The Song of Roland Author:Patricia Terry (Translator) This is a modern verse translation of the epic Chanson de Roland poem written by a Norman in the 11th century. The language in which it was composed was brought to England by the invaders in 1066; there it became, and for three centuries remained, the literary and court language, and it furnished an important component of modern English. — The li... more »nes of the poem are numbered from 1 to 4002. A small number of footnotes concerning translation of certain words, phrases and references appear throughout the text, but these are brief and do not interfere with a general reading of the poem.« less