Parzival: A Knightly Epic (vol. 2 of 2)

by von Eschenbach Wolfram

Of all would she naught, but with hatred her heart 'gainst my pleading steeled.
And a whole year long I held her, and a whole year long I prayed,
Yet never she hearkened to me, and ever my love gainsaid.
And thus from my heart I bemoan me, since I know that her love to thee
She hath promised, since here I meet thee, and death wouldst thou bring to me. 360
If with her thou hadst hither ridden, perchance had I here been slain,
Or perchance ye had died together—such guerdon thy love might gain!'

'And my heart other service seeketh, and mine aid lieth in thine hand,
Since here thou hast been the victor thou art lord o'er this wonder-land;
And if thou wilt show me kindness help me now a fair maid to win 365
For whose sake my heart knoweth sorrow, to King Lot is she near of kin,
And no maiden of all earth's maidens hath wrought me such grief and pain!
Her token I bear—I prithee, if thou seest that maid again
Swear thou to her faithful service—I think me she means me fair,
And for her sake I fight, for her favour I many a peril dare; 370
For since with true words Orgelusé her love hath denied to me,
Wherever for fame I battled, whate'er might my portion be,
Of joy or of grief, she hath caused it, Itonjé, for whom I fight,
Yet alas! I have ne'er beheld her! Now do me this grace, Sir Knight,
If aid thou art fain to give me, then take thou this golden ring, 375
And unto my lovely lady, I prithee, the token bring.
Thou art free from strife, I fight not till thou bring with thee two or more.
What honour were mine if I slew thee? I ever such strife forbore!'

'Yet in sooth I can well defend me, as a man should,' quoth knight Gawain,
'Thou thinkest small fame will it bring thee if I here at thine hand be slain, 380
But what honour shall I have won me by breaking this bough, I pray?
For none will account it glory if I slay thee unarmed to-day!
But yet will I do thy message—Give me here the finger-ring,
And thy sorrow of heart, and thy service, I will to thy lady bring.'
Then the king he thanked him freely—But Gawain he quoth in this wise, 385
'Now tell me, Sir Knight, who may he be who doth conflict with me despise?'

'An thou count it me not for dishonour,' quoth the king, 'here my name be told,
King Irôt he was my father, who was slain by King Lot of old.
And King Gramoflanz do men call me, and my heart doth such valour know
That never, for evil done me, will I fight with but one for foe, 390
Saving one man alone, hight Gawain, of him have I heard such fame
That to fight with him I am ready, and vengeance from him I claim.
For his father he dealt with treason, in fair greeting my father slew,
Good cause have I here for mine anger and the words that I speak are true.
Now dead is King Lot, and Gawain, his fame o'er all knights stands high 395
Of the Table Round, and I yearn still till the day of our strife draw nigh.'

Then out quoth King Lot's son dauntless, 'Wouldst pleasure thy lady still,
If indeed she shall be thy lady, and dost speak of her father ill?
And reckonest to him false treason, and her brother art fain to slay!
Then indeed must she be false maiden if she mourn not thy deeds alway! 400
If true daughter she were, and sister, for the twain would she surely speak,
And forbid thee, methinks, thine hatred on kinsmen so near to wreak.
If so be that thy true love's father hath broken his troth, yet thou
Shouldst, as kinsman, avenge the evil that men spake of the dead, I trow!
His son will not fear to do so, and little methinks he'll care 405
If small aid in his need he findeth from the love of his sister fair.
He, himself, will be pledge for his father, and his sin be upon my head,
For Sir King, I who speak am Gawain, and thou warrest not with the dead!
But I, from such shame to free him, what honour be mine or fame,
In strife will I give to the scourging ere thou slander my father's name!' 410

Quoth the king, 'Art thou he whom I hated with a hatred as yet unstilled?
For alike with both joy and sorrow thy valour my soul hath filled.
And one thing in thee doth please me, that at last I may fight with thee,
And I rede thee to wit that great honour in this hast thou won from me,
Since I vowed but to fight with thee only—And our fame shall wax great alway, 415
If many a lovely lady we bring to behold the fray.
For I can bring fifteen hundred, and thou art of a fair host king
At Château Merveil; and on thy side thine uncle can others bring
From the land that he rules, King Arthur, and Löver its name shall be,
And the city is Bems by the Korka, as well shall be known to thee. 420
There lieth he now with his vassals, and hither can make his way,
In eight days, with great joy; so I bid thee to meet me the sixteenth day,
When I come, for my wrong's avenging, to Ioflanz upon the plain,
And the pay for this garland's plucking I there from thine hand shall gain!'

