Four Arthurian Romances
going well, and that he will be peacefully reconciled with her. So he
says: "Lady, one ought to have mercy on a sinner. I have had to pay, and
dearly to pay, for my mad act. It was madness that made me stay away,
and I now admit my guilt and sin. I have been bold, indeed, in daring
to present myself to you; but if you will deign to keep me now, I never
again shall do you any wrong." She replied: "I will surely consent to
that; for if I did not do all I could to establish peace between you
and me, I should be guilty of perjury. So, if you please, I grant your
request." "Lady," says he, "so truly as God in this mortal life could
not otherwise restore me to happiness, so may the Holy Spirit bless me
five hundred times!"
(Vv. 6799-6813.) Now my lord Yvain is reconciled, and you may believe
that, in spite of the trouble he has endured, he was never so happy
for anything. All has turned out well at last; for he is beloved and
treasured by his lady, and she by him. His troubles no longer are in
his mind; for he forgets them all in the joy he feels with his precious
wife. And Lunete, for her part, is happy too: all her desires are
satisfied when once she had made an enduring peace between my polite
lord Yvain and his sweetheart so dear and so elegant.
(Vv. 6814-6818.) Thus Chrétien concludes his romance of the Knight with
the Lion; for I never heard any more told of it, nor will you ever hear
any further particulars, unless some one wishes to add some lies.
----Endnotes: Yvain
Endnotes supplied by Prof. Foerster are indicated by "(F.)"; all other
endnotes are supplied by W.W. Comfort.
[Footnote 31:
"cele feste, qui tant coste,
Qu'an doit clamer la pantecoste."
This rhyme is frequently met in mediaeval narrative poems.
(F.)]]
[Footnote 32: The contemporary degeneracy of lovers and of the art of
love is a favourite theme of mediaeval poets.]
[Footnote 33: Cf. "Roman de la Rose", 9661, for the stinking manure pit.
(F.)]
[Footnote 34: The forest of Broceliande is in Brittany, and in it
Chrétien places the marvellous spring of Barenton, of which we read
in the sequel. In his version the poet forgets that the sea separates
the court at Carduel from the forest of Broceliande. His readers,
however, probably passed over this "lapsus". The most famous passage
relating to this forest and its spring is found in Wace, "Le Roman de
Rou et des dues de Normandie", vv. 6395-6420, 2 vols. (Heilbronn,
1877-79). Cf. further the informing note by W.L. Holland, "Chrétien von
Troies", p. 152 f. (Tubingen, 1854).]
[Footnote 35: This grotesque portrait of the "vilain" is perfectly
conventional in aristocratic poetry, and is also applied to some
Saracens in the epic poems. Cf. W.W. Comfort in "Pub. of the Modern
Language Association of America", xxi. 494 f., and in "The Dublin
Review", July 1911.]
[Footnote 36: For the description of the magic fountain, cf. W.A. Nitze,
"The Fountain Defended" in "Modern Philology", vii. 145-164; G.L.
Hamilton, "Storm-making Springs", etc., in "Romantic Review", ii.
355-375; A.F. Grimme in "Germania", xxxiii. 38; O.M. Johnston in
"Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association",
xxxiii., p. lxxxiii. f.]
[Footnote 37: Eugen Kolbing, "Christian von Troyes Yvain und die
Brandanuslegende" in "Ztsch. fur vergleichende Literaturgeschichte"
(Neue Folge, xi. Brand, 1897), pp. 442-448, has pointed out other
striking allusions in the Latin "Navigatio S. Brandans" (ed. Wahlund,
Upsala, 1900) and elsewhere in Celtic legend to trees teeming with
singing birds, in which the souls of the blessed are incorporated. A
more general reference to trees, animated by the souls of the dead, is
found in J.G. Frazer, "The Golden Bough" (2nd ed. 1900), vol. I., p. 178
f.]
[Footnote 38: Cf. A. Tobler in "Ztsch. fur romanische Philologie", iv.
80-85, who gives many other instances of boasting after meals. See
next note.]
[Footnote 39: Noradin is the Sultan Nureddin Mahmud (reigned 1146-1173),
a contemporary of the poet; Forre is a legendary Saracen king of
Naples, mentioned in the epic poems (cf. E. Langlois, "Table des noms
propres de toute nature compris dans les chansons de geste", Paris,
1904; Albert Counson, "Noms epiques entres dans le vocabulaire commun"
in "Romanische Forschungen", xxiii. 401-413). These names are mentioned
here in connection with the brave exploits which Christian knights,
while in their cups, may boast that they will accomplish (F.). This
practice of boasting was called indulging in "gabs" (=Eng. "gab"), a
good instance of which will be found in "Le Voyage de Charlemagne a
Jeruslaem" (ed. Koschwitz), v. 447 ff.]
[Footnote 310: It is evident in this passage that Chrétien's version is
not clear; the reader cannot be sure in what sort of an apartment
Yvain is secreted. The passage is perfectly clear, however, in the
Welsh "Owein", as shown by A.C.L. Brown in "Romanic Review", iii.
143-172, "On the Independent Character of the Welsh 'Owain'", where he
argues convincingly for an original older than either the extant French
of Welsh versions.]
[Footnote 311: The damsel's surprise and fright at the sight of Yvain,
which puzzled Professor Foerster, is satisfactorily explained by J.
Acher in "Ztsch. fur franzosische Sprache und Literatur", xxxv. 150.]
[Footnote 312: For magic rings, cf. A. Hertel, "Verzauberte
Oertlichkeiten", etc. (Hanover, 1908); D.B. Easter, "The Magic Elements
in the romans d'aventure and the romans bretons" (Baltimore, 1906).]
