OWAIN or THE LADY OF THE
FOUNTAIN
King
Arthur was at Caerlleon upon Usk; and one day he
sat in his chamber; and with him were Owain the
son of Urien, and Kynon the son of Clydno, and
Kai the son of Kyner; and Gwenhwyvar and her
hand-maidens at needlework by the window. And if
it should be said that there was a porter at
Arthur's palace, there was none. Glewlwyd
Gavaelvawr was there, acting as porter, to
welcome guests and strangers, and to receive them
with honour, and to inform them of the manners
and customs of the Court; and to direct those who
came to the Hall or to the presence-chamber, and
those who came to take up their lodging.
In
the centre of the chamber King Arthur sat upon a
seat of green rushes, over which was spread a
covering of flame-coloured satin, and a cushion
of red satin was under his elbow.
Then
Arthur spoke, "If I thought you would not
disparage me," said he, "I would sleep
while I wait for my repast; and you can entertain
one another with relating tales, and can obtain a
flagon of mead and some meat from Kai." And
the King went to sleep. And Kynon the son of
Clydno asked Kai for that which Arthur had
promised them. "I, too, will have the good
tale which he promised to me," said Kai.
"Nay," answered Kynon, "fairer
will it be for thee to fulfil Arthur's behest, in
the first place, and then we will tell thee the
best tale that we know." So Kai went to the
kitchen and to the mead-cellar, and returned
bearing a flagon of mead and a golden goblet, and
a handful of skewers, upon which were broiled
collops of meat. Then they ate the collops and
began to drink the mead. "Now," said
Kai, "it is time for you to give me my
story." "Kynon," said Owain,
"do thou pay to Kai the tale that is his
due." "Truly," said Kynon,
"thou art older, and art a better teller of
tales, and hast seen more marvellous things than
I; do thou therefore pay Kai his tale."
"Begin thyself," quoth Owain,
"with the best that thou knowest."
"I will do so," answered Kynon.
"I
was the only son of my mother and father, and I
was exceedingly aspiring, and my daring was very
great. I thought there was no enterprise in the
world too mighty for me, and after I had achieved
all the adventures that were in my own country, I
equipped myself, and set forth to journey through
deserts and distant regions. And at length it
chanced that I came to the fairest valley in the
world, wherein were trees of equal growth; and a
river ran through the valley, and a path was by
the side of the river. And I followed the path
until mid-day, and continued my journey along the
remainder of the valley until the evening; and at
the extremity of a plain I came to a large and
lustrous Castle, at the foot of which was a
torrent. And I approached the Castle, and there I
beheld two youths with yellow curling hair, each
with a frontlet of gold upon his head, and clad
in a garment of yellow satin, and they had gold
clasps upon their insteps. In the hand of each of
them was an ivory bow, strung with the sinews of
the stag; and their arrows had shafts of the bone
of the whale, and were winged with peacock's
feathers; the shafts also had golden heads. And
they had daggers with blades of gold, and with
hilts of the bone of the whale. And they were
shooting their daggers.
"And
a little way from them I saw a man in the prime
of life, with his beard newly shorn, clad in a
robe and a mantle of yellow satin; and round the
top of his mantle was a band of gold lace. On his
feet were shoes of variegated leather, fastened
by two bosses of gold. When I saw him, I went
towards him and saluted him, and such was his
courtesy that he no sooner received my greeting
than he returned it. And he went with me towards
the castle. Now there were no dwellers in the
castle except those who were in one hall. And
there I saw four-and-twenty damsels, embroidering
satin at a window. And this I tell thee, Kai,
that the least fair of them was fairer than the
fairest maid thou hast ever beheld in the island
of Britain, and the least lovely of them was more
lovely than Gwenhwyvar, the wife of Arthur, when
she has appeared loveliest at the Offering, on
the day of the Nativity, or at the feast of
Easter. They rose up at my coming, and six of
them took my horse, and divested me of my armour;
and six others took my arms, and washed them in a
vessel until they were perfectly bright. And the
third six spread cloths upon the tables and
prepared meat. And the fourth six took off my
soiled garments, and placed others upon me;
namely, an under vest and a doublet of fine
linen, and a robe, and a surcoat, and a mantle of
yellow satin with a broad gold band upon the
mantle. And they placed cushions both beneath and
around me, with coverings of red linen; and I sat
down. Now the six maidens who had taken my horse,
unharnessed him, as well as if they had been the
best squires in the island of Britain. Then,
behold, they brought bowls of silver wherein was
water to wash, and towels of linen, some green
and some white; and I washed. And in a little
while the man sat down to the table. And I sat
next to him, and below me sat all the maidens,
except those who waited on us. And the table was
of silver, and the cloths upon the table were of
linen; and no vessel was served upon the table
that was not either of gold or of silver, or of
buffalo-horn. And our meat was brought to us. And
verily, Kai, I saw there every sort of meat and
every sort of liquor that I have ever seen
elsewhere; but the meat and the liquor were
better served there than I have ever seen them in
any other place.
"Until
the repast was half over, neither the man nor any
one of the damsels spoke a single word to me; but
when the man perceived that it would be more
agreeable to me to converse than to eat any more,
he began to inquire of me who I was. I said I was
glad to find that there was some one who would
discourse with me, and that it was not considered
so great a crime at that Court for people to hold
converse together. 'Chieftain,' said the man, 'we
would have talked to thee sooner, but we feared
to disturb thee during thy repast; now, however,
we will discourse.' Then I told the man who I
was, and what was the cause of my journey; and
said that I was seeking whether any one was
superior to me, or whether I could gain the
mastery over all. The man looked upon me, and he
smiled and said, 'If I did not fear to distress
thee too much, I would show thee that which thou
seekest.' Upon this I became anxious and
sorrowful, and when the man perceived it, he
said, 'If thou wouldest rather that I should show
thee thy disadvantage than thine advantage, I
will do so. Sleep here to-night, and in the
morning arise early, and take the road upwards
through the valley until thou reachest the wood
through which thou camest hither. A little way
within the wood thou wilt meet with a road
branching off to the right, by which thou must
proceed, until thou comest to a large sheltered
glade with a mound in the centre. And thou wilt
see a black man of great stature on the top of
the mound. He is not smaller in size than two of
the men of this world. He has but one foot; and
one eye in the middle of his forehead. And he has
a club of iron, and it is certain that there are
no two men in the world who would not find their
burden in that club. And he is not a comely man,
but on the contrary he is exceedingly
ill-favoured; and he is the woodward of that
wood. And thou wilt see a thousand wild animals
grazing around him. Inquire of him the way out of
the glade, and he will reply to thee briefly, and
will point out the road by which thou shalt find
that which thou art in quest of.'
