Yvain
Page 15
Rule prevails in this castle,
And I am obliged to uphold it.
I shall call two of my soldiers, 5470
Great strapping fellows, and strong,
And right or wrong, you
Are obliged to fight them both.
If you can fight them off,
If you can defeat and kill them, 5475
My daughter wants you as a husband,
And this castle, and all the lands
And honors that go with it, will be yours.”
“Lord!” said Yvain. “It’s not
What I wish. God will not give her 5480
To me, she will stay with you,
For she is beautiful enough,
And good, and well bred, that the Emperor
Of Germany would do well to win her!”
“Be still, my dear guest!” said his host. 5485
“There’s no point to listening to you speak,
For there’s nothing you can do to escape.
Whoever can defeat these two,
Who are shortly going to attack you,
Will have my castle, and my daughter 5490
As his wife, and all my lands.
The battle will take place;
Nothing in the world can prevent it.
But I do understand why
You refuse my daughter. It’s cowardice. 5495
You think it will let you out
Of the battle. Nonsense. Believe me,
Sir, nothing will get you
Out of it, for this battle must be!
No knight who takes lodging here 5500
Can ever escape it. This
Is our custom, and a settled rule
I expect will last a long time,
For my daughter will never be married
Until they're conquered, or dead.” 5505
“In which case I'm obliged to fight them,
In spite of myself. And yet,
I assure you, I'd gladly forgo
This battle. I regret it. But let
It be, since it can't be helped.” 5510
And then two black, hideous
Sons of the devil came in,
And all their weapons were a pair
Of jagged dogwood clubs,
Made ready for war with a covering 5515
Of copper and wound around
With brass. Their armor extended
From the shoulders all the way
To their knees, but their heads
And faces were bare. And their legs, 5520
Not particularly slender
Or weak, were also bare.
And ready for war they came at him,
Holding in front of their faces
Light, strong shields. 5525
And then the lion began
To quiver, seeing them. He knew
Perfectly well that the weapons
They were carrying were meant to be used
Against his lord and master. 5530
His hair stood up, his mane
Bristled, and he shook with anger
And beat the ground with his tail,
Ready and eager to save
His master, before they could kill him. 5535
And seeing the lion, they said:
“Knight! That lion is threatening
Us. Get him away.
Surrender, here and now,
Or else you've got to put him 5540
Someplace where he can't join
In this fight, either by helping
You or injuring us.
We play this game by ourselves!
That lion would be very glad 5545
To help you, if we let him.”
“Take him away yourselves,
If he frightens you!” declared Yvain.
“It would suit me perfectly well
If he hurt you as much as he could. 5550
I'd much appreciate his help.”
“By God!” they exclaimed. “It won't do.
You're not having help from him.
You've got to do your best
Alone, without assistance! 5555
It’s only you against us.
If that lion fights at your side,
If that lion attacks us, it won't
Be simply you against us,
But two against two. Do 5560
As we tell you. Your lion has got
To be put away, and now,
And whether you like it or not.”
“And where,” said he, “should I put him?
Where would you like him to be?” 5565
So they showed him a tiny room,
And said: “Lock him in there!”
“Exactly as you wish,” said Yvain.
And he led him in and locked
The door. And they brought Yvain 5570
His weapons and body armor,
And led out his horse and handed him
The reins, and Yvain mounted.
Sure of their safety from the lion,
Locked away in that room, 5575
The two devilish champions
Came forward, determined to harm him
And shame him. They hit him hard
With their clubs, and his shield and helmet
Weren't much help. When they smashed 5580
Away at his helmet, it was quickly
Dented, and began to crack,
And his shield splintered like a mirror:
They battered such holes that a fist
Could have shoved right through them. 5585
They were truly after him, those two.
And what did Yvain do
To those devils? Fear and shame
Drove him to fight with all
His strength. Fired up and struggling, 5590
He dealt them crashing blows,
Returning presents as good
As he'd gotten, doubling their kindness.
And the lion, locked in his room,
Was troubled and sad at heart, 5595
Remembering Yvain’s goodness,
And his generous help, and knowing
How badly the knight needed
His lion’s help, and now
He could pay him back in full measure, 5600
Even double and redouble his kindness,
Leaving no debt unpaid,
If only he could get himself out.
