But who knows what keeps him away?
And truly, he’s never stooped
To speaking evil or insulting
You. He’s always been courteous.”
“My lord!” said Kay. “I'll be quiet. 2215
I'll say nothing more, today,
Since I see I've already offended.”
And the king, wanting to see
That rain, spilled a whole bowl
Of water on the magic stone, 2220
And immediately it began to pour.
Nor was it much longer before
My lord Yvain hurried
To the forest, fully armed,
Riding faster than a gallop 2225
On a huge, sleek horse, sturdy
And strong and exceedingly fast.
And Kay, seeing him, determined
That he'd ask for the battle to be his—
For however it might end, he always 2230
Wished to begin the fighting:
If he couldn't be the first to swing
A sword, he'd fly in a rage.
Before anyone else could speak
He begged that the battle might be his. 2235
“Kay!” said the king, “since you want it,
And asked before anyone else,
You shouldn't be refused.” Kay thanked him,
Then mounted his horse. And my lord
Yvain was more than happy 2240
To bring him a bit of disgrace,
If he could, for he recognized Kay
At once, from his weapons and armor.
Holding their shields by the straps
They rushed at one another, 2245
Spurring their horses, their spears
Lowered, held firm in their hands
And thrust a little forward.
Holding the leather-covered
Handles they could strike so hard, 2250
When they came together, that both
Spears shattered, splintered
From the tip right up to their hands.
And my lord Yvain struck him
So hard that Kay was swept 2255
From his saddle, somersaulting to the ground,
Which he hit helmet first.
Not wishing to do him more harm,
My lord Yvain quickly
Dismounted and caught up his horse. 2260
And the sight was pleasant to so many
Of the king’s knights that they said:
“Ah ha! Now you're lying on the ground,
You who've insulted so many!
And still, it’s only right 2265
To pardon you, at least this time,
For it’s never happened before.”
Meanwhile my lord Yvain
Approached Arthur, leading
The horse by the bridle, intending 2270
To surrender it to the king. And he said:
“My lord! I hand you this horse,
For it would be wrong of me
To keep anything of yours.”
“And who are you?” asked the king. 2275
“I'd never know, unless
I heard your name or saw you
Without your armor.” And then
My lord Yvain told him
His name, and Kay was overwhelmed 2280
With shame, crushed, crestfallen,
That he'd called Yvain a coward.
But the others were delighted, deeply
Pleased by the honor Yvain
Had won. And even the king 2285
Was pleased, and my lord Gawain
Was a hundred times happier than anyone
Else, for he cherished that friendship
More than that of any
Knight he knew. And the king 2290
Asked Yvain to please
Tell them, if he would, just how
This adventure had come about,
For he found himself immensely
Curious to understand it all. 2295
So he urged Yvain to speak.
And Yvain told them everything,
All the good will and the help
The girl had given him, steering
His way through the entire story, 2300
Forgetting nothing. And then
He invited the king, and with him
All his knights, to come
To stay at his home. They would do him
Great honor, and bring him much joy, 2305
If they'd agree to be his guests.
And the king said he'd gladly
Come for an entire week,
To honor him, and please him, and share
His company. And Yvain thanked him, 2310
And they stayed where they were no longer.
Mounting their horses, they took
The shortest road to his castle.
And my lord Yvain sent
Carrying a hunting falcon,
So his lady might not be surprised
And all their people might make
Their houses beautiful, for the king’s
Coming. And the lady, when she heard, 2320
Was delighted that the king was coming.
And no one who heard the news
Was anything less than pleased.
And the lady sent for them all
And asked them to go and meet him, 2325
And they neither quarreled nor grumbled,
But set out cheerfully, all of them
Anxious to do as she wished.
Riding their huge Spanish horses
They went to meet the British 2330
King, greeting with great courtesy
Royal Arthur and then
Everyone who travelled with him.
“Welcome,” they cried, “to this party,
Brave knights all! Blessed 2335
Be he who leads you here
And gives us so many good guests!”
The town rang with happiness
Because of the king’s coming.
They brought out their silken sheets 2340
And hung them in front of their houses,
And put out tapestries to walk on,
And hung them along the streets,
All for the king, as they waited.
And they readied something else: 2345
Canopies across their streets
To keep off the heat of the sun.
