Lines 2033–2439

Quoth Meriadoc: "I rede
Thou bid thy huntsmen ride
A fortnight full at need
To see thy forests wide;
Thyself the band shall lead;
Tristrem shall here abide,
And in the act and deed
Thou 'lt take them at that tide,
Here, in the tree,
I counsel thee to hide,
Thou shalt their feigning see."

Tristrem abode in town,
Ysonde was in her bower,
The streamlet bare adown
Light linden twigs that hour.
With rune he wrote them round —
Ysonde knew branch and flower —
She Tristrem's message found,
With grace his prayer would dower,
His coming bide —
Next day, ere evening hour,
Tristrem was at her side!

Beneath the orchard's shade
They met, Ysonde and he,
Love's solace there they made
When they might win them free.
The dwarf a snare had laid,
He watched them from a tree —
Anon, King Mark he prayed
To come, that he might see
Their deeds with sight —
"Thus, Sire, assured thou 'It be,
Thyself shalt prove me right."

His falsehood to fulfil
Forthwith he fain would greet
Tristrem (his thought was ill),
From Ysonde, lady sweet:
"The queen's wish I fulfil,
As she did me entreat,
She prayeth thee of good will,
That thou would 'st with her meet,
Both, face to face,
Tho' Mark be far, 't is meet
It be in secret place!

Sir Tristrem him bethought:
"Master, my thanks to thee,
Since thou this word hast brought
My robe I give to thee.
That thou hast failed in naught
Say to that lady free;
Her words I dearly bought
To Mark she slandered me,
That gentle may
At morn she shall me see
In church, 't is sooth to say."

The dwarf he went his way,
To Mark he came full keen:
"By this robe judge ye may
How well he loves the queen!
He trusteth me no way
In guise of go-between,
By seeming ye might say
Her face he ne'er had seen,
Before with sight —
And yet full sure I ween
He meeteth her to-night!"

King Mark hid in that tree —
The twain they met below;
The shadow did he see
Tristrem, nor spake too low
That Ysonde warned should be,
And call Tristrem her foe —
"Here is no place for thee,
Hast no right here to go,
What doth thee bring?
Dead, would I fain thee know
Save that I love the king

"My foe wast thou alway,
Full sore thou wrongest me
With mockery night and day,
Mark scarce my face will see,
And threatens me to slay —
More courteous 't were in thee
To follow friendship's way
By God in Trinity!
Or I this tide
From this land must away
And seek Welsh deserts wide!"

"Tristrem, tho', sooth to say,
I wish thee little good,
I slandered thee no day
That swear I, by God's rood!
Men said thou with me lay,
By that thine uncle stood —
Now get thee on thy way,
Thou ravest as one wood,
None save the man
Who had my maidenhood
I love, or ever can!"

"Sweet Ysonde, hear my prayer,
Beseech the king for me,
If so thy will be fair,
That he would speak me free!
From land then will I fare,
No more my face he'll see —
(Mark's heart was heavy there,
He hearkened from the tree
And thus he thought:
"Guiltless, I ween, they were
In this vile slander brought.")

"Wrong 'gainst thee I deny,
Men said thou with me lay,
Yet, if for this I die
Thy message will I say.
Thine uncle's state is high,
Equip thee well he may —
I reck not if I lie
So that thou be away
Of thine own will." —
Mark to himself did say:
"He shall abide here still."

Tristrem, his way would go,
And Ysonde too, I wis.
Never was Mark so woe,
Himself he heard all this,
In sorrow must he go
Till he might Tristrem kiss,
And hatred keen must know
'Gainst him who spake amiss —
Then waked anew
At court their joy, with bliss
They welcome Tristrem true.

Now Ysonde hath her way,
Tristrem is Marshal hight —
Three years he wrought love's play
With Ysonde, lady bright.
None might the twain betray
So cunning was their sleight;
But Meriadoc, he lay
In watch, both day and night,
With ill intent,
To ruin both queen and knight
Had he been well content!

A ruse he found alway,
Thus to the king said he:
"Their folly dureth aye,
'T was sooth I sware to thee.
Look now, upon one day
Bid blood be let ye three,
And do as I shall say;
True token shall men see
And that right soon —
Bloody her couch shall be
Ere yet their will be done!"

Now have they bled the king,
Tristrem, and eke the queen;
After the blood-letting
They sweep the chamber clean.
Meriadoc flour did bring,
Strewed it the beds between
That ne'er might pass a thing
But that its trace were seen
Clear to men's sight —
The thirty feet between
Tristrem he leapt that night.

Now Tristrem's will was this,
With Ysonde would he play,
They might not come to kiss
So thick the flour it lay
Tristrem, he leapt, I wis,
Full thirty feet alway,
But e'en as he did this
The bandage brake away
And fast he bled —
I wot ere dawn of day
He leapt from out her bed.

The thirty feet again
He leapt, I speak no lie —
It hurt him sore, the vein,
Small wonder, verily.
Mark, he beheld the stain,
'T was plain unto the eye,
He spake unto Brengwain:
"Tristrem brake traitorously
The vow he plight."
The land he needs must fly
Out of his uncle's sight.

Tristrem was fled away,
In land was no more seen;
At London, on a day,
Mark, he would purge the queen
Of guilt that on her lay —
A Bishop stood between;
With red-hot iron, they say,
She thought to make her clean
Of all they spake —
Ysonde was fain, I ween,
That doom on her to take.