He searched in every corner
And found nothing, no way 5605
Of escaping. And hearing how fierce
And desperate and dangerous the battle
Had become, his sorrow drove him
Mad with despair. Hunting
Again and again, he found 5610
That near the ground the threshold
Was rotting, and he clawed at it, and squeezed
Partly through. But his back
Wedged in, and stuck. And Yvain
Was weary and sweating hard, 5615
Finding the two assassins
Tough and strong and dangerous.
He'd taken many blows,
And returned as many as he could,
And they still came at him, unharmed. 5620
They were skilled, experienced fighters,
And their shields weren't the sort
That any sword could cut through,
No matter how hard or how sharp.
Yvain was very well 5625
Aware that they might kill him,
But he managed to hold his own
Until the lion got out,
Clawing under the threshold.
And now those fiends could be beaten— 5630
Or never at all. There'd be
No truce between them and the lion
For as long as he saw them still living.
He leaped on one and dragged him
To the ground like a sack of wheat. 5635
Both the demons were terrified,
But no one else in that place
Could keep from rejoicing.
When the lion
Had him down, nothing
Could put him back on his feet 5640
Unless the other one helped him.
And he ran to assist him, carefully
Guarding himself, worried
That the lion would turn on him
As soon as he'd killed the one 5645
He'd thrown to the ground. He was far more
Afraid of the lion than the lion’s
Master. But Yvain would
Have been out of his mind, once the fellow
Turned his back, and his neck 5650
Was nicely exposed and available,
If he'd let him live much longer.
Things were working out well.
Seeing that bare head
And naked neck, he gave him 5655
Such a stroke with his sword
That the head was so smoothly sliced
Off the shoulders that its owner never
Knew it. And now he dismounted,
Wanting to rescue the other one 5660
From the lion’s jaws. In vain:
He'd been injured so badly that no doctor
Could ever help him. The lion
Had charged so furiously, so wildly,
That his wounds were terrible. As soon 5665
As Yvain had pushed the lion
Off, he could see that the shoulder
Had been ripped completely away
From the body. But nothing he saw
Made Yvain feel sorry. The club 5670
Had fallen from his hand, and he lay
On the ground, almost a corpse,
Unable to move or fight.
But still, he was able to speak,
And he said, as well as he could: 5675
“Take away your lion, good sir!
Don't let him hurt me any more.
For now you can do with me
Exactly as you please, and anyone
Who begs for mercy must always 5680
Be granted it whenever it’s asked for,
Unless the victor is a man
Without pity. I can't defend myself—
Indeed, I can't even rise
And leave this place, unaided. 5685
I surrender myself to your mercy.”
“You admit defeat,” asked Yvain,
“Concede that you're conquered and beaten?”
“Lord: that seems to be obvious.
In spite of myself, I've been beaten. 5690
I freely concede defeat.”
“Then you've nothing to fear from me,
And my lion, too, grants you
Your safety.” Then they rushed to Yvain,
Everyone crowding around him, 5695
And the lord and his lady both
Embraced him, and rejoiced, and spoke
Of their daughter, telling him:
“And now you shall be lord
And master of us all, and our daughter 5700
Will be your lady. We give you
Our daughter as your wife.” “And I,”
He replied, “give her back.
Who has her, should keep her! It’s none
Of my business. I speak without scorn. 5705
Don't be distressed because
I refuse her. I cannot take her,
I must not. But give me, please,
The girls you're holding captive!
The agreement so stipulates, and it’s time, 5710
As you know, that they must be freed.”
“You’re right,” he said, “that’s true,
And I hand them over. They’re yours.
There’s nothing to argue about.
But you'd also do well to take 5715
My daughter, and all my wealth,
For she’s beautiful, and noble, and wise!
You're hardly likely to find
Another marriage as rich
As this one.” “Lord! My legal 5720
Obligations, and all my affairs,
Are unknown to you. I dare not explain.
But understand this: what I
Refuse would never be declined
By anyone who could follow his heart 5725
And accept so lovely and noble
A girl, receive her freely,
As I would do, were I free
To take this one or any other.
But I can't. Believe me, I can't. 5730
Allow me to leave you in peace!
For the lady awaits me, she
Who came here with me. She
And I have travelled long
And far, and I wish to stand by her, 5735
Whatever the future may bring me.”
