Arthurian Romances

by Chretien de Troyes

‘In what way?’

  ‘To the fullest extent: so that my heart does not stray from you, and I never find it elsewhere; so that I cannot think of anything else; so that I give myself entirely to you; so that I love you more than myself; so that, should it please you, I would gladly live or die for you.’

  ‘And would you dare to undertake to defend my spring for me?’

  ‘Indeed, yes, my lady, against all men.’

  ‘Know then that we are reconciled.’

  And so they were swiftly reconciled. And the lady, who had consulted earlier with her barons, said: ‘From here we shall proceed to this hall where my people are present, who advised and counselled me in view of the need, and authorized me to take a husband, which I will do, given the necessity. Here and now I give myself to you, for I should not refuse to marry a man who is both a good knight and a king’s son.’

  Now the damsel has accomplished all that she had set out to do. My lord Yvain was not upset, I can certainly tell you, as the lady took him with her into the hall, which was filled with knights and men-at-arms. My lord Yvain was so fair that they all gazed on him in wonder. Then everybody rose as the two of them entered, and they greeted my lord Yvain and bowed before him, surmising: ‘He is the one my lady will take; cursed be anyone who opposes her, for he seems exceptionally noble. Indeed, the Empress of Rome would find in him a worthy spouse. Would that he were already pledged to her and she to him with bare hand, so that she could wed him today or tomorrow.’ They all spoke excitedly together in this way.

  At the head of the hall was a bench on which the lady went to sit, where everyone could see her; and my lord Yvain acted as though he wished to sit at her feet, until she raised him up. Then she summoned her seneschal to make his speech loudly enough so that all might hear it, and the seneschal, who was neither disobedient nor slow of speech, began. ‘My lords,’ he said, ‘war is upon us: not a day passes without the king making ready as fast as he can to come and lay waste to our lands. Before these two weeks are over everything will be laid waste unless a good champion can be found to defend it. When my lady married, not even six full years ago, she did so on your advice. Her husband is now dead, which grieves her. Now he who was lord over all this land and who did very well by it has a mere six feet of earth. It’s a great pity he lived such a short while. A woman does not know how to bear a shield nor strike with a lance; she can help and improve herself greatly by taking a good husband. Our lady was never in greater need; all of you must urge her to take a husband before the custom is ended, which has been observed in this town for more than sixty years.’

  On hearing these words they all agreed that it seemed a proper thing to do. They all fell at her feet, urging her to do what she already desired; and she let herself be begged to fulfil her wish until, as if it were against her will, she agreed to what she would have done even if they had all opposed her.

  ‘My lords,’ she said, ‘since it pleases you, this knight who is seated here beside me has ardently implored me and asked for my hand; he wishes to devote himself to my honour and my service, and I thank him for it as you should likewise thank him. Indeed I did not know him previously, but I have heard much said in his praise. You should know that he is high nobility: he is the son of King Urien. In addition to being of high lineage, he is such a valiant knight and is so imbued with courtesy and good sense that no one should discredit him before me. I believe that you have all heard of my lord Yvain: it is he who has asked for my hand. On the day appointed for my marriage I shall have a nobler knight than I deserve.’

  ‘If you act wisely,’ they all said, ‘today will not pass without the marriage taking place; for it is a complete fool who delays a single hour before doing what is to his advantage.’

  They implored her so much that she agreed to do what she would have done anyway, for Love commanded her to do that for which she asked their advice and counsel. But she received him with greater honour by having the consent of her people, and their urgings were not unwelcome; rather, they moved and stirred her heart to complete its desires. The running horse quickens its pace when it is spurred. In the presence of all her barons the lady gave herself to my lord Yvain. By the hand of one of her chaplains he took Laudine, the lady of Landuc and daughter of Duke Laudunet, of whom they sing a lay.8 That very day, without delay, he became engaged and they were wed. There were many mitres and croziers there, for the lady had summoned her bishops and her abbots. There were many people of the highest nobility, and there was much happiness and pleasure, more than I could relate to you even were I to contemplate it for a long while; I prefer to keep silent rather than describe it poorly.

