Western European stream·Holy Grail Romances·Parzival·Book IX: Trevrezent

Source context

Theme

hermit-confessor encounter as turning point of conscious soul awakening through penitential knowledge

Soul-faculty

Consciousness Soul

Steiner

• GA 54, 1906-03-29Steiner identifies Parzival's first failed visit to the Grail castle as a stage of spiritual immaturity, implying that the subsequent period of wandering and rejection is a necessary precondition for the later, conscious asking of the redemptive question — the arc that Book IX's encounter with Trevrezent crystallises.
• GA 92, 1905-12-03Steiner treats the Parzival saga as encoding occult developmental stages, reading Herzeleide's sheltering of Parzival and his father's distant fate as karmic preconditions whose weight Parzival must consciously reckon with — the very reckoning that Trevrezent makes possible through confession and cosmic instruction.
• GA 210, 1922-02-26Steiner notes that the turning point in Parzival's development depends on his capacity to ask the right question from inner compassion rather than courtly convention, a transformation whose doctrinal grounding is supplied in Book IX by Trevrezent's teachings on Grail lineage, original sin, and cosmic guilt.
• GA 265a, 1912-05-09Steiner frames the Parzival mystery in terms of abandonment by the father, the sorrowful mother, and the self-earned path to the Grail brotherhood, all of which Trevrezent makes explicit to Parzival in Book IX by revealing the hero's own lineage and the Grail king's wound as a shared karmic inheritance.

Cross-tradition

• Christian sacramental theology — confession and absolutionTrevrezent's role as confessor, absolving Parzival's guilt over Ither's death and Amfortas's prolonged suffering, shows cross-tradition congruence with the Catholic theology of penance as a sacramental turning of the soul toward conscious moral responsibility.
• Sufi tradition — the shaykh as spiritual physicianThe hermit-master who diagnoses the seeker's spiritual wound and prescribes a path of purification before further quest shows cross-tradition congruence with the Sufi figure of the murshid who arrests the murid at a threshold to correct wrong intention.
• Vedantic tradition — guru-shishya transmission of cosmic knowledgeTrevrezent's extended cosmological instruction to Parzival concerning the nature of the Grail, angelic hierarchies, and family karma shows cross-tradition congruence with the Upanishadic model of the qualified disciple receiving esoteric knowledge only after a period of proven sincerity and suffering.

Book IX: Trevrezent

TREVREZENT

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ARGUMENT

Book ix. In the opening the spirit of adventure craves admission to the heart of the poet, who would fain learn from her tidings of Parzival.

) The venture telleth how the hero had ridden long in doubt and despair, and knew not the days of his wanderings. How he met again with Sigund and came to the forest of Monsalv&sch, where he fought with a Knight of the Grail. How, on Good Friday, Parzival met with a pilgrim knight who reproached him for bearing arms at that Holy Tide, and bade him seek the hermit Trevrezent.

How Parzival came to the hermit's cell, and spake of his wrath against God, of his sorrow for his wife, and of his search for the Grail. How Trevrezent told him wherein he had sinned, and showed him the way of salvation.

How the hermit further revealed to him the mysteries of the Grail, of the Bleeding Lance, and the knives of silver; how he told him of the wound of Anfortas, of the race of the Grail Kings, and how Parzival himself was nephew to Anfortas and Trevrezent. How Parzival confessed that it'was be who came to the Grail Castle and failed to ask the question; how Trevrezent spake to him words of comfort and counsel, and absolved him from his sin; and how the two parted in sorrow.

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TREVREZIENT

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PE the portal!’ ‘To whom? Who art thou V ‘In thine heart would 1 find a place ! ’

‘ Nay ! if such be thy prayer, methinketh, too narrow shall be the space 1 ’

‘ What of that ? If it do but hold me, none too close shall my presence be, .

Nor shalt thou be wail my coming such marvels 1 ’ll tell to thee ! 5 Is it thou, then, D Dame Adventure^ Ah 1 tell me of Parzival,

What doeth he now my hero ? whom Kondrie, to find the Grail Hath driven, with words sharp-pointed, and sore wept the maidens fair That the path of his far wayfarings the knight from theij side must bear.

So he passed from the court of King Arthur, where shall he abide to-day ?

Ah ! hasten the tale to tell us, where now shall his footsteps stray ? io

Say, if fame to himself he winneth, or be ever of joy bereft,

Shall his honour as fair and spotless as of old so to-day be left ?

His renown is it broad as aforetime, or waxeth it small and thin ?

Ah 1 tell us, nor stay the story, of the deeds that his hand shall win.

Hath he seen once again Monsalvasch, and Anfortas, the mournful king, 15 Whose heart was with sorrow laden ? Of thy pity swift comfort bring,

And say if his woe be ended—Speak, speak for we tidings pray Of him whom alike we serve here, dwells Parzival there to-day ?

Declare unto me his doings, how fares it with Gamuret’s son, ^

And the child of fair Herzeleide, is the tale of his wanderings done ? 90

Since he rode from the court of King Arthur has joy been his lot, or woe ?

He hath striven, but rides he ever thro’ the wide world nor rest doth know ?

Or loveth he now, outwearied, to linger o’er-long at ease ?

I were fain to know all his doings, so speak thou, as thou shalt please 1

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PARZIVAL

5 And this hath the venture told me—He hath ridden many a land,

And hath sail&d many a water; and ever, before his hand,

Were he man of the land or kinsman who would joust with him, he fell,

Nor abode his mighty onslaught, and all men of his praises telL And ever when in the balance the feme of his foe must lie,

32Twas outweighed by his feme, and his glory uprose to the stars on high,
And all others paled before it—In many a mighty strife With sword and lance was he victor, and guarded fell well his life. And they who would feme win from him, for such thinking they paid fell ' dear— The sword that Anfortas gave him, as ye once in this tale did hear,

35Sprang asunder onewhile, yet ’twas welded afresh in the mystic spring
By Karnant, and much feme and honour the blade to its lord did bring 1 Who believeth me not, he sinneth, for now doth the venture tell How adown a woodland pathway, on his way rode Sir Parzival, (But the hour of his riding I wot not, if in waxing or waning light,)

40When a hermitage, newly builded, uprose to his wondering sight,
And a stream flowed swift beneath it, for ’twas built o’er the brooklet’s wave Then in search of some worthy venture to its door rode the hero brave, Nor knew that of grace ’twas the portal, and his footsteps of God were led. But the dweller therein was a maiden, and the days of her joy were sped,

45For the love of God had she offered her youth, and the joys of earth,
And the root of her old-time sorrow brought ever fresh grief to birth. For he found here Srbmnatiiland^anH S * i Dead and buried he lay, the hero, and the maid wept his tomb above. Tho’ but &foom£$un£ the Du chess might.hearken th e Holy Mass,

50A ll her life was a prayer, in God’s service her nights as her days she *ld pass.
And her lips, erst so red and glowing, had faded as life-joys fade, And alone would she mourn such sorrow as never had mourned a maid. Thus denial of love’s fulfilling made Love, with her love, to die, And dead, as she living loved him, did she cherish him tenderly.

55And in sooth had she once his wife been, then ne’er had Lunetl braved
Her wrath, and had given such counsel, as she once to her lady gave. And to-day may we look upon women, who never a willing ear Had turned to Lunete, and such wisdom but little had brooked to hear. Digitized by Google TREVREZENT , For this do I know, that a woman who, for love of her lord alone, *_ , And thro* virtue of gentle breeding, doth never strange service own, 60 But aye, while her husband liveth, shall be to him wife as true, Heaven giveth in her such blessing as bloometh for ever new! I And never shall prayer or fasting robe her with a robe as fair ! And I, if the time were fitting, this word naught but truth would swear. Be he dead, she may do as best please her, but if faithful she still abide, J 6 5 ^ Then far fairer such faith than the circlet she beareth at feasting tide t Shall 1 joy compare with the sorrow that her faith to Sigund brought ? Nay, ’twere better I speak not of it—O’er rough stones, and a road unwrought j Rode Parzival to the window (he deemed well he rode too near). He would ask of the woodland pathway, and the goal of its windings hear. 70 And he thought him, perchance, the hermit might tell of the unknown way, ‘ Doth one dwell here ?* the voice of a maiden it was that made answer, ( Yea!’ As he knew *twas the voice of a woman, swift turned he his steed aside On the greensward beside the pathway, for he deemed he too near did ride, And sooner had he dismounted had he known that a maiden dwelt 75 Within such a lowly dwelling, and shame, as was meet, he felt. Then his horse and his shield, all splintered, he bound to a fallen tree, « And he loosed his sword from beside him, for a courteous knight was he. Then he stepped him unto the window, and asked of the place and road, ^ And the cell of all joy was empty, and bare, as ’seemed griefs abode. 80 He spake, would she come to the window ? and the maiden from prayer arose, She was tall as a virgin lily, and pale as a faded rose, And he deemed not as yet that he knew her—A shirt woven rough of hair, Next her skin, ’neath a flowing garment of grey, did the maiden wear, And sorrow was her heart’s treasure, and fallen her courage high, 35 And the guerdon she won for her service must be paid her in many a sigh ! Then the maiden she stepped to the window and the knight did she court¬ eous greet, In her hand did she hold her ^saltc fr and her voice itjj^us low and sweet. And Parzival saw on her white hand the gleam of airing of gold, For truly she bare the token she won Iran true love dfold. And the stone set within the circlet was a garnet, whose slumbering light Flashed red mid the dusky shadows, as mid a^hes^f^iparks glow bright. ty~' ( * ..?* PARZIVAL And the band that her head encircled was blade as a mourning band— Then she spake, ‘ Sir Knight, ’neath the window a bench shalt thou see to stand,

95Thou canst sit there, an it so please thee, and thy journey will brook delay,
God reward thee for this thy greeting Who hath led thee to me this day ! ’ > Then the hero did as she bade him, and he sat ’neath the window small, And he prayed her, ‘Sit thou within there!’ ‘Nay! ne’er did such chance befall That here by a man I sat me ! ’ Then he asked hex} what did she here ? ioo ‘ That, so far from the home of men-folk, thou dost dwell in this desert drear Seemeth me all too great a wonder, say, Lady, how shalt .thou live, Since no man abideth by thee who succour or food can give ? ’ Then she quoth, ‘ ’Tis the Grail that doth feed me, and It feedeth me well I ween, t From Its marvels the sorceress'Kondrie, (of her own will the task hath been,)

105Doth bring me each Sabbath vigil what serveth me for the week.’
A little space she kept silence, then further the maid did speak: ‘An it otherwise were with me as L would, I need little care For the food, since the Grail doth feed me I never too ill shall fare ! ’ But he deemed that she lied unto him, and with false words would speak him fair, no And, mocking, he spake, ‘ Now, who gave thee that ring which I see thee wear ? For ever ’twas told unto me that hermit, or man, or maid, Must forswear all love ! ’—‘ Now I think me, if in truth thou these words hast said, For false maiden thou sure dost hold me ! Yet if falsehood I ever learn, And thou shalt be near to witness, ’twere time then with wrath to burn !

115God knoweth, ill ways I hated, and falsehood I never knew;
This troth plight that here thou seest I had from a lover true, Tho’ never was love’s fulfilment our portion while he might live, ’Twas the heart of maiden bade me the love of a maiden give. And he lieth in death beside me, and his token I ever wear i2o Since the day that Duke Orilus slew him—and grief for his sake I bear— ’ ‘ And true love will I truly give him, thro’ my sorrow-laden days, Such love as I sware unto him, when he, whom all knights must praise, With sword, and shield, and helmet, and prowess of knightly deed Sought my love, and in true love’s service won death for his glory’s meed ! Digitized by Google TREVREZENT *55 vYet tho’ ever a spotless maiden, my husband he, in God's sight, 195 Shall be, and if thoughts God counteth as deeds then is woven aright The bond that shall ever bind us, true husband and wife as true, For his death wrought my life such sorrow as waxeth for ever new. And this ring shall, I ween, be my witness when I stand in the sight of God Of a marriage vow and the tear-drops that bedew it are tears of blood.’ 130 ‘ Yea, ’tis I indeed, and none other, and the hero who here doth lie Is my knight, Schionatulander, and the maid of his love am I!’ Then he knew ’twas the maid Sigund, and her sorrow it wrought him pain, And he lifted his helmet’s visor ere he spake to the maid again. And she saw his head uncovered, and she saw his face gleam white , 35 Thro’ the rust of the iron harness, and she spake to the gallant knight: * Is it thou, Parzival, my kinsman ? Dost thou seek for the Grail to-day ? Or its mighty power hast thou proven ? Say, whither dost wend thy way ?’ Then he spake to the noble maiden,* Alas ! for my joy is fled, And the Grail hath but wrought me sorrow, and mischance in fair fortune’s 140 stead. For the land that as king had crowned me must I leave, and yet more, I ween, The fairest of wives, and the sweetest, that ever a man hath seen. For no lovelier form I think me on earth of mankind was bom, And I yearn for her tender greeting, and full sore for her love I mourn ! And yet know I a deeper sorrow and I strive for a higher prize, 145 For the day when the Burg of Monsalvasch, and the Grail shall rejoice my ; eyes! Now, Sigun£, dear my cousin, thou wast all too wroth with me, For heavy indeed my sorrow, yet thou fain wouldst my foeman be ! ’ # And she quoth, ‘ From henceforth, my cousin, mine anger will I forswear, For too much of thy joy lieth forfeit since the question thou didst forbear t ( 150 And I would not too sorely grieve thee—Alas ! that thou didst withhold The word that had brought thee honour, and the tale of his griefs had told Who sat there as thine host beside thee—nor thine host alone was he, Anfortas, for joy and blessing his presence had brought to thee! And thy question great bliss had brought thee, and thy silence had wrought *55 thee woe, And thy spirit shall foil, and heart-sorrow as thy comrade thou well shalt know. t Digitized by vjiOOQIC PARZIVAL And yet had it been far from thee, nor, a stranger, had sought thy side, Hadst thou asked of that Burg the marvels, and what ill did its host betide! ’ ‘ Yea, 1 did there as one who wrongeth himself, yet my cousin dear

160I prithee here give me counsel, since in sooth are we kinsmen near,
And tell me, how hires it with thee ? 1 would sorrow for this thy woe Were my sorrow not all too heavy! Greater grief man may never know ! * / Then she quoth, 4 May His Mercy help thee, Who knoweth of all men’s woe, *>* ' Perchance it may yet befall thee that His finger a way shall show *65 That shall lead thee once more to Monsalvasch, and thine heart’s bliss afresh shall spring. ’Tis but short space since Kondrie left me, and I would I could tidings bring ’ Of whither she went, but I asked not if she rode to the Burg again, Or passed elsewhere; but when she cometh by that streamlet she draweth rein, Where, from cleft in the high rock riven, the waters flow fresh and clear. *70 It may be, if thou follow swiftly, that she rideth as yet anear, And, perchance, thou shalt overtake her.’ Then the knight he made no delay But forewell did he bid to the maiden ; and he followed the woodland way, And fresh were the tracks before him, but such pathway the mule must choose Thro’ the depths of the dusky thicket that its traces he soon must lose. *75 As the Grail he had lost of aforetime, so he lost It again to-day, And joy and delight fled with It—Yea, had he but found the way, And reached once again Monsalvasch, far better than erst of old Had he known how to ask the question—thus* in sooth is the venture told. /So now let him ride, but whither? Lo, a knight with uncovered head,

180And blazoned coat o’er his shining harness, full swiftly towards him sped !
And to Parzival thus quoth he, 4 Sir Knight, I must deem it ill That thus thro’ the woods of my monarch thou takest thy way at will! Begone! or receive such token thou shalt wish thyself for from here ! Monsalvasch doth never brook it that men ride thus its walls anear,