“Leave, good sir? But how?
Never, unless I command it,
And it’s my decision not to.
For you, my gates are not open. 5740
No. You'll stay here, my prisoner.
You’re arrogant, sir, and unjust,
When I beg you to take my daughter
And you scorn her, disdain her.” “Scorn her,
Lord? Not so, by my soul! 5745
Whatever it costs me, I cannot
Remain, and I cannot marry.
I must follow the lady who leads me:
Everything else is impossible.
But believe me, I can pledge you with this 5750
My right hand, as sure as you see me
Now, that I shall return,
If ever I can, and be glad
To accept your daughter, if
And when you think it right.” 5755
“Anyone be damned who asks you
For your pledge, or your faith, or your promise!
If my daughter pleased you, you'd be back here
Quickly enough. No oath
And no pledge would bring you back 5760
Any sooner, by God. Go, then!
I release you from all your promises
And all your agreements. Whatever
May keep you away, wind
Or rain or nothing at all, 5765
I don't care. Could I think so poorly
Of my daughter that I'd force you to have her?
Now go and do what you need to!
It’s all the same to me
Whether you go or you stay.” 5770
And Yvain turned quickly away
And stayed no longer in that castle.
And he led away with him
Those miserable wretches, now free,
Poor, and dressed in rags, 5775
That the lord had given to his custody.
How rich they felt themselves,
All of them leaving that castle,
Filing out in pairs.
And I think they'd have felt no greater 5780
Joy if He who made them,
He who made the whole world,
Had descended from heaven to earth.
And all the people who'd insulted him
And shamed him, as much as they'd been able, 5785
Now begged his forgiveness, and for peace,
And sought to escort him on his way.
And he answered that their words meant nothing.
“I don't understand what you're saying,”
He said. “There’s nothing to be settled, 5790
As between us. I can't recall
Any unpleasant words.”
This pleased them immensely, and all of them
Loudly praised his courtesy,
And having taken him a long way 5795
Along on his road, commended him
To God. And the girls he'd freed
Asked his permission to leave.
As they said their farewell they bowed
And prayed for him, hoping God 5800
Would grant him joy and health
And whatever his heart wished for,
Wherever he might choose to go.
Not wanting to linger, he replied
That he hoped God would save 5805
; Them all. “Go!” he said.
“May God bring you home happy
And safe!” So off they went
On their way, journeying joyfully
—And Yvain immediately hurried 5810
In the opposite direction, riding
As fast as he could, never
Stopping, going as the girl
Directed, seven days in the week.
She knew the road exceedingly 5815
Well, and knew the refuge
Where she'd left the afflicted, disconsolate
Woman who'd lost her inheritance.
And yet when she heard the news
That the girl was back, and with her 5820
The Knight of the Lion, there'd never
Been such joy as her heart
Felt, convinced that now,
If she pressed her case, her older
Sister would surely concede her 5825
Some share of their father’s estate.
She'd been ill a very long time,
And was just risen from her sickbed,
But the illness had been long and hard
And had seriously harmed her, as anyone 5830
Could see, looking at her face.
At their first meeting she went
Directly out to welcome them,
Greeting them and showing them honor
In every way she could. 5835
There’s no need to speak
Of the joy in the house, that night.
To do more than mention it would prolong
My story to no purpose. Permit me
To pass over it and go to the following 5840
Day, when they mounted their horses
And left. And they rode till they saw
The castle where King Arthur had been staying
For several weeks or more.
And the lady who'd disinherited 5845
Her sister was there, staying
Near the court, awaiting
Her sister’s arrival, which was closer
Than she could have known. But it made
No difference to her, for she thought 5850
The younger woman would never
Find anyone able
To stand up to Gawain in battle,
And only a single day
Of the forty were left to her. The inheritance 5855
Would have been hers alone,
Legally absolute,
In justice and according to the king’s
Judgment, had that day gone by.
But more stood in her way 5860
Than she could have known or believed.
They slept that night outside
The castle town, in a small,
Poor house, where no one knew them,
For had they stayed at the castle 5865
Everyone would have known them,
And they were careful to keep that from happening.
As soon as dawn broke they had
To leave, of course, but they hid
Themselves, concealing their presence 5870
Till the sun was high and bright.
I can't tell you how many
Days had gone by since Gawain