Four Arthurian Romances
May you and all you love be blessed with all that God can do or say." I
know not if they were deceiving him, but they receive him joyfully and
act as if they are pleased that he should be comfortably lodged. Even
the lord's daughter serves him very honourably, as one should treat a
worthy guest. She relieves him of all his arms, nor was it the least
attention she bestowed on him when she herself washed his neck and face.
The lord wishes that all honour should be shown him, as indeed they do.
She gets out from her wardrobe a folded shirt, white drawers, needle and
thread for his sleeves, which she sews on, thus clothing him. [329] May
God want now that this attention and service may not prove too costly to
him! She gave him a handsome jacket to put on over his shirt, and about
his neck she placed a brand new spotted mantle of scarlet stuff.
She takes such pains to serve him well that he feels ashamed and
embarrassed. But the damsel is so courteous and open-hearted and polite
that she feels she is doing very little. And she knows well that it is
her mother's will that she shall leave nothing undone for him which she
thinks may win his gratitude. That night at table he was so well served
with so many dishes that there were too many. The servants who brought
in the dishes might well have been wearied by serving them. That night
they did him all manner of honour, putting him comfortably to bed, and
not once going near him again after he had retired. His lion lay at
his feet, as his custom was. In the morning, when God lighted His great
light for the world, as early as was consistent in one who was always
considerate, my lord Yvain quickly arose, as did his damsel too. They
heard Mass in a chapel, where it was promptly said for them in honour of
the Holy Spirit.
(Vv. 5457-5770.) After the Mass my lord Yvain heard bad news, when he
thought the time had come for him to leave and that nothing would stand
in his way; but it could not be in accordance with his wish. When he
said: "Sire, if it be your will, and with your permission, I am going
now," the master of the house replied: "Friend, I will not grant you
permission yet. There is a reason why I cannot do so, for there is
established in this castle a very terrible practice which I am bound
to observe. I shall now cause to approach two great, strong fellows of
mine, against whom, whether right or wrong, you must take arms. If you
can defend yourself against them, and conquer and slay them both, my
daughter desires you as her lord, and the suzerainty of this town and
all its dependencies awaits you." "Sire," said he, "for all this I have
no desire. So may God never bestow your daughter upon me, but may she
remain with you; for she is so fair and so elegant that the Emperor
of Germany would be fortunate to win her as his wife." "No more, fair
guest," the lord replied: "there is no need of my listening to your
refusal, for you cannot escape. He who can defeat the two, who are about
to attack you, must by right receive my castle, and all my land, and
my daughter as his wife. There is no way of avoiding or renouncing
the battle. But I feel sure that your refusal of my daughter is due to
cowardice, for you think that in this manner you can completely avoid
the battle. Know, however, without fail that you must surely fight. No
knight who lodges here can possibly escape. This is a settled custom
and statute, which will endure yet for many a year, for my daughter will
never be married until I see them dead or defeated." "Then I must fight
them in spite of myself. But I assure you that I should very gladly give
it up. In spite of my reluctance, however, I shall accept the battle,
since it is inevitable." Thereupon, the two hideous, black sons of
the devil come in, both armed with a crooked club of a cornelian
cherry-tree, which they had covered with copper and wound with brass.
They were armed from the shoulders to the knees, but their head and
face were bare, as well as their brawny legs. Thus armed, they advanced,
bearing in their hands round shields, stout and light for fighting. The
lion begins to quiver as soon as he sees them, for he sees the arms they
have, and perceives that they come to fight his master. He is aroused,
and bristles up at once, and, trembling with rage and bold impulse, he
thrashes the earth with his tail, desiring to rescue his master before
they kill him. And when they see him they say: "Vassal, remove the lion
from here that he may not do us harm. Either surrender to us at once, or
else, we adjure you, that lion must be put where he can take no part in
aiding you or in harming us. You must come alone to enjoy our sport, for
the lion would gladly help you, if he could." My lord Yvain then replies
to them: "Take him away yourselves if you are afraid of him. For I shall
be well pleased and satisfied if he can contrive to injure you, and I
shall be grateful for his aid." They answer: "Upon my word that will
not do; you shall never receive any help from him. Do the best you can
alone, without the help of any one. You must fight single-handed against
us two. If you were not alone, it would be two against two; so you must
follow our orders, and remove your lion from here at once, however much
you may dislike to do so." "Where do you wish him to be?" he asks, "or
where do you wish me to put him?" Then they show him a small room, and
say: "Shut him up in there." "It shall be done, since it is your will."