185And here must thou strive in battle, and win here a victor’s fame,
Or such penance bfe thine, as without there, in the open, men Death shall name !* Digitized by LjOOQle TREVREZENT And he bare in his hand a helmet, and its bands were of silken sheen, Sharp-pointed his spear, and the spear-shaft was of wood new and strong I ween! And wrathful he bound his helmet on his head, not in vain should be His threat, for his blows should enforce it! Now ready for joust was he; 190 But many a spear as goodly had splintered Yore Parzival, And he thought, 1 Now, it well had chanced me, that death to my lot should fall If I rode thro* the corn upstanding —then reason had he for wrath, But now hath he none, since I ride here on naught but a woodland path, And 1 tread here but fern and heather! An mine hand shall not lose its I95 skill

1will leave him such pledge for my journey as, 1 think me, shall please him

011*
Then they rode at full speed their chargers, and they urged them with spur and rein, As the bolt from the bow of the archer so swift flew those heroes twain, And the first joust they rode unwounded; but many a knightly fray Unscathed had Parzival ridden, and e’en so should it chance to-day. 900 (Unto skill and the lust of battle must his father’s son be heir.) His lance-point upon the fastening of his foeman’s helm struck fair, And it smote him where men in jousting their shield are wont to hold, And down from his gallant charger did he bear him, the Templar bold. And the knight of the Grail fell headlong down the side of a rocky dell, *>5 Tho’ couch he had found, I think me, he slumbered not over well. ~ /' -— m But the victor’s steed sped onward, and in vain would he check its flight Ere it fell, and well-nigh in falling had borne to his death, the knight A cedar o’erhung the chasm, its bough Parzival gripped fast, (Nor think ye scorn of my hero, that, as chanceth a thief at last, k aid He hung, for none spake his judgment, he hung there by fr is own h and) i o** o His feet, for a foothold seeking, on the rock found at last their stand : ^ Far out of his reach, beneath him, his gallant steed lay dead, Up the further side of the valley the Templar for safety fled. Think ye that he much might pride him on his token from Parzival ? 315 Far better at home in Monsalvasch had he fared with the wondrous Grail 1 VOL. I. R

258PARZIVAL
To the plain once more climbed our hero, there the steed of the Templar stood, For down to the ground hung the bridle and fettered the war-horse good. As the knight in his flight forgat it so it stood where its master fell, ado Swift Parzival sprang to the saddle, such booty might please him well. Of a truth his spear had he shattered, yet more than he lost he won— Nor Lahelein, nor Kingrisein a better joust e’er had run ! Nor King Gramoflanz nor Count Laskoit (the son he of Gumemanz). Onward he rode, yet wandering, nor further befell mischance,

225Nor strife, from the knights of Monsalvasch, yet one grief must vex his soul,
J^He found not the Grail—Ever further he rode, further fled the goal! MV Now he who my song will hearken, he shall hear that which yet befell, Tho* the tale of the weeks I know not, that had flown since Sir Parzival Had met with the maid, and had ridden on venture as aye before—

250One morning the ground was snow-clad, and tho’ thin was the cloak it bore
Yet so thick it was that men, seeing, had deemed it the time of frost; As he rode thro’ the depths of a woodland by a knight was his pathway crossed, And old was the knight, and grey bearded, yet his face it was bright and ^ feir, And his lady who walked beside him like mien to her lord did bear.

235And each on their naked body wore a garment of horse-hair grey,
£or penance and pilgrimage minded they wended afoot their way. And their children, two gentle maidens, such as men’s eyes are fain to see. In like garments they followed barefoot, e’en as pilgrims are wont to be. Then our hero the old knight greeted as he passed on his lowly way,

240And good was the rede, and holy, that he heard from his lips that day.
And a prince of the land he seemed him—By each maiden a brachet ran, And with humble mien and reverent paced master alike and man. For both knight and squire they followed on this holy pilgrimage, And some, they were young and beardless, and some were bent low with age. °45 But Parzival, our hero, he was clad in far other wise, In fair raiment, rich and costly, he rode in right knightly guise, And proudly he ware his harness, and unlike were the twain I ween, The old man in his robe of penance and the knight in his armour’s sheen 1 Digitized by TREVREZENT 2J9 Then swiftly he turned his bridle and held by the pathway side, For fain would he know of their journey, and friendly the knight replied. 350 But a sorrow the old man deemed it that one to this Holy Tide 1 Should have fail&d to give due honour, but in warlike gear should ride. \ ^_ For better would it befit him unarmed this day to greet, :1 Or like them to walk barefooted, and in garb for a sinner meet! Quoth Parzival, ‘ Nay, I know not what the time of the year may be, Or how men the tale may reckon of the weeks as they swiftly flee, How the days shall be named I know not, long have I forgot such lore! Of old time I served a master, and God was the name He bore. But He bare unto me no favour, and for guerdon He mocking gave, ^ Tho’ ne’er had my heart turned from Him—Men said, ‘ If from God ye cravf 960 For succour, He sure will give itbut I deem well they spake a lie, For He who they said would help me, did help unto me deny 1 ’ Quoth the grey-haired knight, * Dost thou mean Him who was once of a Maiden bom ? Dost believe that a Man for men’s sake He died on the cross this mom, And this day for His sake we hallow ? Then such garb becomes thee ill! ^65 For to-day all men call Good Friday, and the world itrejoiceth still O’er the day that her chains were riven; tho’ she moumeth her Saviour’s pain. Speak, knowest thou of faith more faithful than the faith God hath kept with men, Since He hung on the cross for men’s sake? Such woe as He bare for thee, Sir Knight, sure must work thee sorrow, since baptized thou shalt surely be ! 270 For our sin His life was forfeit, or else had mankind been lost, And Hell as his prey had held us, and Hell’s torments had paid sin’s cost. \Sir Knight, if thou be not heathen, thou shalt honour this Holy Day— ^_.. So do thou as here I counsel, ride thou on this woodland way, For near here a hermit dwelleth, as thy speech, so his rede shall be, 275 And if ruth for ill deed thou showest of thy sin will he speak thee free! ’ Then out quoth the old man’s daughter, ‘ Nay, father, but speak not so, For too chill and cold is the morning, thou shalt bid him no further go. Far better to bid him warm him his steel-clad limbs, for strong And fair shall he be to look on, and the way is both cold and long. 380 Methinks were he thrice as mighty he would freeze ere his goal he reach, And here hast thou tent for shelter, and viands for all and each. 26o PARZIVAL Came King Arthur, and all his vassals thou wouldst still have enough I trow, So do thou as host so kindly, and good-will to this young knight show!’

985Quoth the grey-haired silt,* My daughters,Sir Knight, here give counsel good,
Each year, with tent of pilgrim, I wend thro’ this lonely wood. If warm or cold be the season I care not, as year by year The time of our dear Lord’s Passion draweth once more anear, He rewardeth His servant’s service—Sir Knight, what I, for His sake,

390Brought here, as my guest, right willing, I pray thee from me to take ! ’
And kindly they spake, the maidens, and they bade the knight to stay, And with gracious mien they prayed naught might drive him from them ^ away. And tho’ cold was the frost and bitter, and it wrought not as summer’s heat, Yet Parzival saw their lips glow so red, and soft, and dW&t. a 95 (Tho’ they wept for the death of the Saviour, such sorrow became them well.) And here, had I cause for vengeance, an such happy chance befell, „ * ft never would speak them guiltless, but a kiss should their penance be, V ' <. r /Nor against their will would I take it, of good-will should they give it me! , [For women shall aye be women, and tho’ brave be the knight, and strong,

3°° Yet I ween is he oft the vanquished, nor the strife it endureth long!
With sweet words, and ways so gentle, they ever the knight would pray, Children alike and parents, and fain would they have him stay: Yet he thought, * It were best I leave them, for e’en if I turn aside All too fair methinks are these maidens, ’twere unfitting that I should ride

305While they by my side walk barefoot—And *tis better that we should part,
Since ever I bear Him hatred Whom they worship with lowly heart, And they look for His aid, Who ever hath turned His face from me, Nor from sorrow hath He withheld me, but hath wrought with me heavily 1* * Knight and Lady,’ he quoth, * I think me ’twere better I leave should pray,

310May good fortune be yours, and blessing, and fulness of joy alway,
And may you, ye gentle maidens, find reward in your courtesy, Since so well ye had thought to serve me, fair leave would I pray from ye ! ’ ? He greeted them, low they bowed them, and greeted the knight again, Nor might they withhold their sorrow, for parting aye bringeth pain ! 3*5 So the son of Herzeleide rode onward, well taught was he In all manly skill and courage, in merq^ ^d Parity ; TREVREZENT And his mother had aye bequeathed him her faithful heart and true— Yet ever his soul waxed sadder, and there sprang up thoughts anew Of the might of the Maker of all things, Who hath made this earth of naught, How He dealeth with all creation, and still on His power he thought 330 * How might it yet be if God sent me that which brought to an end my woe ? If ever a knight He favoured, if ever a knight might know His payment for service done Him—if He thinketh His aid they earn Who dauntless shall wield their weapons, and ne’er from a foeman turn, Let Him aid me, who bear unstained shield and sword as befits a man, 1 3*5 If to-day be His Day of Redemption, let Him help me, if help He can.* I Backward he turned his bridle on the road he had ridden before, And the knight and his children stood there, and mourned for the parting sore. And the maidens, true and gentle, gazed after the passing knight, And his heart spake, he fain had seen them once more those maidens 330 bright Then he spake, 1 Is God’s power so mighty that He guideth upon their way The steed alike and the rider, then His hand may I praise to-day ! If God sendeth help from heaven, then let Him my charger show The goal which shall bless my journey, so shall I the token know. Now, go thou as God shall lead thee 1 ’ and bridle and bit he laid Free on the neck of his charger and spurred it adown the glade. Towards Fontaine-Sauvage the road led, and the chapel where once he sware The oath that should clear Jeschut£—A holy man dwelt there, | And Trevrezent men called him, and ever on Monday mom \ Poor was his fare, and no richer it waxed as the week wore on. 340 Nor wine nor bread he tasted, nor food that with blood was red, Fish nor flesh, but his life so holy on the herb of the ground was fed. ! And ever his thoughts, God-guided, were turning to Heaven’s land, And by fasting the wiles of the Devil he deemed he might best withstand. And to Parzival the mystery of the Grail should he now reveal— 345 And he, who of this hath asked me, and since silence my lips must seal * Was wroth with me as his foeman, his anger might naught avail, Since I did but as Kiot bade me, for he would I should hide the tale, Digitized by (google PARZIVAL And tell onto none the secret, till the venture so far were sped

350That the hidden should be made open, and the marvel of men be read
For Kiot of old, the master whom men spake of in days of yore, Far off in Toledo’s city, found in Arabic writ the lore „ By men cast aside and forgotten, the tale of the wondrous Grail; ' But first must he learn the letters, nor black art might there avail.

355By the grace of baptismal waters, by the light of our Holy Faith,
He read the tale, else ’twere hidden; for never, the story saitb, Might heathen skill have shown us the virtue that hidden lies In this mighty Grail, or Its marvels have opened to Christian eyes. ’Twas a heathen, Flegetanis, who had won for his wisdom fame,

360And saw many a wondrous vision, (from Israel’s race he came,
And the blood of the kings of old-time, of Solomon did he share,) He wrote in the days long vanished, ere we as a shield might bear The cross of our Holy Baptism ’gainst the craft and the wiles of Hell, And he was the first of earth’s children the lore of the Grail to tell

365By his father’s side a heathen, a calf he for God did hold,
How wrought the devil such folly, on a folk so wise, of old ? And the Highest Who knoweth all wonders, why stretched He not forth His Hand To the light of His truth to turn them ? For who may His power withstand! And the heathen, Flegetanis, could read in the heavens high

370How the stars roll on their courses, how they circle the silent sky,
And the time when their wandering endeth—and the life and the lot of men He read in the stars, and strange secrets he saw, and he spake again Low, with bated breath and fearful, of the thing that is called the Grail, In a cluster of stars was it written, the name, nor their lore shall faiL 375|And he quoth thus, ‘ A host of angels this marvel to earth once bore, But too pure for earth’s sin and soirow the heaven they sought once more, And the sons of baptized men hold It, and guard It with humble heart, (And the best of mankind shall those knights be who have in such service part.’ Then Kiot my master read this, the tale Flegetanis told,

380And he sought for the name of the people, in Latin books of old,
Digitized by vjiOCK^lC TREVREZENT Who of God were accounted worthy for this wondrous Grail to care, Who were true and pure in their dealings and a lowly heart might bear. And in Britain, and France, and Ireland thro 1 the chronicles he sought Till at length, in the land of Anjou, the story to light was brought. There, in true and faithful record, was it written of Mazadan, 1 3 8 5 And the heroes, the sons of his body, and further the story ran, How Titurel, the grands ire, left his kingdom to Frimutel, [ And at length to his son, Anfortas, the Grail and Its heirdom fell: That his sister was Herzeleide, and with Gamuret she wed And bare him for son the hero whose wanderings ye now have read. 390 For he rideth upon a journey that shall lead him a road unknown, \ Tho’ the grey knight but now had wended his way from the fountain loneJ^/ \ And he knew again the meadow, tho* now the snow lay white On the ground that erst was blooming with flowers of springtide bright ’Twas before the rocky hillside where his hand must wipe away 395 The stain from Jeschut#s honour, and her husband’s wrath allay. Yet still the road led onward, to Fontaine-Sauvage, the name Of the goal that should end his journey and his hermit host he came. Then out spake the holy hermit, ‘Alas, why doest thou so, Sir Knight ? at this Holy Season ’tis ill thus armed to go. Dost thou bear perchance this harness thro* strife and danger dared ? Or hast thou unharm&d ridden, and in peace on thy way hast fared ? Other robe had beseemed thee better V List not to the voice of pride, But draw thy rein here beside me, and with me for a space abide. Not all too ill shalt thou fare here, thou canst warm thee beside my fire. 405 Dost thou seek here for knightly venture, and dost guerdon of love desire, If the power of true Love constrain thee, then love Him who Love may * claim! As this day to His Love beareth witness, be His service to-day thine aim, And serve for the love of fair women, if it please thee, another day; But now get . thee from off thy charger, and awhile from thy wanderings stay.’ 410 Then Parzival, e’en as he bade him, sprang lightly unto the ground; Humbly he stood before him, as he told how he folk had found Who had told of the hermit’s dwelling, and the counsel he wisely gave, | And he spake. ‘ I am one who hath sinnfed, and red e at thy lips l crave 1 ’ l , * MS=Mros 'iigltlzed by ~ ft —^ ~ M A Mk m. * m A . ^ PARZIVAL

415As he spake the hermit answered, ‘ Right gladly I ’ll counsel thee,
But, say, what folk hast thou met with ? Who showed thee thy way to me ? ‘ In the wood I met with an old man grey-headed, and fair he spake, And kindly, I ween, were his people, he bade me this road to take, On his track my steed came hither.’ Then answered the hermit old,

490‘ ’Twas Kahenis, and his praises shall ever by men be told.
A prince of the land of Punturtois, and his sister Kareis’ king Hath taken to wife—Fairer maidens no mother to earth did bring Than those maidens twain, his daughters, who met thee upon thy road, Of a royal house, yet yearly he seeketh this poor abode ! ’

495Then Parzival spake to the hermit, ‘ Now say, when thou saw’st me here,
^ Didst thou shrink from my warlike coming, didst thou feel no touch of fear ? ’ Quoth the hermit, ‘ Sir Knight, believe me, far oftener for stag or bear Have I feared than I feared a man’s face, in sooth shalt thou be aware I fear me for no man living ! Both cunning and skill have I,

430And tho’ I were loath to vaunt me, yet I ne’er to this life did fly
For fear, as beseems a maiden 1 For never my heart did quail When I faced as a knight my foeman, and ne’er did my courage fail. In the days when such things became me, in the days when I too might fight, I was arm&d as thou art arm&d, like thee did 1 ride, a knight!

