The Mabinogion Vol. 1 by Sir Owen Morgan Edwards and Lady Charlotte Schreiber (best big ereader txt) 📗

a space, in order to learn the manners and customs of different countries, and courtesy, and gentleness, and noble bearing.  Leave, then, the habits and the discourse of thy mother, and I will be thy teacher; and I will raise thee to the rank of knight from this time forward.  And thus do thou.  If thou seest aught to cause thee wonder, ask not the meaning of it; if no one has the courtesy to inform thee, the reproach will not fall upon thee, but upon me that am thy teacher.”  And they had abundance of honour and service.  And when it was time, they went to sleep.  At the break of day, Peredur arose, and took his horse, and with his uncle’s permission, he rode forth.  And he came to a vast desert wood, and at the further end of the wood was a meadow, and on p. 62the other side of the meadow he saw a large castle.  And thitherward Peredur bent his way, and he found the gate open, and he proceeded to the hall.  And he beheld a stately hoary-headed man sitting on one side of the hall, and many pages around him, who arose to receive and to honour Peredur.  And they placed him by the side of the owner of the palace.  Then they discoursed together; and when it was time to eat, they caused Peredur to sit beside the nobleman during the repast.  And when they had eaten and drank as much as they desired, the nobleman asked Peredur, whether he could fight with a sword?  “Were I to receive instruction,” said Peredur, “I think I could.”  Now, there was on the floor of the hall a huge staple, as large as a warrior could grasp.  “Take yonder sword,” said the man to Peredur, “and strike the iron staple.”  So Peredur arose, and struck the staple, so that he cut it in two; and the sword broke into two parts also.  “Place the two parts together, and reunite them,” and Peredur placed them together, and they became entire as they were before.  And a second time he struck upon the staple, so that both it and the sword broke in two, and as before they reunited.  And the third time he gave a like blow, and placed the broken parts together, and neither the staple nor the sword would unite, as before.  “Youth,” said the nobleman, “come now, and sit down, and my blessing be upon thee.  Thou fightest best with the sword of any man in the kingdom.  Thou hast arrived at two-thirds of thy strength, and the other third thou hast not yet obtained; and when thou attainest to thy full power, none will be able to contend with thee.  I am thy uncle, thy mother’s brother, and I am brother [62] to the man in whose house thou wast p. 63last night.”  Then Peredur and his uncle discoursed together, and he beheld two youths enter the hall, and proceed up to the chamber, bearing a spear of mighty size, with three streams of blood flowing from the point to the ground.  And when all the company saw this, they began wailing and lamenting.  But for all that, the man did not break off his discourse with Peredur.  And as he did not tell Peredur the meaning of what he saw, he forebore to ask him concerning p. 64it.  And when the clamour had a little subsided, behold two maidens entered, with a large salver between them, in which was a man’s head, surrounded by a profusion of blood.  And thereupon the company of the court made so great an outcry, that it was irksome to be in the same hall with them.  But at length they were silent.  And when time was that they should sleep, Peredur was brought into a fair chamber.

And the next day, with his uncle’s permission, he rode forth.  And he came to a wood, and far within the wood he heard a loud cry, and he saw a beautiful woman with auburn hair, and a horse with a saddle upon it, standing near her, and a corpse by her side.  And as she strove to place the corpse upon the horse, it fell to the ground, and thereupon she made a great lamentation.  “Tell me, sister,” said Peredur, “wherefore art thou bewailing?”  “Oh! accursed Peredur, little pity has my ill fortune ever met with from thee.”  “Wherefore,” said Peredur, “am I accursed?”  “Because thou wast the cause of thy mother’s death; for when thou didst ride forth against her will, anguish seized upon her heart, so that she died; and therefore art thou accursed.  And the dwarf and the dwarfess that thou sawest at Arthur’s Court, were the dwarfs of thy father and mother; and I am thy foster-sister, and this was my wedded husband, and he was slain by the knight that is in the glade in the wood; and do not thou go near him, lest thou shouldest be slain by him likewise.”  “My sister, thou dost reproach me wrongfully; through my having so long remained amongst you, I shall scarcely vanquish him; and had I continued longer it would, indeed, be difficult for me to succeed.  Cease, therefore, thy lamenting, for it is of no avail, p. 65and I will bury the body, and then I will go in quest of the knight, and see if I can do vengeance upon him.”  And when he had buried the body, they went to the place where the knight was, and found him riding proudly along the glade; and he enquired of Peredur whence he came.  “I come from Arthur’s Court.”  “And art thou one of Arthur’s men?”  “Yes, by my faith.”  “A profitable alliance, truly, is that of Arthur.”  And without further parlance, they encountered one another, and immediately Peredur overthrew the knight, and he besought mercy of Peredur.  “Mercy shall thou have,” said he, “upon these terms, that thou take this woman in marriage, and do her all the honour and reverence in thy power, seeing thou hast, without cause, slain her wedded husband; and that thou go to Arthur’s Court, and shew him that it was I that overthrew thee, to do him honour and service; and that thou tell him that I will never come to his Court again until I have met with the tall man that is there, to take vengeance upon him for his insult to the dwarf and the dwarfess.”  And he took the knight’s assurance, that he would perform all this.  Then the knight provided the lady with a horse and garments that were suitable for her, and took her with him to Arthur’s Court.  And he told Arthur all that had occurred, and gave the defiance to Kai.  And Arthur and all his household reproved Kai, for having driven such a youth as Peredur from his Court.

