Lines 407–813

The robe that wrapped him round
Tristrem from ship had brought,
'T was of a bliaunt brown,
The richest that was wrought.
So Thomas told in town —
Of that land he knew naught,
So, seemly, sat him down,
And ate as good he thought, '
And then, anon,
The forest path he sought
Whenas his meal was done.

The track it was not light,
His prize with him he bore,
The hills of goodly height
He climbed, and holts so hoar.
The road it came in sight —
(Well knew he woodland lore!)
He struck the pathway right,
Two palmers there before
He saw, and quoth:
"Whence came ye to this shore?"
"Of England be we both."

Fearing they might him slay
He said he sought the king,
Money would gladly pay
(To each man ten shilling)
For guidance on the way,
Would they to palace bring —
They sware right gladly: "Yea,
By Heaven's Almighty King
'T were done right soon —
Full wise his ordering,
Swiftly he had his boon.

Fair was the forest, wide,
With game well plenished,
The court was nigh beside,
His guides toward it sped.
Tristrem saw huntsmen ride,
A leash of hounds they led;
A booty, in that tide
They bare, of harts well fed
Across their steed —
Tristrem they, in that stead,
Beheld, in goodly weed.

Quartered the beasts they bare, —
In simple wise they wrought
E'en as they cattle were
At Martinmas i-bought!
Tristrem, he haled them there,
Their ways full strange he thought,
And quoth: "Now saw I ne'er
Quarry in such wise brought
Of men's good will;
Of such craft I know naught,
Or else ye do full ill!"

Upstood a serjant bold,
And thus to Tristrem said:
"I wot our sires of old
On us this custom laid,
If other thou dost hold
There lies a beast unflayed,
Thy will in act be told,
Deal with it unafraid,
We are full fain
To see — " The huntsmen stayed
Their steeds, and gazed amain.

Tristrem, the breast he slit,
The tongue laid with the pride,
The hams, with skill, I wit,
He carved, and set aside.
The belly then he split
And laid it open wide,
With skilful strokes and fit,
He reft away the hide.
I wot and ween
The hart he trimmed that tide
As many since have been.

The first joint carven fair
The bowels he cast away,
The knee-joints sundered were,
In twain they severed lay.
Right well his part he bare —
The hounds they had their pay,
The numbles did he share
As all men saw that day;
Before their eyes
He cleft the spine alway,
The backbone cut crosswise.

The huntsman's share by right
The shoulder left shall be
With liver, heart and lights,
Which men do call quirrie;
Hide for the hounds he dights,
And bids them all to see.
Now on the tree there lights
The raven for his fee
And sits a-row —
"Now, huntsmen, where be ye,
The prize in form to blow?"

The flesh on fork they bound,
And eke the gargilon;
A hunters' blast they wound
With cadence true and tone.
A messenger they found,
Bade seek the king alone,
And tell him, at that stound,
How all were fitly done
And homeward brought
Then Mark the King with crown,
Right fair such tidings thought.

The merry blast they blew
Brought joy to many a heart,
None there such custom knew,
Up from the board they start.
"Forsooth, some huntsman new
Hath taught our men this art!
Methinks 't is fair and due
To others to impart
An unknown lore —
Thus blithe were they of heart
Who came the king before.

Quoth Mark: "Where wast thou born?
Who art thou, Bel ami?"
Tristrem, he spake that morn,
"Fair sire, in Hermonie
My father dwells, forlorn,
Rohant, by name is he,
Right skilful on the horn,
And king of Venerie
In all men's thought."
Mark deemed 't was verity,
Of Rohant he knew naught.

The king, he said no more,
But washed and gat to meat,
Bread lay each man before,
Enough they had to eat.
Whether they set most store
On ale, or red wine sweet,
At each one's will they bore
Great horns, or goblets meet
To fit their mood —
At will they kept their seat,
And rose when seemed them good.

A harper made a lay —
(Tristrem spake fair and free —
The harper went his way:
"An thou can'st, better me!"
"An I do not this day
Wrong have I done to thee!"
The harper quoth straightway:
"My harp I yield to thee
Of right good grace —
Before the monarch's knee,
Tristrem must take his place.

Right gladsome were they all,
And marked his skill therein,
Each man throughout the hall
Were fain the child to win.
King Mark did Tristrem call,
That lad of royal kin,
Clad him in silken pall
And robe of fairest skin,
For raiment meet —
The royal bower within
He maketh music sweet.

Now Tristrem leave we there,
To Mark is he right dear —
Sorrow is Rohant's share,
No tidings may he hear;
Afar he needs must fare,
With sad and rueful cheer,
The pilgrim's staff he bare;
Through seven kingdoms drear
Tristrem he sought —
Riven the robes he ware,
His heart it failed him naught.

And still he naught might learn,
Rohant, that noble knight —
He wist not where to turn,
Bereft was he of might.
Men forced him then to earn
His bread, as labouring wight,
With hinds, on straw and fern
To lie throughout the night —
At dawn, I ween,
Those Palmers hove in sight
Whom Tristrem erst had seen.

The question ever new,
He asked, whate'er befell —
The lad the Palmers knew,
And where he now should dwell;
"His robe is of one hue,
Of bliaunt, sooth to tell,
His name is Tristrem true,
The meat he carveth well
The king before —
For guidance did he tell
Ten shillings from his store

"The same I'll give to ye,"
Quoth Rohant, "an ye may
Shew that same court to me."
The Palmers answered: "Yea."
Joyful at heart was he,
And paid them there straightway,
Of money round, in fee,
Ten shillings good that day,
And more, for gain —
Of Tristrem speedily
To hear, was he full fain.

