Yvain

  Has led me to hunt you, all wearily,

  Over many, many countries.

  I've sought you so long that, God

  Be thanked, I've finally found you.

  And none of the misfortunes I've endured, 5065

  None of the afflictions, are worth

  Talking about or remembering.

  It’s vanished, my limbs are lightened,

  Sorrow stole away

  The moment I met you. Yet none 5070

  Of this is my own necessity.

  I come to you from a woman

  Better than myself, nobler

  And braver. And if you fail her,

  It will be your fame that betrayed her, 5075

  For she has no one else to help.

  This lady, deprived of her entire

  Inheritance by her sister, hopes

  To win her suit through you.

  You're the only one she wants. 5080

  Nothing could ever persuade her

  That anyone else could help.

  You’ll win the love of this friendless,

  Cheated woman, and vastly

  Increase your renown, if you win her 5085

  Back what is rightfully hers!

  She herself would have sought you,

  Hoping for this kindness, and no one

  Could have taken her place, except

  That illness has kept her away, 5090

  Forced her to take to her bed.

  Now tell me, please, if you dare

  To come as she asks, or if

  You’ll choose to say no and do nothing.”

  “No,” he answered, “saying 5095

  No wins no man fame.

  No more will I say no,

  But follow you, sweet friend!

  Gladly, wherever you please.

  And if she for whom you've sought me 5100

  Truly needs me, have

  No fear. Anything I'm able

  To do for her, I'll do.

  May God give me the grace

  And the great good luck to win her 5105

  Back what is rightly hers!”

  So riding along, side

  By side, and chatting, they approached

  The Castle of Infinite Misfortune.

  They had no interest in passing 5110

  It by, for the sun was setting.

  So they rode up to the castle,

  And the people who saw them come

  Shouted and yelled at the knight:

  “Curses on your coming, curses! 5115

  Whoever showed you this lodging

  Meant to harm you, and shame you.

  An abbot could swear it’s the truth.”

  “You foolish, vulgar people,”

  He answered, “filled with evil 5120

  And utterly empty of good,

  Why attack me like this?”

  “Why? Oh, you'll find out,

  If you go a little bit farther.

  But you can't find out here: 5125

  You'll have to go in there,

  You'll have to enter that castle.”

  And at once he started toward the tower,

  And all the people shouted,

  All of them, at the top of their lungs: 5130

  “Don't look for trouble! Where are you

  Going? If you've ever known anyone

  Who’s harmed you, and shamed you, that’s

  What they'll do, there where you're headed,

  And you'll never live to tell it.” 5135

  “You shameless, wicked people,”

  Answered Yvain, hearing them,

  “Insolent, wretched: have you any

  Reason for attacking me? What

  Are you asking for, what is it you want? 5140

  Why are you muttering at my heels?”

  “My friend! There’s no reason for anger,”

  Said a lady well on in years,

  Plainly sensible and polite.

  “Surely, there’s no harm in their words. 5145

  They re only trying to warn you,

  If only you'd try to understand,

  That you ought not seek shelter there.

  But they dare not tell you why.

  They're simply warning and scolding, 5150

  Trying to make you afraid.

  They do this for every stranger,

  All the time, to keep them

  From ever entering the castle.

  And it’s also our custom never 5155

  To dare give lodging or shelter

  To any noble gentleman,

  To no one who comes here from anywhere

  Else. It’s up to you.

  No one will stop you from going. 5160

  Go up, if you choose to—but my

  Advice is: turn back.” “Lady!”

  He said. “I suspect there is honor

  And sense in your words, if only

  I were able to do as you say. 5165

  But I've no idea where else

  I might find lodging for tonight.”

  “Dear me!” she said. “I'll be still.

  It’s really none of my business.

  Go wherever you please! 5170

  Still, I'd be more than happy

  To see you come back from in there

  Not too much disgraced. But that

  Is simply too much to expect.”

  “Lady!” he answered. “May God 5175

  Be your saviour! But my foolish heart

  Leads me on, and I obey my heart.”

  And he went straight up to the gate,

  He and his lion and the girl.

  And then the porter called out, 5180

  Saying: “Quick! Quick!

  You're coming to a place that will well

  And truly lock you up:

  And may your coming be cursed!”

  And after greeting him this way 5185

  The porter hurried on up,

  But the greeting was deeply insulting.

  Yet my lord Yvain said nothing,

  And went right on, and found

  A great high hall, brand new, 5190

  With a walled courtyard in front of it,

  And a wall of great sharpened stakes,

  And inside, behind the stakes,

  He saw three hundred girls

  All sewing away, some working 5195

  With golden thread, some silk,

  Working as hard as they could.