435And I strove for high love’s rewarding, and many an evil thought
^With the pure mind within me battled, and ever my way I wrought To win from a woman favour! All that was in time of yore, And my body, by fasting wasted, remembereth those days no more.’ * Now give to mine hand the bridle, for there ’neath the rocky wall

440Thy steed shall abide in safety, and we, ere the night shall fall,
Will gather of bough and herbage, since no better food may be, Yet I trust that both thou and thy charger fare not all too ill with me ! ’ But Parzival deemed that surely ’twas unfitting a hermit old Should thus lead his steed, and the bridle he would fain from his hand withhold,

445( Now courtesy sure forbids thee to strive ’gainst thine host’s good-will,
Let not haste from the right path lead thee, but follow my counsel stilL’ In this wise spake the old man kindly, as he bade him, so did the knight, And the charger he led ’neath the hillside where but seldom did sun-rays Ught Digitized by VjOOQIC TREVREZENT In sooth ’twas a wondrous stable where the hermit the steed would stall, ^ And thro’ it, from heights o’erhanging, foamed ever a water-fall * 5 ° The snow lay beneath our hero, no weakling was he, I ween, Else the frost and the cold of his harness o’er-much for his strength had been. To a cavern the hermit led him where no breath of wind might blow, And a fire of coals had warmed it, and burned with a ruddy glow. —And here might the guest refresh him by the fire and a taper’s light, 455 (Well strewn was the ground with fuel,) then swiftly the gallant knight Laid from off him his heavy armour, and warmed his limbs so cold, And his skin in the light glowed ruddy, and his face might the host behold. He might well be of wandering weary, for never a trodden way Nor a roof save the stars of heaven had he known for many a day. 460 In the daylight the wood had he ridden, and his couch, it had been the ground: ’Twas well that he here a shelter, and a kindly host had found! Then his host cast a robe around him, and he took him by his right hand, And he led him into a cavern where his Missal did open stand. And as fitted the Holy Season the Altar was stripped and bare; 465 And the shrine—Parzival must know it, ’twas the spot where he once did swear \ With true hand, true oath and faithful, that ended Jeschutd’s woe, And turned her tears to laughter, and taught her fresh joy to know! Quoth Parzival, ‘ Well I know it this chapel and shrine! Of yore, As hither my wanderings led me, an oath on that shrine I swore; 470 And a spear, with fair colours blazoned, that did here by the altar stand I bare hence, and in sooth, I think me, right well did it serve my hand ! Men say it much honour brought me, yet I wot not if it be so, For in thoughts of my wife had I lost me, and naught of the thing I know. Yet, unwitting, two jousts had I ridden, and two foemen I overthrew, 475 In those days all men gave me honour, nor sorrow nor shame I knew. Now, alas ! is my sorrow greater than ever to man befell! Say, when did I bear the spear hence ? The days of my wanderings tell! ’ * It was Taurian,’ quoth the hermit,* who his spear in my care did leave, And much did he mourn its losing, and I with the knight must grieve. 480 Digitized by VjOOvIC PARZIVAL

1And four years and a half and three days shall have passed since we lost
\ the spear, Sir Knight, an my word thou doubtest, behold! it is written here!' Then he showed unto him in the Psalter how the time it had come and gone, And the weeks and the years he read him that silent and swift had flown. 4»S And he spake, 4 Now first do I learn them, the days that I aimless stray, And the weeks and the years that have vanished, since my joy hath been reft away.* And he spake, 1 Now indeed me-seemeth that my bliss it was but a dream, For heavy the load of sorrow that so long hath my portion been 1 *

4And, Sir Host, I yet more would tell thee, where cloister or church shall be

490And men unto God give honour, there no eye hath looked on me,
naught but strife have I sought me, tho’ the time as thou sayst be long, f For I against God bear hatred, and my wrath ever waxeth strong. For my sorrow and shame hath He cherished, and He watched them greater grow Till too high they waxed, and my gladness, yet living, He buried low !

495And I think were God fain to help me other anchor my joy had found
Than this, which so deep hath sunk it, and with sorrow hath closed it round. A man’s heart is mine, and sore wounded, it acheth, and acheth still, Yet once was it glad and joyous, and free from all thought of ill! Ere sorrow her crown of sorrow, thorn-woven, with stem hand pressed

500On the honour my hand had won me o’er many a foeman’s crest!
And I do well to lay it on Him, the burden of this my shame, Who can help if He will, nor withholdeth the aid that men fain would claim. But me alone, hath He helped not, whate’er men of Him may speak, But ever He turaeth from me, and His wrath on my head doth wreak ! ’

505Then the hermit beheld him sighing, 4 Sir Knight, thou shalt put away
.. Such madness, and trust God better, for His help will He never stay. And His aid to us here be given, yea, alike unto me and thee. But ’ twefe best thou shouldst sit beside me, and tell here thy tale to me, And make to me free confession—How first did this woe begin ? 5io What foe shall have worked such folly that God should thine hatred win? Yet first would I pray thee, courteous, to hearken the word 1 say, For fain would I speak Him guiltless, ere yet thou thy plaint shall lay Digitized by vjiOO^IC TREVREZENT 'Gainst Him, Who denieth never unto sinful man His aid, But ever hath answered truly, who truly to Him hath prayed.'

4Tho’ a layman I was yet ever in books might I read and learn 5*5
How men, for His help so faithful, should ne'er from His service turn. Since aid He begrudged us never, lest our soul unto Hell should fall, And as God Himself shall be faithful, be thou faithful whatever befall; For false ways He ever hateth—and thankful we aye should be When we think of the deed, so gracious, once wrought of His love so free! 5 *> For our sake the Lord of Heaven in the likeness of man was made, And Truth is His name, and His nature, nor from Truth shall He e'er have strayed. And this shalt thou know most surely, God breaketh His faith with none . Teach thy thoughts ne’er from Him to waver, since Himself and His ways are One !’

4Wouldst thou force thy God with thine anger? He who heareth that thou 5*5
hast sworn Hatred against thy Maker, he shall hold thee of wit forlorn ! < ^_ ^Oi Lucifer now bethink thee, and of those who must share his fall, Bethink thee, the angel nature was free from all taint of gall, Say, whence sprang that root of evil which spurred them to endless strife, And won its reward in Hell’s torments, and the death of an outcast life ? 530 Ashtaroth, Belcimon, and Belat, Rhadamant, yea, and many more! Pride and anger the host of Heaven with Hell’s colours have painted o’er!’

4When Lucifer and his angels thus sped on their downward way,
To fill their place, a wonder God wrought from the earth and clay: The son of His hands was Adam, and from flesh of Adam, Eve 535 He brought, and for Eve's transgression, I ween, all the world doth grieve. For she hearkened not her Creator, and she robbed us of our bliss. And two sons sprang forth from her body, and the elder he wrought amiss, Since envy so worked upon him that from wrath there sprang disgrace, And of maidenhood did he rob her who was mother of all his race! 540 Here many a one doth question, an the tale be to him unknown. How might such a thing have chanc&d ? It came but by sin alone 1 ’ < Quoth Parzival, 4 Now, I think me that never such thing might be, And ’ twere better thou shouldst keep silence, than tell such a tale to me ! Digitized by vjOO^lC PARZIVAL

545For who should have borne the hither, whose son, as thou sayest, reft
Maiddhhood from his hither’s mother ? Such riddle were better left 1 1 But the hermit again made answer, ‘ Now thy doubt will I put away, O’er my falsehood thou canst bemoan thee if the thing be not truth I say, For the Earth was Adam’s mother, of the Earth was Adam fed,

55o And I ween, tho’ a man she bare here, yet still was the Earth a maid.
And here will I read the riddle, he who robbed her of maidenhood Was Cain the son of Adam, who in wrath shed his brother’s blood For as on the Earth, so stainless, the blood of the guiltless fell, Her maidenhood fled for ever! And true is the tale I tell.

555For wrath of man and envy, thro’ Cain did they wake to life,
And ever from that day forward thro’ his sin there ariseth strife.’ * Nor on earth shall aught be purer than a maiden undefiled, Think how pure must be a maiden, since God was a Maiden’s Child I Two men have been bom of maidens, and God hath the likeness ta’en S 6 ^ Of the son of the first Earth-Maiden, since to help us He aye was fain. Thus grief alike and gladness from the seed of Adam spring, Since He willed to be Son of Adam, Whose praises the angels sing. And yet have we sin as our birthright, and sin’s pain must we ever bear, Nor its power may we flee 1 Yet pity He feeleth for our despair, 5^5 Whose Strength is aye linked with Mercy, and with Mercy goes hand in hand, And for man, as a Man, He suffered, and did falsehood by truth withstand.’ ‘ No longer be wroth with thy Maker! If thou wouldst not thy soul were lost— And here for thy sin do penance, nor longer thus rashly boast, For he who, with words untam&d, is fain to avenge his wrong,

570His own mouth shall, I ween, speak his judgment ere ever the time be long.
Learn faith from the men of old-time, whose rede ever waxeth new, For Plato alike and the Sibyls in their day spake words so true, And long years ere the time had ripened His coming they did foretell Who made for our sin’s Atonement, and drew us from depths of HelL

575God’s Hand from those torments took us, and God’s Love lifted us on high.
But they who His love disdained, they yet in Hell’s clutches lie! ’ | * From the lips of the whole world’s Lover came a message of love and peace, (For He is a Light all-lightening, and never His faith doth cease,) Digitized by VjOO^lC TREVREZENT And he to whom love He showeth, findeth aye in that Love his bliss, Yet twofold I ween is the message, and His token some read amiss; 580 For the world may buy, as it pleaseth, God's Wrath or His Love so great. Say, which of the twain wilt thou choose here, shall thy guerdon be Love or Hate? For the sinner without repentance, he flieth God's faith and Face, But he who his sin confessed*, doth find in His presence grace 1 ' * From the shrine of his heart, who shall keep Him ? Tho’ hidden the thought 585 within, And secret, and thro’ its darkness no sunbeam its way may win, (For thought is a secret chamber, fast locked, tho’ no lock it bear,) Yet, tho* against man it be dos&d, God’s light ever shineth there. He pierceth the wall of darkness, and silent and swift His spring, As no sound betrayed His coming, as no footstep was heard to ring, 590 So silent His way He goeth—And swift as our thoughts have flown, Ere God passed of our heart the threshold, our thoughts unto Him were known I And the pure in heart He chooseth; he who doth an ill deed begin, Since God knoweth the thoughts of all men, full sorely shall rue his sin. And the man who by deeds God’s favour doth forfeit, what shall he gain^y 595 Tho’ the world count him honour-worthy, his soul seeketh rest in vain. ^—, And where wilt thou seek for shelter if God as thy foeman stand, Who of wrath or of love giveth payment, as men serve Him, with equal hand ? Thou art lost if thy God be against thee—If thou wouldst His favour earn, Then away from thy wrath and thy folly thy thoughts to His goodness turn ! ’ 600 Quoth Parzival, 4 Here I thank thee, from my heart, that such faithful rede Thou hast given of him who withholdeth from no man his rightful meed, But evil, as good, requiteth—Yet my youth hath been full of care, And my faith hath but brought me sorrow, and ill to this day I fare ! ’ Then the hermit he looked on the Waleis, * If a secret be not thy grief, 605 Right willing thy woe I ’ll hearken, I may bring thee perchance relief; Of some co un sel m ay I bethink me such as yet to thyself dost fail! ’ ' Quoth Parzival, * Of my sor rows the chiefest is for the Grail, J for mv wife-J yrfone fairer e’er hung on a mother’s breast, For the twain is my heart yet yearning, with desire that ne’er findeth rest’; 610 Digitized by VjOO^IC PARZIVAL Quoth his host, ‘ Well, Sir Knight, thou speakest, such sorrow is good to bear; If thus for the wife of thy bosom thy heart knoweth grief and care, And Death find thee a faithful husband, tho* Hell vex thee with torments dire , Yet thy pains shall be swiftly ended, God will draw thee from out Hell-fire.

61f But if for the Grail thou grievest, then much must I mourn thy woe,
O ! foolish man, since fruitless thy labours, for thou shalt know ! That none win the Grail save those only whose names are in Heaven known’ ' Vjjhey who to the Grail do service, they are chosen of God alone ; And mine eyes have surely seen this, and sooth is the word I say! ’

6ao Quoth Parzival, ‘Thou hast been there?* ‘Sir Knight,* quoth the hermit,
‘Yea!* But never a word spake our hero of the marvels himself had seen, But he asked of his host the story, and what men by ‘ The Grail ’ should mean ? Spake the hermit, ‘ Full well do I know this, that many a knightly hand Serveth the Grail at Monsalvasch, and from thence, throughout all the land,

625On many a distant journey these gallant Templars fare,
Whether sorrow or joy befall them, for their sins they this penance bear ! * ‘ And this brotherhood so gallant, dost thou know what to them shall give Their life, and their strength and their valour—then know, by a stone they live, And that stone is both pure and precious—Its name hast thou never heard ?

630Men call it Lapis Exilis —by its magic the wondrous bird,
The Phoenix, becometh ashes, and yet doth such virtue flow From the stone, that afresh it riseth renewed from the ashes glow, And the plumes that erewhile it moulted spring forth yet more fair and bright— And tho’ faint be the man and feeble, yet the day that his failing sight

635Beholdeth the stone, he dies not, nor can, till eight days be gone,
Nor his countenance wax less youthful—If one daily behold that stone, (If a man it shall be, or a maiden *tis the same,) for a hundred years. If they look on its power, their hair groweth not grey, and their face appears The same as when first they saw it, nor their flesh nor their bone shall foil

640But young they abide for ever—And this stone all men call the Grail*
Digitized by vjOOQ LC TREVREZENT ‘ And Its holiest power, and the highest shall I ween be renewed to-day, For ever upon Good Friday a messenger takes her way. . From the height of the highest Heaven a Dove on her flight doth wing, * And a Host, so white and holy, she unto the stone doth bring. ' And she layeth It down upon It; and white as the Host the Dove 645 That, her errand done, swift wingeth her way to the Heaven above. Thus ever upon Good Friday doth it chance as I tell to thee: And the stone from the Host receiveth all good that on earth may be Of food or of drink, the earth beareth as the fulness of Paradise. t All wild things in wood or in water, and all that ’neath Heaven flies, \ 650 To that brotherhood are they given, a pledge of God’s favour fair, For His servants He ever feedeth and the Grail for their needs doth care !’ ! ‘ Now hearken, the Grail’s elect ones, say who doth their service claim ? On the Grail, in a mystic writing, appeareth each chosen name, ! If a man it shall be, or a maiden, whom God calls to this journey blest \ g 55 And the message no man eftaceth, till all know the high behest, But when all shall the name have read there, as it came, doth the writing go: As children the Grail doth call them, ’neath its shadow they wax and grow. And blessM shall be the mother whose child doth the summons hear, Rich and poor alike rejoiceth when the messenger draweth near, 660 And the Grail son or daughter daimeth 1 They are gathered from every land, And ever from shame and sorrow are they sheltered, that holy band. ] In Heaven is their rewarding, if so be that they needs must die, Then bliss and desire’s fulfilment are waiting them all on high ! ’ I

4They who took no part in the conflict, when Lucifer would fight 665
With the Three-in-One, those angels were cast forth from Heaven’s height. To the earth they came at God’s bidding, and that wondrous stone did tend, Nor was It less pure for their service, yet their task found at last an end. I know not if God forgave them, or if they yet deeper fell, This one thing I know of a surety, what God doeth, He doeth well! 670 But ever since then to this service nor maiden nor knight shall fail, For God calleth them all as shall please Him 1 —and so standeth it with the Grail l’ Digitized by Google PARZIVAL Quoth Parzival, ‘ So, since knighthood may conquer, with spear and shield, Both the fame of this life, and the blessing which Paradise shall yield,

675Since my soul ever longed for knighthood, and I fought where’er strife
might be, And my right hand hath neared full often the guerdon of victory, If God be the God of battles, if He know how a man should fight, Let Him name me as one of His servants, of the Grail let Him make me knight! They shall own that I fear no danger, nor from strife would I turn aside ! ’ • 680 But the hermit made answer gently, ‘ First must thou beware of pride, For lightly may.youth mislead thee; and the grace of humility Mayst thou lose, and the proud God doth punish, as full surely is known to me l 1 And tears filled his eyes to o’erflowing, and his sad thoughts awhile did turn To a story of old, and our hero he bade from its lesson learn.

