Arthurian Romances

by Chretien de Troyes

  Afterwards he returned to his lodgings. They continued to praise him greatly and talk about him, and the count himself embraced him, rejoicing above all others and saying: ‘Sir, should it please you, you ought rightfully to take your lodging in my house, since you are the son of King Lac; should you accept my hospitality, you would do me great honour, for I would treat you as my lord. Good sir, by your leave, I beg you to stay with me.’

  Erec replied: ‘May it not offend you, but tonight, I shall not abandon my host, who showed me such great honour when he gave me his daughter. And what then do you say of this, sir? Isn’t this gift exquisite and priceless?’

  ‘Yes, good sir,’ said the count; ‘this gift is indeed magnificent and good. The maiden is very beautiful and wise, and she is of very high lineage: her mother, you should know, is my sister. Truly my heart is very glad because you have deigned to take my niece. Again I beg you to come lodge with me this night.’

  Erec replied: ‘Leave me in peace; there is no way I would do so.’

  The count saw that it was useless to insist, and said: ‘Sir, as you wish! Now we may let the matter drop, but I and all my knights will be with you this night for amusement and company.’ When Erec heard this, he thanked him.

  Then Erec came back to his host’s dwelling, with the count beside him; ladies and knights were there. The vavasour greatly rejoiced at this. As soon as Erec arrived, more than twenty men-at-arms came running quickly to remove his armour. Whoever was in that house was party to very great joy. Erec went to sit down first; then they all sat down around him, on beds, stools, and benches. The count sat near Erec, with the beautiful maiden between them; she was so joyful because of her lord that no maiden was ever happier.

  Erec called to the vavasour, saying good and generous words to him, and he began to speak thus: ‘Good friend, good host, good sir, you have greatly honoured me, and you shall be well rewarded for it: tomorrow I shall take your daughter with me to the king’s court. There I wish to take her for my wife, and, if you will wait a short while, I shall send for you soon. I will have you escorted to my land, which is my father’s and later will be mine; it is very far from here. There I will give you two very fine, resplendent, and beautiful castles. You will be lord of Roadan, which was built in the time of Adam, and of another castle nearby which is not the slightest bit less valuable. People call it Montrevel; my father has no better castle. Before three days have passed I will have sent you much gold and silver and vair and miniver and expensive silken cloth to clothe you and your wife, who is my dear sweet lady. Tomorrow, right at daybreak, I shall take your daughter to court, dressed and adorned as she is now: I want my lady the queen to clothe her in one of her very own dresses of scarlet-dyed silk.’

  There was in that place a very prudent, sensible, and worthy maiden, seated on a bench beside the maiden in the white dress – and she was her first cousin and the count’s own niece. When she heard that Erec wanted to take her cousin to the queen’s court dressed so very poorly, she spoke about it to the count. ‘Sir,’ said she, ‘it will be a great shame for you, more than for anyone else, if this lord takes your niece along with him so poorly clothed.’

  And the count replied: ‘I beg you, my sweet niece, give her the one you consider the best from among your own dresses.’

  Erec heard this request, and said: ‘Sir, do not speak of that. Let me tell you one thing: I would not for any reason wish her to have any other dress until the queen has given her one.’

  When the damsel heard this, she answered him and said: ‘Well then, good sir, since you wish to take my cousin with you in only the white dress and shift, I want to give her another gift, since you absolutely do not want her to have any dress of mine. I have three very fine palfreys: no king or count ever had a better one. One is sorrel, one dapple-grey, and one has white stockings. In all truth, from among a hundred there would be found none better than the grey: the birds that fly through the air go no more quickly than that palfrey. No one ever saw it bolt or rear; a child can ride it. It is just right for a maiden, for it is neither skittish nor stubborn, nor does it bite, nor strike, nor get violent. Whoever seeks a better one does not know what he wants; whoever rides it does not suffer, but rather goes more easily and gently than if he were on a ship.’

  Then Erec said: ‘My sweet friend, if she accepts this gift I shall not raise any objection; rather, it pleases me. I do not wish her to decline it.’