"And
long seemed that night to me. And the next
morning I arose and equipped myself, and mounted
my horse, and proceeded straight through the
valley to the wood; and I followed the cross-road
which the man had pointed out to me, till at
length I arrived at the glade. And there was I
three times more astonished at the number of wild
animals that I beheld, than the man had said I
should be. And the black man was there, sitting
upon the top of the mound. Huge of stature as the
man had told me that he was, I found him to
exceed by far the description he had given me of
him. As for the iron club which the man had told
me was a burden for two men, I am certain, Kai,
that it would be a heavy weight for four warriors
to lift; and this was in the black man's hand.
And he only spoke to me in answer to my
questions. Then I asked him what power he held
over those animals. 'I will show thee, little
man,' said he. And he took his club in his hand,
and with it he struck a stag a great blow so that
he brayed vehemently, and at his braying the
animals came together, as numerous as the stars
in the sky, so that it was difficult for me to
find room in the glade to stand among them. There
were serpents, and dragons, and divers sorts of
animals. And he looked at them, and bade them go
and feed; and they bowed their heads, and did him
homage as vassals to their lord.
"Then
the black man said to me, 'Seest thou now, little
man, what power I hold over these animals?' Then
I inquired of him the way, and he became very
rough in his manner to me; however, he asked me
whither I would go? And when I told him who I was
and what I sought, he directed me. 'Take,' said
he, 'that path that leads towards the head of the
glade, and ascend the wooded steep until thou
comest to its summit; and there thou wilt find an
open space like to a large valley, and in the
midst of it a tall tree, whose branches are
greener than the greenest pine-trees. Under this
tree is a fountain, and by the side of the
fountain a marble slab, and on the marble slab a
silver bowl, attached by a chain of silver, so
that it may not be carried away. Take the bowl
and throw a bowlful of water upon the slab, and
thou wilt hear a mighty peal of thunder, so that
thou wilt think that heaven and earth are
trembling with its fury. With the thunder there
will come a shower so severe that it will be
scarce possible for thee to endure it and live.
And the shower will be of hailstones; and after
the shower, the weather will become fair, but
every leaf that was upon the tree will have been
carried away by the shower. Then a flight of
birds will come and alight upon the tree; and in
thine own country thou didst never hear a strain
so sweet as that which they will sing. And at the
moment thou art most delighted with the song of
the birds, thou wilt hear a murmuring and
complaining coming towards thee along the valley.
And thou wilt see a knight upon a coal-black
horse, clothed in black velvet, and with a pennon
of black linen upon his lance; and he will ride
unto thee to encounter thee with the utmost
speed. If thou fleest from him he will overtake
thee, and if thou abidest there, as sure as thou
art a mounted knight, he will leave thee on foot.
And if thou dost not find trouble in that
adventure, thou needest not seek it during the
rest of thy life.'
"So
I journeyed on, until I reached the summit of the
steep, and there I found everything as the black
man had described it to me. And I went up to the
tree, and beneath it I saw the fountain, and by
its side the marble slab, and the silver bowl
fastened by the chain. Then I took the bowl, and
cast a bowlful of water upon the slab; and
thereupon, behold, the thunder came, much more
violent than the black man had led me to expect;
and after the thunder came the shower; and of a
truth I tell thee, Kai, that there is neither man
nor beast that could endure that shower and live.
For not one of those hailstones would be stopped,
either by the flesh or by the skin, until it had
reached the bone. I turned my horse's flank
towards the shower, and placed the beak of my
shield over his head and neck, while I held the
upper part of it over my own head. And thus I
withstood the shower. When I looked on the tree
there was not a single leaf upon it, and then the
sky became clear, and with that, behold the birds
lighted upon the tree, and sang. And truly, Kai,
I never heard any melody equal to that, either
before or since. And when I was most charmed with
listening to the birds, lo, a murmuring voice was
heard through the valley, approaching me and
saying, 'Oh, Knight, what has brought thee
hither? What evil have I done to thee, that thou
shouldst act towards me and my possessions as
thou hast this day? Dost thou not know that the
shower to-day has left in my dominions neither
man nor beast alive that was exposed to it?' And
thereupon, behold, a Knight on a black horse
appeared, clothed in jet-black velvet, and with a
tabard of black linen about him. And we charged
each other, and, as the onset was furious, it was
not long before I was overthrown. Then the Knight
passed the shaft of his lance through the bridle
rein of my horse, and rode off with the two
horses, leaving me where I was. And he did not
even bestow so much notice upon me as to imprison
me, nor did he despoil me of my arms. So I
returned along the road by which I had come. And
when I reached the glade where the black man was,
I confess to thee, Kai, it is a marvel that I did
not melt down into a liquid pool, through the
shame that I felt at the black man's derision.
And that night I came to the same castle where I
had spent the night preceding. And I was more
agreeably entertained that night than I had been
the night before; and I was better feasted, and I
conversed freely with the inmates of the castle,
and none of them alluded to my expedition to the
fountain, neither did I mention it to any; and I
remained there that night. When I arose on the
morrow, I found, ready saddled, a dark bay
palfrey, with nostrils as red as scarlet; and
after putting on my armour, and leaving there my
blessing, I returned to my own Court. And that
horse I still possess, and he is in the stable
yonder. And I declare that I would not part with
him for the best palfrey in the island of
Britain.