685And he quoth, 4 Sir Knight, at Monsalvasch a king reigned in days of yore,
His name all men know as Anfortas, and 1 weep for him evermore. Yea, and thou too shalt mourn his sorrow, for bitter the woe, I ween, And the torment of heart and body that his guerdon from pride hath been. For his youth and his worldly riches they led him an evil road,

690And he sought for Frau Minne’s favour in paths where no peace abode.’
* But the Grail all such ways forbiddeth, and both knight alike and squire Who serve the Grail must guard them from the lust of untamed desire. By meekness their pride must be conquered, if they look for a heavenly prize And the brotherhood holdeth hidden the Grail from all stranger eyes :

695By their warlike skill and prowess the folk from the lands around,
They keep afar, and none knoweth where the Grail and Its Burg are found Save those whom the Grail shall summon within Monsalvasch’ wall— . Yet one, uncalled, rode thither and evil did then befall, For foolish he was, and witless, and sin-laden from thence did fare,

700Since he asked not his host of his sorrow and the woe that he saw him bea:
No man would I blame, yet this man, I ween, for his sins must pay, Since he asked not the longed-for question which all sorrow had put away. (Sore laden his host with suffering, earth knoweth no greater pain.) And before him King Lahelein came there, and rode to the Lake Brimbanr

705Libb&als, the gafant hero, a joust there was fain to ride,
And Lahelein lifeless left him, on the grass by the water-side, Digitized by * Google TREVREZENT (Prienlascours, methinks, was his birthplace) and his slayer then led away His charger, so men knew the evil thus wrought by his hand that day.’ ‘And I think me, Sir Knight, thou art Lahelein ? For thou gavest unto my care f A steed that such token showeth as the steeds of the Grail Knights bear 1 V 10 For the white dove 1 see on its housing, from Monsalvasch it surely came ? 1 Such arms did Anfortas give them while joy yet was his and fame. \ Their shields bare of old the token, Titurel gave it to his son | Frimutel, and such shield bare that hero when his death in a joust he won. For his wife did he love so dearly no woman was loved so well 7*5 By man, yet in truth and honour,—and the same men of thee shall tell If thou wakenest anew old customs, and thy wife from thine heart dost love-^ Hold thou fast to such fair example lest thy steps from the right path rovel And in sooth thou art wondrous like him who once o’er the Grail did reign, Say, what is thy race ? whence art thou ? and tell me I pray thy name ! ’ 7 20 Each gazed for a space on the other, and thus quoth Parzival, ‘ Son am I to a king and hero who through knightly coftrage fell, In a joust was he slain—Now 1 pray thee, Sir Hermit, of this thy grace, That thou, in thy prayers henceforward, wilt give to his name a place. Know, Gamuret, did they call him, and he came from fair Anjou— 725 Sir Host I am not Lahelein; if ever such sin 1 knew ’Twas in my days of folly, yet in truth have I done the same, Here I make of my guilt confession, and my sin unto thee I name, For the prince who once fell a victim unto my sinful hand Was he whom men called ‘ the Red Knight,’ Prince Ither of Cumberland. 73 °

1On the greensward I lifeless stretched him, and as at my feet he lay,
I Harness, and horse, and weapons, as my booty I bare away! ’ Spake the host as his words were ended, (the tale he ill pleased must hear,) ‘ Ah ! world, wherefore deal thus with us ? since sorrow and grief and fear Far more than delight dost thou give us ! Say, is this thy reward alone ? 735 For ever the song that thou singest doth end in a mournful tone ! ’ And he spake, ‘ O thou son of my sister, what rede may I give to thee? Since the knight thou hast slain in thy folly, thy flesh and thy blood was he! If thou, blood-guiltiness bearing, shalt dare before God to stand, For one blood were ye twain, to God’s justice thy life shall repay thine 740 VOL Google g PARZIVAL Say, for Ither of Gaheviess fallen, what payment dost think to give ? The crown he of knightly honour! God gave him, while he might live, All that decketh man’s life; for all evil his true heart did truly mourn, True balsam was he of the faithful, to honour and glory born.

745And shame fled before his coming, and truth in his heart did dwell,
And for love of his lovely body many women shall hate thee well! For well did they love his coming, and to serve them he aye was fun, But their eyes that shone fair for his fairness he ne’er shall rejoice again ! Now, may God show His mercy to thee whose hand hath such evil wrought,

7So Herzeleide the queen, thy mother, thou too to her death hast brought—*

4Nay ! Nay ! not so, holy father! What sayest thou ? ’ quoth Parzival,

4Of what dost thou here accuse me ? Were I king o’er the wondrous Grail
Not all Its countless riches would repay me if this be sooth, These words that thy lips have spoken ! And yet if I, in very truth,

755Be son unto thy sister, then show that thou mean’st me well,
And say, without fear or falsehood, are these things true that thou dost tell? 5 f Then the hermit he spake in answer, 4 Ne’er learnt I to deceive, J Thy mother she died of sorrow in the day thou her side didst leave, / Such rewarding her love won for her ! Thou wast the beast that hung

760On her breast* the wing&d dragon that forth from her body sprung,
That spread its wings and left her: in a dream was it all foretold Ere yet the sorrowing mother the babe to her breast did hold! ’

4And two other sisters had I, Schoisianfc she was one;
She bare a child—Woe is me, her death thro’ this birth she won !

765Duke Kiot of Katelangen was her husband, and since that day
All wordly joy and honour he putteth from him away. Sigun£, their little daughter, was left to thy mother’s care: And sorrow for Schoisianfe in my heart do I ever bear! So true was her heart and faithful, an ark ’gainst the flood of sin.

770A maiden, my other sister, her pure life doth honour win,
i For the Grail she ever tendeth— R&panse de Schoie, her name, ' Tho’ none from Its place may move It whose heart showeth taint of shame, ! In her hands is It light as a feather—And brother unto us twain I Is Anfortas, by right of heirship he king o’er the Grail doth reign;

775And he knoweth not joy, but sorrow, yet one hope I ween is his,
That his pain shall at last be turned to delight and to endless bliss. Digitized by VjOOQlC TREVREZENT

27S
And wondrous the tale of his sorrow, as, nephew, 1 ’ll tell to thee, And if true be thine heart and faithful his grief shall thy sorrow be!’ ‘When he died, Frimutel, our father, they chose them his eldest son As Lord of the Grail and Its knighthood, thus Anfoitas his kingdom won, (780 And of riches and crown was he worthy, and we were but children still— \ When he came to the years of manhood, when love joyeth to work her will On the heart, and his lips were fringed with the down of early youth, Frau Minne laid stress upon him who for torment hath little ruth. But if love the Grail King seeketh other than he find writ, , 785 Tis a sin, and in sorrow and sighing full sore shall he pay for it! ’ ‘And my lord and brother chose him a lady for service fair, Noble and true he deemed her, 1 say not what name she bare; Well he fought in that lady’s honour, and cowardice from him fled, And his hand many a shield-rim shattered, by love’s fire was he venture led. 790 So high stood his fame that no hero in knightly lands afar Could he brook to be thought his equal, so mighty his deeds of war, And his battle-cry was “ Amor,” yet it seemeth unto me Not all too well such cry suiteth with a life of humility.’ ) ‘ One day as the king rode lonely, in search of some venture high 795 (Sore trouble it brought upon us,) with love’s payment for victory, For love’s burden lay heavy on him, in a joust was he wounded sore With a poisoned spear, so that healing may be wrought on him nevermore. For thine uncle, the King Anfortas, he was smitten thro’ the thigh jj j By a heathen who with him battled, for he jousted right skilfully. ( 800 He came from the land of Ethnisd, where forth from fair Paradise Flow the streams of the River Tigris, and he thought him, that heathen wise, He should win the Grail, and should hold It—On his spear had he graven his name, From afar sought he deeds of knighthood, over sea and land he came. The fame of the Grail drew him thither, and evil for us his strife, 805 His hand joy hath driven from us and clodded with grief our life ! ’ ‘ But thine uncle had battled bravely and men praised his name that day— With the spear-shaft yet fast in his body ^e ^epd^dchif homeward way. PARZIVAL f And weeping arose and wailing as he came once again to his own, |8io And dead on the field lay his foeman, nor did we for his death make moan!’ ‘When the king came, all pale and bloodless, and feeble of strength and limb, Then a leech stretched his hand to the spear-wound, and the iron he found fast within, With the hilt, wrought of reed, and hollow, and the twain from the wound he drew. Then I fell on my knees, and I vowed me to God, with a heart so true,

815That henceforward the pride of knighthood, and its fame, would I know no
more, If but God would behold my brother and would succour his need so sore. Then flesh, wine, and bread I forswore there, and all food that by blood might live, That lust might no longer move me my life 1 to God would give, And I tell thee, O son of my sister, that the wailing arose anew When my weapons I put from off me and ungirded my sword so true, And they spake, * Who shall guard our mysteries ? who shall watch o’er the wondrous Grail?’ And tears fell from the eyes of the maidens, but their weeping might naught avail! / ‘ To the Grail, then, they bare Anfortas, if Its virtue might bring relief; But, alas! when his eyes beheld It yet heavier waxed his grief

895As the life sprang afresh within him, and he knew that he might not die ;
And he liveth, while here I hide me in this life of humility, | And the power of the Grail, and Its glory, with their monarch have waxen weak. ' For the venom, his wound that poisoned, tho’ the leeches their books did seek Yet found they nor help nor healing—Yea, all that their skill might learn

830’Gainst the poison of Aspis, Elkontiiis, of Liseis, and Ecidemon,
All spells ’gainst the worm empoisoned, ’gainst Jecis or Mektris; Or all that a wise man knoweth of roots or of herbs; I wis Naught was there in all might help him; nor rede I a longer tale Since God willeth not his healing what man’s skill may aught avail ?’

835‘Then we sent to the mystic waters, in a far-off land they rise,
Pison, Gihon, Tigris, Euphrates, the rivers of Paradise, TREVREZENT ni And so near they flow that the perfumes which breathe from its scented air Shall yet to their streams be wafted—If their waters perchance might bear Some plant from the wondrous garden that might succour us in our woe, But vain thought, and fruitless labour, fresh sorrow our heart did know! ’ 840 * Nor here did we end our labour, for again for the bough we sought Which the Sibyl unto ./Eneas as a shield ’gainst Hell’s dangers brought ’Gainst the smoke and the fire of Phlegethon, and the rivers that flow in Hell Would it guard, and for long we sought it, for we thought, if such chance befell That the spear in Hell-fire was welded, and the poison from Hell did spring 845 That thus of our joy had robbed us, then this bough might salvation bring ! ’ * But Hell, it knew naught of the poison ! There liveth a wondrous bird Who loveth tbo well her fledglings—Of the Pelican’s love we heard, How she teareth her breast and feedeth her young with the quickening food Of her own life-blood, and then dieth—So we took of that bird the blood, 850 Since we thought that her love might help us, and we laid it upon the sore As best we could—Yet, I wot well, no virtue for us it bore! ’ ‘ A strange beast, the Unicorn, liveth, and it doth in such honour keep The heart of a spotless maiden that it oft at her knee will sleep. And the heart of that beast we took us, and we took us the red-fire stone 855 That lies ’neath its horn, if the king’s wound might its healing virtue own. And we laid on the wound the carbuncle, and we put it the wound within, Yet stillwas the sore empoisoned nor aid from the stone might win ! ’ * And sore with the king we sorrowed—Then a magic herb we found, (Men say, from the blood of a dragon it springeth from out the ground,) 860 With the stars, and the wind, and the heaven, close-bound, doth it win its power, Lest perchance, by the flight of the dragon, when the stars bring the circling hour, And the moon draweth near to her changing, (for sorer then grows the paint) The herb might our grief have aided—Yet its magic we sought in vain \y*

1Then the knights of the Grail knelt lowly, and for help to the Grail they 865
prayed, And, behold! the mystic writing, and a promise it brought of aid, *78 PAR2IVAL | For a knight should come to the castle, and so soon as he asked the king Of the woe that so sorely pained him his question should healing bring.) But let them beware, man or maiden, or child, should they warn the knight

870Of his task, he no healing bringeth, greater waxeth the sorrow’s might
And the writing it ran, ‘Ye shall mark this, forewarning shall bring but ill, And in the first night of his coming must the healer his task fulfil, Or the question shall lose its virtue; but if at the chosen hour He shall speak, his shall be the kingdom, and the evil hath lost its power.

875So the hand of the Highest sendeth to Anfortas the end of woe,
Yet King shall he be no longer tho’ healing and bliss he know.’ /‘Thus we read in the Grail that our sorrow should come to an end that day That the knight should come who the meaning of the grief that he saw should pray— Then salve of Nard we took us, and Teriak, and the wound we dressed,

880And we burnt wood of Lignum Aloe for so might the king find rest
Yet ever he suffereth sorely—Then fled I unto this place, And my life little gladness knoweth till my brother hath gotten grace. And the knight, he hath come, and hath left us, and ill for us all that day, (But now did I speak of his coming,) sorrow-laden he rode away,

885For he saw his host’s woe and asked not, ‘What aileth thee here, mine
host?’ Since his folly such words forbade him great bliss shall he there have lost! ’ * Then awhile did they mourn together till the mid-day hour drew near, And the host spake, ‘We must be seeking for food, and thine horse, 1 fear, As yet shall be lacking fodder; nor know I how we shall feed

890If not God in His goodness show us the herbs that shall serve our need,
My kitchen but seldom smoketh! Forgive thou the lack to-day, And abide here, so long as shall please thee, if thy journey shall brook delay. Of plants and of herbs would I teach thee much lore, if so be the grass Were not hidden by snow—God grant us that this cold may be soon o’erpast—

895Now break we yew-boughs for thy charger, far better its fare hath been
Erewhile ’neath the roof of Monsalvasch than shall here be its lot I ween ! Yet never a host shall ye meet with who rider alike and steed Would as gladly bid share of his substance as I, had I all ye need 1 9 TREVREZENT Then the twain they went forth on their errand—Parzival for his steed had care, While the hermit for roots was seeking since no better might be their fare; 900 And the host his rule forgat not, he ate naught, whate’er he found, Till the ninth hour, but ever hung them, as he drew them from out the ground, On the nearest shrub, and there left them; many days he but ill might fare For God’s honour, since oft he lost them, the shrubs which his roots did bear. Nor grudged they aught of their labour: then they knelt by the streamlet’s 905 flow, And the roots and the herbs they washed there, and no laughter their lips might know. Then their hands they washed, and the yew-boughs Parzival together bound And bare them unto his charger ere the cavern again he found; Then the twain by the fireside sat them, nor further might food be brought, Nor on roast nor on boiled they fed them, nor found in their kitchen 910 aught Yet so true was the love and the honour Parzival to the hermit bare That he deemed he enough had eaten, and no better had been his fare With Gumemanz of Graharz, or e’en in Monsalvasch hall, When the maidens passed fair before him and the Grail fed them each and all. Then his kindly host quoth, 4 Nephew, despise not this food, for know 915 Lightly thou shalt not find one who shall favour and kindness show, Of true heart, without fear of evil, as fain would I show to thee.’ And Parzival quoth, 4 May God’s favour henceforward ne’er light on me If food ever better pleased me, or I ate with a better will What a host ever set before me, such fare doth content me still.’ Their hands they need not wash them for such food as before them lay, ’Twas no fish, that their eyes had harm&d as men oft are wont to say. And were I or hawk or falcon I had lent me to the chase, Nor stooped to the lure unwilling, nor fled from my master’s face, But an they no better fed jne than at noontide they fed, these twain, 9*5 I had spread my wings right swiftly, nor come to their call again ! Digitized by VjUUVlL