Church bells rang, horns blew,
And trumpets, making so much noise
That God’s own thunder could never 2350
Have been heard. Girls danced for him,
And flutes and pipes played,
And tambourines, and cymbals, and drums.
And elsewhere, nimble young men
Did their part, dancing and leaping— 2355
Happiness ruling them all.
And with this sort of celebration
They gave the king a fitting
Welcome. And out came their lady,
Wearing a queenly gown, 2360
A dress of brand new ermine,
And on her head a crown
Rich with red rubies, and nowhere
On her face could one see concern,
But so much happiness and laughter 2365
That she seems to me to be lovelier
Than any immortal goddess.
And her people crowded around her,
And each and all of them cried:
“Welcome to the king, the master 2370
Of all worldly lords and kings!”
The king had barely begun
To answer when he saw the lady
Coming to hold his bridle.
And thinking he would not wait, 2375
As soon as he saw her approaching
He quickly dismounted from his horse.
And the lady greeted him, and said:
“A hundred thousand welcomes
To my lord the king, and blessings 2380
On his nephew, my lord Gaw
ain.”
“And to you,” answered the king,
“Lovely creature, I wish
Great joy and great good luck!”
Then the king hugged her to him, 2385
Nobly and with spirit, and the lady
Threw her arms around him.
But how she welcomed them all
Is hardly worth telling: no one
Has ever heard of guests 2390
Granted such a welcome,
With such honor and so much attention.
I could describe a good deal of happiness,
But why waste words? I shall only
Mention a friendship struck, 2395
Entirely in private, no one
To see or to hear, between
The moon and the sun. And who
Do you think I mean to refer to?
He who was lord of all knights 2400
More famous than any, should certainly
Be called the sun. I speak,
Of course, of my lord Gawain,
Who shed his lustre on the world
Of chivalry exactly as the sun 2405
Rising in the morning opens
His rays and breathes his famous
Warmth everywhere he’s seen.
And she I have called the moon
Could be called nothing else, because 2410
Of her lofty wisdom, and her courtesy.
And nevertheless that’s not
The only reason for calling her
Moon, for her name was Lunette.
The girl’s name was Lunette, 2415
Gracious, brunette, exceedingly
Wise and knowing and quick.
The better he thought of her, and loved her,
And declared her his friend, she 2420
Who had saved his comrade and friend
From certain death, and he gave her
A pledge of service and support.
And she told him how hard it had been
To get around her mistress, 2425
To bring her to marrying my lord
Yvain, and how she had sheltered
Yvain from the hands of those
Who would have killed him. He'd been
Right there, but they couldn't see him. 2430
And Gawain laughed with delight
At her story, and said: “My dear
Young lady, I hereby give you
Whatever sort of knight
I may be, for whatever use 2435
I may be. Don't exchange me for anyone
Else you think may be better.
I am yours—and you shall be mine,
Now and forever.” “I thank you,
Kind sir!” she agreed. 2440
And while
These two were becoming acquainted,
There were others talking of love.
There may have been ninety ladies
In attendance, each of them beautiful,
And gracious, and well-bred, and clever, 2445
And wise, and all well-born.
It was easy to find entertainment,
Hugging and kissing and talking
And simply watching, and sitting
Beside them at night. That much 2450
Was easy, and that much they had.
And Yvain was immensely happy,
Having the king as his guest.
And the lady so honored everyone,
Separately and all together, 2455
That fools might have thought it was love
Drawing her on, and love
She offered them all. They're simple
Idiots, and deserve the name,
Thinking a lady is in love 2460
Because she is gracious and polite
To some blockhead, and makes him happy,
And hugs him. It’s fools who are happy
With pretty words. There’s nothing
Difficult about fooling a fool. 2465
A week went by, spent
In pleasure and delight. The woods
And the river opened their arms
To anyone who wanted to enjoy them.
And those who wished to see 2470
The lands my lord Yvain
Had conquered, that came with the lady
He'd won, could easily amuse
Themselves at one of the neighboring
Castles, a mile or two off. 2475
And the king, when he'd made his visit
And wished to stay no longer,
Got ready to say his farewells.
But his courtiers had spent the week
Determined, if they could, to take 2480
My lord Yvain home
With them. They'd begged and argued
And worked as hard as they could.
“What?” said Gawain. “There are men
Who aren't the men they were 2485
Once they're married. Not you!
