Four Arthurian Romances
the afternoon they arrive at a town, which, you must know, was very
rich and beautiful. All three entered through the gate; the people are
greatly amazed to see the knight borne upon the cart, and they take no
pains to conceal their feelings, but small and great and old and young
shout taunts at him in the streets, so that the knight hears many vile
and scornful words at his expense. [45] They all inquire: "To what
punishment is this knight to be consigned? Is he to be rayed, or hanged,
or drowned, or burned upon a fire of thorns? Tell us, thou dwarf,
who art driving him, in what crime was he caught? Is he convicted of
robbery? Is he a murderer, or a criminal?" And to all this the dwarf
made no response, vouchsafing to them no reply. He conducts the knight
to a lodging-place; and Gawain follows the dwarf closely to a tower,
which stood on the same level over against the town. Beyond there
stretched a meadow, and the tower was built close by, up on a lofty
eminence of rock, whose face formed a sharp precipice. Following the
horse and cart, Gawain entered the tower. In the hall they met a damsel
elegantly attired, than whom there was none fairer in the land, and with
her they saw coming two fair and charming maidens. As soon as they saw
my lord Gawain, they received him joyously and saluted him, and then
asked news about the other knight: "Dwarf, of what crime is this knight
guilty, whom thou dost drive like a lame man?" He would not answer
her question, but he made the knight get out of the cart, and then he
withdrew, without their knowing whither he went. Then my lord Gawain
dismounts, and valets come forward to relieve the two knights of their
armour. The damsel ordered two green mantles to be brought, which they
put on. When the hour for supper came, a sumptuous repast was set. The
damsel sat at table beside my lord Gawain. They would not have changed
their lodging-place to seek any other, for all that evening the damsel
showed them gear honour, and provided them with fair and pleasant
company.
(Vv. 463-538.) When they had sat up long enough, two long, high beds
were prepared in the middle of the hall; and there was another bed
alongside, fairer and more splendid than the rest; for, as the story
testifies, it possessed all the excellence that one could think of in
a bed. When the time came to retire, the damsel took both the guests to
whom she had offered her hospitality; she shows them the two fine,
long, wide beds, and says: "These two beds are set up here for the
accommodation of your bodies; but in that one yonder no one ever lay who
did not merit it: it was not set up to be used by you." The knight who
came riding on the cart replies at once: "Tell me," he says, "for what
cause this bed is inaccessible." Being thoroughly informed of this, she
answers unhesitatingly: "It is not your place to ask or make such an
inquiry. Any knight is disgraced in the land after being in a cart, and
it is not fitting that he should concern himself with the matter upon
which you have questioned me; and most of all it is not right that he
should lie upon the bed, for he would soon pay dearly for his act. So
rich a couch has not been prepared for you, and you would pay dearly for
ever harbouring such a thought." He replies: "You will see about
that presently.".... "Am I to see it?".... "Yes.".... "It will soon
appear.".... "By my head," the knight replies, "I know not who is to pay
the penalty. But whoever may object or disapprove, I intend to lie upon
this bed and repose there at my ease." Then he at once disrobed in the
bed, which was long and raised half an ell above the other two, and was
covered with a yellow cloth of silk and a coverlet with gilded stars.
The furs were not of skinned vair but of sable; the covering he had on
him would have been fitting for a king. The mattress was not made of
straw or rushes or of old mats. At midnight there descended from the
rafters suddenly a lance, as with the intention of pinning the knight
through the flanks to the coverlet and the white sheets where he lay.
[46] To the lance there was attached a pennon all ablaze. The coverlet,
the bedclothes, and the bed itself all caught fire at once. And the tip
of the lance passed so close to the knight's side that it cut the skin a
little, without seriously wounding him. Then the knight got up, put out
the fire and, taking the lance, swung it in the middle of the hall, all
this without leaving his bed; rather did he lie down again and slept as
securely as at first.