  So now my lord Yvain is lord of her land and the dead knight is fully forgotten. The man who killed him is married: he has taken his wife and they sleep together, and the people feel more love and esteem for the living knight than ever they did for the dead. They served him well at the wedding feast, which lasted until the eve of the king’s arrival at the marvel of the spring and stone.

  King Arthur arrived with all his companions, for everyone in his house-hold was in that troop of horsemen, and not a single knight had stayed behind. And my lord Kay began to speak in this manner: ‘By God, now what has become of my lord Yvain? He didn’t come along, though he boasted after eating that he would go to avenge his cousin. It’s clear he spoke after the wine! He’s fled, I can guess, because he wouldn’t dare have come here for anything. Overweening pride was the source of his boasts. A man must be terribly bold to commend himself for something others don’t praise him for, especially when he has no proof of his valour, other than false self-flattery. There’s a big difference between the braggart and the brave: the braggart tells tall stories about himself around the fire, thinking all his listeners are fools and that no one really knows him. But the brave man would be very upset if he heard his own valiant deeds being told to another. None the less, I can understand the braggart: he’s not wrong to praise himself and boast, since he will find no one else to lie on his behalf. If he doesn’t say it, who will? The heralds are silent about them; they publicly proclaim the brave and cast the braggarts to the winds.’

  My lord Kay spoke in this manner, but my lord Gawain said: ‘Enough, my lord Kay, enough! Though my lord Yvain is not yet here, you cannot know what difficulty he has encountered. He certainly never lowered himself enough to speak basely of you, so steeped is he in courtesy.’

  ‘Sir,’ replied Kay, ‘I’ll say no more. You won’t hear me speak another word about this today, since I see it upsets you.’

  Then the king, to see the rain storm, poured a full basin of water upon the stone beneath the pine; and at once it began to rain torrentially. It was not very long before my lord Yvain rushed out fully armed into the forest and came riding at a fast gallop upon a tall and powerful horse, strong and hardy and swift. And my lord Kay was resolved to ask for the battle, regardless of what might be the outcome. He always wanted to begin the mêlées and skirmishes, or else he would become very angry. In front of everyone he came to the foot of the king and asked to be accorded the battle.

  ‘Kay,’ said Arthur, ‘since it pleases you and since you have requested it in the presence of everyone, it must not be denied you.’

  Kay thanked him and then mounted. If my lord Yvain can humiliate him a little, he’ll be delighted and will gladly do it, for he recognized him at once by his armour. He grasped his shield by the loops and Kay took his; they charged one another, spurred their steeds, and lowered the lances that each held tightly gripped. They thrust them forward a little until they held them by the leather-wrapped hilt; and as they rushed together they struck with such mighty effort that both lances shattered and split right up to the handle. My lord Yvain gave Kay such a powerful blow that he somersaulted from his saddle and struck the ground with his helmet. My lord Yvain did not wish to cause him further injury, so he dismounted and claimed his horse.

  Some among them were pleased by this, and many were keen to say: ‘Ha! Ha! Look at ho
w you, a man who mocks others, are lying there now! Yet it is only right that you should be pardoned this time, because it’s never happened to you before.’

  In the meantime my lord Yvain came before the king, leading Kay’s horse by the bridle, because he wished to present it to Arthur.

  ‘Sire,’ said my lord Yvain, ‘accept this horse, for I would do wrong to keep anything of yours.’

  ‘And who are you?’ asked the king. ‘It’s impossible to recognize you unless I hear your name or see you without your armour.’

  When my lord Yvain stated his name, Kay was overcome with shame; he was saddened and speechless, and confounded for having accused him of running away. But the others were very happy and rejoiced in his success. Even the king was overjoyed; but my lord Gawain felt a hundred times more joy than anyone else, for he preferred Yvain’s company to that of all the other knights he knew. And the king requested and begged him to tell them, if he did not object, about his exploits; he was most eager to know all about his adventure. He kept urging him to tell them truly, so Yvain told them all about the service and kindnesses the maiden had shown him; he did not omit a single detail and forgot nothing.