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PARZIVAL Why mock at this folk so faithful ? ’Twas ever my way of old— Yet ye know why, forsaking riches, they chose to them want and cold. And the lack of all things joyful, such sorrow and grief of heart They bare of true heart, God-fearing, nor had they in falsehood part;

930And thus from the hand of the Highest they won payment for grief and
woe, And alike should the twain God’s favour, as of old, so hereafter know. Then up stood they again, and they gat them, Parzival and the holy man, To the steed in its rocky stable, and full sadly the host began

935As he spake to the noble charger, ‘ Woe is me for thy scanty fare,
For the sake of the saddle upon thee and the token I see thee bear! ’

94°'
When their care for the horse was ended, then sorrow sprang forth anew, f^Quoth Parzival, ‘ Host and uncle, my folly I needs must rue, \ And fain would I tell the story if for shame I the word may speak; o\ Forgive me, I pray, of thy kindness, since in thee do I comfort seek, For sorely, I ween, have I sinn&d; if thou canst no comfort find No peace may be mine, but for ever the chains of remorse shall bind. /Of true heart shalt thou mourn my folly—He who to Monsalvasch rode, I He who saw Anfortas’ sorrow, he who spake not the healing word,

94| ’Twas I, child and heir of misfortune, ’twas I, Parzival, alone,
* Ill have I wrought, and I know not how I may for such ill atone ! ’

95<
^ Spake the hermit, ‘Alas ! my nephew, thou speakest the words of woe, Vanished our joy, and sorrow henceforth must we grasp and know, Since folly of bliss betrayed thee : senses five did God give to thee, • And methinks, in the hour of thy testing, their counsel should better be. Why guarded they not thine honour, and thy love as a man to men, In the hour that thou satst by Anfortas? Of a truth hadst thou spoken then!’ I 4 Nor would I deny^hee counsel; mourn not for thy fault too sore, MThou shalt, in a fitting measure, bewail thee, and grief give o’er.

95* For strange are the ways, and-fitful, of mankind, oft is youth too wise
And old age turaeth back to folly, and darkened are wisdom’s eyes, And the fruit of a life lieth forfeit, while green youth doth wax old and fade— Not in this wise true worth shall be rooted, and payment in praise be pai<i TREVREZENT Thine youth would I see fresh blooming, and thine heart waxing strong and bold, While thou winnest anew thine honour, nor dost homage from God with- 960 hold. For thus might it chance unto thee to win for thyself such fame As shall make amends for thy sorrow, and God thee, as His knight, shall claim!’ ‘Thro* my mouth would God teach thee wisdonyfnow say, didst thou see the spear, ' In that wondrous Burg of Monsalvasch ? As ever the time draws near When Saturn his journey endeth—(that time by the wound we know, 965 And yet by another token, by the fall of the summer snow) Then sorely the frost doth pain him, thy king and unde dear, And deep in the wound empoisoned once more do they plunge the spear, One woe shall help the other, the spear cure the frost’s sharp pain, And crimson it grows with his life-blood ere men draw it forth again ! ’ 97° * When the stars return in their orbit, then the wailing it waxeth sore, When they stand in opposition, or each to the other draw. And the moon, in its waxing and waning, it causeth him bitter pain— In the time that I erst have told thee then the king little rest may gain ; His flesh thro’ the frost it groweth colder than e’en the snow, 975 But men know that the spear sharp-pointed doth with fiery venom glow, And upon the wound they lay it, and the frost from his flesh so cold It draweth, and lo ! as crystals of glass to the spear doth hold, And as ice to the iron it clingeth, and none looseth it from the blade. Then Trebuchet the smith bethought him, in his wisdom two knives he 980 ' made, Of silver fair he wrought them, and sharp was the edge and keen— (A spell on the king’s sword written had taught him such skill I ween,) Tho* no flame on earth can kindle Asbestos, as men do tell, And never a fire may harm it, if these crystals upon it fell Then the flame would leap and kindle and burn with a fiery glow 965 Till th’ Asbestos lay in ashes, such power doth this poison know! ’ * The king, he rideth never, nor yet may he walk, or lie, And he sitteth not, but, reclining, in tears h^ sQ d^p pass by. PARZIVAL / And the moon’s changes work him evil—To a lake they call Brimbane

990They bear him full oft for fishing that the breezes may soothe his pain.
This he calleth his day for hunting, tho* what booty shall be his share, And he vex himself to gain it, for his host ’twould be meagre fare 1 And from this there sprang the story that he should but a Fisher be, Tho* little he recked the fable, no merchant I ween was he

995Of salmon or aye of lamprey, he had chosen fax other game
Were he freed from the load of sorrow and the burden of bitter pain . 1 * Quoth Parzival, ‘ So I found him; the king’s skiff at anchor lay, And for pastime, e'en as a fisher, the even he wore away; And many a mile had I ridden that day, since from Pelrapar xooo When the sun stood high in the heaven, at noontide I forth must fare ; And at even I much bethought me where my shelter that night might be, Then my uncle did fair entreat me, and my host for a space was he.’ ( A perilous way didst thou ride there,’ spake the host, ‘ one that well they guard Those Templars, nor strength nor cunning brings a traveller thro’ their ward,

1005For danger full oft besets him, and oft he his life shall lose,
Life against life is their penance, all quarter these knights refuse.’ « ‘Yet scatheless I passed that woodland in the day that I found the king By the lake,’ quoth the knight, ‘ and at even his palace with grief did ring, And sure, as they mourned, I think me, no folk ever mourned before 1

1010In the hall rose the voice of wailing as a squire sprang within the door,
And a spear in his hand he carried, and to each of the walls he stept, Red with blood was the spear, as they saw it, the people they mourned and wept’ Then answered the host, ‘ Far sorer than before was the monarch’s pain, In this wise did he learn the tidings that Saturn drew near again,

1015And the star with a sharp frost cometh, and it helpeth no whit to lay
The spear on the sore as aforetime, in the wound must it plunge alway ! When that star standeth high in heaven the wound shall its coming know Afore, tho* the earth shall heed not, nor token of frost shall show. But the cold it came, and the snow-flakes fell thick in the following night ioao Tho 1 the season was spring, and the winter was vanquished by summer’s TREVRBZENT *3 As the frost to the king brought sorrow and pain, so his people true Were of joy bereft, as the moment of his anguish thus nearer drew. 1 And Trevrezent quoth, ( In sorrow that folk hath both lot and part, When the spear thro 1 the king’s wound pierceth, it pierceth each faithful heart And their love to their lord, and their sorrow, such tears from their eyelids 1025 drew That, methinks, in those bitter waters had they been baptized anew. 1 Spake Parzival unto the hermit, ‘ Five-and-twenty they were, the maids I saw stand before the monarch, and courteous their part they played. 1 And the host spake, 4 By God’s high counsel such maidens alone avail For the care of this wondrous mystery, and do service before the Grail 1030 And the Grail, It chooseth strictly, and Its knights must be chaste and pure,— When the star standeth high in the heaven then grief must that folk endure, And the young they mourn as the aged, and God’s wrath it lasts for aye, And ne’er to their supplication doth He hearken and answer “ Yea.” 1 ‘ And, nephew, this thing would I tell thee, and my word shalt thou well 1035 believe, They who to the Grail do service, they take, and again they give. For they take to them little children, noble of birth and race— If a land be without a ruler, and its people shall seek God’s Face And crave of His Hand a monarch, then He hearkeneth to their prayer, And a knight, from the Grail host chosen, as king to that land doth fare. 1040 And well shall he rule that people, and happy shall be that land. For the blessing of God goeth with him and God’s wisdom doth guide his hand. 1 ‘ God sendeth the men in secret, but the maidens in light of day Are given unto their husbands ; thus none spake to his wooing, Nay, When King Kastis wooed Herzeleide, but joyful our sister gave, 1045 Yet ne’er might her love rejoice him for Death dug at his feet a grave. But in life had he given thy mother both Noigals and fair Waleis, Those kingdoms twain and their cities, Kingrivals and Kanvoleis. ’Twas a fair gift, and known of all men—Then they rode on their home¬ ward way, But Death met them upon their journey, ani be made of the king his prey, 1050 PARZIVAL And over both Waleis and Norgals Herzeleide, as queen, did reign, Till Gamuref s right hand valiant won the maid, and her kingdoms twain.’ ‘„Thus the Grail Its maidens giveth, in the day, and the sight of men, But It sendeth Its knights in the silence and their children It claims again,— io$5 To the host of the Grail are they counted, Grail servants they all shall be. So the will of God standeth written on the Grail for all men to see.’ * He who would to the Grail do service, he shall women’s love forswear : A wife shall none have save the Grail king, and his wife a pure heart must bear, And those others whom God’s Hand sendeth, as king, to a kingless land—

1060But little I recked such counsel, to love’s service I vowed my hand,
As the pride of my youth constrained me, and the beauty of woman’s eyes, And I rode full oft in her service, and I battled for knighthood’s prize. Fain was I for wild adventure, on jousting no more I thought, So fair shone the love-light on me ever fiercer the strife I sought

1065And thro’ far-off lands and distant, in the service of love I fared,
And to win sweet love’s rewarding right valiant the deeds I dared. If heathen my foe or Christian, what mattered it unto me? The fiercer the strife that beset me, the fairer my prize should be ! ’ ‘ And thus, for the love of woman, in three parts of the earth I fought,

1070In Europe, and far-off Asia, and in Afric I honour sought
If for gallant jousting I lusted I fought before Gaurivon ; By the mystic Mount of Fay-Moigan I many a joust have run. And I fought by the Mount Agremontin, where are fiery men and fierce, Yet the other side they burn not tho' their spears thro’ the shield can pierce.

1075In Rohas I sought for ventures, and Slavs were my foemen then,
With lances they came against me and I trow they were gallant men ! ’ ‘ From Seville I took my journey, and I sailed o’er the tideless sea Unto Sicily, since thro’ Friant and Aquilea should my journey be. Alas 1 alas 1 woe is me, for I met with thy father there,

1080I found him, and looked upon him, ere I from Seville must fore.
For e’en as I came to the city he there for a space abode, And my heart shall be sore for his journey, since thence to Bagdad he rode, And there, as thyself hast spoken, in a knightly joust he foil, And for ever my heart must mourn him, and my tongue of his praises tell 1 ’ * TREVREZENT *35 ‘A rich man shall be my brother, nor silver nor gold would spare 1065 When in secret I forth from Monsalvasch at his will and his word did fare; For I took me his royal signet, and to Karkobra I came, Where Plimizdl to the wide sea floweth, and the land, BarbigOl, they name. ‘ And the Burg-grave he knew the token, ere I rode from the town again Of horses and squires, as foiled me, he raised me a gallant train, I090 And we rode thence to wild adventures, and to many a knightly deed, For nothing had he begrudged me of aught that might serve my need. Alone came I unto the city, and there at my journey’s end Did I leave those who had fared thence with me, and alone to Monsalvasch wend.’ * Now hearken to me, my nephew, when thy father first saw my face I095 Of old in Seville’s fair city, there did he such likeness trace To his wife, fair Herzeleide, that he would me as brother claim, Tho’ never before had he seen me, and secret I held my name. And in sooth was I fair to look on, as ever a man might be, And my face by no beard was hidden ; and sweetly he spake to me, IIOO When he sought me within my dwelling—Yet many an oath I swore And many a word of denial, yet ever he pressed me more Till in secret at last I told him, his kinsman was I in truth, And greatly did he rejoice him when he knew that his words were sooth ! ’ ‘ A jewel he gave unto me, and I gave to him at his will; 1105 Thou sawest my shrine, green shall grass be, yet that shineth greener still, ’Twas wrought from the stone he gave me—and a better gift he gave, For his nephew as squire he left me, Prince Ither, the true and brave. His heart such lore had taught him that falsehood his face did flee, The King of Cumberland was he, who, thou sayest, was slain by thee. mo Then no longer might we delay us, but we parted, alas ! for aye. He rode to the land of Baruch, unto Rohas I took my way.’ ‘ In Celli three weeks I battled, and I deemed ’twas enough for fame, ^ From Rohas I took my journey and unto Gandein I came, (’ Twas that town from which first thy grandsire, his name of Gandein did take,) 11x5 And many a deed did Ither, and men of his prowess spake. And the town lieth near the river, where Graien and Drave they meet, And the waters 1 ween are golden,—there Itl^ f^und guerdon sweet, PARZIVAL For thine aunt, Lamire, she loved him, she was queen of that fair land, lido Gandein of Anjou, her father, he gave it unto her hand. And Lamire was her name, but her country shall be Styria to this day— And many a land must he traverse who seeketh for knightly hay.’ ‘ It grieveth me sore for my red squire, men honoured me for his sake, And Ither was thy near kinsman tho’ of that thou small heed didst take 1 Yet God He hath not forgotten, and thy deed shall He count for sin, And I wot thou shalt first do penance ere thou to His peace shalt win. And, weeping, this truth I tell thee, two mortal sins shall lie On thine heart, thou hast slain thy kinsman, and thy mother, thro 1 thee, must die.* And in sooth shalt thou sore bewail her; in the day thou didst leave her side,

1130So great was her love, and faithful, that for grief at thy loss she died.
Now do thou as here I rede thee, repent thee and pay sin’s cost, That thy conflict on earth well ended thy soul be not ever lost.’ Then the host he quoth full kindly, ‘ Nephew, now say the word, Whence hast thou yon gallant charger? Not yet I the tale have heard ! ’ 1x35 < In a joust, Sir Host, did I win it, when I rode from Sigun£s cell In a gallop I smote the rider and he from the saddle fell, And the steed was mine, I rode hence,—from Monsalvasch he came, the knight’ Quoth the host, ‘ Is the man yet living who thus with thee did fight ? ’ ‘ Yea, I saw him fly before me, and beside me stood his steed.’

