Against his wishes. And Yvain
Noted the look on his face,
Which showed him that the lion was waiting.
He saw it, and knew what it meant:
If he stayed where he was, the lion 3435
Would stay; if he followed, the lion
Would catch the game he had scented.
And Yvain urged him on,
Shouting as he'd shout to a pack
Of hounds. And the lion immediately 3440
Sniffed out the trail, and followed it,
Knowing exactly what it meant,
And hardly running a bow-shot
Away before he saw
A single deer, grazing 3445
In a valley. He'll catch it, if he can,
And he does, at the very first leap,
And drinks its fresh hot blood.
And after the kill, he put
The deer on his back, and brought it 3450
Where he saw his master coming,
And Yvain felt such a rush
Of affection that he took him to be
His companion through all the days
Of his life, so great was his love. 3455
And now it was nearly night,
And Yvain decided to sleep there,
And to cut as much as he wanted
To eat from the dead deer.
And so he began to skin it, 3460
Splitting along the side,
Then slicing a steak from the loin,
And using his flint to strike
A spark, he kindled dry
Brushwood, then pierced his steak 3465
On a wooden spit and set
To roasting it through and through.
But he took no pleasure in eating it
Without bread or wine or salt,
No table cloth, no carving set—nothing. 3470
As he ate, the lion lay
Motionless beside him, watching him
The whole time, until
He'd eaten as much as he wanted
Of his steak, and could eat no more. 3475
And whatever was left of the deer
The lion ate to the bone.
Yvain then slept through the night,
His head resting on his shield,
Sleeping as well as he could, 3480
And the lion showed such good sense
That he stayed awake, carefully
Guarding the horse, who grazed
In the grass, which wasn't very good.
In the morning they left together, 3485
And as far as I know they began
To lead exactly the sort
Of existence they'd shared that night,
And so it went, for almost
Two weeks, until they chanced on 3490
The spring under the pine tree.
And there my lord Yvain
Almost went mad again,
Approaching that spring, and the stone,
And the chapel that stood beside them. 3495
He sighed a thousand sad
And weary sighs, then fainted,
And his sword slipped from its scabbard
And its well-sharpened point nicked him
On the cheek, above the neck, 3500
Cut him through the rings of his mail-shirt.
No metal mesh is perfect:
The tip of the sword slipped through
His shining mail and slit
His skin, and blood fell. 3505
The lion thought he saw
His lord and master dead.
No one could ever find words
To tell of sadder or louder
Noises than he started to make! 3510
He rolled on the ground, and roared,
And decided to kill himself
With the sword he thought had killed
His loving master. And taking
The sword in his teeth he propped it 3515
Erect on a fallen tree,
And steadied its hilt on another
Tree, so it could not slip
When he ran his chest against it.
He'd nearly done what he meant 3520
To do, when Yvain came to,
And the lion swerved aside
In his desperate rush at death,
Charging like a wild boar
Who pays no attention, but just runs. 3525
My lord Yvain lay near
The stone, where he'd fallen in his faint,
And as he recovered bitterly
Accused himself for exceeding
His year’s leave and making 3530
His lady hate him: “Why can't he
Kill himself, this miserable
Creature from whom joy has fled?
How can I stand here and see
These things that belong to my wife? 3535
Why does my soul remain
In this body, this miserable home?
It would never know such agony
If it had gone away. Hating
And blaming and despising myself 3540
As I do is what I deserve.
Whoever loses happiness
And comfort because of his own
Wrongs should hate himself
To death. He should kill himself. 3545
And I, alone, unseen,
Why do I spare myself?
And haven't I seen this lion,
Who felt such grief for me
That he was ready to set my sword 3550
Against his chest and thrust it
In? Should I be afraid
Of death, who changed joy to sadness?
Joy has left me. Joy?
What’s that? I'll say no more of it, 3555
Who have nothing left to say.
I've asked a stupid question.
That which I had in my hands
Was the greatest joy of all,
But I couldn't keep it. And he 3560
Who loses such joy, and loses it
For good cause, has no right to happiness.”
And while he moaned and ranted
A miserable prisoner, a woman
Who'd been shut in that chapel, saw him, 3565
And heard every word he said,
Through the cracks in the wall. And as soon
As his fainting spell had ended
She called out loud: “Lord!
