The great sixteenth-century poet vividly imagines the end of the First Crusade, led by Godfrey of Bouillon, and the taking of Jerusalem. This decidedly fictional 1581 account, influenced by Homer and Virgil as well as Ariosto's Orlando Furioso, is heavily seasoned with romance, intrigue, and sorcery. Tasso's poem inspired painters, playwrights, and librettists for centuries. Verse translation by Edward Fairfax.