Mythology, Celtic -- Wales; Tales -- Wales; Welsh literature -- 1100-1400 -- Translations into English
And he beheld a glade in the wood forming a level plain, and as his dogs
came to the edge of the glade, he saw a stag before the other dogs. And
lo, as it reached the middle of the glade, the dogs that followed the
stag overtook it, and brought it down. Then looked he at the colour of
the dogs, staying not to look at the stag, and of all the hounds that he
had seen in the world, he had never seen any that were like unto those.
For their hair was of a brilliant shining white, and their ears were red;
and as the whiteness of their bodies shone, so did the redness of their
ears glisten. And he came towards the dogs, and drove away those that
had brought down the stag, and set his own dogs upon it.
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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 about 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," answered he;
"Arawn, a King of Annwvyn, {13} 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 will we meet in this place." "Yes," said he; "but
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