11401 Nay, if thou in such wise dost bear thee thou art scant of wit indeed !
The Grail-knights dost thou rob, and thinkest their friendship thereby to win?’ ‘ Nay, my uncle, in strife I won it, and he who shall count it sin Let him ask how the thing hath chanced thus, ’twas a fair fight we fought, we twain, Nor was it for naught that I took it, for first had my steed been slain 1 ’ 1X 45 Quoth Parzival, ‘ Who was the maiden who the Grail in her hands did bear, Her mantle, that eve, she lent me ?’—Quoth the hermit, 4 That lady fair Is thine aunt, if her robe she lent thee of the loan shalt thou not be vain, For surely she deemed that hereafter thou shouldst there as monarch reign. TREVREZENT And the Grail, and herself yea and I too, should honour thee as our lord: And a gift didst thou take from thine uncle, for he gave thee, I ween, a 1150 sword, And sin hast thou won in the -wearing, since thy lips, which to speak are fain, There spake not the mystic question which had loosened his sorrow’s chain, And that sin shalt thou count to the other, for ’tis time that we lay us down.’ Nor couches nor cushions had they, but they laid them upon the ground, And for bedding the rushes served them—too humble, I ween, such bed 1155 For men of a race so noble, yet they deemed they were not ill-sped^/* Then tw ice seven days he abode there, with the hermit his lot did share, And theTierb of the ground was Es portTon^yeT Tie sought _not for better fare, Right gladly he bare such hardness^that should bring to him food so sweet, For as priest did his host absolve him, and as knight gave him counsel 1160 meet) Quoth Parzival to the hermit, ‘ Say who shall he be, who lay Before the Grail ? grey was he, yet his face it was as the day 1 * Spake the host, 1 Titurel thou sawest, and he shall grandsire be To thy mother, first king and ruler of the Grail and Its knights was he. But a sickness hath fallen on him, and he lieth, nor findeth cure, Yet his face on the Grail yet looketh, by Its power shall his life endure 1 Nor his countenance changeth colour, and his counsel shall aye be wise— In his youth he rode far and jousted, and won to him valour’s prize.’ ‘ An thou wouldst that thy life be adora&d with true worth as thy crown of fame, Then ne’er mayst thou hate a woman, but shall honour, as knight, her 1170 name, For women and priests, thou knowest, unarmed shall be their hand, Yet the blessing of God watcheth o’er them, and as shield round the priest • doth stand; For the priest, he careth for thee, that thine end may be free from ill, So treat thou no priest as a foeman, but serve him with right good will. _ For naught on the earth thou seest that is like to his office high, For he speaketh that word unto us which our peace and our life did buy; Digitized )0^lC ”75 PARZIVAL And his hand hath been blest for the holding of the pledge on the altar laid, \ Jo assure us of sin’s forgiveness, and the price for our pardon paid. And a priest who from sin doth guard him, and who to his Lord shall give c8o Pure heart and pure hand for His service, say, what man shall holier live ?* Now this day was their day of parting—Trevrezent to our hero spake, * Leave thou here thy sins behind thee, God shall me for thy surety take, And do thou as I have shown thee, be steadfast and true of heart! ’ Think ye with what grief and sorrow the twain did asunder part . Digitized by LjOOQle \ APPENDICES VOL. I. Digitized by LjOOQle T Digitized by LjOOQle APPENDIX A THE ANGEVIN ALLUSIONS OF THE ‘ PARZIVAL ’ One of the most striking peculiarities of this version of the Perceval legend consists in the fact that the writer closely connects his hero with a contemporary princely house, and exercises considerable ingenuity in constructing a genealogy which shall establish a relationship alike with the legendary British race of Pendragon, and with the hereditary House 6f Anjou. Now, that Parzival should be represented as con¬ nected with Arthur is not surprising, taking into consideration the great popularity of the Arthurian legends; the English 4 Sir Percyvelle’ makes the relationship even closer; there, Percyvelle is Arthur’s nephew, his sister’s son; but it is far more difficult to account for the Angevin connection. It has been suggested that the writer of Wolfram’s French source was Walter Mapes, to whom another of the Grail romances the Quesle is generally ascribed; and who, as is well known, was closely attached to the Court of Henry Fitz-Empress, Count of Anjou, and King of England. Setting on one side the great difference, in style and treatment, between the Parzival and the QuestCy which render it impossible to believe that the same man could have treated the same legend from two such practically opposite points of view, a close examination of the Angevin allusions found in the Parzival reveals a correspondence between the characters and incidents of the poem, and the facts, real and traditional, of Angevin history, which seems to point to a familiarity with the subject scarcely likely to be possessed by a foreigner. The following parallels will show that this Angevin element, though strongest jp the first two books (those peculiar to Wolfram’s version), is to be clearly traced even in the presentment of what we know to be traditional features of the story. THE^ORIGIN OF THE HOUSE OF ANJOU Wolfram Angevin Tradition In Book I. the origin of the Angevin Ascribes their origin to the marriage of family is traced to the marriage of Mazadan one of the early Counts with a lady of with the fairy Terre-de-la-schoie. The surpassing beauty, whose demon origin fairy origin of the race is referred to again was discovered by her inability to remain in Books II. and viu., the later allusion ^^^r^Liduring^fass. It was to the PAR 2 IVAL being in connection with Vergulacht, son of Gamuret’s sister, and cousin to hero. Gamurbt Younger son of the King of Anjou; brought up at the court of French queen; goes to the East where he marries a Moorish queen, and becomes king of an Eastern kingdom. Gamuret*s first recorded deed of valour is the conquest, in single combat, of Heuteger, the Scotchman, who appears every morning before the gates of Patela- munt, to challenge the besieged knights. Hbrzelbidb Widow, -queen of two kingdoms, and marries Prince of Anjou. Her son is subsequently deprived of influence of this ancestress that the un¬ controllable temper of the Angevin princes was ascribed. Richard Coeur-de-lion is reported to have frequently said, 4 We came from the Devil, and we go bade to the Devil.’ (In each instance it will be noted that the supernatural element is introduced by the wife.) Fulk v. op Anjou Son of Fulk iv. {Reckin), and Bertalda de Montfort His mother eloped with, and married, Philip, king of France. She remained on good terms with her former husband, and, Fulk, having already an heir by a previous wife, was allowed to bring up her son at her own court. The elder brother dying, Fulk became his father’s heir, and finally succeeded him. In 1129, after the marriage of his son, Geoffrey, with the Empress Maud, Fulk was invited by Baldwin, king of Jerusalem, to become his son-in-law and successor. Accordingly he resigned Anjou toGeofirey, went to Jerusalem, where he married Melesinda, daughter and heiress to Baldwin, and, after the death of the latter, succeeded him as king, and reigned till his death in 1142. (Here again we note that, in each instance, the Eastern kingdom is won through the wife.) A similar incident is recorded of Geoffrey 1. (Grisegotulle) who, during the siege of Paris by the Danes in 978, overthrew a gigantic Northman named Etheiwulf, who daily challenged the besieged in the manner recounted in the poem. Later historians cast doubts on the truth of this story, but it appears in all the old chronicles, and was un¬ doubtedly firmly believed in by the writers of the twelfth century. Thb Empress Maude Widow, Empress, Lady of two Lands, England and Normandy, marries Count of Anjou. >gle r APPENDIX A these kingdoms by the action of on* Her son is deprived of these two king- knight, Book m. . p. 73, two brothers, doms by the action of two brothers Ibid. p. 8a This loss of two kingdoms Theobald and Stephen of Blois. Though by the action of Lahelein is insisted on Stephen was the principal aggressor, it throughout the poem, and the reader must not be forgotten that Theobald, the should note the manner in which Lahelein, elder brother, was invited by the Normans though only appearing in the Second Book, to become their Duke on the death of is constantly referred to; which seems to Henry 1.; but on arriving in Normandy, indicate that the writer attached a special and finding that Stephen had already importance to this character, cf. Book hi. seized the crown of England, Theobald pp. 86 and 87; v. pp. 150, 154; vi. pp. resigned his claim to the Duchy and threw 171, 188; vn. p. 196; ix. p. 272. (It in his lot with that of Stephen. An may be noted that in no other version of English writer (such as Mapes) would the legend is a previous marriage of the probably have overlooked the part played hero’s mother recorded.) by Theobald. An Angevin, knowing the Counts of Blois to be the hereditary foes of the House of Anjou, would hardly fail to record the feet that both brothers were concerned in the usurpation of the rights of Henry Fitz-Empress. The Red Knight The R*d Knight The Red Knight as represented in the This character is of course traditional, poem, mounted before the gates of Nantes, but the special presentment of it in the in red armour, with red hair. Partival seems to be owing to Angevin influence. In 1048 William of Nor¬ mandy, being at war with Geoffrey 11. of Anjou and besieging Domfront, sent him the following curious challenge: * If the Count of Anjou attempts to bring victuals into Domfront he will find me awaiting him without the gates armed and mounted, bearing a red shield, and having a pennon on my spear wherewith to wipe his face.’ Rtd hair was a distinguishing char¬ acteristic of the Angevin Counts. Fulk 1. derived his name of Rufus from this peculiarity, which was inherited by many of his descendants, among them Fulk v., his son Geoffrey Plantagenet, and his grandson Henry Fitz-Empress. The writer of the Partival strongly insists on Ither’s red hair. Nantes Nantes Nantes, throughout the poem, is always The possession of the city of Nantes treated as Arthur’s chief city. Karidol is was a constant source of quarrel between PARZIVAL m the Counts of Anjou and their neighbours of Brittany. Time after time the former claimed the over-lordship of Nantes which stood just beyond their frontier, and more than once they succeeded in making themselves masters of the coveted territory. To represent Nantes as Arthur’s chief city, and Idler as claiming it, would be an alteration of the legend most natural in an Angevin writer. Britain, France, and Ireland were all brought into close connection under Henry Fitz-Empress, Count of Anjou, Duke of Normandy, and King of England, the husband of Eleanor of Provence and Aquitaine, who conquered Ireland in The peculiar presentment of the Knights of the Grail as Templars (Templeisen), having their residence in a castle surrounded by a forest, recalls the fact that a close connection between the Order of Templars and the House of Anjou had existed for some time previous to the date of this poem, a tax for the benefit of the Order having been imposed on all his dominions by Fulk v. on his return from his first pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1120. A community of Knights Templars was founded by Henry Fits* Empress fifty years later at Vauboturg, in the forest of Roumare which became very famous. (The location of Monsalvasch in the Pyrenees hardly seems to accord with the indications of the poem, which make it only thirty-six hours’ ride from Nantes.) „ Finally, the name of the poet claimed by Wolfram as his authority, Kiot=Guiot= Guy, is distinctly Angevin, the hereditary Angevin princely names being Fulk, Geoffrey, and Guy. scarcely referred to, the Round Table is kept at Nantes, and in Book x. we are told that Arthur's palace was there. This is not the case in other versions of the story. Book ix. relates that Kiot sought for records of the Grail race in the chronicles of Britain, France, and Ireland, and found the history at last in the chronicle of Anjou. Digitized by LjOOQle GENEALOGICAL TABLE. * Riot is brother to King Tampentaire, cf. Book iv. p.'to7, therefore Sigund is cousin to Kondwiramur as well as to ParavaL APPENDIX B THE PROPER NAMES IN ‘ PARZIVAL ’ One of the marked peculiarities of Wolfram’s poem is the number of proper names with which it abounds, there being scarcely a character, however ins i gnific a n t the r&le assigned, that is left unnamed. In the other versions of the Perceval legend this is not the case, consequently there are a vast number of names occurring in the Parsival to which no parallel can be found elsewhere, and which are no unimportant factor in determining the problem of the source from which Wolfram drew his poem. It would be impossible in a short Appendix to discuss the question in all its bearings, but the following classification, based on Herr Bartsch’s article on Die Eigen-namen in Welfram's Partival, will give some idea of the wide ground they cover:— I. Names belonging to the original legend, and met with, with but little variation, in all versions. To this class belong the names of Pendragon, Arthur, Gtrinivere, Perceval, Gawain, Kay, Segramor; and the names of such places as Karidol=Carduel = Carlisle, Cumberland, Waleis, Noigals, Dianasdron. II. Names derived from a French version of the story, which may be divided into two classes: (a) Names of which we find an equivalent in existing French sources, notably Chretien, whose poem offers so dose a parallel to the Parsival ; examples of this class are Guraemanz=French, Gomemant; Pelrapar= Beau-repedrt; Klamide = Clamadex ; Kingron= Aguigrenon ; Trebuchet; Meljanz de Lys; Lippaut= Tiebaut; Gramoflanr= Guiromelans or Guir t md anu {&) Names formed by a misunderstanding of a French original: such are Soltane, from forest soutaine =solitary; Orilus de Lalande, from Li orgucilleus de la Unde; and similarly, Oigeluse of Logrois, from La orguelleuse de Legrts; Gringuljet, the name of Gawain’s horse, from Li gringalet, which is explained as meaning cheval maigre et alerte, Ligweiz-prelljus, is Ligate perelUms , the Ford Perilous; and a notable instance of this class is the curious name Schionatulander, which is either * Li joenet de la landed * The youth of the meadow,’ or * Li joenet d Falantj * The youth with the dog,’ in allusion to the cause of the knight’s death. Whence Wolfram took this name is unknown. III. Names borrowed or quoted from other romances of the time, of those to which Wolfram alludes most frequently we know the Erec and Iwem of Hartmann von Aue; 'Eilhart’s Tristan ; Heinrich von Veldeck’s Mntid ; Chretien de Troye’s Ctig/s, and Le Chtvallier de la Charrette ; and the Nibelungtnlied and Dietrich Sage, He also refers to other romances which have not come down to us, such are the Digitized by Google APPENDIX B *97 allusions to adventures connected with Gawain in Book vl; and to the death of Ilinot, son of King Arthur, of whom we know nothing. (The names derived from these romances are all noted, and their source given as they occur in the text) Book i. contains some distinctly German names, such as Eisenhart, Heraant, and Herlinde, Friedebrand of Scotland and Henteger, the source of these is doubtful, some occur in the Gudruif cycle, but it seems probable that in both instances they were derived from a common source, and, belonging as they do to a North Sea cycle, they may have reached the poem either through a French or a German medium. IV. Names of places and people connected with Wolfram himself, such as Abenberg, Wildberg, Erfurt, the Count of Wertheim, Herman of Thuringia, etc. These were, of course, introduced by Wolfram, and could not have existed in his French source. V. Cl ass ic a l and mythological names such as Antikonie=Antigone, Ekuba, Secundilla, Plato and the Sibyls, Pythagoras, etc., Jupiter, Juno, Venus, Amor, Cupid, Lucifer, Astaroth, and other of the fallen angels. VI. Oriental names. In Book iv. we have the Arabic names of the seven planets, a curious coincidence, in view of the alleged Arabic source of the Grail-myth as given in Books vm. and ix. Names of cities such as Alexandria, Bagdad, Askalen. This latter is of course equivalent to Escavalon in the French versions, and the real name is doubtless Avalon, but it is by no means improbable that the change was made not by a misunderstanding, but by one who knew the Eastern city, and it falls in with the various other indications of crusading influence to be traced throughout the poem. We may add to these the names of Oriental materials such as Pfellel and Sendai. But when all these have been classified, there still remains a vast number of names undoubtedly French in origin, yet which cannot be referred to any known source, and many of which bear distinct traces of Romance or Proveo9al influence. Such names are Anfbrtas, French, onfcrU%= the sick man, with Prov. ending as; Trevresent, Prov.