"Now
of a truth, Kai, no man ever before confessed to
an adventure so much to his own discredit, and
verily it seems strange to me, that neither
before nor since have I heard of any person
besides myself who knew of this adventure, and
that the subject of it should exist within King
Arthur's dominions, without any other person
lighting upon it."
"Now,"
quoth Owain, "would it not be well to go and
endeavour to discover that place?"
"By
the hand of my friend," said Kai,
"often dost thou utter that with thy tongue
which thou wouldst not make good with thy
deeds."
"In
very truth," said Gwenhwyvar, "it were
better thou wert hanged, Kai, than to use such
uncourteous speech towards a man like
Owain."
"By
the hand of my friend, good Lady," said Kai,
"thy praise of Owain is not greater than
mine."
With
that Arthur awoke, and asked if he had not been
sleeping a little.
"Yes,
Lord," answered Owain, "thou hast slept
awhile."
"Is
it time for us to go to meat?"
"It
is, Lord," said Owain.
Then
the horn for washing was sounded, and the King
and all his household sat down to eat. And when
the meal was ended, Owain withdrew to his
lodging, and made ready his horse and his arms.
On
the morrow, with the dawn of day, he put on his
armour and mounted his charger, and travelled
through distant lands and over desert mountains.
And at length he arrived at the valley which
Kynon had described to him; and he was certain
that it was the same that he sought. And
journeying along the valley by the side of the
river, he followed its course till he came to the
plain and within sight of the Castle. When he
approached the Castle, he saw the youths shooting
their daggers in the place where Kynon had seen
them, and the yellow man, to whom the Castle
belonged, standing hard by. And no sooner had
Owain saluted the yellow man than he was saluted
by him in return.
And
he went forward towards the Castle, and there he
saw the chamber, and when he had entered the
chamber he beheld the maidens working at satin
embroidery, in chairs of gold. And their beauty
and their comeliness seemed to Owain far greater
than Kynon had represented to him. And they arose
to wait upon Owain, as they had done to Kynon,
and the meal which they set before him gave more
satisfaction to Owain than it had done to Kynon.
About
the middle of the repast, the yellow man asked
Owain the object of his journey. And Owain made
it known to him, and said, "I am in quest of
the Knight who guards the fountain." Upon
this the yellow man smiled, and said that he was
as loth to point out that adventure to Owain as
he had been to Kynon. However, he described the
whole to Owain, and they retired to rest.
The
next morning Owain found his horse made ready for
him by the damsels, and he set forward and came
to the glade where the black man was. And the
stature of the black man seemed more wonderful to
Owain than it had done to Kynon, and Owain asked
of him his road, and he showed it to him. And
Owain followed the road, as Kynon had done, till
he came to the green tree; and he beheld the
fountain, and the slab beside the fountain, with
the bowl upon it. And Owain took the bowl, and
threw a bowlful of water upon the slab. And, lo,
the thunder was heard, and after the thunder came
the shower, much more violent than Kynon had
described, and after the shower the sky became
bright. And when Owain looked at the tree, there
was not one leaf upon it. And immediately the
birds came, and settled upon the tree, and sang.
And when their song was most pleasing to Owain,
he beheld a Knight coming towards him through the
valley, and he prepared to receive him; and
encountered him violently. Having broken both
their lances, they drew their swords, and fought
blade to blade. Then Owain struck the Knight a
blow through his helmet, head-piece and visor,
and through the skin, and the flesh, and the
bone, until it wounded the very brain. Then the
black Knight felt that he had received a mortal
wound upon which he turned his horse's head, and
fled. And Owain pursued him, and followed close
upon him, although he was not near enough to
strike him with his sword. Thereupon Owain
descried a vast and resplendent Castle. And they
came to the Castle gate. And the black Knight was
allowed to enter, and the portcullis was let fall
upon Owain; and it struck his horse behind the
saddle, and cut him in two, and carried away the
rowels of the spurs that were upon Owain's heels.
And the portcullis descended to the floor. And
the rowels of the spurs and part of the horse
were without, and Owain, with the other part of
the horse remained between the two gates, and the
inner gate was closed, so that Owain could not go
thence; and Owain was in a perplexing situation.
And while he was in this state, he could see
through an aperture in the gate, a street facing
him, with a row of houses on each side. And he
beheld a maiden, with yellow curling hair, and a
frontlet of gold upon her head; and she was clad
in a dress of yellow satin, and on her feet were
shoes of variegated leather. And she approached
the gate, and desired that it should be opened.
"Heaven knows, Lady," said Owain,
"it is no more possible for me to open to
thee from hence, than it is for thee to set me
free." "Truly," said the damsel,
'it is very sad that thou canst not be released,
and every woman ought to succour thee, for I
never saw one more faithful in the service of
ladies than thou. As a friend thou art the most
sincere, and as a lover the most devoted.
Therefore," quoth she, "whatever is in
my power to do for thy release, I will do it.
Take this ring and put it on thy finger, with the
stone inside thy hand; and close thy hand upon
the stone. And as long as thou concealest it, it
will conceal thee. When they have consulted
together, they will come forth to fetch thee, in
order to put thee to death; and they will be much
grieved that they cannot find thee. And I will
await thee on the horseblock yonder; and thou
wilt be able to see me, though I cannot see thee;
therefore come and place thy hand upon my
shoulder, that I may know that thou art near me.
And by the way that I go hence, do thou accompany
me."
Then
she went away from Owain, and he did all that the
maiden had told him. And the people of the Castle
came to seek Owain, to put him to death, and when
they found nothing but the half of his horse,
they were sorely grieved.