  But their wretched poverty was such

  That they sat there bareheaded, many

  So poor that they wore no sash, 5200

  And their dresses were torn at the breast

  And out at the elbows, and their shifts

  Were dirty around the neck.

  And their necks were thin, and their faces

  Pale with hunger and misery. 5205

  He saw them, and they saw him,

  And they bowed their heads, and they wept,

  And for a long, long time did not move,

  Knowing there was nothing to be done,

  Unable to raise their eyes 5210

  From the ground, so bent with sorrow.

  And after watching them a while

  My lord Yvain turned

  And headed back toward the gate,

  And the porter jumped in front of him 5215

  And cried: “You’re wasting your time:

  There’s no way out, good sir!

  You’d rather be out than in,

  But by my head it’s no use!

  First you'll have your fill 5220

  Of disgrace—more than you'll think

  You can bear. It wasn't terribly

  Intelligent, coming in here,

  For now there’s no way out.”

  “Good brother, I've no wish to leave! 5225

  But tell me, by your father’s soul:

  These ladies I see in the courtyard,

  Weaving cloth of silk

  And brocade, where are they from?

  Their work i
s excellent, it pleases me, 5230

  But it makes me distinctly unhappy

  To see how their faces and their bodies

  Are so thin and pale and wretched.

  It seems to me they'd be graceful

  And lovely, if they had the sort 5235

  Of things they'd like to have.”

  “And I will tell you nothing,”

  He said. “Find someone else!”

  “I shall, since I've nothing better.”

  And then he looked for the door 5240

  Of that courtyard where the girls were working,

  And went in among them, and greeted

  Them all, and saw tears

  Falling from their eyes, streaming

  Down from their eyes, all of them 5245

  Sitting and weeping together.

  And he said: “May it please our Lord

  That this sorrow, whatever it comes from,

  Be taken from your hearts and turned

  Into joy!” And one of them answered: 5250

  “May the God you've prayed to hear you!

  Nor will we conceal who

  We are and where we're from.

  I assume that is your request?”

  “That,” he said, “is why 5255

  I came here.” “My lord! Long ago

  The King of the Island of Virgins

  Went hunting gossip and stories

  In many courts and in many

  Countries, travelling like a fool 5260

  Till he stumbled across this dangerous

  Place. What an unlucky hour!

  For the shame and misery we've known,

  We miserable prisoners that you see,

  Was nothing we'd ever deserved. 5265

  And believe me, you can expect

  Exactly the same for yourself,

  If they won't let you be ransomed!

  But be all that as it may,

  Our king came to this castle, 5270

  Owned by two sons of the devil—

  And that’s not nonsense, believe me!

  They'd been born of a woman and a demon.

  And these two were ready to fight

  With the king, who was frightened silly, 5275

  For he was barely eighteen

  And they could have cut him in half

  Like a soft and juicy lamb.

  So the king, consumed with terror,

  Escaped as best he was able, 5280

  Swearing that every year

  He'd send them thirty young girls,

  While the agreement lasted. And paying

  This tribute set him free.

  And the terms he swore to provided 5285

  That this tribute should last as long

  As this pair of demons lived,

  Except that on the day

  They were beaten in battle the tribute

  Should end for ever, and all 5290

  Of us would be freed, who now

  Are bound to live in shame

  And sadness and misery. None of us

  Will ever know pleasure again.

  For I spoke like a child and a fool, 5295

  Speaking as I did of freedom.

  None of us will ever leave.

  We'll spend our days weaving

  Silk, and wearing rags.

  We'll spend our days poor 5300

  And naked and hungry and thirsty,

  For they'll never pay us what we earn,

  Let us buy better food.

  We've only a bit of bread,

  Some in the morning and less 5305

  At night. Our work doesn't pay

  Any of us even as much

  As four pennies in a single day.

  And that’s not enough to feed us

  Or put clothes on our backs. Even 5310

  Earning twenty sous

  A week, we're still miserable,

  We never escape it. It’s true:

  There isn't one of us here

  Who doesn't earn twenty or more— 5315

  And that’s as rich as a duke!

  And yet we're miserably poor,

  And the ones we work for are rich

  Because of what we produce.

  We work most nights, and we work 5320

  All day, just to stay alive,

  For they threaten to cut off our arms

  And legs if we rest. No one

  Dares to rest. But why

  Go on telling you these things? 5325

  We've so much misery and shame

  I couldn't tell you a fifth of it.

  And what makes us wild with grief

  Is seeing the death of so many

  Rich and worthy knights, 5330

  Who come to fight these demons.

