Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/764

 326 eyes were upraised, and from a hundred thousand breasts came forth one gigantic voice which was like the thunder of heaven,—

"Mother of God, Virgin, Glorified of God, Mary! From Thy Son, our Lord, O Mother whom we implore, only Mother, Obtain for us—pardon of sins! Kyrie eleison!"

And there was such an immense, such a tremendous and conquering force in those voices and in that hymn, as if indeed the thunders of heaven had begun to tear themselves free. Spears quivered in the hands of the knights, banners and flags quivered, the air quivered, tree branches quivered in the forest, and the echoes roused in the pine wood began to answer in the depths, to call, and, as it were, to repeat to the lakes, to the fields, to the whole land in the length and the breadth of it,—

"Obtain for us—pardon of sins! Kyrie eleison!!"

And they sang on,

"This is the holy time Of Thy Son the Crucified. Hear Thou this prayer which we raise to Thee; Bear it to Him, we implore of Thee: 'Give, Lord, on earth worthy life to us; After life give us a dwelling in paradise,' Kyrie eleison—"

The echo repeated in answer, "Kyrie Eleiso-o-o-on!"

Meanwhile, on the right wing a stubborn battle had commenced, and it moved more and more toward the centre.

The uproar, the squealing of horses, the terrible shouts of men were mingled with the hymn. But at moments the shouts ceased, as if breath failed the combatants, and during one of those intervals it was possible once more to distinguish those thundering voices,—

"Adam, thou God's assistant, Thou who art in Divine company, Place us, thy children, where Angels are reigning; Where there is gladness, Where there is love, Where angels see their Creator forever, Kyrie eleison—"