  At once the damsel summoned one of her own servants and said to him: ‘Good friend, go, saddle my dapple-grey palfrey and bring it quickly.’ And he carried out her order: he saddled and bridled the horse, strove to equip it well, then mounted the shaggy-maned palfrey.

  When Erec saw the palfrey brought before them, he was not sparing in his praise, for he saw it was handsome and well-bred; then he ordered a servant to go tie up the palfrey in the stable beside his charger. Thereafter they all separated, having greatly rejoiced that night. The count went to his lodgings; he left Erec at the vavasour’s, saying that he would accompany him in the morning when he went on his way. They slept all through that night.

  In the morning, when dawn broke, Erec prepared for his departure: he ordered his horses saddled and he awakened his beautiful lady; she dressed and prepared herself. The vavasour and his wife arose; there was not a knight nor lady who did not prepare to accompany the maiden and the knight. Everybody was on horseback, and the count mounted up. Erec rode next to the count, with his beautiful lady beside him. She had not for a moment forgotten the sparrow-hawk: she amused herself with her sparrow-hawk and took no other riches with her. There was great joy as they went along together.

  At parting, the generous count wanted to send a part of his retinue with Erec, so that they might honour him by going with him; but he said that he would take no one with him and sought no company other than his lady. Then he said to them: ‘I commend you to God!’

  They had accompanied them a long way. The count kissed Erec and his niece and commended them to God the merciful. The father and the mother also kissed them over and over again; they did not hold back their tears: at parting the mother wept, and the maiden wept, as did the father. Such is love, such is nature, such is the tenderness for one’s offspring. They wept because of the tenderness and the sweetness and the friendship that they had for their child; and yet they knew full well that their daughter was going to a place where there would be great honour for them. They were weeping out of love and tenderness, for they were parting from their daughter; they wept for no other reason. They knew full well that in the end they would be honoured as a result. At parting they wept greatly; weeping they commended one another to God. Then they left, delaying there no more.

  Erec left his host, for he was extremely impatient to return to the court of the king. He rejoiced at his adventure and was delighted in it, for he had an extremely beautiful lady, wise and courtly and well-bred. He could not gaze at her enough; the more he looked at her, the more she pleased him. He could not keep from kissing her; eagerly he drew near to her. Looking at her restored and delighted him; he kept looking at her blonde hair, her laughing eyes and unclouded brow, her nose and face and mouth; and from this a great affection touched his heart. He admired everything, down to her hips: her chin and her white throat, her flanks and sides, her arms and hands.

  But the damsel, for her part, looked at the knight no less than he looked at her, with favourable eye and loyal heart, in eager emulation. They would not have accepted a ransom to leave off looking at one another. They were very well and evenly matched in courtliness, in beauty, and in great nobility. They were so similar, of one character and of one essence, that no one wanting to speak truly could have chosen the better one or the more beautiful or the wiser. They were very equal in spirit and very well suited to one another. Each of them stole the other’s heart; never were two such beautiful figures brought together by law or by marriage.

  They rode together until, right at noon, they approached the castle of Cardigan
, where they were both expected. In order to catch sight of them, the worthiest barons of the court had gone up to the windows. Queen Guinevere ran there and the king himself came, with Kay and Perceval the Welshman,4 and then my lord Gawain, and Cor, the son of King Arés; Lucan, the wine-steward, was there; and there were many excellent knights. They watched Erec as he approached with his lady, whom he was escorting; they all clearly recognized him, as soon as he came into sight. The queen was overjoyed at this; the whole court was elated in anticipation of his arrival, for he was well loved by all.

  As soon as Erec arrived in front of the hall the king came down to meet him, as did the queen; everyone invoked God’s protection on him. They welcomed him and his maiden; they praised and made much of her great beauty. And the king himself, who always behaved very properly, took her and set her down from her palfrey. On that occasion he was very joyful and greatly honoured the maiden: he led her by the hand up into the great stone hall.