Then King Gramoflanz prayed of Gawain to ride unto Rosche Sabbin, 425
'For nearer methinks than the city no way o'er the flood thou'lt win!'
But out quoth the gallant Gawain, 'I will back e'en as erst I came,
But in all else thy will I'll follow.' Then they sware them by their fair fame
That with many a knight and lady at Ioflanz they'ld meet for strife
On the chosen day, and alone there would battle for death or life. 430

And on this wise Gawain he parted for awhile from the noble knight,
And joyful he turned his bridle, and the bough decked his helm so bright.
And he checked not his steed, but spurred it to the edge of the gulf once more,
Nor Gringuljet missed his footing, but he sprang well the chasm o'er,
And he fell not again, the hero—Then the lady she turned her rein 435
As he sprang to the ground, and tightened the girths of his steed again,
And swiftly to give him welcome, I ween, she to earth did spring,
And low at his feet she cast her, and she spake, 'I such need did bring
Upon thee, Sir Knight, as I wot well was more than thy worth might ask,
And yet have I felt such sorrow, for the sorrow of this thy task, 440
And the service that thou hast done me, as I deem she alone doth know
Who loveth in truth, and, faithful, doth weep o'er her lover's woe!'

Then he quoth, 'Is this truth, and thy greeting be not falsehood in friendly guise,
Then thyself dost thou honour, Lady! For in this shall I be so wise
That I know a knight's shield claimeth honour, and thou didst against knighthood sin, 445
For so high doth it stand that from no man methinks doth he mocking win,
Who as true knight hath ever borne him—This, Lady, I needs must say,
Whoever had looked upon me had known me for knight alway,
Yet knighthood thou wouldst deny me when first thou my face didst see,
But henceforth that may rest—Take this garland I won at thy will for thee, 450
But I bid thee henceforth beware thee that never thy beauty bright
Shall again in such wise mislead thee to dishonour a gallant knight,
For I wot, ere such scorn and mocking again at thine hand I bore,
Thy love thou shouldst give to another, I would ask for it nevermore!'

Then she spake as she wept full sorely, that lady so sweet and fair, 455
'Sir Knight, did I tell unto thee the woe that my heart doth bear,
Thou wouldst own that full sore my sorrow—If I shall discourteous be,
Then he whom I wrong may forgive me of true heart with forgiveness free.
For of such joy no man can rob me as the joy that I lost awhile
In that knight of all knights the bravest, Eidegast, who knew naught of guile! 460
So brave and so fair my true love, his fame was as sunlight's ray,
And for honour he strove so truly that all others, in this his day,
Both here and afar, born of woman, they owned that his praise stood high
O'er that of all men, and no glory might e'er with his glory vie.
A fountain, for aye upspringing, of virtue, his gallant youth, 465
And falsehood ne'er shamed his honour nor darkened the light of truth.
Into light came he forth from the darkness, and his honour aloft he bore,
That none who spake word of treason might reach to it evermore.
From the root in a true heart planted it waxed and it spread amain,
Till he rose o'er all men as Saturn doth high o'er the planets reign. 470
And true as the one-horned marvel, since the truth I am fain to tell,
The knight of my love and desiring,—for whose fate maids may weep full well,
Thro' its virtue I ween it dieth—And I, I was as his heart,
And my body was he! Ah! woe is me, that I must from such true love part!
And King Gramoflanz, he slew him, the knight thou but now didst see, 475
And the bough thou hast brought unto me from the tree of his ward shall be.'