Arthurian Romances

by Chretien de Troyes

  ‘God,’ said Erec, ‘what great wealth! Let’s go to see the fortress, and take our lodgings in the town, for I wish to stay there.’

  ‘My lord,’ he said with deep concern, ‘if you don’t mind, let us not stay there; there is a very evil ritual in the town.’

  ‘Evil?’ said Erec. ‘Do you know what it is? Whatever it is, tell us, for I should like to know about it.’

  ‘My lord,’ he said, ‘I would be afraid that you would suffer harm from it. I know that in your heart there is so much courage and goodness that, if I told you what I know of the adventure, which is very dangerous and difficult, you would want to go there. I have often heard tell of it, for seven years or more have passed since anyone who went there to seek the adventure returned from the town; and yet bold and courageous knights from many lands have come. My lord, do not consider this a game: for you will never learn of it from me until you have pledged, by the love you have promised me, that you will never seek the adventure from which none escapes without receiving shame and death.’

  Now Erec heard something to his liking. He begged Guivret not to be aggrieved, and said: ‘Ah, my dear friend, permit us to take our lodgings in the town, if you don’t mind. It is time to find lodging for this night, and I do not wish to distress you – for if any honour accrues to me there, that should bring you great pleasure. I urge you to tell me just the name of the adventure, and I shall require no more of you.’

  ‘My lord,’ he said, ‘I cannot keep silent and avoid saying what you wish to hear. The name is beautiful to speak, but it is painful to achieve, for no one can escape from it alive. The adventure, I assure you, is called the Joy of the Court.’

  ‘God! In joy there is nothing but good,’ said Erec; ‘that is what I seek. Don’t go discouraging me here, dear friend, not from this or anything else. So let us take our lodgings, for much good may come of this. Nothing could keep me from going in search of the Joy.’

  ‘My lord,’ he said, ‘may God watch over you, so that you may find joy there and return without hindrance! I clearly see that you must go there. Since it cannot be otherwise, let’s go; that is where we will take our lodgings, for no highly reputed knight – so I have heard tell – can enter this town in search of lodging without being welcomed by King Evrain. The king is so noble and gracious that he has made a proclamation to his burghers that, if they value their lives, no nobleman who comes from outside must find lodging in their houses, so that he himself may honour all the noblemen who want to stay in the town.’

  So they went off towards the town and passed the enceintes and the bridge. When they had passed the enceintes, the people who had gathered along the street in great crowds saw Erec, who was so handsome that judging from appearances they thought all the others were in his service. Everyone looked at him with admiration; the whole town was astir with rumours, such was the muttering and talking of the people. Even the maidens dancing their rounds left off their singing or postponed it. All of them together looked at him and crossed themselves for his great beauty. Aghast, they pitied him: ‘Oh, God!’ said one to the other. ‘Alas! This knight who is passing by is coming to the Joy of the Court. He will suffer from it before he leaves! No one ever came from another land to seek the Joy of the Court without meeting with shame and loss, and forfeiting his head there.’

  Then, so that he might hear it, they said aloud: ‘God keep you from misfortune, knight, for you are extraordinarily handsome; yet your beauty is greatly to be pitied, for tomorrow we shall see it extinguished! Tomorrow is appointed for your death; tomorrow you’ll die without delay, if God does not protect and defend you.’

  Erec heard clearly and understood what they were saying about him in the town; more than seven thousand pitied him, but nothing could daunt him. Onward he went without tarrying, greeting formally one and all alike, without making distinctions; and one and all greeted him. Many sweated with anguish, fearing either his death or his dishonour more than he did himself. Just the sight of his bearing, his great beauty, and his appearance had so won him the hearts of all that everyone – knights, ladies, and maidens – dreaded the misfortune that would befall him.

  King Evrain heard the news that people were coming to his court with a great company, and it appeared from their equipment that their lord was a count or king. King Evrain came into the street to meet them and greeted them. ‘Welcome,’ he said, ‘to this company, and to the lord and all his people! Welcome,’ he said; ‘do dismount.’

  They dismounted; there were plenty prepared to attend to their horses. King Evrain was faultlessly courteous when he saw Enide coming: he immediately greeted her and hastened to help her dismount. He led her by her beautiful and delicate hand up into his palace, just as courtesy required, and he honoured her in every way he could – for he knew full well how to do it – without any base or foolish thought. He had perfumed a chamber with incense, myrrh, and aloe; upon entering it everyone praised King Evrain’s fine welcome. Hand in hand they entered the chamber with the king, who had escorted them there, rejoicing greatly over them.

  But why should I relate to you in detail the embroidery of the silken tapestries that decorated the chamber? I would foolishly waste my time, and I do not wish to waste it; rather I wish to hurry a bit, for the man who goes quickly by the direct road passes the man who strays from the path. Therefore I do not wish to tarry. When the time and the hour came the king ordered the evening meal to be prepared. I don’t wish to linger here, if I can find a more direct route.

