And Gawain by the mouth of Scherules, Obilot his lady prayed;Fain would the hero see her, his life in her hand he laid,And would crave from her lips dismissal—and further the hero spake,'I leave the king here, her captive, and I pray her such thought to take900That she may in such wise entreat him, that her honour shall wax apace!'And Meljanz spake, 'Well I know this, Obilot is of maiden graceAnd maiden worth the glory; and joyful am I at heartIf her captive I be, for in gladness methinks shall I have my part,'Then out quoth the gallant Gawain, 'Her prisoner art thou alone,905'Tisshewho hath captive made thee, andmyglory is here her own.'Before them rode Scherules—As was fitting for royal court,Nor man was there nor maiden but had robed them in such sortThat one, in poor guise and scanty, might scarce have been seen that day—They who sware their pledge to the Red Knight with Meljanz must take their way.910And there in the hall of the castle they sat in their order four,Lippaut, his wife, and his daughters, as the guests passed within the door.Up sprang the host and hastened his lord and king to greet,And close pressed the crowd around them as friend with foe did meet;By Gawain's side stood Meljanz. 'Now, an it were here thy will,915Thy friend of old, the Duchess, with kiss would she greet thee still.'And Meljanz to his host made answer, 'Twoladies I think to seeFrom whom I'll take kiss and greeting—but thethirdnaught shall win from me.'And the parents wept; but the maiden, Obilot, was glad and gay,And they greeted their king with kisses; and two beardless kings that day920They kissed, with the Duke of Marangliess, and the gallant Knight Gawain.And they brought him his little lady, and the fair child he clasped again,And e'en as a doll he held her so close to his manly breast,As joy and delight constrained him, and to Meljanz his speech addrest:'Thine hand hath surety pledged me, of that shall thou now be free,925In my right arm I hold my lady,hercaptive thou now shalt be.'Then Meljanz he stept him nearer, and she held fast to Gawain's hand,And she took the pledge of her monarch mid the knights who did round them stand.'Sir King, 'twas ill-done I think me, if amerchanthe be my knightAs my sister hath said, to yield thee as his captive on field of might!'930Thus spake Obilot, the maiden; then to Meljanz she gave command,He should yield his pledge to her sister, and swear it hand clasped in hand;'Thou shalt have her for Love, for thy knighthood, as her Love and her Lord art thouHenceforward, of true heart gladly, and ye twain to my will shall bow!'God spake by the lips of the maiden, her will it was done straightway,935And Frau Minne with power and wisdom again o'er their hearts held sway,And knit afresh the meshes, and fettered the twain anew;From the folds of her flowing mantle her small hand Obie drew,And she touched the arm of her lover, and weeping, her lips so redKissed the wound he had won in jousting, since it was for her sake he bled.940And his arm was bathed in the tear-drops that flowed from her eyes so bright—How waxed she thus bold 'fore the people? 'Twas Love bade her claim her right;And fulfilled was the wish of Lippaut, and naught of his bliss should fail,Since God had willed that his daughter henceforth as his queen he hail!How the wedding feast was holden, ask them who took their share945Of wedding gifts, or wandering, to Beaurosch had thought to fare.If they fought, or were fain to rest them, of that I no word may tell,But they say in the hall of the palace Sir Gawain would bid farewellTo her for whose leave he came there, and sore wept the little maidAnd spake, 'Now take me with thee,' but Gawain her wish gainsaid,950And scarce might her mother tear her from the knight—leave he prayed them there,And Lippaut he proffered service for the good-will he towards him bare.And his gallant host, Scherules, with his folk he would not delayTo ride awhile with the hero; and he wended a woodland way,And they gave him guides for his journey, and food lest he ill should fare,955And he bade them farewell, and sorrow Gawain for the parting bare.
And Gawain by the mouth of Scherules, Obilot his lady prayed;Fain would the hero see her, his life in her hand he laid,And would crave from her lips dismissal—and further the hero spake,'I leave the king here, her captive, and I pray her such thought to take900That she may in such wise entreat him, that her honour shall wax apace!'And Meljanz spake, 'Well I know this, Obilot is of maiden graceAnd maiden worth the glory; and joyful am I at heartIf her captive I be, for in gladness methinks shall I have my part,'Then out quoth the gallant Gawain, 'Her prisoner art thou alone,905'Tisshewho hath captive made thee, andmyglory is here her own.'
Before them rode Scherules—As was fitting for royal court,Nor man was there nor maiden but had robed them in such sortThat one, in poor guise and scanty, might scarce have been seen that day—They who sware their pledge to the Red Knight with Meljanz must take their way.910And there in the hall of the castle they sat in their order four,Lippaut, his wife, and his daughters, as the guests passed within the door.
Up sprang the host and hastened his lord and king to greet,And close pressed the crowd around them as friend with foe did meet;By Gawain's side stood Meljanz. 'Now, an it were here thy will,915Thy friend of old, the Duchess, with kiss would she greet thee still.'And Meljanz to his host made answer, 'Twoladies I think to seeFrom whom I'll take kiss and greeting—but thethirdnaught shall win from me.'
And the parents wept; but the maiden, Obilot, was glad and gay,And they greeted their king with kisses; and two beardless kings that day920They kissed, with the Duke of Marangliess, and the gallant Knight Gawain.And they brought him his little lady, and the fair child he clasped again,And e'en as a doll he held her so close to his manly breast,As joy and delight constrained him, and to Meljanz his speech addrest:'Thine hand hath surety pledged me, of that shall thou now be free,925In my right arm I hold my lady,hercaptive thou now shalt be.'
Then Meljanz he stept him nearer, and she held fast to Gawain's hand,And she took the pledge of her monarch mid the knights who did round them stand.'Sir King, 'twas ill-done I think me, if amerchanthe be my knightAs my sister hath said, to yield thee as his captive on field of might!'930Thus spake Obilot, the maiden; then to Meljanz she gave command,He should yield his pledge to her sister, and swear it hand clasped in hand;'Thou shalt have her for Love, for thy knighthood, as her Love and her Lord art thouHenceforward, of true heart gladly, and ye twain to my will shall bow!'
God spake by the lips of the maiden, her will it was done straightway,935And Frau Minne with power and wisdom again o'er their hearts held sway,And knit afresh the meshes, and fettered the twain anew;From the folds of her flowing mantle her small hand Obie drew,And she touched the arm of her lover, and weeping, her lips so redKissed the wound he had won in jousting, since it was for her sake he bled.940And his arm was bathed in the tear-drops that flowed from her eyes so bright—How waxed she thus bold 'fore the people? 'Twas Love bade her claim her right;And fulfilled was the wish of Lippaut, and naught of his bliss should fail,Since God had willed that his daughter henceforth as his queen he hail!
How the wedding feast was holden, ask them who took their share945Of wedding gifts, or wandering, to Beaurosch had thought to fare.If they fought, or were fain to rest them, of that I no word may tell,But they say in the hall of the palace Sir Gawain would bid farewellTo her for whose leave he came there, and sore wept the little maidAnd spake, 'Now take me with thee,' but Gawain her wish gainsaid,950And scarce might her mother tear her from the knight—leave he prayed them there,And Lippaut he proffered service for the good-will he towards him bare.And his gallant host, Scherules, with his folk he would not delayTo ride awhile with the hero; and he wended a woodland way,And they gave him guides for his journey, and food lest he ill should fare,955And he bade them farewell, and sorrow Gawain for the parting bare.