Four Arthurian Romances
[139] or Ospinel, or Fernagu. For before them, on sharpened stakes,
there stood bright and shining helmets, and each one had beneath the rim
a man's head. But at the end there stood a stake where as yet there was
nothing but a horn. [140] He knows not what this signifies, yet draws
not back a step for that; rather does he ask the King, who was beside
him at the right, what this can be. The King speaks and explains to him:
"Friend," he says, "do you know the meaning of this thing that you see
here? You must be in great terror of it, if you care at all for your own
body; for this single stake which stands apart, where you see this horn
hung up, has been waiting a very long time, but we know not for whom,
whether for you or someone else. Take care lest thy head be set up
there; for such is the purpose of the stake. I had warned you well of
that before you came here. I do not expect that you will escape hence,
but that you will be killed and rent apart. For this much we know, that
the stake awaits your head. And if it turns out that it be placed
there, as the matter stands agreed, as soon as thy head is fixed upon it
another stake will be set up beside it which will await the arrival of
some one else--I know not when or whom. I will tell you nothing of the
horn; but never has any one been able to blow it. [141] However, he
who shall succeed in blowing it his fame and honour will grow until it
distance all those of his country, and he shall find such renown that
all will come to do him honour, and will hold him to be the best of them
all. Now there is no more of this matter. Have your men withdraw; for
'the Joy' will soon arrive, and will make you sorry, I suspect."
(Vv. 5827-6410.) Meanwhile King Evrain leaves his side, and Erec stoops
over before Enide, whose heart was in great distress, although she held
her peace; for grief on lips is of no account unless it also touch the
heart. And he who well knew her heart, said to her: "Fair sister dear,
gentle, loyal, and prudent lady, I am acquainted with your thoughts.
You are in fear, I see that well, and yet you do not know for what; but
there is no reason for your dismay until you shall see that my shield is
shattered and that my body is wounded, and until you see the meshes of
my bright hauberk covered with blood, and my helmet broken and smashed,
and me defeated and weary, so that I can no longer defend myself, but
must beg and sue for mercy against my will; then you may lament, but now
you have begun too soon. Gentle lady, as yet you know not what this
is to be; no more do I. You are troubled without cause. But know this
truly: if there were in me only so much courage as your love inspires,
truly I should not fear to face any man alive. But I am foolish to vaunt
myself; yet I say it not from any pride, but because I wish to comfort
you. So comfort yourself, and let it be! I cannot longer tarry here, nor
can you go along with me; for, as the King has ordered, I must not take
you beyond this point." Then he kisses her and commends her to God, and
she him. But she is much chagrined that she cannot follow and escort
him, until she may learn and see what this adventure is to be, and
how he will conduct himself. But since she must stay behind and cannot
follow him, she remains sorrowful and grieving. And he went off alone
down a path, without companion of any sort, until he came to a silver
couch with a cover of gold-embroidered cloth, beneath the shade of
a sycamore; and on the bed a maiden of comely body and lovely face,
completely endowed with all beauty, was seated all alone. I intended to
say no more of her; but whoever could consider well all her attire and
her beauty might well say that never did Lavinia of Laurentum, who was
so fair and comely, possess the quarter of her beauty. Erec draws near
to her, wishing to see her more closely, and the onlookers go and sit
down under the trees in the orchard. Then behold, there comes a knight
armed with vermilion arms, and he was wondrous tall; and if he were not
so immeasurably tall, under the heavens there would be none fairer than
he; but, as every one averred, he was a foot taller than any knight he
knew. Before Erec caught sight of him, he cried out: "Vassal, vassal!
You are mad, upon my life, thus to approach my damsel. I should say
you are not worthy to draw near her. You will pay dearly for your
presumption, by my head! Stand back!" And Erec stops and looks at him,
and the other, too, stood still. Neither made advance until Erec had
replied all that he wished to say to him. "Friend," he says, "one can
speak folly as well as good sense. Threaten as much as you please, and
I will keep silence; for in threatening there is no sense. Do you know
why? A man sometimes thinks he has won the game who afterward loses it.
So he is manifestly a fool who is too presumptuous and who threatens too
much. If there are some who flee there are plenty who chase, but I do
not fear you so much that I am going to run away yet. I am ready to make
such defence, if there is any who wishes to offer me battle, that he
will have to do his uttermost, or otherwise he cannot escape." "Nay,"
quoth he, "so help me God! know that you shall have the battle, for I
defy and challenge you." And you may know, upon my word, that then the
reins were not held in. The lances they had were not light, but were big
and square; nor were they planed smooth, but were rough and strong. Upon
the shields with mighty strength they smote each other with their sharp
weapons, so that a fathom of each lance passes through the gleaming
shields. But neither touches the other's flesh, nor was either lance
cracked; each one, as quickly as he could, draws back his lance, and
both rushing together, return to the fray. One against the other rides,
and so fiercely they smite each other that both lances break and the
horses fall beneath them. But they, being seated on their steeds,
sustain no harm; so they quickly rise, for they were strong and lithe.