  Whatever the heart and palate desire they had in abundance that night: fowl and game and fruit and wine of various sorts. But the fine welcome was best of all, for of all dishes the sweetest is the fine welcome and the lovely face. They were served very joyfully until Erec abruptly ceased eating and drinking, and began to recall what he most had his heart set on. He remembered the Joy and began to speak of it; King Evrain continued the conversation.

  ‘My lord,’ said Erec, ‘now it is fully time for me to tell you what I have in mind and why I have come here. I have refrained from speaking of it too long, but now I can conceal it no longer. I request the Joy of the Court, for I desire nothing else so much. Give it to me, whatever it may be, if it is in your power.’

  ‘Truly,’ said the king, ‘dear friend, I hear you wasting your words. This is a most sorrowful subject, for it has brought suffering to many a good man. You yourself, in the end, will be wounded and killed by it, if you will heed no counsel. But if you were willing to believe me, I would advise you to give up asking for such a painful thing, in which you could never succeed. Speak no more of it! Keep silent about it! You would be very unwise not to heed my advice. It’s no wonder at all that you seek honour and renown; but if I should see you taken prisoner or physically wounded, I should be very sad at heart. I can guarantee you that I have seen and welcomed many good men who requested this Joy: they never improved their lot in any way, but rather all died and perished there. Before evening falls tomorrow, you may expect a similar fate if you insist upon the Joy: for you will have it, but at great cost. It is a thing that you ought to renounce and withdraw from, if you want to act in your own interest. That is why I’m telling you that I would betray you and do you wrong if I did not tell you the whole truth.’

  Erec heard this and readily acknowledged that the king had counselled him rightly, but the greater the wonder and the more dangerous the adventure the more he desired it and strove towards it. ‘My lord,’ he said, ‘I am able to say that I find you upright, noble, and true; I can place no blame on you for what I wish to undertake, however it may evolve for me. Let the matter be decided here and now, for once I have undertaken a thing I will never commit such an act of recreance by doing anything less than my utmost before fleeing from the field of combat.’

  ‘I knew it!’ said the king; ‘you will have the Joy you seek in spite of me; but I am in despair and greatly fear your misfortune. But as of now you may be sure of having whatever you most desire; if joy comes to you from thi
s exploit, your conquest will confer on you greater honour than has ever been conferred on any other man. And may God grant, as I desire, that you come out of this with joy.’

  They spoke of this all night until the beds were prepared, when they retired. In the morning, when he awoke, it was light and Erec saw the clear dawn and the sun. He rose quickly and made ready. Enide was sorely troubled and deeply saddened and distressed; she had suffered greatly through the night from the apprehension and fear she felt on behalf of her lord, who was intent upon placing himself in such danger. But none the less he was getting ready, for no one could dissuade him.

  As soon as he arose the king sent armour to equip Erec, which Erec put to very good use. He did not refuse it, for his own was worn and damaged and in bad shape. He gladly took the armour and had himself armed in the hall. As soon as he was armed, he went down to the bottom of the stairs and found his horse saddled and the king already mounted. Everyone made ready to mount, both in the courtyard and lodgings. In all the castle there remained neither man nor woman, upright or crippled, tall or short, weak or strong, who could go along and did not do so.

  When they set out there was great racket and clamour in all the streets, for the high folk and the low were all saying: ‘Alas! knight, you have been betrayed by the very Joy you plan to achieve, when in fact you are going to your death and sorrow.’ There was not one who did not say: ‘God curse this Joy, since so many good men have perished from it! This day without doubt it will bring greater sorrow than ever before.’ Erec heard and listened attentively to what nearly all the people were saying: ‘Woe to you, fair, noble and upright knight! Surely it would not be right for your life to end so soon, for any misfortune to befall you, to wound or dishonour you.’ He clearly heard the words and the talk, yet on he went. He held his head high and had nothing of the look of a coward. Regardless of what was said about it, he was impatient to see, learn, and know what it was that caused them such anguish, fright, and sorrow.

  The king led him out of the town and into a nearby garden, and all the people followed, praying that God might let him emerge with joy from this urgent need. But it is not proper to pass on, though the tongue may be worn and weary, without telling you the truth about the garden according to the story.

  Around the garden the only wall or palisade was one of air; yet by black magic the garden was enclosed on all sides with air as though it were ringed with iron, so that nothing could enter except at one single place. And there were flowers and ripe fruit all summer and all winter, and the fruit had the peculiar property that although it could be eaten therein, it could not be carried out: anyone who tried to take some away could never discover how to get out again, for he could not discover the exit until he put the fruit back in its place. And there is under heaven no bird, however pleasing its song and its ability to gladden and delight a man, that could not be heard therein, and there were several of each sort. And the earth, however great its extent, bears no spice or medicinal plant of use in any remedy that was not planted therein, and there were plenty of them.

  Through the narrow entry-way the crowd of people entered, first the king and then all the others. Erec rode along through the garden, his lance fewtered, delighting in the singing of the birds therein, emblematic of that Joy to which he most aspired. But he saw an astonishing thing that could frighten the boldest warrior of all those we know, be it Thibaut the Slav, or Ospinel, or Fernagu:16 in front of them on sharpened stakes there were bright and shining helmets, and beneath each circlet he saw a skull appear; but at the end of the row of stakes he saw one where there was nothing yet, apart from a horn. He did not know what this meant, but he was not at all worried and instead asked the king, who was beside him on his right, what this might be.