  Afterwards he begged the king to come with all his knights and take lodging with him, for they would bring him honour and happiness if they would stay with him. The king said that for a full eight days he would gladly share his love, joy, and company; and my lord Yvain thanked him. They did not delay there any longer, but mounted at once and rode straight to the town. My lord Yvain sent his squire, who was carrying a crane-falcon, in advance of the company in order that they should not catch the lady by surprise, and that her people should be given time to bedeck their houses for the king.

  When the lady received word that the king was coming she was delighted. Indeed everyone who heard the news was happy and elated by it. And the lady summoned all her subjects and urged them to go to greet him; and they did not argue or complain for everyone wished to do her will. They all set out on great Spanish horses to welcome the King of Britain, and in loud voices they greeted first King Arthur and then all his company.

  ‘We welcome,’ they said, ‘this company, so full of noble men. Blessed be their leader, who brings us such distinguished guests.’

  The town resounded with joyous preparations for the king. Silken cloths were brought forth and stretched out for decoration, and tapestries were used for pavement and spread out through the streets in anticipation of the king’s arrival. And they did something else: because of the heat of the sun they stretched awnings over the streets. Bells, horns, and trumpets made the town reverberate so that God’s thunder could not have been heard. There where the maidens danced, they played flutes and pipes, snares, tambourines, and drums; while across the way agile gymnasts performed their tricks. All sought to express their delight, and amidst this joy they welcomed their lord exactly as they should.

  The lady in turn came forth in imperial dress: a robe of new ermine, with a diadem studded with rubies upon her head. Her face showed no trace of sullenness, but instead was so cheerful and radiant that, to my mind, she was more beautiful than any goddess. All around her the crowd was milling, and everyone kept repeating: ‘Welcome to the king, the lord of all kings and lords in the world.’

  It was not possible for the king to answer all their greetings, for he saw the lady approaching to hold his stirrup. But he did not wish to await this, so he hurried to dismount and was off his horse as soon as he saw her. She greeted him and said: ‘Welcome a hundred thousand times to my lord the king, and blessed be my lord Gawain, his nephew.’

  ‘To your fair self and countenance, beautiful creature,’ replied the king, ‘may God grant happiness and good fortune.’

  Then King Arthur clasped her around the waist in a courteous and friendly manner, and she received him with open arms. I’ll not speak of how she made the others welcome; but never since have I heard tell of a group of people welcomed so happily, shown such honour, or served so well.

  I could tell you much about the joy, would the words not be wasted; but I wish only to make brief mention of the meeting that occurred in private between the moon9 and the sun. Do you know of whom I would speak? He who was chief of the knights and who was acclaimed above them all ought surely to be called the sun. I speak of my lord Gawain, for by him knighthood is made illustrious just as the sun in the morning shines down its rays and lights up wherever it touches. And I call her the moon, for there can be only one of her true fidelity and assistance. And yet, I do not say it only because of her great renown, but because she is called Lunete.

  The damsel was named Lunete and she was a winsome brunette, very sensible, clever, and attractive. She was soon on friendly terms with my lord Gawain, who esteemed her highly and loved her dearly. And he called her his sweetheart, because she had saved his companion and friend from death, and generously he offered her his service. She described to him the difficulty she had encountered in persuading her lady to take my lord Yvain as her husband, and how she protected him from the hands of those who were seeking him: though he was in their midst they did not see him.

  My lord Gawain laughed good-naturedly at what she told him, and said: ‘Young lady, I place myself in your service, such a knight as I am, whether you need me or not. Do not trade me for another unless you think you can do better. I am yours and you will be, from this day forth, my fair damsel.’

  ‘I thank you, sir,’ said she.

  And so these two became intimate friends; and the others, too, began to flirt. There were some ninety ladies present, each one beautiful and fair, noble, attractive, prudent, and sensible: gentle ladies and of good lineage. There the knights could pass a pleasant moment embracing and kissing them, conversing with them, gazing upon them, and sitting beside them; they had at least this much pleasure.

