The Lady of the              Fountain

                 Part IV         

One day in spring, when first the small white flowers

Had freckled winter's tawny grass, and all

The birds from treetops, battlements, and towers

Sang to Apollo hymns, and Arthur's hall

Stood empty, Arthur walked beneath the wall,

And at his side, Gawain, his nephew, who

Of knights was called most courteous, most true.

                                           2.

Though shrieking maidens played at ball above

The splashing stream, and knights and ladies gay

Made bright the meadows as they talked of love,

Gawain perceived t hat nothing he could say,

Nor all the beauty of that warm spring day

Could turn the king's sad mood.  "My Lord," he said,

"What makes you so disspirited?"

                                           3.

"I long for Owain, lost these three full years.

It was that tale that Cynon told, I know."

"If this is all," Gawain then said, "why fear

The worst by waiting; let us rather go

And find him dead or living--only so

Shall you have peace."  The King, "So let it be;

We will set out with a great company.

                                          4.

Not three days hence; I will avenge my friend,

If dead; if living, bring him home with me."

And so a host was gathered to that end,

And on the third day set out eagerly

On that adventure.  Coming to the sea

At last, that pair of golden youths they saw

Still at their archery, and it was all

                                          5.

As Cynon had described.  And there with them,

The older man with curling, golden hair.

And when he saw the King, her greeted him,

And asked him courteously if he would share

His hospitality that night.  And there,

For all their numbers, Arthur's host found room--

Each man a maid, and every horse a groom.

                                          6.

And on the morrow early Arthur sought

That wood, with Cynon as his guide, and found

The black man, larger far than he had thought

A human form could be.  And by his mound,

The countless graxing beasts were gathered 'round,

All just as he'd before heard Cynon tell.

You thought I'd start with a digressin--well,

                                         7.

I didn't need one then.  I'm not so crude

In my technique, or have so little wit,

That I'd upset all verisimilitude,

When Henry James forbids me to admit

This is a tale, and I am telling it.

But then, who knows--that was another year;

The novel's dead--gone flat as day old beer.

                                          8.

"And so you give us knights--well, thanks a lot!"

Some reader says, in a sarcastic tone.

That's not the point; I rather mean we ought

To quit revealing what's already known,

And find some form the age can make its own--

One like rock video, completely new,

Or new to us, like this, or like haiku.

                                          9.

Oh, I've got problems with this, I agree.

Is Owain just Clint Eastwood with some class?

I guess you could say that--it's hard to see

Into his mind.  Would you call him an ass

Because he was too slow to make a pass?

And in a lady's bedroom yet!  And Lord,

To turn out proper dialongue is hard.

                                         10.

But that's enough of that.  And then they were

Within that vale, and lo, there was the tree,

More green by far than holly, pine, or fir.

Then Kay, the seneschal, said eagerly,

"My Lord, this tale was given first to me,

So grant it, therefore, that I be the one

To cast a bowl of water on the stone."

                                         11.

"So be it," Arthur said.  And then Sir Kay

Dismounted, from the fountain filled the bowl,

And emptied it upon the slab.  The day

Was shattered by a mighty thunder roll,

The sky grew dark, the wind began to howl,

Then came so harsh a storm of hail and rain,

That of that host more than a few were slain.

                                         12.

And then the sky grew clear, and on that tree

No leaf remained.  But to its branches flew

A flock of birds that sang more beautifully

Than words can tell, and all of brilliant hue--

Bright scarlet, green, and iridescent blue.

Then came a knight, hard spurring on his course,

And black his armor was, and black his horse.

                                         13.

Kay mounted then, and spurred his horse as well,

And when they met, their lances shattered, flew

In splinters high, and wide around they fell.

But Owain, rushing in just as Kay drew,

Struck with his lance butt on the helm and threw

Him to the ground, then led his horse away.

Then many jeered to see the fate of Kay.

                                         14.

They'd waited long to see just such a sight,

For Kay, with all his spite and jealousy,

In feats of arms was an accomplished knight.

Then Owain, where all Arthur's court could see,

Raised for himself a silken canopy.

And every day one knight or other faced

The Black Knight's lance, and was disgraced,

                                         15.

Until but two were left.  And Arthur rose

And put his armor on.  And then Gawain,

"My Lord, although I am the least of those

Who came with you, should I alone remain

Untried, while you, perhaps, are hurt or slain?

So then, with Arthur's leave, the best of knights

Went to his tent to be arrayed for fight.

                                         16.

His horse was brought, and he leaped to its back,

And rode out with all eagerness to test

His skill at arms against the knight in black.

Each set his lance toward the other's breast,

And spurred his horse's flank, though neither guessed

The other's name.  Three pairs of spears they broke,

But with the fourth, so savage was their stroke,

                                         17.

Their saddle girths were broken, and both fell

Across their horses' cruppers to the ground.

They rose and drew their swords, and fought until

Their shields were splintered, and the grass around

Was trampled black, and Owain ever found

His foe grew stronger, for it's known, Gawain

Had strength that waxed till noon, and after waned.

                                         18.

Yet Owain fought, and would not yield or flee,

Although his arm was lead from weariness,

Until the sun was at its height.  Then he

Began to sense the other's strength grow less,

Though he, himself, retained small strength to press

The fight to him.  And so they fought all day,

And neither could triumph, or would give way.

                                         19.

Owain then struck the other's helm a blow

That knocked it free, and saw it was Gawain,

And dropped his sword and said, "I did not know

You cousin, though by you I am half slain."

And when the other heard, he knew Owain,

And they embraced, and Arthur came to them.

Gawain then said, "I yield myself to him,

                                         20.