(Vv. 539-982.) In the morning, at daybreak, the damsel of the tower had
Mass celebrated on their account, and had them rise and dress. When Mass
had been celebrated for them, the knight who had ridden in the cart sat
down pensively at a window, which looked out upon the meadow, and he
gazed upon the fields below. The damsel came to another window close by,
and there my lord Gawain conversed with her privately for a while about
something, I know not what. I do not know what words were uttered, but
while they were leaning on the window-sill they saw carried along the
river through the fields a bier, upon which there lay a knight, [47] and
alongside three damsels walked, mourning bitterly. Behind the bier they
saw a crowd approaching, with a tall knight in front, leading a fair
lady by the horse's rein. The knight at the window knew that it was the
Queen. He continued to gaze at her attentively and with delight as long
as she was visible. And when he could no longer see her, he was minded
to throw himself out and break his body down below. And he would have
let himself fall out had not my lord Gawain seen him, and drawn him
back, saying: "I beg you, sire, be quiet now. For God's sake, never
think again of committing such a mad deed. It is wrong for you to
despise your life." "He is perfectly right," the damsel says; "for will
not the news of his disgrace be known everywhere? Since he has been upon
the cart, he has good reason to wish to die, for he would be better dead
than alive. His life henceforth is sure to be one of shame, vexation,
and unhappiness." Then the knights asked for their armour, and armed
themselves, the damsel treating them courteously, with distinction and
generosity; for when she had joked with the knight and ridiculed him
enough, she presented him with a horse and lance as a token of her
goodwill. The knights then courteously and politely took leave of the
damsel, first saluting her, and then going off in the direction taken
by the crowd they had seen. Thus they rode out from the town without
addressing them. They proceeded quickly in the direction they had seen
taken by the Queen, but they did not overtake the procession, which
had advanced rapidly. After leaving the fields, the knights enter an
enclosed place, and find a beaten road. They advanced through the woods
until it might be six o'clock, [48] and then at a crossroads they met a
damsel, whom they both saluted, each asking and requesting her to
tell them, if she knows, whither the Queen has been taken. Replying
intelligently, she said to them: "If you would pledge me your word, I
could set you on the right road and path, and I would tell you the name
of the country and of the knight who is conducting her; but whoever
would essay to enter that country must endure sore trials, for before
he could reach there he must suffer much." Then my lord Gawain replies:
"Damsel, so help me God, I promise to place all my strength at your
disposal and service, whenever you please, if you will tell me now the
truth." And he who had been on the cart did not say that he would pledge
her all his strength; but he proclaims, like one whom love makes
rich, powerful and bold for any enterprise, that at once and without
hesitation he will promise her anything she desires, and he puts himself
altogether at her disposal. "Then I will tell you the truth," says
she. Then the damsel relates to them the following story: "In truth, my
lords, Meleagant, a tall and powerful knight, son of the King of Gorre,
has taken her off into the kingdom whence no foreigner returns, but
where he must perforce remain in servitude and banishment." Then they
ask her: "Damsel, where is this country? Where can we find the way
thither?" She replies: "That you shall quickly learn; but you may be
sure that you will meet with many obstacles and difficult passages, for
it is not easy to enter there except with the permission of the king,
whose name is Bademagu; however, it is possible to enter by two very
perilous paths and by two very difficult passage-ways. One is called the
water-bridge, because the bridge is under water, and there is the same
amount of water beneath it as above it, so that the bridge is exactly in
the middle; and it is only a foot and a half in width and in thickness.
This choice is certainly to be avoided, and yet it is the less dangerous
of the two. In addition there are a number of other obstacles of which I
will say nothing. The other bridge is still more impracticable and much
more perilous, never having been crossed by man. It is just like a sharp
sword, and therefore all the people call it 'the sword-bridge'. Now I
have told you all the truth I know." But they ask of her once again:
"Damsel, deign to show us these two passages." To which the damsel makes
reply: "This road here is the most direct to the water-bridge, and that
one yonder leads straight to the sword-bridge." Then the knight, who
had been on the cart, says: "Sire, I am ready to share with you without
prejudice: take one of these two routes, and leave the other one to me;
take whichever you prefer." "In truth," my lord Gawain replies, "both of
them are hard and dangerous: I am not skilled in making such a choice,
and hardly know which of them to take; but it is not right for me
to hesitate when you have left the choice to me: I will choose the
water-bridge." The other answers: "Then I must go uncomplainingly to the
sword-bridge, which I agree to do." Thereupon, they all three part, each
one commending the others very courteously to God. And when she sees
them departing, she says: "Each one of you owes me a favour of my
choosing, whenever I may choose to ask it. Take care not to forget
that." "We shall surely not forget it, sweet friend," both the knights
call out. Then each one goes his own way, and he of the cart is occupied
with deep reflections, like one who has no strength or defence against
love which holds him in its sway. His thoughts are such that he
totally forgets himself, and he knows not whether he is alive or dead,
forgetting even his own name, not knowing whether he is armed or not, or
whither he is going or whence he came. Only one creature he has in mind,
and for her his thought is so occupied that he neither sees nor hears
aught else. [49] And his horse bears him along rapidly, following no
crooked road, but the best and the most direct; and thus proceeding
unguided, he brings him into an open plain. In this plain there was a
ford, on the other side of which a knight stood armed, who guarded it,
and in his company there was a damsel who had come on a palfrey. By this
time the afternoon was well advanced, and yet the knight, unchanged and
unwearied, pursued his thoughts. The horse, being very thirsty, sees
clearly the ford, and as soon as he sees it, hastens toward it. Then he
on the other side cries out: "Knight, I am guarding the ford, and forbid
you to cross." He neither gives him heed, nor hears his words, being
still deep in thought. In the meantime, his horse advanced rapidly
toward the water. The knight calls out to him that he will do wisely to
keep at a distance from the ford, for there is no passage that way; and
he swears by the heart within his breast that he will smite him if he