And
Owain vanished from among them, and went to the
maiden, and placed his hand upon her shoulder;
whereupon she set off, and Owain followed her,
until they came to the door of a large and
beautiful chamber, and the maiden opened it, and
they went in, and closed the door. And Owain
looked around the chamber, and behold there was
not even a single nail in it that was not painted
with gorgeous colours; and there was not a single
panel that had not sundry images in gold
portrayed upon it.
The
maiden kindled a fire, and took water in a silver
bowl, and put a towel of white linen on her
shoulder, and gave Owain water to wash. Then she
placed before him a silver table, inlaid with
gold; upon which was a cloth of yellow linen; and
she brought him food. And of a truth, Owain had
never seen any kind of meat that was not there in
abundance, but it was better cooked there than he
had ever found it in any other place. Nor did he
ever see so excellent a display of meat and
drink, as there. And there was not one vessel
from which he was served, that was not of gold or
of silver. And Owain ate and drank, until late in
the afternoon, when lo, they heard a mighty
clamour in the Castle; and Owain asked the maiden
what that outcry was. "They are
administering extreme unction," said she,
"to the Nobleman who owns the Castle."
And Owain went to sleep.
The
couch which the maiden had prepared for him was
meet for Arthur himself; it was of scarlet, and
fur, and satin, and sendall, and fine linen. In
the middle of the night they heard a woful
outcry; "What outcry again is this?"
said Owain. "The Nobleman who owned the
Castle is now dead," said the maiden. And a
little after daybreak, they heard an exceeding
loud clamour and wailing. And Owain asked the
maiden what was the cause of it. "They are
bearing to the church the body of the Nobleman
who owned the Castle."
And
Owain rose up, and clothed himself, and opened a
window of the chamber, and looked towards the
Castle; and he could see neither the bounds, nor
the extent of the hosts that filled the streets.
And they were fully armed; and a vast number of
women were with them, both on horseback and on
foot; and all the ecclesiastics in the city,
singing. And it seemed to Owain that the sky
resounded with the vehemence of their cries, and
with the noise of the trumpets, and with the
singing of the ecclesiastics. In the midst of the
throng, he beheld the bier, over which was a veil
of white linen; and wax tapers were burning
beside and around it, and none that supported the
bier was lower in rank than a powerful Baron.
Never
did Owain see an assemblage so gorgeous with
satin, and silk, and sendall. And following the
train, he beheld a lady with yellow hair falling
over her shoulders, and stained with blood; and
about her a dress of yellow satin, which was
torn. Upon her feet were shoes of variegated
leather. And it was a marvel that the ends of her
fingers were not bruised, from the violence with
which she smote her hands together. Truly she
would have been the fairest lady Owain ever saw,
had she been in her usual guise. And her cry was
louder than the shout of the men, or the clamour
of the trumpets. No sooner had he beheld the
lady, than he became inflamed with her love, so
that it took entire possession of him.
Then
he inquired of the maiden who the lady was.
"Heaven knows," replied the maiden,
"she may be said to be the fairest, and the
most chaste, and the most liberal, and the
wisest, and the most noble of women. And she is
my mistress; and she is called the Countess of
the Fountain, the wife of him whom thou didst
slay yesterday." "Verily," said
Owain, "she is the woman that I love
best." "Verily," said the maiden,
"she shall also love thee not a
little."
And
with that the maid arose, and kindled a fire, and
filled a pot with water, and placed it to warm;
and she brought a towel of white linen, and
placed it around Owain's neck; and she took a
goblet of ivory, and a silver basin, and filled
them with warm water, wherewith she washed
Owain's head. Then she opened a wooden casket,
and drew forth a razor, whose haft was of ivory,
and upon which were two rivets of gold. And she
shaved his beard, and she dried his head, and his
throat, with the towel. Then she rose up from
before Owain, and brought him to eat. And truly
Owain had never so good a meal, nor was he ever
so well served.
When
he had finished his repast, the maiden arranged
his couch. "Come here," said she,
"and sleep, and I will go and woo for
thee." And Owain went to sleep, and the
maiden shut the door of the chamber after her,
and went towards the Castle. When she came there,
she found nothing but mourning, and sorrow; and
the Countess in her chamber could not bear the
sight of any one through grief. Luned came and
saluted her, but the Countess answered her not.
And the maiden bent down towards her, and said,
"What aileth thee, that thou answerest no
one to-day?" "Luned," said the
Countess, "what change hath befallen thee,
that thou hast not come to visit me in my grief?
It was wrong in thee, and I having made thee
rich; it was wrong in thee that thou didst not
come to see me in my distress. That was wrong in
thee." "Truly," said Luned,
"I thought thy good sense was greater than I
find it to be. Is it well for thee to mourn after
that good man, or for anything else, that thou
canst not have?" "I declare to
heaven," said the Countess, "that in
the whole world there is not a man to equal
him." "Not so," said Luned,
"for an ugly man would be as good as, or
better than he." "I declare to
heaven," said the Countess, "that were
it not repugnant to me to cause to be put to
death one whom I have brought up, I would have
thee executed, for making such a comparison to
me. As it is, I will banish thee." "I
am glad," said Luned, "that thou hast
no other cause to do so, than that I would have
been of service to thee where thou didst not know
what was to thine advantage. And henceforth evil
betide whichever of us shall make the first
advance towards reconciliation to the other;
whether I should seek an invitation from thee, or
thou of thine own accord shouldst send to invite
me."
With
that Luned went forth: and the Countess arose and
followed her to the door of the chamber, and
began coughing loudly. And when Luned looked
back, the Countess beckoned to her; and she
returned to the Countess. "In truth,"
said the Countess, "evil is thy disposition;
but if thou knowest what is to my advantage,
declare it to me." "I will do so,"
quoth she.
