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 despatch 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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