  Then Erec and the queen went up together hand in hand, and he said to her: ‘My lady, I bring you my maiden and my lady-love clad in poor garments; I bring her to you just as she was given to me. She is the daughter of a poor vavasour. Poverty abases many men: her father is noble and courtly, but he has no substantial wealth, and her mother is a very noble lady, for she has a rich count as her brother. Neither beauty nor lineage would be cause for me to disdain marriage with this maiden. Poverty has made her wear this white dress so often that both sleeves are worn through at the elbows. And yet, if I had been willing, she would have had plenty of fine clothes, for a maiden, her cousin, wanted to give her an ermine dress, with silken fabric, trimmed with vair or miniver. But I was totally opposed to her being dressed in any other clothes until you had seen her. My sweet lady, now consider this; for, as you can see, she has need of a fine and fitting dress.’

  And the queen answered him at once: ‘You have acted very properly; it is right that she should have one of mine, and I shall immediately give her an elegant and beautiful, brand-new one.’

  The queen promptly led her to her private chamber and at once had brought to her the new tunic and the mantle of rich green cloth with the crossed pattern, which had been tailored for her personally. The man to whom she had given the order brought her the mantle and the tunic, which was lined with white ermine – even in the sleeves. At the wrists and neck there were, clearly visible, more than two hundred marks of beaten gold, and gems of great presence – violet and green, deep blue and grey-brown – were everywhere set upon the gold.

  The tunic was very expensive, but in truth the mantle was, to my knowledge, worth not a bit less. No ribbons had yet been placed upon it, for both the tunic and the mantle were still brand-new. The mantle was superbly fine: at the collar there were two sables, and an ounce of gold in the fasteners; on one side there was a jacinth, and a ruby on the other, brighter than a burning carbuncle. The lining was of white ermine – never was a finer or more elegant one to be seen or found. The rich cloth was meticulously worked with different criss-cross designs – violet and red and indigo, white and green, blue and yellow. The queen requested some ribbons made from five ells of silken thread wound round with gold. When the beautiful and ornately prepared ribbons were brought to her, she had them attached at once to the mantle by a man who was a past master at his craft.

  When there was no more to be done on the mantle, the generous and noble lady embraced the maiden with the white dress and spoke generously to her: ‘My damsel, I order you to replace this meagre dress with this tunic, which is worth more than a hundred marks of silver. I wish to honour you in this manner. Now put this mantle on over it; another time I shall give you more.’

  The maiden did not refuse it: she took the clothes and thanked her for them. Two maidens led her away to a secluded room; then she removed her old dress, for she no longer cared a straw for it. She then put on her tunic and tightened it, girded herself with a rich band of orphrey, and ordered that her old dress be given away, for the love of God; then she put on the mantle. Now she looked far from dispirited for this attire suited her so well that she became even more beautiful. The two maidens braided her golden hair with a thread of gold, but her hair shone more brightly than the golden thread, fine as it was. A golden chaplet, wrought with flowers of many different colours, was placed on her head by the maidens. As best they could, they undertook to adorn her in such a way that nothing could be improved. Two clasps of inlaid gold, set upon a topaz, were placed at her neck by one maiden. Now she was so pleasing and beautiful that I believe her equal could not be found in any land, however much one might seek, so well had Nature fashioned her.

  Then she left the room and came to the queen. The queen welcomed her warmly: she loved her and was pleased with her because she was beautiful and well-bred. They took one another by the hand and came before the king, and when the king saw them he rose to meet them. So many knights there rose to greet them when they entered the hall that I could not name the tenth part, nor the thirteenth nor the fifteenth, but I can tell you the names of some of the noblest barons among those of the Round Table, who were the best in the world.