By Mary, Mother of Heaven,
The devil with anyone who marries
And goes slack! A beautiful lady
Should make us better, as friend 2490
Or as wife. No one should be loved
Who isn't worth it. And you,
Surely you'll regret her love
If it makes you worthless. For a woman
Can just as easily fall out 2495
Of love—and there’s nothing wrong
In hating anyone who turns worthless
As soon as he’s lord of the realm.
It’s now that you need to prove
Yourself! Take the bit in your teeth: 2500
We ought to go jousting, you
And I, so no one can call you
Jealous. You shouldn't be lazy,
But throw yourself into tournaments,
Take on the world, and with pleasure, 2505
Whatever it costs you! Lying
Around will change you for the worse.
Now really, you've got to come,
For I'll come with you. Be careful,
My friend, that we don't fall out, 2510
And cease to be comrades! It won't
Be any fault of mine.
I'm here. How strange to fall
In love with endless ease.
Things grow sweeter when you're forced 2515
To delay them, and a little thing
That we're obliged to wait for is better
Than some great thing that we always have.
The pleasures of love, when they come to us
Late, are like fire in a green 2520
Log, burning hotter and longer
And keeping their heat better
For taking so long to light.
Habits can grow on us,
Can get hard to give up. We can want to 2525
And find that we can't. And surely,
My comrade, my friend, I have
No lover like yours, so beautiful,
So good. By God and all
The saints in heaven, if I had her 2530
You couldn't pry me away!
I'd be her fool and her slave.
I know: a man can give
Advice he couldn't follow
Himself, just like the preachers, 2535
All of them lying swindlers,
But teaching what’s right, and speaking it,
Though they never do it themselves.”
And Gawain said so much
And so urgently, and begged him so hard, 2540
That Yvain agreed, but said
He needed to speak to his wife,
To see if she minded his going,
For whether it was wise or foolish
He'd never leave her and return 2545
To Britain without her consent.
So he took his wife aside
(Who had no way of knowing
What he wanted) and said: “Dear lady!
My very heart and soul, 2550
My treasure, my joy, and my happines
s,
For your honor, and also for mine,
Promise me something!” And the lady
Immediately agreed, not knowing
What he meant to ask, and she said: 2555
“Sweet sir! I am yours to command,
Whatever the favor may be.”
And so my lord Yvain
Asked her to permit him to escort
Arthur home, and then 2560
Go tourneying, so no one could call him
A coward. And she said: “I agree—
But only till a day we shall fix.
My love will turn to hate,
Believe me—for it’s true, and it’s certain— 2565
If you stay too long and stay past
The day I shall tell you. And this
Is the truth: I'll tell you no lies.
You can break your word. I'll keep mine.
If you wish to have my love, 2570
And if you think well of me,
Make up your mind to be back
At the very latest a year
And a week from the feast of Saint John,
For this is the eighth day since that feast. 2575
If you're not here with me
On precisely that day you'll have lost
My love, like a checkmated king.”
My lord Yvain wept
And sighed and found it hard to say, 2580
“Lady! It’s a long way off.
If I were a dove I could come
And be with you as often as I liked,
And as much as I liked. And I pray
To God, if it pleases Him, 2585
Not to keep me too long
Away from you. Sometimes a man
Means to hurry, but can't know
The future. Who knows what will happen?
I may become ill. I may 2590
Be held prisoner. Events may detain me.
I think you're wrong, and unjust,
Not to exclude at least
Physical impossibility.”
“Sir!” she said, “I'll grant that. 2595
And still, I swear to you, if our Lord
Keeps you from death, nothing
Will stand in your way as long
As you never forget me. Here:
Put on your finger this ring 2600
Of mine. I loan it to you.
And let me tell you exactly
What sort of stone it is.
No true and loyal lover
Can be captured, or lose any blood, 2605
Nor have any evil come to him,
As long as he wears it and holds it
Dear and remembers his beloved.
He turns as hard as iron.
It serves him as shield and armor. 2610
No knight has ever had it
From my hand. I give it to you
Only because of my love.”
And now Yvain had his freedom,
But wept at the thought of taking it.— 2615
But the king would not wait for anything,
No matter what anyone said.
Indeed, he grew impatient
To have the horses led in,
Bridled and ready to leave. 2620