  In reply the king recounted to him: ‘Friend, do you understand the meaning of this thing you see here? You should greatly fear it if you value your well-being: for this one stake set apart, where you see that horn hanging, has for a long time been waiting for a knight – we don’t know whether it waits for you or another. Take care that your head is not placed there, for the stake stands for that purpose. I warned you fully of this before you came here. I do not believe you will ever leave here, other than dead and dismembered. Now you know this much: the stake awaits your head, and if it comes to be put there, as has been promised since the stake was put in place, another stake will be planted after this one, which will wait until someone else comes along. Of the horn I shall tell you only that no one has ever been able to sound it. Anyone who is able to sound it will establish his renown and his honour above all those of my land, and he will have achieved a deed of such repute that all will come to honour him and will consider him the best among them. Now there is no more to say of this matter; have your people withdraw, for the Joy will soon come and I think will make you suffer.’

  Then King Evrain left him. Erec leaned towards Enide, who was greatly sorrowful at his side. And yet she kept silent, for sorrow to which one gives voice is worth nothing if it does not touch the heart. And he, well aware of her feelings, said to her: ‘Fair sweet love, noble lady, loyal and wise, I am well aware of what is in your heart; you are sorely afraid, I see it clearly, but you do not yet know why. Still, until you see my shield in pieces and myself wounded, or until you see the links of my white hauberk covered with my blood, and my helmet smashed and broken, and me tired and defeated, no longer able to defend myself but obliged instead to wait and beg for mercy against my wishes, until then, you are distressing yourself for nothing. Then you can continue your mourning, which you have begun too soon. Sweet lady, you do not yet know what will occur, nor do I; you are upset for no reason. I assure you that if the only bravery in me was that inspired by your love, yet I would not fear to do battle, hand to hand, with any man alive. I act foolishly, boasting like this, yet I do not say this out of pride, but only because I wish to comfort you. Console yourself! Let it be! I cannot stop here any longer, nor can you go on with me, for by the king’s command I must take you no further.’

  Then he kissed her and commended her to God, and she in turn commended him, but it greatly troubled her not to follow and accompany him to the point where she might know and see what sort of adventure it would be and how he would fare. But she had to stay behind, sad and sorrowful, for she could follow him no further. And he went on along the path, alone without any company, until in the shade of a sycamore he found a silver bed covered by a sheet embroidered with gold, and on the bed a maiden. Her body was gracious and her face fair; endowed with every kind of beauty, she was seated all alone. I do not wish to describe her further, but anyone who had the opportunity to examine both her adornments and her beauty could say in truth that Lavinia of Laurenturn,17 who was so very beautiful and noble, never had a quarter of her beauty. Wanting to see her more closely, Erec approached and went to sit beside her.

  At that moment a knight came along beneath the trees through the garden. Dressed in vermilion armour, he was astonishingly tall; had he not been excessively tall there would have been under heaven none fairer but he was taller by a foot, according to everyone’s testimony, than any knight ever known. Before Erec had seen him, he shouted out: ‘Vassal! Vassal! You are mad, upon my soul, to go towards my damsel. By my word, you are not so worthy that you should approach her. This very day you will pay most dearly for your folly, by my head. Stand back!’

  And he stopped and looked at him, but Erec stood firm. Neither moved towards the other until Erec had replied and had his say. ‘Friend,’ he said, ‘one can speak folly as easily as wisdom. Threaten all you like, but I shall just keep silent, for there is no wisdom in threats. Do you know why? A man may think he has won the game and then lose it – therefore anyone who is overconfident and threatens too much is clearly a fool. For every one who flees there are many more who chase, but I do not fear you enough to flee. No, I’m waiting, ready to defend myself if anyone wants to do battle with me, until I am forced to do so and cannot otherwise escape.’


  ‘No,’ he said, ‘God save me! Be assured you’ll get a fight, for I challenge and defy you.’

  Now you can be certain that reins were held in check no more. They did not have slender lances, but they were thick, well-planed, and well-seasoned, which made them stronger and more rigid. They struck one another with the heads of their lances with such force upon their shields that each one went six feet through the other’s shining shield, but neither touched the other’s flesh, and neither lance was broken. Each of them withdrew his lance as quickly as he could, and they came at each other again and returned to proper jousting. They jousted one against the other and struck with such violence that both lances shattered and the horses fell beneath them. Though still seated in their saddles, they were uninhibited in their determination; quickly they got to their feet, for they were bold and nimble.

  On foot in the orchard they came at each other straight away with their good blades of Vienne steel,18 and they struck mighty and damaging blows on the bright and shining shields, so that they broke them all apart and their eyes glared. They did all they could to wound and injure one another. Each fiercely attacked the other with both the flat and the edge of his blade. They had so hammered each other’s teeth and cheeks and noses and wrists and arms and more besides – temples and napes and necks – that all their bones ached.