Mythology, Celtic -- Wales; Tales -- Wales; Welsh literature -- 1100-1400 -- Translations into English
Then Peredur rode forward. And he came to the valley in which was the
river, and there met him a number of men going to hunt, and in the midst
of them was a man of exalted rank, and Peredur saluted him. “Choose,
chieftain,” said the man, “whether thou wilt go with me to the chase, or
wilt proceed to my palace, and I will dispatch one of my household to
commend thee to my daughter, who is there, and who will entertain thee
with food and liquor until I return from hunting; and whatever may be
thine errand, such as I can obtain for thee thou shalt gladly have.” And
the King sent a little yellow page with him as an attendant; and when
they came to the palace the lady had arisen, and was about to wash before
meat. Peredur went forward, and she saluted him joyfully, and placed him
by her side. And they took their repast. And whatsoever Peredur said
unto her, she laughed loudly, so that all in the palace could hear. Then
spoke the yellow page to the lady. “By my faith,” said he, “this youth
is already thy husband; or if he be not, thy mind and thy thoughts are
set upon him.” And the little yellow page went unto the King, and told
him that it seemed to him that the youth whom he had met with was his
daughter’s husband, or if he were not so already that he would shortly
become so unless he were cautious. “What is thy counsel in this matter,
youth?” said the King. “My counsel is,” he replied, “that thou set
strong men upon him, to seize him, until thou hast ascertained the truth
respecting this.” So he set strong men upon Peredur, who seized him and
cast him into prison. And the maiden went before her father, and asked
him wherefore he had caused the youth from Arthur’s Court to be
imprisoned. “In truth,” he answered, “he shall not be free to-night, nor
to-morrow, nor the day following, and he shall not come from where he
is.” She replied not to what the King had said, but she went to the
youth. “Is it unpleasant to thee to be here?” said she. “I should not
care if I were not,” he replied. “Thy couch and thy treatment shall be
in no wise inferior to that of the King himself, and thou shalt have the
best entertainment that the palace affords. And if it were more pleasing
to thee that my couch should be here, that I might discourse with thee,
it should be so, cheerfully.” “This can I not refuse,” said Peredur.
And he remained in prison that night. And the maiden provided all that
she had promised him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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