  Before all the good knights Gawain must be the first, second Erec, son of Lac, and third Lancelot of the Lake;5 Gornemant of Gohort the fourth; and the fifth was the Fair Coward. The sixth was the Ugly Hero; the seventh Meliant de Liz; the eighth Mauduit the Wise; the ninth Dodinel the Wildman; let Gaudelu be counted tenth, for in him were many good qualities. The others I shall tell you without numbers, because the numbering encumbers me. Yvain the Valiant6 was seated further on; on another side Yvain the Bastard, and Tristan, who never laughed, was seated by Blioberis. Afterwards came Caradué Short-arm, a most entertaining knight, and Caveron de Roberdic, and the son of King Quenedic, and the youth of Quintareus, and Yder of the Sorrowful Mountain, Galerïet and Kay of Estral, Amauguin and Galet the Bald, Girflet, son of Do – and Taulas, who never tired of bearing arms, and a vassal of great courage, Loholt, the son of King Arthur, and Sagremor the Unruly – he must not be forgotten, nor Bedoier the constable, who knew much of chess and backgammon, nor Bravaïn, nor King Lot, nor Galegantin the Welshman.

  When the beautiful stranger saw all the knights gathered round looking fixedly at her, she bowed her head: she was embarrassed, and no wonder. Her face became red, but modesty suited her so well that she became even more beautiful. When the king saw that she was embarrassed, he did not wish to draw away from her; he took her gently by the hand and seated her beside him at his right. At his left the queen took her seat and said to the king: ‘My lord, as I think and believe, anyone should be welcome at court who can win such a beautiful lady by deeds of arms in another land. We did well to wait for Erec; now you can bestow the kiss upon the most beautiful damsel in the court. I think no one will take it ill; no one without lying will ever be able to say that this is not the most beautiful of the maidens present here and of those in all the world.’

  The king replied: ‘This is no lie. Unless someone challenges me, I shall give the honour of the white stag to her.’ Then he said to the knights: ‘My lords, what do you say? How does it seem to you? This damsel, in both body and face, and in all that befits a maiden, is the most gracious and beautiful that may be found, it seems to me, this side of where heaven and earth meet. I say that it is absolutely right that she should have the honour of the stag. And you, my lords, what do you wish to say? Have you any objection to this? If anyone wishes to oppose this, let him now say what he thinks. I am the king, and I must not he nor consent to any villainy or falsity or excess; I must preserve reason and rightness, for a loyal king ought to maintain law, truth, faith, and justice. I would not wish in any way to commit disloyalty or wrong, no more to the weak than to the strong; it is not right that any should complain of me, and I do not want the tradition or the custom, which my line is bound to uphold, to fall into disuse. Rightly you should be aggrieved if I sought to impose upon you another tradition and other laws than those held by my father the king. Whatever
may befall me, I want to preserve and uphold the tradition of my father Pendragon, who was king and emperor. Now give me your opinions; let no one be slow to say truly whether this maiden is the fairest of my court and should by right have the kiss of the white stag: I want to know the truth.’

  All cried out with a single voice: ‘In God’s name, sire, and by His cross, you can indeed rightly adjudge that she is the most beautiful; in her there is far more beauty than there is brightness in the sun. You may freely kiss her; we all concede it with one voice.’

  When the king heard that it pleased everyone, he would not postpone kissing her: he turned towards her and embraced her. The maiden was not foolish and she wished the king to kiss her; she would have been uncourtly had she been diffident. In the sight of all his barons, the king kissed her like a gentleman and said to her: ‘My sweet friend, I give you my love without villainy; without wickedness and without folly I shall gladly love you.’ Through such an adventure the king re-established the tradition and the propriety of the white stag at his court. Here ends the first movement.7

  When the kiss of the stag had been bestowed according to the tradition of the land, Erec, like a courtly and generous man, was concerned for his poor host: he did not want to neglect his promised undertaking to him. He kept his promise very well, for he immediately sent him five packhorses, rested and well-fleshed, loaded with clothing and cloth, with buckram and scarlet, with gold marks and silver bullion, vair and miniver and sable and precious oriental fabrics. When the horses were loaded with everything a gentleman needs, Erec sent ten knights and ten servants from his household and retinue to accompany the horses, and repeatedly begged them to bear greetings to his host and show him and his wife the same great honour as they would to himself; and when they had presented them with the horses they were leading – the gold, the silver, and the bezants and all the rich clothes that were in the trunks – then they should escort, with great honour, both the lady and the lord to his kingdom in Estre-Gales.