"Thou
knowest that except by warfare and arms it is
impossible for thee to preserve thy possessions;
delay not, therefore, to seek someone who can
defend them." "And how can I do
that?" said the Countess. "I will tell
thee," said Luned, "unless thou canst
defend the fountain, thou canst not maintain thy
dominions; and no one can defend the fountain,
except it be a knight of Arthur's household; and
I will go to Arthur's Court, and ill betide me,
if I return thence without a warrior who can
guard the fountain, as well as, or even better
than, he who defended it formerly."
"That will be hard to perform," said
the Countess. "Go, however, and make proof
of that which thou hast promised."
Luned
set out, under the pretence of going to Arthur's
Court; but she went back to the chamber where she
had left Owain; and she tarried there with him as
long as it might have taken her to have travelled
to the Court of King Arthur. And at the end of
that time, she apparelled herself and went to
visit the Countess. And the Countess was much
rejoiced when she saw her, and enquired what news
she brought from the Court. "I bring thee
the best of news," said Luned, "for I
have compassed the object of my mission. When
wilt thou, that I should present to thee the
chieftain who has come with me hither?"
"Bring him here to visit me to-morrow, at
mid-day," said the Countess, "and I
will cause the town to be assembled by that
time."
And
Luned returned home. And the next day, at noon,
Owain arrayed himself in a coat, and a surcoat,
and a mantle of yellow satin, upon which was a
broad band of gold lace; and on his feet were
high shoes of variegated leather, which were
fastened by golden clasps, in the form of lions.
And they proceeded to the chamber of the
Countess.
Right
glad was the Countess of their coming, and she
gazed steadfastly upon Owain, and said,
"Luned, this knight has not the look of a
traveller." "What harm is there in
that, lady?" said Luned. "I am
certain," said the Countess, "that no
other man than this chased the soul from the body
of my lord." "So much the better for
thee, lady," said Luned, "for had he
not been stronger than thy lord he could not have
deprived him of life. There is no remedy for that
which is past, be it as it may." "Go
back to thine abode," said the Countess,
"and I will take counsel."
The
next day the Countess caused all her subjects to
assemble, and showed them that her earldom was
left defenceless, and that it could not be
protected but with horse and arms, and military
skill. "Therefore," said she,
"this is what I offer for your choice:
either let one of you take me, or give your
consent for me to take a husband from elsewhere
to defend my dominions."
So
they came to the determination that it was better
that she should have permission to marry some one
from elsewhere; and, thereupon, she sent for the
bishops and archbishops to celebrate her nuptials
with Owain. And the men of the earldom did Owain
homage.
And
Owain defended the Fountain with lance and sword.
And this is the manner in which he defended it:
Whensoever a knight came there he overthrew him,
and sold him for his full worth, and what he thus
gained he divided among his barons and his
knights; and no man in the whole world could be
more beloved than he was by his subjects. And it
was thus for the space of three years.
It
befell that as Gwalchmai went forth one day with
King Arthur, he perceived him to be very sad and
sorrowful. And Gwalchmai was much grieved to see
Arthur in this state; and he questioned him,
saying, "Oh, my lord! what has befallen
thee?" "In sooth, Gwalchmai," said
Arthur, "I am grieved concerning Owain, whom
I have lost these three years, and I shall
certainly die if the fourth year passes without
my seeing him. Now I am sure, that it is through
the tale which Kynon the son of Clydno related,
that I have lost Owain." "There is no
need for thee," said Gwalchmai, "to
summon to arms thy whole dominions on this
account, for thou thyself and then men of thy
household will be able to avenge Owain, if he be
slain; or to set him free, if he be in prison;
and, if alive, to bring him back with thee."
And it was settled according to what Gwalchmai
had said.
Then
Arthur and the men of his household prepared to
go and seek Owain, and their number was three
thousand, besides their attendants. And Kynon the
son of Clydno acted as their guide. And Arthur
came to the Castle where Kynon had been before,
and when he came there the youths were shooting
in the same place, and the yellow man was
standing hard by. When the yellow man saw Arthur
he greeted him, and invited him to the Castle;
and Arthur accepted his invitation, and they
entered the Castle together. And great as was the
number of his retinue, their presence was
scarcely observed in the Castle, so vast was its
extent. And the maidens rose up to wait on them,
and the service of the maidens appeared to them
all to excel any attendance they had ever met
with; and even the pages who had charge of the
horses were no worse served, that night, than
Arthur himself would have been in his own palace.
The
next morning Arthur set out thence, with Kynon
for his guide, and came to the place where the
black man was. And the stature of the black man
was more surprising to Arthur than it had been
represented to him. And they came to the top of
the wooded steep, and traversed the valley till
they reached the green tree, where they saw the
fountain, and the bowl, and the slab. And upon
that, Kai came to Arthur and spoke to him.
"My lord," said he, "I know the
meaning of all this, and my request is, that thou
wilt permit me to throw the water on the slab,
and to receive the first adventure that may
befall." And Arthur gave him leave.
Then
Kai threw a bowlful of water upon the slab, and
immediately there came the thunder, and after the
thunder the shower. And such a thunderstorm they
had never known before, and many of the
attendants who were in Arthur's train were killed
by the shower. After the shower had ceased the
sky became clear; and on looking at the tree they
beheld it completely leafless. Then the birds
descended upon the tree, and the song of the
birds was far sweeter than any strain they had
ever heard before. Then they beheld a knight on a
coal-black horse, clothed in black satin, coming
rapidly towards them. And Kai met him and
encountered him, and it was not long before Kai
was overthrown. And the Knight withdrew, and
Arthur and his host encamped for the night.
And
when they arose in the morning, they perceived
the signal of combat upon the lance of the
Knight. And Kai came to Arthur, and spoke to him:
"My lord," said he, "though I was
overthrown yesterday, if it seem good to thee, I
would gladly meet the Knight again to-day."