[Footnote 313: Much has been written on the widespread belief that a
dead person's wounds would bleed afresh in the presence of his
murderer. The passage in our text is interesting as being the earliest
literary reference to the belief. Other instances will be found in
Shakespear ("King Richard III., Act. I., Sc. 2), Cervantes ("Don
Quixote"), Scott ("Ballads"), and Schiller ("Braut von Messina"). In
the 15th and 16th centuries especially, the bleeding of the dead became
in Italy, Germany, France, and Spain an absolute or contributory proof
of guilt in the eyes of the law. The suspected culprit might be
subjected to this ordeal as part of the inquisitional method to
determine guilt. For theories of the origin of this belief and of its
use in legal trials, as well as for more extended bibliography, cf. Karl
Lehmann in "Germanistische Abhandlungen fur Konrad von Maurer"
(Gottingen, 1893), pp. 21-45; C.V. Christensen, "Baareproven"
(Copenhagen, 1900).]
[Footnote 314: W.L. Holland in his note for this passage recalls
Schiller's "Jungfrau von Orleans", Act III. Sc. 7, and Shakespeare,
first part of "King Henry IV.", Act V. Sc. 4:
"When that this body did contain a spirit,
A kingdom for it was too small a bound;
But now two paces of the vilest earth
Is room enough."]
[Footnote 315: Foerster regards this excuse for Kay's defeat as
ironical.]
[Footnote 316: It is hoped that the following passage may have retained
in the translation some of the gay animation which clothes this
description of a royal entry into a mediaeval town.]
[Footnote 317: This idea forms the dominating motive, it will be
recalled, in "Erec et Enide" (cf. note to "Erec", v. 2576).]
[Footnote 318: The parallel between Yvain's and Roland's madness will
occur to readers of Ariosto's "Orlando Furioso", though in the
former case Yvain's madness seems to be rather a retribution for his
failure to keep his promise, while Roland's madness arises from excess
of love.]
[Footnote 319: Argonne is the name of a hilly and well-wooded district
in the north-east of France, lying between the Meuse and the Aisne.]
[Footnote 320: An allusion to the well-known epic tradition embodied in
the "Chanson de Roland". It was common for mediaeval poets to give
names to both the horses and the swords of their heroes.]
[Footnote 321: For the faithful lion in the Latin bestiaries and
mediaeval romances, see the long note of W.L. Holland, "Chrétien von
Troies" (Tubingen, 1854), p. 161 f., and G. Baist in Zeitschrift fur
romanische Philologie, xxi. 402-405. To the examples there cited may be
added the episodes in "Octavian" (15th century), published in the
"Romanische Bibliothek" (Heilbronn, 1883).]
[Footnote 322: This is the first of three references in this poem to the
abduction of Guinevere as fully narrated in the poem of "Lancelot". The
other references are in v. 3918 and v.4740 f.]
[Footnote 323: Yvain here states the theory of the judicial trial by
combat. For another instance see "Lancelot", v. 4963 f. Cf. M. Pfeffer
in "Ztsch. fur romanische Philogie", ix. 1-74, and L. Jordan, id. Xxix.
385-401.]
[Footnote 324: A similar description of a distressed damsel wandering at
night in a forest is found in "Berte aus grans pies", by Adenet le Roi
(13th century).]
[Footnote 325: The lion is forgotten for the moment, but will appear
again v. 5446. (F.)]
[Footnote 326: This entire passage belongs in the catagory of widespread
myths which tell of a tribute of youths or maidens paid to some cruel
monster, from which some hero finally obtains deliverance. Instances
are presented in the adventures of Theseus and Tristan.]
[Footnote 327: The old French monetary table was as follows:
10 as = 1 denier; 12 deniers = 1 sol; 20 sous = 1 livre]
[Footnote 328: It appears to be the poet's prerogative in all epochs of
social history to bemoan the degeneracy of true love in his own
generation.]
[Footnote 329: The sleeves of shirts were detachable, and were sewed on
afresh when a clean garment was put on. (F.)]
[Footnote 330: This was an axiom of feudal society, and occurs more
frequently in feudal literature than any other statement of mediaeval
social relations.]
LANCELOT
or, The Knight of the Cart
(Vv. 1-30.) Since my lady of Champagne wishes me to undertake to write a
romance, [41] I shall very gladly do so, being so devoted to her
service as to do anything in the world for her, without any intention
of flattery. But if one were to introduce any flattery upon such an
occasion, he might say, and I would subscribe to it, that this lady
surpasses all others who are alive, just as the south wind which blows
in May or April is more lovely than any other wind. But upon my word, I
am not one to wish to flatter my lady. I will simply say: "The Countess
is worth as many queens as a gem is worth of pearls and sards." Nay I
shall make no comparison, and yet it is true in spite of me; I will say,
however, that her command has more to do with this work than any thought
or pains that I may expend upon it. Here Chrétien begins his book about
the Knight of the Cart. The material and the treatment of it are given
and furnished to him by the Countess, and he is simply trying to carry
out her concern and intention. Here he begins the story.
(Vv. 31-172.) Upon a certain Ascension Day King Arthur had come from
Caerleon, and had held a very magnificent court at Camelot as was
fitting on such a day. [42] After the feast the King did not quit his
noble companions, of whom there were many in the hall. The Queen was
present, too, and with her many a courteous lady able to converse in
French. And Kay, who had furnished the meal, was eating with the others
who had served the food. While Kay was sitting there at meat, behold
there came to court a knight, well equipped and fully armed, and thus
the knight appeared before the King as he sat among his lords. He gave
him no greeting, but spoke out thus: "King Arthur, I hold in captivity
knights, ladies, and damsels who belong to thy dominion and household;
but it is not because of any intention to restore them to thee that I
make reference to them here; rather do I wish to proclaim and serve thee