Then he takes him and shuts him up. And now they bring him arms for his
body, and lead out his horse, which they give to him, and he mounts. The
two champions, being now assured about the lion, which is shut up in
the room, come at him to injure him and do him harm. They give him such
blows with the maces that his shield and helmet are of little use, for
when they hit him on the helmet they batter it in and break it; and the
shield is broken and dissolved like ice, for they make such holes in
it that one could thrust his fists through it: their onslaught is truly
terrible. And he--what does he do against these two devils? Urged on
by shame and fear, he defends himself with all his strength. He strains
every nerve, and exerts himself to deal heavy, and telling blows; they
lost nothing by his gifts, for he returned their attentions with
double measure. In his room, the lion's heart is heavy and sad, for he
remembers the kind deed done for him by this noble man, who now must
stand in great need of his service and aid. If now he could escape
from there, he would return him the kindness with full measure and
full bushel, without any discount whatsoever. He looks about in all
directions, but sees no way of escape. He hears the blows of the
dangerous and desperate fight, and in his grief he rages and is beside
himself. He investigates, until he comes to the threshold, which was
beginning to grow rotten; and he scratches at it until he can squeeze
himself in as far as his haunches, when he sticks fast. Meanwhile, my
lord Yvain was hard pressed and sweating freely, for he found that the
two fellows were very strong, fierce, and persistent. He had received
many a blow, and repaid it as best he could, but without doing them any
harm, for they were well skilled in fencing, and their shields were not
of a kind to be hacked by any sword, however sharp and well tempered
it might be. So my lord Yvain had good reason to fear his death, yet he
managed to hold his own until the lion extricated himself by continued
scratching beneath the threshold. If the rascals are not killed now,
surely they will never be. For so long as the lion knows them to be
alive, they can never obtain truce or peace with him. He seizes one of
them, and pulls him down to earth like a tree-trunk. The wretches are
terrified, and there is not a man present who does not rejoice. For he
whom the lion has dragged down will never be able to rise again, unless
the other succours him. He runs up to bring him aid, and at the same
time to protect himself, lest the lion should attack him as soon as he
had despatched the one whom he had thrown down; he was more afraid of
the lion than of his master. But my lord Yvain will be foolish now if
he allows him longer life, when he sees him turn his back, and sees his
neck bare and exposed; this chance turned out well for him. When the
rascal exposed to him his bare head and neck, he dealt him such a blow
that he smote his head from his shoulders so quietly that the fellow
never knew a word about it. Then he dismounts, wishing to help and save
the other one from the lion, who holds him fast. But it is of no use,
for already he is in such straits that a physician can never arrive in
time; for the lion, coming at him furiously, so wounded him at the first
attack, that he was in a dreadful state. Nevertheless, he drags the lion
back, and sees that he had torn his shoulder from its place. He is in
no fear of the fellow now, for his club has fallen from his hand, and
he lies like a dead man without action or movement; still he has enough
strength to speak, and he said as clearly as he could: "Please take your
lion away, fair sire, that he may not do me further harm. Henceforth you
may do with me whatever may be your desire. Whoever begs and prays
for mercy, ought not to have his prayer refused, unless he addresses a
heartless man. I will no longer defend myself, nor will I ever get up
from here with my own strength; so I put myself in your hands." "Speak
out then," he says, "if thou dost admit that thou art conquered and
defeated." "Sire," he says, "it is evident. I am defeated in spite of
myself, and I surrender, I promise you." "Then thou needest have no
further fear of me, and my lion will leave thee alone." Then he is
surrounded by all the crowd, who arrive on the scene in haste. And both
the lord and his lady rejoice over him, and embrace him, and speak to
him of their daughter, saying: "Now you will be the lord and master of
us all, and our daughter will be your wife, for we bestow her upon you
as your spouse." "And for my part," he says. "I restore her to you. Let
him who has her keep her. I have no concern with her, though I say it
not in disparagement. Take it not amiss if I do not accept her, for
I cannot and must not do so. But deliver to me now, if you will, the
wretched maidens in your possession. The agreement, as you well know,
is that they shall all go free." "What you say is true," he says: "and I
resign and deliver them freely to you: there will be no dispute on that
score. But you will be wise to take my daughter with all my wealth, for
she is fair, and charming, and sensible. You will never find again such
a rich marriage as this." "Sire," he replies, "you do not know of my
engagements and my affairs, and I do not dare to explain them to you.
But, you may be sure, when I refuse what would never be refused by any
one who was free to devote his heart and intentions to such a fair and
charming girl, that I too would willingly accept her hand if I could, or
if I were free to accept her or any other maid. But I assure you that I
cannot do it: so let me depart in peace. For the damsel, who escorted
me hither, is awaiting me. She has kept me company, and I would not
willingly desert her whatever the future may have in store." "You wish
to go, fair sire? But how? My gate will never be opened for you unless
my judgment bids me give the command; rather shall you remain here as my
prisoner. You are acting haughtily and making a mistake when you disdain
to take my daughter at my request." "Disdain, my lord? Upon my soul, I
do not disdain her. Whatever the penalty may be, I cannot marry a wife
or tarry here. I shall follow the damsel who is my guide: for otherwise
it cannot be. But, with your consent, I will pledge you my right hand,