Said Owain the son of Urien, “This youth will never come into the Court until Kai has gone forth from it.”  “By my faith,” said Arthur, “I will search all the deserts in the island of Britain, until I find Peredur, and then let him and his adversary do their utmost to each other.”

p. 66Then Peredur rode forward.  And he came to a desert wood, where he saw not the track either of men or animals, and where there was nothing but bushes and weeds.  And at the upper end of the wood he saw a vast castle, wherein were many strong towers; and when he came near the gate, he found the weeds taller than he had done elsewhere.  And he struck the gate with the shaft of his lance, and thereupon behold a lean auburn-haired youth came to an opening in the battlements.  “Choose thou, chieftain,” said he.  “Whether shall I open the gate unto thee, or shall I announce unto those that are chief, that thou art at the gateway?”  “Say that I am here,” said Peredur, “and if it is desired that I should enter, I will go in.”  And the youth came back, and opened the gate for Peredur.  And when he went into the hall, he beheld eighteen youths, lean and red-headed, of the same height and of the same aspect, and of the same dress, and of the same age as the one who had opened the gate for him.  And they were well skilled in courtesy and in service.  And they disarrayed him.  Then they sat down to discourse.  Thereupon, behold five maidens came from the chamber into the hall.  And Peredur was certain that he had never seen another of so fair an aspect as the chief of the maidens.  And she had an old garment of satin upon her, which had once been handsome, but was then so tattered, that her skin could be seen through it.  And whiter was her skin than the bloom of crystal, and her hair and her two eyebrows were blacker than jet, and on her cheeks were two red spots, redder than whatever is reddest.  And the maiden welcomed Peredur, and put her arms about his neck, and made him sit down beside her.  Not long after this he saw two nuns enter and a p. 67flask full of wine was borne by one, and six loaves of white bread by the other.  “Lady,” said they, “Heaven is witness, that there is not so much of food and liquor as this left in yonder Convent this night.”  Then they went to meat, and Peredur observed that the maiden wished to give more of the food and of the liquor to him than to any of the others.  “My sister,” said Peredur, “I will share out the food and the liquor.”  “Not so, my soul,” said she.  “By my faith, but I will.”  So Peredur took the bread, and he gave an equal portion of it to each alike, as well as a cup full of the liquor.  And when it was time for them to sleep, a chamber was prepared for Peredur, and he went to rest.

“Behold, sister,” said the youths to the fairest and most exalted of the maidens, “we have counsel for thee.”  “What may it be?” she enquired.  “Go to the youth that is in the upper chamber, and offer to become his wife, or the lady of his love, if it seem well to him.”  “That were indeed unfitting,” said she.  “Hitherto I have not been the lady love of any knight, and to make him such an offer before I am wooed by him, that, truly, can I not do.”  “By our confession to Heaven, unless thou actest thus, we will leave thee here to thy enemies, to do as they will with thee.”  And through fear of this, the maiden went forth; and shedding tears, she proceeded to the chamber.  And with the noise of the door opening, Peredur awoke; and the maiden was weeping and lamenting.  “Tell me, my sister,” said Peredur, “wherefore dost thou weep?”  “I will tell thee, lord,” said she, “my father possessed these dominions as their chief, and this palace was his, and with it he held the best earldom in the kingdom; then the son of another earl sought me of my father, and I p. 68was not willing to be given unto him, and my father would not give me against my will, either to him or any earl in the world.  And my father had no child except myself.  And after my father’s death, these dominions came into my own hands, and then was I less willing to accept him than before.  So he made war upon me, and conquered all my possessions except this one house.  And through the valour of the men whom thou hast seen, who are my foster brothers, and the strength of the house, it can never be taken while food