Who do I hear out there? 3570
Who is it, complaining like that?”
And he answered: “And who are you?”
“I am a prisoner,” she answered,
“The most miserable person alive.”
And he answered: “Be quiet, you idiot! 3575
Compared to what I am suffering
Your sadness is joy, your evil
Is good. The more a man
Is accustomed to a happy life,
The more he’s distracted and bewildered 3580
By sorrow, if it comes to him. Even
A feeble man can carry
A burden, simply from habit,
That someone of infinitely greater
Strength can't manage at all.” 3585
“Indeed!” she said. “I quite
Understand how truly you've spoken,
But I hardly believe it gives you
The right to say your misfortune
Is greater than mine. And it’s not. 3590
For you, I believe, can go
Wherever you like, and I
Am imprisoned in here, and fate
Has so arranged it that tomorrow
They'll come to this place and take me 3595
Away, under sentence of death.”
“My God!” said he. “For what crime?”
“Good knight! May God deny me
Eternal mercy for my soul
If in any way I've deserved this! 3600
But I'll tell you the simple truth,
Without a lying word,
As to why
I'm here in this prison.
I've been accused of treason,
And there’s no one I can find to defend me, 3605
To keep me from the stake or the gallows.”
“Well,” he went on, “in the first place,
Plainly my sorrow and my pain
Are greater than yours, for there could be
Someone, could there not, who could come 3610
And save you from this danger. Isn't that
True?” “Yes. But who?
There’s no one I know who would do it.
There are only two men in all
The world who would dare to defend me 3615
By fighting three men at once.”
“What? My God, against three?”
“Yes, my lord, I assure you.
There are three who accuse me of treason.”
“And who are those, who love you 3620
So much, that either of them
Might be brave enough to fight
Against three in order to save you?”
“I'll tell you the simple truth:
One is my lord Gawain, 3625
The other is my lord Yvain—
And Yvain is the reason I'll be wrongly
Brought to martyrdom and to death.”
“For whom?” he exclaimed. “For whom?”
“My lord! So help me God, 3630
Because of King Urien’s son.”
“Now I understand! But if
You die, he'll die too.
For I am that same Yvain
Because of whom you live 3635
In such terror. And you, I think,
Are the girl who kept me in that room,
Who protected me, who saved my life
And my body when I was trapped
Between the two gates, when I 3640
Was troubled and miserable, when I
Was worried and desperate and unsure.
And I'd have been killed or captured,
If you hadn't helped me. Now tell me,
My sweet good friend! Who 3645
Has accused you of treason and had you
Shut away in this dungeon?”
“My lord! I'll hide nothing from you,
Not when you've asked me to speak.
It’s true: I was hardly halfhearted, 3650
I helped you loyally when you needed it.
It was my advice that led
My lady to receive you; she listened
To me, she believed what I said.
And by the holy Rosary 3655
I did it more for her good
Than yours. That’s what I thought—
And I still think. I admit it: I worked
For her honor, and your desire,
So help me God! But when 3660
It turned out that you were staying
Away longer than a year,
And you ought to be back with my lady
But weren't, she grew angry with me,
Thinking she'd been betrayed 3665
By following my advice.
And as soon as her steward found out,
He saw his chance to stir up
Trouble between her and me—
A dishonest, thieving scoundrel 3670
Who'd always been jealous of me,
Because my lady believed me,
And trusted me, more than him.
In her court, in front of everyone,
He accused me of treachery on your 3675
Behalf. And there was no one to help me
Except myself, though I knew
I'd never betrayed my lady,
Not in deed or in word. Never!
I was horrified, and I answered—not bothering 3680
To consult with anyone—that I'd
Be defended by a single knight,
Who would fight with three accusers
At once. And he hadn't the courtesy
To deny my offer. I'd said it, 3685
And he wouldn't let me withdraw it
Or take it back, no matter
What. So they took me at my word,
And I had only forty
Days to find a knight 3690
Willing and able to fight
Against three at once. I was pledged,
It was done. I've been to many
Courts, including King Arthur’s,
But no one could help me, and no one 3695
Could give me any useful word
Of you, for they had no news.”
“But tell me: my lord Gawain,
So gracious, so good, where was he?
No helpless girl has ever 3700
Come to him for help
And found him unwilling to give it.”
