Arthurian Romances by Chrétien de Troyes

Author:Chrétien de Troyes [Troyes, Chrétien de]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781449910525
Publisher: CreateSpace
Published: 2009-11-19T00:00:00+00:00

THE KNIGHT WITH THE LION (YVAIN)

ARTHUR, the good king of Britain whose valour teaches us to be brave and courteous, held a court of truly royal splendour at that most costly feast known as Pentecost. The king was at Carlisle in Wales.1 After dining, the knights gathered in the halls at the invitation of ladies, damsels, or maidens. Some told of past adventures, others spoke of love: of the anguish and sorrows, but also of the great blessings often enjoyed by the disciples of its order, which in those days was sweet and flourishing. But today very few serve love: nearly everyone has abandoned it; and love is greatly abased, because those who loved in bygone days were known to be courtly and valiant and generous and honourable. Now love is reduced to empty pleasantries, since those who know nothing about it claim that they love, but they lie, and those who boast of loving and have no right to do so make a lie and a mockery of it.

But let us look beyond those who are present among us and speak now of those who were, for to my mind a courteous man, though dead, is more worthy than a living knave. Therefore it is my pleasure to tell something worthy to be heard about the king whose fame was such that men still speak of him both near and far; and I agree wholly with the Bretons that this fame will last for ever, and through him we can recall those good chosen knights who strove for honour.

On that Pentecost of which I am speaking the knights were very surprised to see the king arise early from table, and some among them were greatly disturbed and discussed it at length because never before at such a great feast had they seen him enter his room to sleep or rest. But that day it happened that the queen detained him, and he tarried so long at her side that he forgot himself and fell asleep. At the entrance to his chamber were Dodinel2 and Sagremor, and Kay and my lord Gawain; and my lord Yvain3 was there too, and with them was Calogrenant, a very handsome knight, who began telling them a tale not of his honour but of his disgrace.

As he was telling his tale, the queen began to listen to him. She arose from beside the king and came to them so quickly that before anyone was aware of her, she had settled in among them. Calogrenant alone leapt to his feet to show her honour. And Kay, who was spiteful, wicked, sharp tongued, and abusive, said to him: ‘By God, Calogrenant, I see how gallant and sharp you are, and of course I’m delighted that you’re the most courteous among us. And I’m sure you think you are – you’re so lacking in good sense! It’s only natural my lady should believe you are more gallant and courteous than all the rest of us: perhaps it

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