They stand on foot in the middle of the garden, and straightway attack
each other with their green swords of German steel, and deal great
wicked blows upon their bright and gleaming helmets, so that they hew
them into bits, and their eyes shoot out flame. No greater efforts can
be made than those they make in striving and toiling to injure and wound
each other. Both fiercely smite with the gilded pommel and the cutting
edge. Such havoc did they inflict upon each other's teeth, cheeks, nose,
hands, arms, and the rest, upon temples, neck, and throat that their
bones all ache. They are very sore and very tired; yet they do not
desist, but rather only strive the more. Sweat, and the blood which
flows down with it, dim their eyes, so that they can hardly see a thing;
and very often they missed their blows, like men who did not see to
wield their swords upon each other. They can scarcely harm each other
now; yet, they do not desist at all from exercising all their strength.
Because their eyes are so blinded that they completely lose their sight,
they let their shields fall to the ground, and seize each other angrily.
Each pulls and drags the other, so that they fall upon their knees.
Thus, long they fight until the hour of noon is past, and the big knight
is so exhausted that his breath quite fails him. Erec has him at his
mercy, and pulls and drags so that he breaks all the lacing of his
helmet, and forces him over at his feet. He falls over upon his face
against Erec's breast, and has not strength to rise again. Though it
distresses him, he has to say and own: "I cannot deny it, you have
beaten me; but much it goes against my will. And yet you may be of such
degree and fame that only credit will redound to me; and insistently I
would request, if it may be in any way, that I might know your name, and
he thereby somewhat comforted. If a better man has defeated me, I shall
be glad, I promise you; but if it has so fallen out that a baser man
than I has worsted me, then I must feel great grief indeed." "Friend,
dost thou wish to know my name?" says Erec; "Well, I shall tell thee ere
I leave here; but it will be upon condition that thou tell me now why
thou art in this garden. Concerning that I will know all what is thy
name and what the Joy; for I am very anxious to hear the truth from
beginning to end of it." "Sire," says he, "fearlessly I will tell you
all you wish to know." Erec no more withholds his name, but says: "Didst
thou ever hear of King Lac and of his son Erec?" "Yea, sire, I knew
him well; for I was at his father's court for many a day before I was
knighted, and, if he had had his will, I should never have left him for
anything." "Then thou oughtest to know me well, if thou weft ever with
me at the court of my father, the King." "Then, upon my faith, it has
turned out well. Now hear who has detained me so long in this garden. I
will tell the truth in accordance with your injunction, whatever it
may cost me. That damsel who yonder sits, loved me from childhood and
I loved her. It pleased us both, and our love grew and increased, until
she asked a boon of me, but did not tell me what it was. Who would
deny his mistress aught? There is no lover but would surely do all his
sweet-heart's pleasure without default or guile, whenever he can in any
way. I agreed to her desire; but when I had agreed, she would have it,
too, that I should swear. I would have done more than that for her, but
she took me at my word. I made her a promise, without knowing what. Time
passed until I was made a knight. King Evrain, whose nephew I am, dubbed
me a knight in the presence of many honourable men in this very garden
where we are. My lady, who is sitting there, at once recalled to me my
word, and said that I had promised her that I would never go forth from
here until there should come some knight who should conquer me by trial
of arms. It was right that I should remain, for rather than break my
word, I should never have pledged it. Since I knew the good there was in
her, I could nor reveal or show to the one whom I hold most dear that
in all this I was displeased; for if she had noticed it, she would have
withdrawn her heart, and I would not have had it so for anything that
might happen. Thus my lady thought to detain me here for a long stay;
she did not think that there would ever enter this garden any vassal who
could conquer me. In this way she intended to keep me absolutely shut up
with her all the days of my life. And I should have committed an offence
if I had had resort to guile and not defeated all those against whom I
could prevail; such escape would have been a shame. And I dare to assure
you that I have no friend so dear that I would have feigned at all in
fighting with him. Never did I weary of arms, nor did I ever refuse to
fight. You have surely seen the helmets of those whom I have defeated
and put to death; but the guilt of it is not mine, when one considers it
aright. I could not help myself, unless I were willing to be false and
recreant and disloyal. Now I have told you the truth, and be assured
that it is no small honour which you have gained. You have given great
joy to the court of my uncle and my friends; for now I shall be released
from here; and because all those who are at the court will have joy of
it, therefore those who awaited the joy called it 'Joy of the Court'.
They have awaited it so long that now it will be granted them by you who
have won it by your fight. You have defeated and bewitched my prowess
and my chivalry. Now it is right that I tell you my name, if you would
know it. I am called Mabonagrain; but I am not remembered by that name
in any land where I have been, save only in this region; for never, when
I was a squire, did I tell or make known my name. Sire, you knew the