Tristrem is his delight,
Of him he speaks alway —
The porter, in despite,
Quoth: "Churl, get thee away,
Or else I swift shall smite —
Why tarry here all day?"
He gave him there forthright
(The porter ne'er said Nay)
A ring in hand —
Wise man was he alway
Who first gave gifts in land!

Rohant, of hand so free,
He bade to pass the gate,
The ring was fair to see,
The gift were ill to mate.
The usher bade him flee:
"Churl, tempt thou not thy fate,
Broken thy head shall be,
And thou, ere it be late,
Trodden to ground —
Rohant quoth: "Now let be,
And help me at this stound."

That man, so meek on mold,
Held forth another ring.
The usher took the gold,
(T were meeter for a king.)
Thus to the royal hold
He paid his entering,
And unto Tristrem bold
The usher would him bring,
And straightway brought —
Tristrem deemed wondering
A stranger him besought.

Tho' men had soothly sworn
The news he scarce might heed
That Rohant e'er had worn
So torn and rent a weed.
He prayed him fast that morn
"Fair child, so God thee speed,
Wast thou not from me torn?
Hast thou forgot indeed?" —
Rohant again
He knew, and knelt with speed,
And clasped, and kissed, full fain.

"Father, now vex thee naught,
Right welcome shalt thou be,
By God, Who man hath bought,
Full hardly knew I thee!
With toil thou hast me sought,
To know that grieveth me —
To Mark the word he brought:
"Wilt thou my father see
Here, in thy sight?
I'll robe him fittingly
As doth become a knight."

Tristrem, no more afraid,
Told Mark how he must fare,
How he with shipmen played.
How him from land they tare;
How storms their course delayed,
Brake oar and anchor there;
"My winnings then they laid
In hand, and bade me fare,
Set me on ground —
I climbed the holts. so bare
Till I thy huntsmen found."

Rohant from bath did win;
A barber brought they there
Who shaved him, cheek and chin,
All snow-white was his hair.
In robe of costly skin
They garbed him, fresh and fair,
Rohant, of noble kin,
That raiment fitly ware
As knight so bold;
Who that had seen him there
Might for a prince him hold.

His tale in fitting wise
He told, though he came late;
Tristrem, in courtly guise,
To hall he led him straight.
Men quoth, none might devise
A fairer form or state
Than his they did despise,
And turn back from the gate
With beggar's fare —
Now no man bare him hate,
But bade him welcome there.

Water they asked straightway,
The cloth and board were spread,
With meats and drink alway,
And service, swiftly sped.
Tristrem they serve that day,
And Rohant — fitly fed,
They fain would go their way —
The king, with crowned head,
He rose that tide —
An I have rightly read,
He set him by his side.

Rohant spake free and fair,
Thus was his tale begun
"An ye wist who he were
Tristrem your love had won.
Your sister did him bear —
(The king he heard anon)
"I owe him fealty fair,;
By birth is he no son
To me, King!
See, ere her race was run
Blancheflower gave me this ring!"

"When Roland Riis, the bold,
In strife did Morgan meet —
Ere yet the tale was told
Rohant full sore did greet.
Mark saw that knight so old,
How fast the tears did fleet,
He took that ring of gold;
His sister's token meet
And sign, he knew,
Raised Tristrem to his feet,
With kiss, as kinsman true.

They kissed him, one and all,
Both lady fair and knight,
The servants there in hall,
And many a maiden bright.
Tristrem did Rohant call,
And prayed him there forthright:
"Sir, how did this befall,
How may I prove aright,
Nor doubt remain?
Tell me, for God's great Might,
How was my father slain?"

Rohant, he told anon
The venture, fierce and keen,
How battle had begun,
How erst the strife had been.
How Blancheflower, she was won,
The love the twain between
"When Roland's race was run,
And Blancheflower dead, I ween,
Full sore afraid
Of Morgan, foe so keen,
My son thou wast, I said."

Tristrem, with kindling eye,
Before the king came he —
"Now into Ermonie
My heart, it draweth me;
Thither I fain would fly —
My leave I take of thee;
Morgan I will defy,
I slay him, or he me,
With good right hand —
Else none my face shall see
Again on England's strand!"

Woeful was Mark that day,
And heavily he sighed:
"Tristrem, I bid thee stay,
On English land abide.
Morgan is ill to slay,
His knights are men of pride;
Tho' thou be brave alway
Let others with thee ride
In rank and row —
Take Rohant at thy side,
Thy friends he best will know!"

To arms, the king, he bade
The folk throughout his land;
Tristrem, for better aid,
He knighted with his hand,
And gave him, fair arrayed,
The bravest of his band
To ride with him on raid
And by him true to stand
As staff and stay —
Yet, bound in sorrow's band,
No man might make him gay.

Nor would he dwell a night —
No more was there to say,
Ten hundred men of might
They rode with him away.
Rohant, that gallant knight,
Ready was he alway,
His castle hove in sight,
Upon the seventh day
Their goal they won;
His marshal did he pay —
Gave knighthood to each son.

His friends they were full fain,
(Small blame they won thereby!)
That he had come again
Thus, unto Ermonie.
Tidings were brought amain
That Morgan lay hard by,
Of that was Tristrem fain —
"With Morgan speak will I
And that with speed;
Too long we idle lie,
Myself must serve my need!"