  Their lodging is exceedingly costly,

  As yours will be, tomorrow,

  For whether you like it or not

  You'll have to fight them, alone 5335

  And singlehanded, fight

  And then lose your fame to those demons.”

  “May God, who is heavenly truth,

  Protect,” said my lord Yvain,

  “And give you back honor and joy, 5340

  If so He wishes it to be!

  But now I'm obliged to go see

  The people who live in this castle,

  And find out how they'll receive me.”

  “Go then, my lord! May He keep you, 5345

  Who bestows all goodness and blessings!”

  And then he went to the hall

  And found no one, good or evil,

  Who could say a word. So they went

  All through the house, till they found 5350

  Themselves in a garden. No one

  Had ever spoken of stabling

  Their horses: not a word had been said.

  Did it matter? They were very well stabled

  By those who thought they now owned them. 5355

  It’s not my place to judge:

  The horses' owners were still healthy

  And well. But the horses had oats

  And hay and straw right up

  To their bellies. And Yvain went into 5360

  The garden, and the girl and the lion

  Went after him. And he saw a gentleman,

  Propped up on his elbow, lying

  On a silken cloth, and a girl

  Was reading him from some romance, 5365

  I have no idea about whom.

  And in order to hear this romance

  A lady had come to lie there

  With them. She was the girl’s

  Mother, and the gentleman her father. 5370

  And both of them were right to rejoice

  At seeing her and hearing her read,

  For she was their only child,

  Not yet quite seventeen

  And so beautiful, graceful, and lovely 5375

  That the God of Love would have bound

  Himself to her service, if he'd seen her,

  And never let her fall

  In love with anyone but him.

  And he would have become a man, 5380

  And set aside his godhood,

  And struck his own body with that dart

  Whose wound never heals

  (Unless some unfaithful doctor

  Cures it). But no one should ever 5385

  Be cured, except by unfaithfulness.

  And anyone cured by anything

  Different was never truly

  In love. I could tell you so much

  Of this wound, if you wanted to listen, 5390

  That I couldn't finish my story

  Today. But there'd surely be someone

  Saying I was talking nonsense,

  For people are no longer lovers,

  And can't love as they used to love, 5395

  And don't want to hear it talked of.

  So listen, now, and hear

  How Yvain was welcomed, what greeting

  He got, and how it was given.

  Every
one there in that garden 5400

  Leaped to their feet when they saw him.

  As soon as they saw him they cried

  With one voice: “This way, good sir!

  Whatever blessings God

  Can pronounce or bestow, may they come 5405

  To you and anyone you love!”

  I haven't the faintest idea

  If they lied, but they welcomed him happily

  And seemed to be pleased that he

  Could be lodged with them, and lodged well. 5410

  Even the lord’s daughter

  Served him with honor, behaving

  As one should to a worthy guest.

  She helped him off with his armor,

  Nor was that the least she did, 5415

  For she washed his face and his neck

  With her very own hands. And the lord

  Of the house insisted that every

  Honor be shown him, and so

  It was. She took a pleated 5420

  Shirt from her storage chest,

  And white stockings, and a needle

  And thread to sew on the sleeves,

  And did so. He was dressed: God keep

  This service from becoming too costly! 5425

  And she gave him a good coat

  To wear over his shirt,

  And a red furred cloak, fashionably

  Cut, to wrap round his neck,

  And was so attentive in every 5430

  Way that he grew embarrassed.

  But the girl was so open and courteous,

  So plainly kind and good,

  That she thought she had done very little.

  And further, she knew perfectly 5435

  Well that her mother wished nothing

  Undone that might possibly please him.

  That night they brought him so much

  To eat that he could not eat everything.

  The men at arms who carried 5440

  The dishes must have been angry.

  And at bedtime they served him with such

  High honor that he lay down in comfort,

  And no one dared to come near him

  Once he had taken to his bed. 5445

  The lion lay at his feet,

  As he always did. And in

  The morning, when God lit up

  His light, for the world to see with,

  Yvain got out of bed 5450

  As quickly and quietly and early

  As he could, without disturbing

  The household, and he and the girl

  Went to the chapel and heard

  Mass, which the priest said 5455

  At once, to the Holy Ghost’s honor.

  And after the Mass my lord

  Yvain was given bad news,

  Thinking the time had come

  To leave, and nothing would stop him. 5460

  But it did not go as he wished.

  He said to his host: “Lord,

  I shall leave you, with your permission.”

  And the lord of the house answered:

  “My friend! I cannot grant it, 5465

  Not yet. And I have a reason.

  An exceedingly cruel and devilish