“Had I found him at court, I know
That nothing I asked for would ever
Have been denied me. But some knight 3705
Had stolen away the queen,
Or so they told me. And surely
The king was out of his mind
To let her go anywhere near him.
It was Kay, I think, who took her 3710
To meet the knight who carried
Her off, which disturbed my lord
Gawain so much that he’s gone
To find her. And he'll never come back
Until he’s found her, he'll never 3715
Rest. And there’s the whole truth,
I've told you everything that happened.
Tomorrow, I'm sure to die
A contemptible death, burned
At the stake for the wrongs you've committed!” 3720
And he answered: “God forbid
That anyone hurt you on my
Account! While I'm alive
You're safe! Expect me tomorrow,
Ready to do what I can, 3725
Offering my body for your freedom,
As indeed I ought to do.
But be careful, tell no one here
Who I am—no one! However
The battle goes, make sure 3730
That no one knows my name!”
“Of course, my lord! No one
Could torture it out of me.
I'd rather they killed me first,
Since you wish no one to know you. 3735
But I beg you, all the same,
Not to return simply
For me. I've no desire
To see you in so dangerous a battle.
I thank you for your promise of help, 3740
Given so willingly, but consider
Yourself released from all burdens.
Better that I die, only I,
Than to see them rejoicing first
At your death, and then at mine— 3745
For they'd never let me go,
Once you'd been killed. It’s better
That you remain alive
Than they kill the two of us at once.”
“Now that is very insulting, 3750
My friend!” answered Yvain.
“Perhaps you really don't wish
Deliverance from death, or else
You look down at the sort of assistance
I've offered to give you. I refuse 3755
To discuss it any longer. With all
You've done for me, it’s utterly
Impossible that I fail to help you
No matter what you may need.
I understand that you're very frightened, 3760
But with God’s good help, and I trust
In Him, I'll dishonor the three of them.
That’s enough of that: I'm off
To find some lodging in this wood,
For there’s nothing available here.” 3765
“My lord!” she answered. “May God
Give you good shelter, and good night,
And keep you, as I pray He will,
Safe from anything that might harm you!”
So Yvain left her, and the lion, 3770
As usual, followed behind him,
&
nbsp; And they went along till they came
To a baron’s stronghold, a castle
Completely enclosed by a thick
Stone wall, tall and well built. 3775
No catapult, no stone-throwing machine,
Could hope to attack that castle,
Built and fortified as it was,
And yet outside its walls
The earth had been levelled so flat 3780
That neither house nor hut
Remained. You'll learn the reason
Later, when it’s time to know it.
My lord Yvain came straight
Toward the castle, taking the road 3785
As it led him, and seven servants
Came out to meet him, and let
The drawbridge down. But as soon
As they saw the lion who was with him
They were terribly frightened, and asked 3790
Yvain, if it pleased him, to leave
The lion at the gate, so he couldn't
Hurt them or kill them. And he answered:
“Say no more! If he can't
Come in, neither can I. 3795
Either receive us both
Or I remain out here:
I love him as I love myself.
And yet, there’s nothing to fear!
I'll watch him so carefully that you'll all 3800
Be perfectly safe.” And they answered:
“May it be as you say!” And so
They entered that walled town,
And went until they met
Knights and ladies and pretty 3805
Young girls coming toward them,
Greeting Yvain, ready
To help him dismount and take off
His armor. And they said: “Welcome,
Good knight! Welcome among us! 3810
And may God grant it that you stay
Until you're able to leave
Happy and full of honor!”
From the highest down to the lowest
They welcomed him, and put themselves out 3815
To lead him joyously to the castle.
And then, expressing their joy,
They fell into a fit
Of sadness, and forgot their happiness,
And began to moan and cry 3820
And weep and tear at themselves.
And on and on they went,
One moment happy, then weeping,
Welcoming their guest happily
But somehow not seeming to mean it, 3825
For indeed there was something frightening them,
Something that would happen tomorrow,
They were sure, they were certain, and they thought
It would come by noontime. And my lord
Yvain was bewildered, seeing them 3830
Constantly changing from sadness
To joy, and from joy to sadness,
So he spoke to the lord of the castle
And asked him, please, to explain.
“Good God, dear sir!” he exclaimed, 3835
“I beg you, tell me why
I've been welcomed with so much honor,
Such joy, and so much weeping?”
“Yes, if you wish to know.