Mythology, Celtic -- Wales; Tales -- Wales; Welsh literature -- 1100-1400 -- Translations into English
And as he was setting on his dogs he saw a horseman coming towards him
upon a large light-grey steed, with a hunting horn round his neck, and
clad in garments of grey woollen in the fashion of a hunting garb. And
the horseman drew near and spoke unto him thus. “Chieftain,” said he, “I
know who thou art, and I greet thee not.” “Peradventure,” said Pwyll,
“thou art of such dignity that thou shouldest not do so.” “Verily,”
answered he, “it is not my dignity that prevents me.” “What is it then,
O Chieftain?” asked he. “By Heaven, it is by reason of thine own
ignorance and want of courtesy.” “What discourtesy, Chieftain, hast thou
seen in me?” “Greater discourtesy saw I never in man,” said he, “than to
drive away the dogs that were killing the stag and to set upon it thine
own. This was discourteous, and though I may not be revenged upon thee,
yet I declare to Heaven that I will do thee more dishonour than the value
of an hundred stags.” “O Chieftain,” he replied, “if I have done ill I
will redeem thy friendship.” “How wilt thou redeem it?” “According as
thy dignity may be, but I know not who thou art?” “A crowned king am I
in the land whence I come.” “Lord,” said he, “may the day prosper with
thee, and from what land comest thou?” “From Annwvyn,” {2} answered he;
“Arawn, a King of Annwvyn, am I.” “Lord,” said he, “how may I gain thy
friendship?” “After this manner mayest thou,” he said. “There is a man
whose dominions are opposite to mine, who is ever warring against me, and
he is Havgan, a King of Annwvyn, and by ridding me of this oppression,
which thou canst easily do, shalt thou gain my friendship.” “Gladly will
I do this,” said he. “Show me how I may.” “I will show thee. Behold
thus it is thou mayest. I will make firm friendship with thee; and this
will I do. I will send thee to Annwvyn in my stead, and I will give thee
the fairest lady thou didst ever behold to be thy companion, and I will
put my form and semblance upon thee, so that not a page of the chamber,
nor an officer, nor any other man that has always followed me shall know
that it is not I. And this shall be for the space of a year from
to-morrow, and then we will meet in this place.” “Yes,” said he; “but
when I shall have been there for the space of a year, by what means shall
I discover him of whom thou speakest?” “One year from this night,” he
answered, “is the time fixed between him and me that we should meet at
the Ford; be thou there in my likeness, and with one stroke that thou
givest him, he shall no longer live. And if he ask thee to give him
another, give it not, how much soever he may entreat thee, for when I did
so, he fought with me next day as well as ever before.” “Verily,” said
Pwyll, “what shall I do concerning my kingdom?” Said Arawn, “I will
cause that no one in all thy dominions, neither man nor woman, shall know
that I am not thou, and I will go there in thy stead.” “Gladly then,”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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