"Thou mayst do so," said Arthur. And
Kai went towards the Knight. And on the spot he
overthrew Kai, and struck him with the head of
his lance in the forehead, so that it broke his
helmet and the headpiece, and pierced the skin
and the flesh, the breadth of the spear-head,
even to the bone. And Kai returned to his
companions.
After
this, all the household of Arthur went forth, one
after the other, to combat the Knight, until
there was not one that was not overthrown by him,
except Arthur and Gwalchmai. And Arthur armed
himself to encounter the Knight. "Oh, my
lord," said Gwalchmai, "permit me to
fight with him first." And Arthur permitted
him. And he went forth to meet the Knight, having
over himself and his horse a satin robe of honour
which had been sent him by the daughter of the
Earl of Rhangyw, and in this dress he was not
known by any of the host. And they charged each
other, and fought all that day until the evening,
and neither of them was able to unhorse the
other.
The
next day they fought with strong lances, and
neither of them could obtain the mastery.
And
the third day they fought with exceeding strong
lances. And they were incensed with rage, and
fought furiously, even until noon. And they gave
each other such a shock that the girths of their
horses were broken, so that they fell over their
horses' cruppers to the ground. And they rose up
speedily, and drew their swords, and resumed the
combat; and the multitude that witnessed their
encounter felt assured that they had never before
seen two men so valiant or so powerful. And had
it been midnight, it would have been light from
the fire that flashed from their weapons. And the
Knight gave Gwalchmai a blow that turned his
helmet from off his face, so that the Knight knew
that it was Gwalchmai. Then Owain said, "My
lord Gwalchmai, I did not know thee for my
cousin, owing to the robe of honour that
enveloped thee; take my sword and my arms."
Said Gwalchmai, "Thou, Owain, art the
victor; take thou my sword." And with that
Arthur saw that they were conversing, and
advanced towards them. "My lord
Arthur," said Gwalchmai, "here is
Owain, who has vanquished me, and will not take
my arms." "My lord," said Owain,
"it is he that has vanquished me, and he
will not take my sword." "Give me your
swords,"said Arthur, "and then neither
of you has vanquished the other." Then Owain
put his arms around Arthur's neck, and they
embraced. And all the host hurried forward to see
Owain, and to embrace him; and there was nigh
being a loss of life, so great was the press.
And
they retired that night, and the next day Arthur
prepared to depart. "My lord," said
Owain, "this is not well of thee; for I have
been absent from thee these three years, and
during all that time, up to this very day, I have
been preparing a banquet for thee, knowing that
thou wouldst come to seek me. Tarry with me,
therefore, until thou and thy attendants have
recovered the fatigues of the journey, and have
been anointed."
And
they all proceeded to the Castle of the Countess
of the Fountain, and the banquet which had been
three years preparing was consumed in three
months. Never had they a more delicious or
agreeable banquet. And Arthur prepared to depart.
Then he sent an embassy to the Countess, to
beseech her to permit Owain to go with him for
the space of three months, that he might show him
to the nobles and the fair dames of the island of
Britain. And the Countess gave her consent,
although it was very painful to her. So Owain
came with Arthur to the island of Britain. And
when he was once more amongst his kindred and
friends, he remained three years, instead of
three months, with them.
And
as Owain one day sat at meat, in the city of
Caerlleon upon Usk, behold a damsel entered upon
a bay horse, with a curling mane and covered with
foam, and the bridle and so much as was seen of
the saddle were of gold. And the damsel was
arrayed in a dress of yellow satin. And she came
up to Owain, and took the ring from off his hand.
"Thus," said she, "shall be
treated the deceiver, the traitor, the faithless,
the disgraced, and the beardless." And she
turned her horse's head and departed.
Then
his adventure came to Owain's remembrance, and he
was sorrowful; and having finished eating he went
to his own abode and made preparations that
night. And the next day he arose but did not go
to the court, but wandered to the distant parts
of the earth and to uncultivated mountains. And
he remained there until all his apparel was worn
out, and his body was wasted away, and his hair
was grown long. And he went about with the wild
beasts and fed with them, until they became
familiar with him; but at length he grew so weak
that he could no longer bear them company. Then
he descended from the mountains to the valley,
and came to a park that was the fairest in the
world, and belonged to a widowed Countess.
One
day the Countess and her maidens went forth to
walk by a lake, that was in the middle of the
park. And they saw the form of a man. And they
were terrified. Nevertheless they went near him,
and touched him, and looked at him. And they saw
that there was life in him, though he was
exhausted by the heat of the sun. And the
Countess returned to the Castle, and took a flask
full of precious ointment, and gave it to one of
her maidens. "Go with this," said she,
"and take with thee yonder horse and
clothing, and place them near the man we saw just
now. And anoint him with this balsam, near his
heart; and if there is life in him, he will arise
through the efficacy of this balsam. Then watch
what he will do."
And
the maiden departed from her, and poured the
whole of the balsam upon Owain, and left the
horse and the garments hard by, and went a little
way off, and hid herself to watch him. In a short
time she saw him begin to move his arms; and he
rose up, and looked at his person, and became
ashamed of the unseemliness of his appearance.
Then he perceived the horse and the garments that
were near him. And he crept forward till he was
able to draw the garments to him from off the
saddle. And he clothed himself, and with
difficulty mounted the horse. Then the damsel
discovered herself to him, and saluted him. And
he was rejoiced when he saw her, and enquired of
her, what land and what territory that was.
"Truly," said the maiden, "a
widowed Countess owns yonder Castle; at the death
of her husband, he left her two Earldoms, but at
this day she has but this one dwelling that has
not been wrested from her by a young Earl, who is
her neighbour, because she refused to become his
wife." "That is a pity," said
Owain. And he and the maiden proceeded to the
Castle; and he alighted there, and the maiden
conducted him to a pleasant chamber, and kindled
a fire and left him.
