Book VI · ARTHUR, part 6 of 12

¶Then he quoth, 'Is it thou, O Gawain? too little I yet have done 435 That thou shouldst as a friend entreat me; yet hast thou this honour won That all men thou gently treatest--and thy friendship I here will take, Yet not for mine own deserving, but repayment I fain would make. Now say where thine army lieth, since so many tents I see That stand fair by the brink of the river? If King Arthur in truth shall be 440 So near, then must I bemoan me, that in honour I may not dare To enter his royal presence, or look on his queen so fair. Since 'tis meet that I first avenge me of a foul and discourteous blow, For which, since the day I left them, I sorrow and shame must know. For a maiden as she beheld me, laughed sweetly, the seneschal 445 For my sake smote the maid so sorely, 'twas a wood that upon her fell.'

¶'Rough vengeance thou here hast taken! (Gawain to the Waleis spake) Since thou in a joust hast felled him, and right arm and left leg he brake. Ride here, see his charger lifeless, that lieth the stone below; On the snowdrift behold the splinters of the spear that hath dealt the blow! 450 'Tis the spear thou but now wast seeking!' Then the truth knew Sir Parzival, And straightway he spake unto Gawain, 'Now, if this be the seneschal, And the man who so sorely shamed me, if thou swear me that this was he, Thou mayst ride where thou wilt, and gladly will I ride in thy company!' 'Nay, never a lie do I tell thee,' quoth Gawain, 'thou hast overthrown 455 Segramor, who ere now in battle was ever as victor known, He fell ere yet Kay had met thee: great deeds hast thou done to-day, Since o'er two of our bravest heroes the prize thou hast borne away.'

¶So rode they, the one with the other, the Waleis and Knight Gawain, And the folk, both afoot and on horseback, with honour would greet the twain, 460 Gawain and his guest the Red Knight, this did they of courtesy, And the twain to his fair pavilion they gat them right speedily. And the lady, fair Kunnewaaré, whose tent by Gawain's did stand, Rejoiced, and she joyful greeted the hero, whose strong right hand Had failed not to wreak stern vengeance for the ill that Kay wrought that day; 465 Then her brother and fair Jeschuté she led by the hand straightway, And Parzival looked upon them as the three to his tent drew near, And his face, thro' the rust of his armour, it shone ever fair and clear, As roses dew-dipped had flown there: his harness aside he laid, And he stood before Kunnewaaré, and thus spake the gentle maid: 470

¶'To God shalt thou first be welcome, as welcome thou art to me, Since thy manhood thou well hast proven, and the faith that I had in thee! Ere the day that my heart beheld thee, nor laughter nor smiles I knew, And Kay, who in that hour smote me, with stern hand my gladness slew. But now hast thou well avenged me! With a kiss I thy deed would pay, 475 If I of thy kiss were worthy!' 'Nay, so had I thought to-day To crave of thy lips my payment,' quoth Parzival, 'if thou still Wilt give me such gracious greeting, right gladly I'll do thy will!'

¶Then she kissed him, and down they sate them, and the princess a maiden sent And bade her to bring rich raiment; so sped she unto the tent; 480 And the garments they lay there ready, of rich silk of Nineveh, For her prisoner, King Klamidé, had she fashioned them cunningly. Then the maiden who bare the garments, full sorely must she bewail That the mantle was yet unfinished, since the silken cord did fail. Then the lady, Kunnewaaré, from her side drew a silken band 485 From the folds of her robe, in the mantle she wove it with skilful hand.

¶Then courteous her leave he prayed him, the rust would he wash away, And fair shone his face, and youthful, and his lips they were red that day. And robed was the gallant hero, and so bright and so fair was he, That all men who there beheld him, they sware he for sure must be 490 The flower and the crown of manhood, a knight without shame or fear; And they looked upon him, and they praised him and his colour waxed bright and clear, And right well did his garb become him; an emerald green and rare, The gift of fair Kunnewaaré, as clasp at his neck he bare; And a girdle beside she gave him, all wrought in a cunning row 495 With mystic beasts, bejewelled, that burnt with a fiery glow, And its clasp was a red-fire ruby--How think ye the beardless youth Was seen when thus richly girded? Fair was he in very sooth, For so the story runneth--the folk bare him right goodwill, Men and women who looked upon him, they counted him worthy still. 500

¶Forthwith, as the Mass was ended, came Arthur the noble king, And the knights of his Table with him, a goodly following. No man there whose lips spake falsehood. Yea, all heard the word that day, 'With Gawain the Red Knight dwelleth!' the king thither took his way.

¶Then the knight who so sore was beaten came swiftly, Sir Antanor, 505 For, fain to behold the Waleis, his feet sped the king before, And he asked, 'Art thou he who avenged me, and the lady of fair Lalande? Now vanished shall be Kay's honour, for it falleth unto thine hand, And an end hast thou made of his threatening, and the days of his strife are o'er, For his arm it is weak, and his vengeance I fear for it never more!' 510

¶And so fair was the knight and radiant, that all men beheld his face As an angel from heaven, that wingless, abideth on earth a space. And well did King Arthur greet him, and his knights were no whit behind, And all they who looked upon him, naught but love in their hearts might find, And their lips to their heart made answer, and all spake to his praises, 'Yea,' 515 And no man gainsaid the other, so lovely his mien that day!

¶Then Arthur spake fair unto him, 'Thou hast wrought me both joy and pain, Yet ne'er from the hand of a hero such honour I thought to gain As the honour that thou hast brought me! yet no service I did to thee, An I did, then thy fame had repaid it, tho' no other thy deeds should be 520 Than the deed thou hast done in the winning for Jeschuté her husband's grace! Nor Kay's guilt had been unavengèd, if ere this I had seen thy face Myself had, unasked, chastised him.' Then Arthur in this wise spake, 'Since so far they had come, and their journey had they taken but for his sake, They all with one voice did pray him, to swear to them brotherhood, 525 And be one of the gallant Table, a comrade both true and good.' And their prayer it seemed good unto him, and joyful at heart was he, And he sware them the oath that they asked for, and their knight would he gladly be.