Men set the lists full fair,
At Westminster aright,
Hot irons would she bear
All for that valiant knight.
In weeds that beggars wear
Tristrem, he came that night,
(Of all the folk that were
None knew him then by sight
Who him had seen —
E'en to sweet Ysonde bright,
As pledged the twain between.

O'er Thames she needs must ride
An arm 't is of the sea —
"E'en to the vessel's side
This man shall carry me:"
Tristrem bare her that tide
And with the queen fell he,
E'en by her naked side
As every man might see
Nor need to show —
Her flesh above the knee
All bare the knights must know.

In flood they had him drowned,
Or worse, an that they may
"Ye 'quite him ill this stound,"
The queen to them would say
"He little meat hath found
Or drink, this many a day,
For weakness was he bound
To fall, the sooth to say,
And very need —
Now give him gold, I pray,
That he bid me God-speed."

Gold did they give him there —
The judgment hath begun;
Ysonde doth soothly swear
That she no wrong hath done —
"But one to ship me bare,
These knights, they all looked on,
Whate'er his will then were
Full nigh to me he won.
'T is sooth, this thing,
So nigh came never none
Saving my lord the king!"

Sweet Ysonde, she hath sworn
Her clean, that merry may,
Ready for her that morn
The iron they heat alway;
The knights, they stand forlorn
And for her safety pray —
The iron she there hath borne —
Mark pardoned her that day
In word and deed —
And Meriadoc, they say,
Hath spoken traitorous rede.

— Ysonde was spoken clean
In Meriadoc's despite,
Ne'er had she found, the queen,
Such favour in Mark's sight.
Tristrem, the true, I ween,
To Wales he took his flight:
In battle hath he been,
Conflict he sought forthright
In sooth, I wis,
Solace he seeks in fight,
Ysonde he may not kiss.

In Wales the crown he bare
A king, hight Triamour,
He had a daughter fair
Men called her Blanche-flower.
Urgain the giant there
Besieged him in his tower,
That maid he' fain would bear
With him unto his bower
For that would fight —
Tristrem, with much honour,
Became of that king knight.

Urgain the land would hold
In wrongful guise alway;
Oft from his robber hold
On Triamour he 'ld prey.
This tale to Tristrem told
The king, one summer's day,
And quoth, he Wales shall hold
An that he win it may
Of lawful right —
Tristrem, none may say nay,
He won that land in fight.

Tristrem, he met Urgain —
The twain in field would fight —
Ere they together ran
He spake as doughty knight:
"My brother true, Morgan,
Didst slay at meat, with might,
As I be valiant man
His death thou 'It rue to-night
Here, as my foe —
Quoth Tristrem: "Here I plight
My word, thou'rt slain also!"

Twelve foot, the staff on strand
Wherewith Urgain made play —
None shall his stroke withstand,
'T were strange if Tristrem may
Full sharp was Tristrem's brand,
The staff it fell away,
And more, the giant's right hand
Was smitten off that day
In very deed —
Sir Tristrem, sooth to say,
He made the giant bleed!

Urgain, with wrathful mien,
With his left hand he fought
Against his foeman keen;
A stroke, with danger fraught,
Fell on his helmet's sheen —
Tristrem to ground was brought
But up he sprang, I ween,
And aid from Heaven besought
Of God's great Might —
With brand for warfare wrought
Fast he began to fight.

The giant, afar he stood,
Now had he lost his hand —
He fled as he were wood
To where his burg did stand.
Tristrem, in blood he trode,
He found the giant's right hand —
With that away he rode;
The giant, I understand
Healing had sought —
Salves that would cure his hand
With him he swiftly brought.

Urgain, unfelled his pride,
After Sir Tristrem ran;
The folk from far and wide
Were gathered to a man.
Sir Tristrem thought that tide
"I'll take what take I can —
On bridge did he abide,
Many their deeds did scan,
They met for fray —
Urgain on Tristrem ran
With challenge grim alway.

Then strokes of mickle might
Were dealt the twain between;
That thro' the burnies bright
The blood of both was seen.
Tristrem fought as a knight —
Urgain, in anger keen
Dealt him a stroke un-light,
His shield was cloven clean
In pieces two —
Tristrem, I wot and ween,
Had never been so woe!

Urgain, he smote amain,
The stroke, it went astray,
Tristrem, he struck again
And ran him through that day.
Urgain to spring was fain,
Dead 'neath the bridge he lay —
"Tristrem the giant hath slain!"
The folk around they say
Both loud and still;
The king with joy that day
Gave Wales unto his will.

The king, a dog he brought
And gave to Tristrem true,
How fairly it was wrought
I would declare anew —
Softer than silk to thought,
He was red, green, and blue,
They who the dog had sought
Much joy of him they knew
I wot alway;
His name was Petitcrewe,
Much praise of him they say.

The good King Triamour
That dog to Tristrem gave
Who from the giant's power
Him and his land did save.
Tristrem was proved that hour
Courteous as he was brave,
To maiden Blancheflower
Wales for her own he gave
For aye, I ween,
The dog he sent o'er wave
To Ysonde, the sweet queen.

Now Ysonde, sooth to say,
Was of the dog full fain,
She sent him word straightway
That he might come again;
Mark, he had heard alway
How Urgain had been slain,
And sent men on their way
To say that he was fain
Tristrem to see.
His coming he deemed gain
And kissed him fair and free.

King Mark did Tristrem call
And gave to him, I ween,
Cities and castles, all
E'en as he steward had been.
Who then was blithe in hall
But Ysonde, the sweet queen?
Howe'er it might befall
The game was played between
Those lovers two —
They bare of love the mien —
Mark saw the thing was so.