And
the maiden came to the Countess, and gave the
flask into her hand. "Ha! maiden," said
the Countess, "where is all the
balsam?" "Have I not used it all?"
said she. "Oh, maiden," said the
Countess, "I cannot easily forgive thee
this; it is sad for me to have wasted seven-score
pounds' worth of precious ointment, upon a
stranger whom I know not. However, maiden, wait
thou upon him, until he is quite recovered."
And
the maiden did so, and furnished him with meat
and drink, and fire, and lodging, and
medicaments, until he was well again. And in
three months he was restored to his former guise,
and became even more comely than he had ever been
before.
One
day Owain heard a great tumult, and a sound of
arms in the Castle, and he enquired of the maiden
the cause thereof. "The Earl," said
she, "whom I mentioned to thee, has come
before the Castle, with a numerous army, to
subdue the Countess." And Owain enquired of
her whether the Countess had a horse and arms in
her possession. "She has the best in the
world," said the maiden. "Wilt thou go
and request the loan of a horse and arms for
me," said Owain, "that I may go and
look at this army?" "I will," said
the maiden.
And
she came to the Countess, and told her what Owain
had said. And the Countess laughed.
"Truly," said she, "I will even
give him a horse and arms for ever; such a horse
and such arms had he never yet, and I am glad
that they should be taken by him to-day, lest my
enemies should have them against my will
to-morrow. Yet I know not what he would do with
them."
The
Countess bade them bring out a beautiful black
steed, upon which was a beechen saddle, and a
suit of armour, for man and horse. And Owain
armed himself, and mounted the horse, and went
forth, attended by two pages completely equipped,
with horses and arms. And when they came near to
the Earl's army, they could see neither its
extent, nor its extremity. And Owain asked the
pages in which troop the Earl was. "In
yonder troop," said they, "in which are
four yellow standards. Two of them are before,
and two behind him." "Now," said
Owain, "do you return and await me near the
portal of the Castle." So they returned, and
Owain pressed forward until he met the Earl. And
Owain drew him completely out of his saddle, and
turned his horse's head towards the Castle, and,
though it was with difficulty, he brought the
Earl to the portal, where the pages awaited him.
And in they came. And Owain presented the Earl as
a gift to the Countess. And said to her,
"Behold a requital to thee for thy blessed
balsam."
The
army encamped around the Castle. And the Earl
restored to the Countess the two Earldoms he had
taken from her, as a ransom for his life; and for
his freedom he gave her the half of his own
dominions, and all his gold, and his silver, and
his jewels, besides hostages.
And
Owain took his departure. And the Countess and
all her subjects besought him to remain, but
Owain chose rather to wander through distant
lands and deserts.
And
as he journeyed, he heard a loud yelling in a
wood. And it was repeated a second and a third
time. And Owain went towards the spot, and beheld
a huge craggy mound, in the middle of the wood;
on the side of which was a grey rock. And there
was a cleft in the rock, and a serpent was within
the cleft. And near the rock stood a black lion,
and every time the lion sought to go thence, the
serpent darted towards him to attack him. And
Owain unsheathed his sword, and drew near to the
rock; and as the serpent sprang out, he struck
him with his sword, and cut him in two. And he
dried his sword, and went on his way, as before.
But behold the lion followed him, and played
about him, as though it had been a greyhound that
he had reared.
They
proceeded thus throughout the day, until the
evening. And when it was time for Owain to take
his rest, he dismounted, and turned his horse
loose in a flat and wooded meadow. And he struck
fire, and when the fire was kindled, the lion
brought him fuel enough to last for three nights.
And the lion disappeared. And presently the lion
returned, bearing a fine large roebuck. And he
threw it down before Owain, who went towards the
fire with it.
And
Owain took the roebuck, and skinned it, and
placed collops of its flesh upon skewers, around
the fire. The rest of the buck he gave to the
lion to devour. While he was doing this, he heard
a deep sigh near him, and a second, and a third.
And Owain called out to know whether the sigh he
heard proceeded from a mortal; and he received
answer that it did. "Who art thou?"
said Owain. "Truly," said the voice,
"I am Luned, the hand-maiden of the Countess
of the Fountain." "And what dost thou
here?" said Owain. "I am
imprisoned," said she, "on account of
the knight who came from Arthur's Court, and
married the Countess. And he stayed a short time
with her, but he afterwards departed for the
Court of Arthur, and has not returned since. And
he was the friend I loved best in the world. And
two of the pages in the Countess's chamber
traduced him, and called him a deceiver. And I
told them that they two were not a match for him
alone. So they imprisoned me in the stone vault,
and said that I should be put to death, unless he
came himself, to deliver me, by a certain day;
and that is no further off than the day after
to-morrow. And I have no one to send to seek him
for me. And his name is Owain the son of
Urien." "And art thou certain that if
that knight knew all this, he would come to thy
rescue?" "I am most certain of
it," said she.
When
the collops were cooked, Owain divided them into
two parts, between himself and the maiden; and
after they had eaten, they talked together, until
the day dawned. And the next morning Owain
enquired of the damsel, if there was any place
where he could get food and entertainment for
that night. "There is, lord," said she;
"cross over yonder, and go along the side of
the river, and in a short time thou wilt see a
great Castle, in which are many towers, and the
Earl who owns that Castle is the most hospitable
man in the world. There thou mayst spend the
night."
Never
did sentinel keep stricter watch over his lord,
than the lion that night over Owain.
And
Owain accoutred his horse, and passed across by
the ford, and came in sight of the Castle. And he
entered it, and was honourably received. And his
horse was well cared for, and plenty of fodder
was placed before him. Then the lion went and lay
down in the horse's manger; so that none of the
people of the Castle dared to approach him. The
treatment which Owain met with there, was such as
he had never known elsewhere, for every one was
as sorrowful, as though death had been upon him.
And they went to meat; and the Earl sat upon one
side of Owain, and on the other side his only
daughter. And Owain had never seen any more
lovely than she. Then the lion came and placed
himself between Owain's feet, and he fed him with
every kind of food that he took himself. And he
never saw anything equal to the sadness of the
people.
