Part II: Anglo-Norman Literary Period, part of the Middle Ages Literary Period
Part II: Anglo-Norman Literary Period, part of the Middle Ages Literary Period
18
The Lay of Eliduc: His wife and his mistress
TIS of an ancient Breton lay,
As I once heard it on a day,
I’d tell you, on truth intent
In matter, and in argument.
In Britain lived a brave knight,
Courteous, skilful in a fight,
Eliduc the name told to me,
Without peer in his country.
He had a wife, noble and sage,
Well-born, of high parentage.
When a girl, she did him marry,
And they loved most faithfully;
But it so befell he went to war
To seek wealth on a foreign shore.
There he loved a girl he’d seen,
Daughter of the king and queen;
Guilliadun she was named,
For her beauty she was famed;
While Guildelüec was, you see,
His wife’s name in his country,
After the lay was made and sung
Guildelüec and Guilliadun
It was called, though Eliduc
Was the first name that it took;
Before it was then named anew,
As I have said, after these two.
The story, that formed the lay,
Truthfully, I shall now relay.
The Lay of Eliduc: He is denounced
NOW Eliduc had a lord had he,
Who was the King of Brittany,
Who loved and cherished him, for he
Had served this king most loyally.
When the king was on a journey,
Eliduc governed the land wisely.
For these skills he was retained,
But scant was the reward he gained.
He would often hunt the forest,
Ne’er a forester would contest
That he did hunt there as of right,
Or murmur against the knight,
Yet, because of his power, he
Oft in others stirred deep envy,
So was denounced to the king,
Who accused him of ill-doing,
And then did banish him from court,
Without a case being brought,
And nor did Eliduc know why.
He often begged the king to try
Him, and grant him his defence,
Give no credence to the offence,
And he’d serve him till he die,
And yet the king made no reply.
On failing thus to win a hearing
He was then intent on leaving;
To his own place he returned,
And then to his friends he turned,
Of the king his lord and master
He spoke, and of the king’s anger;
Yet he’d served with all his might,
To scorn him so was hardly right.
The common folk say, for their part,
As well go quarrel with your cart,
No prince’s love is guaranteed.
He’s wise and prudent indeed,
Who’s ever loyal to his master
And doth love his good neighbour.
The Lay of Eliduc: He sails to Logres
HE would not stay in that country
But he would journey o’er the sea,
To the realm of Logres he would go,
And, while he was absent, know
His wife would rule all his estate,
And he’d command his men to wait
On her, and guard her faithfully
As all his friends would, equally.
And this counsel he now shared,
And therefore was well-prepared.
His friends were grieved withal,
To see him parting from them all;
Ten knights went with him that day,
And his wife saw him on his way.
And his whole household did grieve
As they watched his company leave.
But he assured his wife that he
Would keep faith most loyally.
He parted from her, there and then,
And took to the road with his men,
Reached the sea, cross