The Story of the Grail and the Passing of ArthurPyle, Howard
General
The Story of the Grail and the Passing of Arthur
Pyle, Howard
Arthur, King -- Legends; Arthurian romances -- Adaptations; Folklore -- England; Grail -- Legends; Knights and knighthood -- Folklore
So they rode away across the moorland together. All around them was the
stillness of the night-time, and overhead and about them lay the silent
whiteness of the effulgent moon. And the shadows of each and the shadows
of the horse of each followed them across the moorland, very black and
mysterious.
So they travelled a considerable while in silence, for the lady did not
speak to Sir Galahad, nor did Sir Galahad speak to her. But each rode in
silence, and each was occupied with his or her own thoughts.
[Sidenote: _Sir Galahad beholds the sea._]
Thus, by and by, they reached a high part of the moorland, and of a
sudden Sir Galahad beheld the sea, over above the downs. And the moon
shone down upon the sea so that it looked like a shining stretch of pure
and radiant silver against the night sky that lay behind it. Then Sir
Galahad said, “Lady, yonder is the sea.” “Aye,” quoth the other, “and it
is thither that I am bringing thee.”
So after awhile they came to where the sea lay below them, and they
beheld the waves illuminated by the light of the moonshine lapping
against the shore. Then they rode down to the sea, and there was at that
place a rocky promontory that stretched out into the water. And they
rode across that promontory, and there Sir Galahad beheld a boat lying
in the moonlight moored, as it were, to the shore, although no rope
attached it to the shore. And as they two approached the boat, Sir
Galahad perceived that the boat was all draped and hanged with white
linen, and he perceived that there were two men within the boat.
[Sidenote: _He perceives Sir Percival and Sir Bors in a boat._]
The faces of these two were cut out very clear and sharp and white from
the darkness behind because of the moonlight that shone upon them, and
Sir Galahad perceived that the one of those faces was the face of Sir
Percival, and that the other face was the face of Sir Bors de Ganis.
These two, beholding Sir Galahad there upon the shore, gave him loud and
joyous greeting, crying out, “Greeting, Sir Galahad! And welcome to
thee!”
Then Sir Galahad sprang down from off his horse, and he ran down to the
shore, leaping from rock to rock. And he sprang into the boat and kissed
each of those two upon the cheek, and they kissed him upon the cheek in
return. And Sir Galahad said to them, “What do ye here?” To the which
they replied, “We wait for thee.” And they say, “What lady is that with
whom thou hast come hither?” He replied, “I know her not, but she hath
brought me to this place.”
[Sidenote: _Sir Percival beholdeth his sister._]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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