And yet he will not take my sword."  "Not so,"

Said Owain.  "You, my lord, saw it was he,

Who won this fight."  Then Arthur said, "We will go

Together to my tent.  The victory

Belongs to both of you, but most to me,

Whose quest this was."  He threw his arms around

Owain; then all that host came crowding 'round.

                                         21.

That night Owain remained with Arthur, and

At prime next day they went into the town,

And Owain's lady gave the King her hand.

That golden lady wore an ermine gown,

More white than snow, and on her head a crown

With blood-red rubies ringed around, though more

Worth seeing she, than all the gems she wore.

                                         22.

"Ten-thousand welcomes, Arthur, king of kings,"

She said, and he embraced her, and they kissed.

And then a feast, the best of everything,

Was laid for that great host, and no man missed

A food his heart desired.  And soon the guests

Were flirting with the maidens of the court.

Nor did Gawain avoid this lighter sport,

                                         23.

For Lunette's beauty had so caught his eye,

That he was more than half in love, and she

Was taken quite as much by him, though I

Have not the nerve, as Chretien does, to see

In this, Gawain, the sun of chivalry

As counterpoint to Lunette, lunar maid--

That's pushing it a little, I'm afraid.

                                        24.

Or if I do, I'm not admitting it.

In any case, he is enamored of

Her cham, her cleverness, her easy wit,

Her knowledge of the artful game of love--

Those virtues he, himself, possessed above

All other knights--her love for him the same,

With pride in conquest of a famous name.

                                         25.

And Owain noticed, not entirely pleased,

How intimate they were, and heard the talk,

And thought, "Once it was I this lady teased,"

For every man would be the only cock,

How ever many hens, or broad the walk.

And then, "How does she owe me anything,

Who found me prisoner, and made me king?"

                                         26.

But then, as it has been with all of us,

Their love, made subject to King Arthur's stay,

Ends with the customary promises

In three weeks time.  And as it nears the day,

Gawain, the silver tongued, begins to play

On Owain's thoughts, and telling him how oft

The strongest knight, once married, soon turns soft,

                                         27.

And loses all his freedom and his fame,

And begs Owain to prove himself once more,

If he has manhood left.  It is the same

Today--a man must prove himself before

His friend, and friend and wife forever war.

So Owain asked and won, not easily,

Her leave to go two months, or at most three.

                                        28.

Then from her finger she removed a ring

Set with a deep red stone, and said, "This will

Protect you in your journeying.

It has this virtue:  poison cannot kill,

Or sword draw blood while you are faithful still.

Wear this, and keep your love in memory--

None other had this loan of me."

                                         29.

And so with many a backward glance, Owain

Rode off with Arthur's host to Carleon,

And there in feasting several weeks remained,

And then in jousts and tournaments, and won

For his success the praise of everyone.

Gawain, forever with him, kept his thoughts

On honor, and his promise he forgot.

                                         30.

One day in spring when Arthur held his court

At Chester, there had been a tournament

Nearby, at which Owain, by all report,

Had proved the best.  To honor the event,

Gawain beside the field had set a tent,

And Arthur came, and with him Cynon, Kay,

And other knights to celebrate the day.

                                          31.

And suddenly amid their mirth, Owain

Recalled, surprised, the promise he had made,

And broken by so many months, and pain

And sorrow filled his heart that he'd betrayed

His trust.  And as he stared at earth, a maid

On a black horse rode up, dismounted, came

Among them, greeting in her Lady's name,

                                          32.

All present there.  "But shame to one, the thief,

The hypocrite, the worst of liars, who

Betrayed my Lady to her lasting grief."

She came to Owain and, not speaking, drew

The ring off of his finger, then withdrew,

And mounting, rode away.  His glory seems

To Owain now as hollow as a dream.

                                         33.

And he arose and passed out to the tent

In utter silence, as one stricken dumb.

And of those with him, none saw where he went,

For all in silence held their seats, not from

Indifference, but tact.  And when he'd come

To his own lodging, he lay sleepless for

Some hours, then rose, and running out the door,

                                         34.

He fled unto the world's farthest bounds,

And mountains desolate, and all his clothes

Were lost to rocks and thorns, and what he found

By chance, he ate and drank, and scarcely knows

The day from night.  Time passes and he grows

Long hair on all his body, and now he

Roams wide with grazing beasts for company.

                                         35.

But then he grew too weak to follow, and

Instead he wandered from the mountains down

Into a valley where the well-kept land

Was laid out as a park, and there he found

His strength all gone, and stretched out on the ground.

A widowed countess owned this park, but I've

Decided to postpone that to Part V.

                                         36.

The hero mad for love!--perhaps this seems

A mere cliche, but then, recall the hair

All over--that is quite a different theme.

We find in myth and folklore everywhere

That without woman man becomes a bear,

Or wolf, or other beast, fit it is she

Who rescues him from mere anatomy.

                                        37.

For instance, there is Beauty and the Beast,

And Tarzan, ape-man humanized by Jane,

The bear turned prince in the Norwegian "East

Of Sun and West of Moon," the Wolfman slain

By she who loved him best, to end his pain,

And make him man, at least in death.  And then,

All frogs are princes just beneath the skin.

                                         38.

If I went on there'd be no end to this.

Besides, I learned my lesson in Part III--

It's either story or analysis;

There isn't room for both.  Hencefort I'll be

A perfect model of economy.

Just one thing more--how very often it's

A transformation wrought by wicked witch.

                                         39.

If woman is the socializing force,

As I've suggested, how is it that she

Turns prince to beast as well?  Perhaps the source

Of that lies in the need of youth to free

Himself from trammeling maternity.

In any case, our hero has become

A grazing beast--unthinking, homeless, dumb.

Click on door to go to Part V of The Lady of the Fountain