In
the middle of the repast the Earl began to bid
Owain welcome. "Then," said Owain,
"behold, it is time for thee to be
cheerful." "Heaven knows," said
the Earl, "that it is not thy coming that
makes us sorrowful, but we have cause enough for
sadness and care." "What is that?"
said Owain. "I have two sons," replied
the Earl, "and yesterday they went to the
mountains to hunt. Now there is on the mountain a
monster who kills men and devours them, and he
seized my sons; and to-morrow is the time he has
fixed to be here, and he threatens that he will
then slay my sons before my eyes, unless I will
deliver into his hands this my daughter. He has
the form of a man, but in stature he is no less
than a giant."
"Truly,"
said Owain, "that is lamentable. And which
wilt thou do?" "Heaven knows,"
said the Earl, "it will be better that my
sons should be slain against my will, than that I
should voluntarily give up my daughter to him to
ill-treat and destroy." Then they talked
about other things, and Owain stayed there that
night.
The
next morning they heard an exceeding great
clamour, which was caused by the coming of the
giant with the two youths. And the Earl was
anxious both to protect his Castle and to release
his two sons. Then Owain put on his armour and
went forth to encounter the giant, and the lion
followed him. And when the giant saw that Owain
was armed, he rushed towards him and attacked
him. And the lion fought with the giant, much
more fiercely than Owain did. "Truly,"
said the giant, "I should find no difficulty
in fighting with thee, were it not for the animal
that is with thee." Upon that Owain took the
lion back to the Castle and shut the gate upon
him, and then he returned to fight the giant, as
before. And the lion roared very loud, for he
heard that it went hard with Owain. And he
climbed up till he reached the top of the Earl's
hall, and thence he got to the top of the Castle,
and he sprang down from the walls and went and
joined Owain. And the lion gave the giant a
stroke with his paw, which tore him from his
shoulder to his hip, and his heart was laid bare,
and the giant fell down dead. Then Owain restored
the two youths to their father.
The
Earl besought Owain to remain with him, and he
would not, but set forward towards the meadow
where Luned was. And when he came there he saw a
great fire kindled, and two youths with beautiful
curling auburn hair were leading the maiden to
cast her into the fire. And Owain asked them what
charge they had against her. And they told him of
the compact that was between them, as the maiden
had done the night before. "And," said
they, "Owain has failed her, therefore we
are taking her to be burnt."
"Truly," said Owain, "he is a good
knight, and if he knew that the maiden was in
such peril, I marvel that he came not to her
rescue; but if you will accept me in his stead, I
will do battle with you." "We
will," said the youths, "by him who
made us."
And
they attacked Owain, and he was hard beset by
them. And with that the lion came to Owain's
assistance, and they two got the better of the
young men. And they said to him, "Chieftain,
it was not agreed that we should fight save with
thyself alone, and it is harder for us to contend
with yonder animal than with thee." And
Owain put the lion in the place where the maiden
had been imprisoned, and blocked up the door with
stones, and he went to fight with the young men,
as before. But Owain had not his usual strength,
and the two youths pressed hard upon him. And the
lion roared incessantly at seeing Owain in
trouble; and he burst through the wall until he
found a way out, and rushed upon the young men,
and instantly slew them. So Luned was saved from
being burned.
Then
Owain returned with Luned to the dominions of the
Countess of the Fountain. And when he went thence
he took the Countess with him to Arthur's Court,
and she was his wife as long as she lived.
And
then he took the road that led to the Court of
the savage black man, and Owain fought with him,
and the lion did not quit Owain until he had
vanquished him. And when he reached the Court of
the savage black man he entered the hall, and
beheld four-and-twenty ladies, the fairest that
could be seen. And the garments which they had on
were not worth four-and-twenty pence, and they
were as sorrowful as death. And Owain asked them
the cause of their sadness. And they said,
"We are the daughters of Earls, and we all
came here with our husbands, whom we dearly
loved. And we were received with honour and
rejoicing. And we were thrown into a state of
stupor, and while we were thus, the demon who
owns this Castle slew all our husbands, and took
from us our horses, and our raiment, and our
gold, and our silver; and the corpses of our
husbands are still in this house, and many others
with them. And this, Chieftain, is the cause of
our grief, and we are sorry that thou art come
hither, lest harm should befall thee.
And
Owain was grieved when he heard this. And he went
forth from the Castle, and he beheld a knight
approaching him, who saluted him in a friendly
and cheerful manner, as if he had been a brother.
And this was the savage black man. "In very
sooth," said Owain, "it is not to seek
thy friendship that I am here." "In
sooth," said he, "thou shalt not find
it then." And with that they charged each
other, and fought furiously. And Owain overcame
him, and bound his hands behind his back. Then
the black savage besought Owain to spare his
life, and spoke thus: "My lord Owain,"
said he, "it was foretold that thou shouldst
come hither and vanquish me, and thou hast done
so. I was a robber here, and my house was a house
of spoil; but grant me my life, and I will become
the keeper of an Hospice, and I will maintain
this house as an Hospice for weak and for strong,
as long as I live, for the good of thy
soul." And Owain accepted this proposal of
him, and remained there that night.
And
the next day he took the four-and-twenty ladies,
and their horses, and their raiment, and what
they possessed of goods and jewels, and proceeded
with them to Arthur's Court. And if Arthur was
rejoiced when he saw him, after he had lost him
the first time, his joy was now much greater. And
of those ladies, such as wished to remain in
Arthur's Court remained there, and such as wished
to depart departed.
And
thenceforward Owain dwelt at Arthur's Court
greatly beloved, as the head of his household,
until he went away with his followers; and those
were the army of three hundred ravens which
Kenverchyn had left him. And wherever Owain went
with these he was victorious.
And
this is the tale of The Lady of the Fountain.
~
(Translation by Lady
Charlotte Guest)
|