives you a thirst.
But then the myrtle bush cleared its throat
'Excuse me: please untie your strange beast.
Once I was a knight
Until I was changed into this bush by the enchantress Alcina
I don't deserve to become a tethering post as well.'
The myrtle bush urged the astonished Ruggiero
Not to fall into the enchantress' snares
Ruggiero promised to resist temptation
But as he walked along the shore
There was Alcina
Smiling and holding out her hand
'Come, Ruggiero: let me show you my island.
And join me for dinner – look, fish pie.'
How could Ruggiero withstand enchantment like this?
He settled into a life of luxury on the island
So much fish pie
That he almost couldn't fit into his armour anymore
But one day, as he lay back idly watching the clouds
A turtle dove, flying overhead
Dropped something at his feet:
Bradamante's magic ring.
At once Ruggiero woke from the spell
With the image of his true love in his head
He saw Alcina with different eyes
Gaps in her teeth
A bald patch on her head
And those breasts like firm ripe apples
Seemed to him now like wrinkled rotten fruit
He rushed from her perfumed pavilion
Gasping for breath
While Alcina, heart-broken
Tried to decide whether to turn him to a pine tree
A pebble or a polecat
But it was too late
Ruggiero was gone.