  Now my lord Yvain fêted the king, who stayed with him; and the lady so honoured him and his knights, one and all, that some fool among them might have thought that the favours and attentions she showed them came from love. But we can consider simple-minded those who believe that when a lady is polite to some poor wretch, and makes him happy and embraces him, she’s in love with him; a fool is happy for a little compliment, and is easily cheered up by it.

  They devoted the entire week to splendid entertainment: the hunting and hawking by the river were excellent for those who tried their hands at them; and those who wanted to see the land that my lord Yvain had acquired along with the lady he had married could go for a pleasant ride of six leagues, or five, or four to the neighbouring towns.

  After the king had stayed as long as he wished, he had preparations made for travel. And all week long his people had implored and begged as persuasively as they could to be allowed to take my lord Yvain with them.

  ‘What! Would you be one of those men,’ said my lord Gawain to Yvain, ‘who are worth less because of their wives? May he who diminishes his worth by marrying be shamed by Holy Mary! He who has a beautiful woman as wife or sweetheart should be the better for her; for it’s not right for her to love him if his fame and worth are lost. Indeed, you would suffer afterwards for her love if it caused you to lose your reputation, because a woman will quickly withdraw her love – and she’s not wrong to do so – if she finds herself hating a man who has lost face in any way after he has become lord of the realm. A man must be concerned with his reputation before all else! Break the leash and yoke and let us, you and me, go to the tourneys, so no one can call you a jealous husband. Now is not the time to dream your life away but to frequent tournaments, engage in combat, and joust vigorously, whatever it might cost you. He who hesitates achieves nothing! Indeed, you must come along, for I’ll fight under your banner. See to it that our friendship doesn’t end because of you, dear companion, for it will never fail on my account. It’s remarkable how one can come to luxuriate in a life of constant ease. But pleasures grow sweeter when delayed, and a small pleasure postponed is more delightful than a great one enjoyed today. The joy of
love that is deferred is like the green log burning: it gives off more heat and burns longer, since it is slower to get started. One can get used to something which then becomes very difficult to forsake; and when you want to forsake it, you cannot. I don’t say this lightly, for if I had as beautiful a lady as you have, my dear friend, by the faith I place in God and the saints, I’d be very reluctant to leave her! I know I’d be infatuated myself. But a man, unable to heed his own advice, can give good counsel to another, much like those preachers who are sinful lechers, but who teach and preach the good that they have no intention of practising themselves!’

  My lord Gawain spoke at such length about this matter and so implored him that my lord Yvain agreed to speak with his wife and to accompany him if he could obtain her leave. Whether it was a wise or foolish choice, he would not stop until he had permission to return to Britain. He then conferred in private with his lady, who had no idea he wished her leave.

  ‘My dearest wife,’ he said to her, ‘you who are my heart and soul, my treasure, my joy, and my well-being, grant me one favour for your honour and mine.’

  The lady unhesitatingly granted it, for she was unaware of what he intended to ask.

  ‘Dear husband, you may ask me for whatever favour you please.’

  My lord Yvain immediately requested leave to accompany the king and frequent the tourneys, lest he be called a coward.

  And she said: ‘I grant you leave until a date I shall fix. But the love I have for you will become hatred, you can be sure of that, if you should overstay the period I shall set for you. Be assured that I’ll not break my word; if you break yours, I’ll still be true to mine. If you wish to have my love and if you cherish me in the least remember to return promptly, and no later than one year at most, eight days after the feast of Saint John, for today is the octave of that feast. You will be banished from my love if you are not back here with me on that day.’

  My lord Yvain wept and sighed so deeply that he could hardly say: ‘My lady, this period is too long. If I could be a dove, then I would be back with you as often as I wished. And I beg God that it please Him not to let me overstay my leave. Yet a man may intend to return promptly and not know what the future holds. And I don’t know what will happen to me, whether illness or imprisonment will detain me; you are too exacting if you do not make exception at least for physical hindrances.’