7>*w=peace, rooms = redeemed. Schoysiane, Prov. fauMiana, her husband is Kyot
of Katelangen, Guiot—Guy of Catalonia. The son of Gumemanz, Schenteflur, is Prov. gtnlo-flors, fair flower. The name of ParrivaTs wife, Kondwiramur, Bartsch derives from Coin de voirt a mour p Ideal of true love; an interpretation which admirably expresses the union between the two. Itonjfe, Gawain’s sister, is the French /dome , in Chratien she is Qarissant The knight slain by Lahelein at Brimbane is Libbeals of Prienlaskors, Libbeals being simply the old French Li-boals—U bel 9 and probably no more a proper name* than Orilus, whilst his country seems derived from Prov. priendn las cortw, to seek the court. The long lists of conquered kings given in Book xv. contain many names of Greek or Latin origin, ifhich have passed through a French source, and many others of distinctly Romance form. It is impossible to suppose that a German poet invontod these names, and die only reasonable explana¬ tion seems to be that Wolfram drew* largely, if not exclusively, from a French poem now lost, and that the language in which that poem was written partook strongly of a Provencal character, the term Provencal being applied, as Bartsch points out, not only to Provencal proper, but to the varying forms of the Langue-d’oc. Digitized by LjOOQle I Digitized by LjOOQle NOTES Digitized by LjOOQle Digitized by LjOOQle NOTES {A few Notts signal A, N mrt dm to Mr, Alfrod Nutt.) Introduction^ lines 1-66. This introduction, which is confessedly obscure, both in style and thought, appears to have been written after the completion of the poem, and to have been intended by the writer to serve both as a key to the meaning of the poem, and as a defence of his method of treatment That Wolfram was blamed by his contem¬ poraries, notably by Gottfried von Strassbourg, for his lack of a polished style, and obscurity of thought, we know; and in Willehalm be speaks, in the following words, of the varying judgment passed upon his Pamival ' Swat ich von Parsivfil gasprach, das no aramittr nich wide, tCzUch man dax prists: ir was otach vil, diez mxeUmb U nd box ir redo wwhten.* - and it is evidently to these critics that the first part of the Introduction is addressed. Lines z-8 give the key to the whole poem: the contrast b et w een doubt or unsteadfast- ness, and steadfast faith and truth, as imaged in the contrast between darkness and light, black and white. This idea runs throughout the poem, is worked out symbolically in the character and experiences of the hero, and is shown in a concrete form in the person of his brother Feirefis. The poet notes that many readers have failed, through lade of intelligence, to grasp the meaning of this parable, which is too swift and subtle for their compre¬ hension. A parallel passage will be found in Book v. pp._i37, 138, where the figure employed is different. The curious lines 15, z6 are explained by Btttticher as allusions to personal assaults made on the poet, which, by reason of the foDy of the assailants, missed their mark, and are therefore to be treated with contempt. Lines 09, 30 contain one of the quaint and homely similes which abound throughout the poem, and refer to the frithless man, valsek gtse l lec H cker mnot 9 whose honour and steadfastness are not sufficiently strong to meet the demands made upon them. There are three distinct divisions of the Introduction: the first, lines 1-30, is addressed to men only, and draws the contrast between the false and true knight; 31-49 does the same for women ; while from 49 onwards the poet shows how the tale he is about to tell affects both sexes alike, and gives a slight sketch of the character of the hero. For the rightful understanding of this the lines 61,6s are of great importance: * a brave man, yet slowly wise Is he whom I hail my hero * [er kilene , trdeltche wts, den hett iek alsns grHett), and should be borne in mind by the student flf^thej poem. PARZIVAL A full and minute discussion of this Introduction will be found in Dr. Bdttscher’s Das HoheHed vow Rittertum. Page 5, line 67—* Now they do to-day as of old-time* The word employed here malsck simply means 1 foreign/ but it is evident from the context that France is the country referred to. The fact was probably in the French source, the remarks upon it due to the German poet. Page 5, line 80— 1 Gamuret / The origin of this name is doubtful; in Chretien we find a King Ban de Gomeret mentioned, and Wolfram may have derived the name from a French source. Heinzel suggests that it comes from Gamor, the son of Anguis, a Saracen prince ruling in Denmark, according to * Arthur and Merlin; ‘ and that the fact of his being of the race of Anguis suggested to Kiot the possibility of making him an Angevin. In the absence of any definite knowledge as to Wolfram’s source it is not possible to do more than suggest possible derivations. Page 7, lines 136, 137—' Gylstram and Rankulat* With regard to the first-named place, Simrock says it has been identified with * Gustrate ’ in the Gudrun , and, according to Grimm, this latter is to be coupled with Gailate, * where the sun hath its setting/ i.e. the West. In Book xi. the patriarch of Rankulat is referred to, in company with the Baruch of Bagdad and the Emperor of Constantinople, and in all probability Armenia is meant. The king’s speech therefore implies, * Didst thou come from the furthest bounds of the earth, East or West' Page 8, line 154—' King Gandeiris son* Cf. Book IX. p. 285, where the origin of the name Gandein is given. Page 8, lines 159, 160.—' Then the tale it hath told a lie* Cf. Book IX. p. 259. Page 8, lines 169,170—' Rich silk of Orient,* Eastern materials are referred to frequently throughout the poem; the principal seenTto have been, Samite, Sendai, Achmardi, Pfellel Plialt, and Saranthasme. Of these, some were of silk only, others, notably Saranthasme, of silk inwoven with gold. Achmardi, in this poem, is always green. Samite and Sendai are the two generally named in our English romances. Page 9, line 209—' Two brothers of Babylon* This is Babylon in Egypt, now Cairo, as is evident from its close connection with Alexandria, cf. p. 12, line 277, and Book 11. p. 57, line 684, and p. 59, line 754. Though, from the passage on p. $7, it seems as if the poet confused it with Babylon in Assyria ; it is possible that he was unaware of the fact that there were two cities of the name. Page 15, line 384—* Friedebrand' The introduction of names of distinctly northern origin such as Friedebrand, Hemant, and Herlinde, Heuteger, and Eisenhart, has been already noted in Appendix Bas one of the problems of the Parsival. Two solutions have been suggested, either that they were introduced by Wolfram, or that they reached the French source through the medium of Normandy. The form in which the names occur in the Gudrun cycle seems to indicate quotation from a source known also to the writer of the Parsival, but they are not derived directly from the North Sea saga in its present form. Page x 6 , line 403*-' Wouldst thou know t* etc. It may be interesting to note here that beyond the colour , which the poet insists on, he apparently recognises no difference between the heathen and Christian knights and ladies. Both acknowledge the same chivalrous ideals; both are equally familiar with the eccentricities of ' Minne-dienst ’ (cf. line 423); and the speeches put into the mouth of Belakanl, or of Rassalig, would be quite as suitable if spoken by Orgeluse, or by one of King Arthur's knights. This inci¬ dent of a Christian knight marrying a Moorish princess is of frequent occurrence in Mediaeval romance. Page 16, lines 423, 424—' That which like to a hall doth stand,* The tents of the Medi¬ aeval period were constructed of far more costly fabrics than is usual now, cf. Book 111. p. 74. Digitized by vjOOv LC NOTES . and Book XI., and their sue was very great, this special tent we find, from Book u. p. 36, was ' thirty pack-steeds' burden. 1 San Marte quotes the description of a tent captured by the Crusaders at Antioch which was adorned with wans, towers, and ramparts, contained halls and galleries, and could lodge as many as 2000 men. Page 22, line 690—* The chiming of stmt bells,* Bells were at one time freely used not only as ornaments to the trappings of the horses but also on the armour of the knights, cf. Book hi. p. 70, and Book vl p. 163. Gradually they disappeared from use, and the bells on the Fool's dress are the last trace left of the practice, which from this poem was evidently very general at the beginning of the thirteenth century. Page 23, line 623.—* Brave Beau-corps .' This brother of Gawain appears in Book vi. p. 183, he is the odly one of Gawain’s brothers mentioned in this poem. In Malory, we find Gareth called ' Beau-mains,' and it is possible that the two are identical Beau-corps is evidently much younger than Gawain, and Gareth was the youngest cf King Lot's sons. Page 24, line 679—* Lahjllirost.' This seems to be a misunderstanding for * Lefils du Rost ,' and may be classed with the misinterpretations of a French source. Page 25, line 700 —'Frau Minne .' The word Minne is etymologically derivable from a root' man,' and is connected with the Latin mens, English 'mind* (cf. 'to have a mind to.') The original signification was that of tender care, or thought for; in Old High German it has already taken the meaning of love in its passionate aspects; finally, in Middle High German (the original language of the Parental), it has become the stand¬ ing expression for love betwixt man and woman. We have it in various forms as a verb, Minnen; as an adjective, MinnigUch, The personification of the passion of Love as Frau Minne' is the work of the courtly poets of the twelfth century, and seems rather to have been derived from classical analogy than to be due to a reminiscence of an early German goddess of Love. Also, with Wolfram and his contemporaries, ' Frau Minne' must be regarded less as the personification of Love in the abstract than as the embodi¬ ment of the special love-ideal of the day. This new ideal had its rise, and assumed; definite shape in twelfth century France, from whence it spread throughout the knightly society of Christendom, finding its fullest literary expression in the Arthurian romances. The historic causes which led to what was at the time an entirely novel mode of consider¬ ing the relations between the sexes, and the true nature and ethical import of the chivalric conception of that relation will be briefly discussed in an Appendix to vol II. The significance of the term is fully apparent from such passages as the present, also cf. Book VI. pp. 161, x$3, 165, 171; vii. 208, 224 ; xu. etc.—[A.N.] Page 27, line 768.— ' Morhold,' also in Book 11. p. 39. This is, of course, the well- known hero in Tristan, The allusion may have been in the original French source, or introduced by Wolfram, who would know Morhold from the Tristan of Eilhart von Oberge, composed before 1180. The most famous German poem on the subject, the Tristan of Gottfried von Strassbourg, was somewhat later in date. Page 31, lines 886, 887—Cf. Book vm. p. 230 and note. Page31, line 904—' Fcirefis,* Bartsch interprets the name as vairfils, * parti-coloured son.' Other critics have suggested 1 Fairy's son. ’ The name distinctly indicates a Flench origin. Page 31, line 905 —'A woodland-waster 'wald-verschwender,’ a hyperbolical term constantly employed throughout this poem to denote one who shatters many spears in fight. Digitized by LjOOQle 5*4 PARZIVAL Page 35, line z6, and page 57, line 705—' Wains and Nergals.' These, the two king¬ doms of Queen Herzdeide, are located by Wolfram in Spain, bat they are undoubtedly Wales and North Wales (the North galis of Malory), the Northern border-land. Psrzival's title throughout the poem is dtr Waleis, in French versions U Gallois , an evident indication of the Celtic origin of the story. Page 39, lines 117-160. Of the heroes taking part in the Tourney, Uther Pendragon has been mentioned, in Book 1. p. 31, in the genealogy of Gamuret. The poet carefully connects his hero with the traditional royal race of Briton as well as with the princely House of Anjou. Arthur's mother, Arnive (not Igraine as in most versions), plays a some¬ what important r 61 e in the later part of the poem, her imprisonment in the castle of the Magician Klingsor is fully treated of, cf. from Book XL onwards. King Lot of Norway (not of Orkney as in the English legend) is frequently alluded to as Gawain's father, but both he and Uther Pendragon are dead before the real action of the poem commences. This is the first appearance of Gawain, who, from Book vi. onward, plays a part in the poem scarcely inferior to that of the hero, ParzivaL The Kings of Arragon and Gascony do not appear again, nor are they alluded to, but Brandelidelein of Punturtois we meet with in Book xv. as the uncle of King Gramoflanz. The King of Askalon must not be confused with Vergulacht, in Book viii., this is evidently one of his predecessors. Eidegast of Logrois is frequently alluded to later on, his murder by Gramoflanz and the desire of his lady-love, Orgeluse, to avenge him, form the motif of the later Gawain episodes. This is the only occasion on which LBhelein appears personally in the poem, but be is constantly alluded to throughout the course of the story (some remarks on the manner in which he is introduced will be found in Appendix A, p. 093). Morhold, cf. note to Book x. Lambekein, cf. Book v. p. 152. Gumemanz of Graharz plays an important rdle in the Parzival legend, _he is here introduced for the first time, cf. Book 111. The Tournfy. In this poem we find knightly skill in horsemanship and the use of armsHIspiayed under three distinct forms: the Buhurd, Books xn. and XV., The Tourney, Book xi., and serious Warfare as in the siege of Pdrapttr, Bode IV., and of Beaurtech, Book vn. The two first were simply intended as displays of knightly skin, and took their rise in the knightly sports of the ninth century. The Buhurd seems to have been the original German form, and at first was of a somewhat rough and uncivi¬ lised character, the knights riding in bodies at full gallop against each other, and the whole being a display of force rather than of skill The Tourney, or Tournament, took its rise in France, and here we find the knights, in fun armour, singly displaying their prowess. Gradually the Buhurd changed its character, and throughout this poem we find Wolfram treating it as a formal display of skill in horse¬ manship, generally to do honour to some favoured guest, as in the reception of Gawain and Orgeluse by the knights of the Ch&teau Merveil, Book xii.; in honour of Feirefis, Book xv. Still the idea of force was not entirely eliminated, and we find Gawain, in Book vn. when be promises the child Obilot that he will fight for her father, telling her that ski must ride the Buhurd for him, and, as noted above, the fighting here is in earnest. In the later form of Buhurd the knights wear no armour, and it is thus distinguished from the Tourney, where they were always fully armed. The Tourney was much more complicated in its rules, and is not always eaSy to dis¬ tinguish from the real warfare into which it not unfrequently passed. Feirefis, in Book . xv., mentionsjftv modes of attack which seem to have answered to the regular stages of a Tourney. Niedner explains them as follows: (1) An attack by one troop on another, with Digitized by vjiOCK^lC NOTES 3°S lance in rest; (a) An attack from the side, also with lance; (3) The onslaught of mr# rider on a troop of hor s eme n , in which the aim was to strike the one selec t ed opponent while avoiding the blows of the others; (4) The joust proper, or single combat; (5) The Damon- stick, a stroke for the honour of the knight’s chosen lady, which followed on the joust, and was specially challenged by knights of exceptional valour. In the Tourney at Kanvoleis (the only Tourney proper in the poem), it is the two first stages in which Gamuret takes no part, he only mingles in the fray when the time arrives to display the valour of the single champions. The joust, or single combat, was a feature of earnest, as of mimic, warfare, and it is not always easy to distinguish between the two. In each case the great point was the display of skill in horsemanship, and the use of the lance or spear. The knights rode at full speed towards each other, and the aim of each was to strike his opponent in the centre of the shield, ' The four nails,' Book in. p. 98, or at the fastening of the helmet, Book IX. p. 257, and Book xii. In either event if the blow was well aimed, and delivered with sufficient force, the knight was thrown backward off his steed. It might happen that both knights were struck, and succeeded in keeping their seat, while their spears were shivered, then a second joust must be ridden. If either knight were thrown from his saddle, or his steed fell with him, then he was held to be vanquished, but if, as not {infrequently happened, the girth of the saddle broke, and the rider were thrown, then the joust was held to be undecided, and, in the case of real war¬ fare, the issue was fought out with swords on foot. Cf. the combat between Parxival and Klamidf, Book nr. pp. 1x9,120. In Book ▼. we find Parzival and Orilus fighting with swords on horseback: this is unusual In real warfare the knights would fight till one was slain, or till the issue was indisputably decided by oner being felled to the ground. We occasionally find the combat decided by sheer strength of arm, one knight clasping the other and throwing him to the ground; so Parzival conquers Orilus, Book v. p. 249, and Gawain, Liscbois, Book X. Both in Tourney and real warfare the fight was generally closed by the vanquished giving his pledge or surety to the victor, who not {infrequently sent him to yield himself prisoner to some favoured lady, so Parxival sends Kingron, Klamicte, and Orilus to Kunnewaare. If the vanquished knight refused to yield he would be slain, but this did not often happen. The death of Itber of Gaheviess is due to a mis c h ance. Armour and horse were the prise of the victor, though in the case of the foe being slain it seems to have been thought an unknightly deed to take them, such ‘robbery of the dead ’ was termed riroup, and Trcvresent, Book ix. p. 273, strongly blames both Lfihelein and Parzival for such action. The Tourney would often be held simply for honour, the prise being something com¬ paratively trifling, such as a hawk, cf. Tourney at Kanedig, alluded to in Book ui. p. 77, and again in Book ▼. p. 155, but occasionally the guerdon was far higher, as at Kanvoieis where the hand and kingdoms of Queen Herxeleide were the prise of the victor. Any disputes would be referred to a court of judges from whose verdict there was no appeal. In such Tourneys it was customary not to retain the horse and armour, but to accept a ransom fixed by the owner . This is evidently alluded to in Book II. 45, where we find these rules disregarded in the heat of conflict. Opposed to this Tourney ‘for honour' was the Tourney ‘for booty,' when the aim of the knights was to capture as many steeds and make as many prisoners as possible, the ransom being fixed by the captor. Wolfram does not mention such a Tourney, but with the decay of knighthood such conflicts appear to have almost entirely displaced the nobler strife. It will be understood, of course, that though a joust or single combat might either be settled beforehand, as in the case of KingrinnirseTs and Gramoflans' challenge to Gawain, or be brought about by a chance meeting, as when Vergulacht and the knight of Monsal* vttsch fight with Parzival, a Tourney was carefully arranged beforehand, and the knights VOL. I. Digitized by CjOO^IC U 3°6 PARZIVAL summoned by invitation. The knights generally assembled on the Saturday, and the Tourney would be held on the Monday, the interval being employed in careful inquiry as to the claim of those present to take a part in such knightly sport. The knights were divided into two bodies of equal strength, headed by the most experienced warriors present, and single champions would not unfrequently try their skill against each other on the eve of the Tourney proper. Not unfrequently the passions of the knights were roused to such a pitch that this Vesper-spiel became a serious encounter, and the combatants were so exhausted that the Tourney could not be held, as was the case at Kanvoleis. From the abuses connected with these meetings, which not unfrequently lapsed into serious warfare, and caused wanton loss of life, they were looked upon with disfavour by the Church, and in some cases were positively forbiddeo. Page 42, line 236—* Rivalein* according to Eilhart, the father of Tristan. v Page 44, line 279—* / have named unto ye a lady .’ This is the queen of France, Anflis£, whose connection with Gamuret is alluded to in Book 1. p. 9. This episode was probably suggested by facts in Angevin history, cf. Appendix. A reference to their connection will be fot^d in Book vm. p. 233. Page 46, lines 351-60. Galoes the king of Anjou has not been named before. The name occurs in Hartmann's Erec, and may have been borrowed from there. The name of his lady-love is given in Book vu. p. 199. The slayer of Galoes was Orihis, Book ill. p. 77. Page 48, line 406—* No wife was she but a maiden Book ix. p. 283, where a full account of Herzeleide’s marriage will be found. ' Herxeleide.' The modern German rendering tf this name carries with it its own interpretation in the play of words familiar through Wagner’s Parsifal , 1 Ihr brach das Leid das Herr und Herzeleide start).’ But the original form, Herzeloyde, indicates, in Bartsch's opinion, a Southern French modification, loyde being a variant of hildis t oildis. The name Rischqyde, we know in its form of Richilda, and Herzeloyde seems to come from the same root. Professor Rhys ( Arthurian Romance, p. 180) has suggested derivation from the Welsh argetwythes = 1 the lady,' but the suggestion has not won general acceptance. Page 54, line 614—' The maid and her lands he won.* Readers will doubtless remark the fact that though we meet with numerous allusions to marriages and marriage festivities throughout the poem, yet in no single instance is the marriage attended by a religious ceremony. This is an indication of the original date of the story, which testifies to a very early stage of social development. The original idea of marriage was that of a contract made by mutual consent publicly before witnesses, as we find here in the marriages of Gamuret with Belakanl and Herzeleide, or later on in Book iv., the marriage of Parzival and Kondwiramur. The mutual promise being given and witnessed, the contract was complete, and the marriage might be consummated at once. The office of the Church seems at first to have been confined to conferring a benediction on a union already completed, and therefore we find that, even so late as the thirteenth century, the religious ceremony followed, and did not precede, the marriage night. San Marte, in his note on the subject, quotes more than one romance of this date where this is the case, and it was not till the t idea of marriage as a sacrament had displaced that of marriage as a civil contract that the religious ceremony became essential to a valid union. The fact that Wolfram, with his high ideas of the binding nature of the marriage-vow, never once mentions the religious ceremony is a strong argument in favour of the presumption that the subject-matter of the Parurval is considerably older than his treatment of it. Marriage between a Christian and a heathen was held to be null and void, and, according to the ideas of the age, Herzeleide was fully within her rights in claiming Gamuret as her husband and in regarding his previous marriage as non-existent. The costly presents made by the bridegroom, as for Digitized by Cj oogle NOTES 3<tf instance the gift of Waleis and Norgals to Herreleide by her first husband, seem to have been a survival of the idea that the woman was property, to be bought by the intending husband. The bride, on her part, gave equally rich gifts, so we find Kondwiramur bestowing castles and lands on Parzival, and the mutual interchange of these gifts was an essential part of the marriage contract. Page 56, line 674—' The panther.' The badge of the House of Anjou was a leopard. Page 59, lines 744,745. The idea that a diamond might be softened by the application of a he-goat’s blood is very old. San Marte says it is mentioned by Pliny. Hartmann refers to it in his Ertc, and it seems to have been a general belief in the Middle Ages. The first two books of this poem are peculiar to Wolfram. Among the different versions of the Perceval legend which we possess there is a curious diversity of statement as to the parentage of the hero; though, as a rule, they agree in the main facts of the death of his father, either before, or shortly after, Perceval’s birth, and his being brought up in the desert by his widowed mother. With the Third Book we find ourselves on ground common to most transcribers of the legend; and in this and the following books a table of the traditional events contained in the book, with the other versions of the story in which they ocour, will be given. The following are the Romances of the Grail-cycle which deal more particularly with the Perceval legend:— Li Conte del Groat , poem by Chretien de Troyes ; left unfinished at Chretien’s death ; it was continued by three other writers; the poem as we have it, is the work of at least four different hands. Peredur: Welsh tale found in the Red Book of Hergest. Perceval: A French prose romance, ascribed by many critics to Robert de Borron. Sir Percyvelle of Galles: English metrical romance—author unknown. Perceval li Gallois : French prose romance, also by an unknown writer. TRADITIONAL EVENTS The son of a widowed mother; Brought up in the desert; Meeting with knights and departure for Arthur’s court. Meeting with Jeschut£, ' The Lady of the Ibid. Tent’ Meeting with SigunA In this place only in Perceval , later meeting in the other versions. Chritien : Peredur; Sir Percyvelle. Arrives at Arthur's court and demands All the versions, knighthood. Digitized by VjOOQ 1C 3o8 PARZ1VAL Meeting with the Red Knight; slays him; Chretien: Peredur, and Sir Percyvelle and takes his armour. closely agree as to die meeting. All agree as to the wearing of the red armour. In Perceval, alone, hero does not kHl the knight who originally owns it. Laughter of Kunnewaare; speech of Chretien: maiden and fool; P e r e dur ; Antanor and their smiting by Kay. dwarf and companion. Arrival at castle of old knight, who coun- Chrgtien : Sir Percyvelle. sels hero. (It will be found that, from Books til. to xm. inclusive, there is a very dose parallelism between Wolfram’s poem and Chretien’s share of Li Conte del GraaL) Introduction, lines 1-45. This introduction, like that to Book 1., appears to have been written after the completion of the poem, and to have been intended by the poet as a defence of his attitude towards women; certainly the lines 12-15 presuppose certain statements which had aroused the wrath of the lady hearers of the poet. The whole passage is interesting on account of its strongly personal character. In Book vi. Wolfram refers more than once to the lady who has wronged him (pp. 163,166, 191), and in terms that show, as here, that be bitterly resented her treatment The line * Born was 1 unto the bearing of knightly shield and spear,' is the only definite statement as to the poet’s rank in life which we possess, and in the light of his lasting fame as a poet it is curious to find him holding his gift of song as of less account than his knightly deeds, which do not seem to have been more remarkable than those of his fellows. From Book iv. p. 122, we learn that Wolfram was married, and, from the concluding lines of Books vi. and xvi., it is clear that the Parxival was composed with a view to winning, or retaining, the favour of a lady, but the only direct personal allusion through¬ out the entire poem is that to the Margravine of Heitstein in Book vm. p. 232, and the passage is too vague to allow of our identifying the lady named either with Wolfram’s faithless love, or with her for whose sake he composed his poem; certainly the Margravine was not his wife. Page 67, line 61—* Solianl's strand .' This is one of the many instances in the poem in which an adjective has been taken as a proper name. In the French source it was undoubtedly an adjective meaning * solitary,’ * waste.’ In Chr&ien we find lagaste forest soltaine ; other versions speak of the woods, or the desert, none but this gives a proper name. Page 69, line 158—* Utterleg's Count' Oultre-lac, * beyond the lake,' cf. Louis D’outremer. This is again on instance of a qualifying term used as a proper name. Page 72, line 220—' Meljakanx' This exploit is quite in keeping with the character of the knight, cf. Book vii. p. 198. In Malory we meet with the same character, as Sir Meliagraunce; and the story of his abduction of Guinevere, and her rescue by Launcekrt is there given in full. Page 72, line 240—‘ For some cunning wile of woman.' It is curious to note that nothing comes of these elaborate precautions on the part of Herxeleide. ParxivaTs fool’s dress seems to excite very little attention, nothing is said of it on his appearance at Arthur's court, nor do we bear of any one mocking him for it. The effect produced by his personal beauty is much more strongly insisted upon. There is also a decided dis¬ crepancy between the mother’s anxiety to keep her son from danger and her suggestions to him to avenge the wrong L&helein has done him. ^jOO Digitized by NOTES 3°9 Page 73, line a67—* L&ktlein.' CL Appendix A, and remarks on this character. Heinzel suggests that Lfihelein - Llewcllwyn, a prince of South Wales who conquered North Wales in 1015. But if a parallel between the boyhood of Parzival and that of Henry Fitz-Empress be intended, as seems probable, the Welsh connection is of too early a date. The remarks in Heinxel’s pamphlet, 4 Ueber Wolfram von Eschen bach’s Partival ,’ as to Iilheldn h«ing undoubtedly an historical ^personage, are worthy of note. It is remarkable that we find no equivalent to this character in other versions of the story. Page 74, line 987— 4 Britiljan's wood,* Most probably Broceliande, where so many of the adventures of King Arthur and his knights take place. Undoubtedly this wood was in Brittany, but the localities in the poem are much c onf used. Page 74, line 097— 1 Duke Orilus of Lalande,* This name is again a misconception of a French original, * U Orgueil/ous de-la-lande % which Wolfram has taken as a proper name. In other versions the lady is unnamed. (It may be noted that Wolfram almost invariably names his characters; and often goes to some trouble to connect them with each other, and the main thread of his story. This tendency to account for everything, sum motiviren , is a marked feature in Wolfram's writings.) Page 76, line 365— 4 Thy brother , King Lads son Erec .' An allusion to the Erec of Hartmann von Aue (founded upon Chretien’s Erec and dealing with the same subject as found in the Welsh tale of Geraint and the late L aurea te 's Enid) where the tournament at Prurein is described. Page 77, line 374—* Proud Galoes * The slaying alike of Parzival’s uncle Galoes, and of bis kinsman Schionatulander (p. 80) by Orilus, L&helein’s brother, is also peculiar to Wolfram, but it is curious that the Rache-motif thus introduced is not followed up, and when Parzival overthrows Orilus it is to avenge the shaming of Jeschutl, nor, though Orilus mentions his brother as having won two kingdoms, Book v. p. 150, does Parzival connect the mention with the loss of his own heritage. This seems to indicate that the special idle assigned in this poem to the two brothers was not a part of the original story, and has not been perfectly fitted into the framework. The name of Orilus’ wife, Jeschutl, is supposed to be derived from a misunderstand- ing, Wolfram having interpreted the vexhgisoit, lay, as a proper name. Page 77, line 375—' The knight Plihopleheri,* A knight of the Round Table men¬ tioned in Hartmann’s Iwdn (founded on Chretien’s Chevalier au Lyon , the subject- matter of which is the same as that of the Welsh Lady of the Fountain ). Page 78, line 409—This shaming of Jeschutl will strongly recall to English readers the story of Enid and Geraint, Page 79, line 437—' Siguni and Schionatulander* The loves of these two are related in Wolfram’s unfinished poem of Titurel, where the full account of Schionatulander’s fatal chase of the hound, or brachet, is given. The adventure with the weeping damsel occurs in other versions of the Perceval legend, but in none does she play so important a part as in the Partival , vide Book v. p. 141; Book UL p. 35a; and Book xvi. Her parentage is given in Book ix. p. 374. Page 79, line 466—* Thou art Partival * The interpretation here given of the hero’s name betrays clearly its French origin, Perce-val, In the Krone of Heinrich von Ttlrlin the writer explains Val as Thai— valley, or /wyA— furrow. Wolfram seems to have under¬ stood it in this second sense, and has given the name a symbolic meaning peculiar to him¬ self. In Chretien’s poem no derivation or interpretation of the name is given, and the bero himself guesses his name; nor do the special terms of endearment, evidently quoted by Wolfram from a French source, occur in Chretien's version of the story. Page 80, line 497— % 'Twas a churl,* Wolfram’s aristocratic contempt for peasants may be noted in other passages, ct Book n. p. 43, and vu. p. 319. Digi 5d by 3io PARZIVAL Page 81, line 517—‘ Herr Hartmann von Ant.* Hartmann von Aue was a famous German poet of the twelfth century. If not absolutely the first to introduce the Arthurian legends into Germany (Eilhart’s Tristan is earlier than Hartmann's works), be was the writer who first rendered them popular in that country. His principal poems are Ertc, written about 1191; and Iwein 120a, both of which are frequently referred to by Wolfram. They were founded on two poems by Cbr&ien de Troyes, Erec and Lt Chevalier au Lyon, but Hartmann was not a mere translator; he handled his materials with considerable skill, and with an insight into the characters and motives of his dramatis personae which is distinctly a feature of the German presentment of these legends. Enid and her mother Karnafite are characters in the Erec . The story of another of Hartmann's poems, Der arme Heinrich, is well known to English readers through Longfellow's version of it in The Golden Legend . Page 8a, line 534—' No Kurmnal was his teacher .’ Kurwenal is the friend and tutor of Tristan. In Malory we find the name ' Gouvernail,’ and it seems probable that here again we have a term denoting an office converted into a proper name. Page 82, line 549— ‘ It her of Gaheveiss. ' Ither—Welsh Ider; Gahe viess — gas-vies, old wood. Chrttien calls him 1 de la forkt de Kinkerloi Page 82, line 544 —* The Red Knight .' This character is evidently one of the tradi¬ tional features of the story; though the circumstances of the meeting differ, there is no version without its ' Red Knight.' In those romances of the Grail-cycle in which P er cev al has been deposed from his original position as hero in favour of Galahad, we find the latter wearing the armour, and bearing the title, of the Red Knight Here again Wolfram is the only writer who names him, but it is somewhat startling to find the king of Cumberland claiming Brittany . From Book ix. pp. 273 and 285, we learn that he was Paraval’s kinsman. It may be interesting here, and may help to the better understanding of the poem, if we describe the armour of a knight at the end of the twelfth century. The principal piece of defensive armour was the Hauberk (Halsberg), a coat formed of rings of steel which reached to the knee, and had sleeves ending in iron gauntlets. Attached to this, and forming one piece with the Halsberg, was the H&rsenier, a cap of chain mail which was drawn over the head below the helmet. The upper part of the face was pro¬ tected by the ' Nasen-band,' a band of iron provided with eye-holes; and the lower part by the * Fint&le,' a part of the 1 H&rsenier* which passed round and over the chin ; above this the helmet was fastened. (The use of the word 'visor* in the translation is an anachronism, as the visor proper was not introduced till later, but there was no other word which would express what was meant with equal brevity and clearness.) Foot and leg were clad in hose of iron, and the knee and elbow were specially protected by plates of iron or schinnelier. Over this harness many knights wore the Wagen-rock, a long sleeveless garment of silk on which the badge of the knight was embroidered in gold and jewels. The sword was girt above this garment. The knight would also bear his distinguishing badge on helmet, shield, and the truncheon of his spear. The shield was of wood, strengthened with bands of metal, and often decorated with precious stones, cf. the descrip¬ tion of Feirefis' shield in Book XV. The shield was long-shaped, three-cornered, and was held in the left hand close to the body, the spear was carried in the right, so that the home was guided by the knee , not by the hand, of the rider. The spear was a blade of steel, set into a long heft of wood, or reed, Rohr, probably Bamboo, sometimes even the rough trunk of a young tree, as in Book iv. p. 519. Shield and spear were alike painted In the same colours as the robe of the knight, and the horse had a like covering of silk beneath the saddle and over the coat of mail with which it was protected. The description given by Wolfram of the arms and accoutrement of the Red Knight of Farzival, Book rv. p. 19, and Orilus, Book v. pp. T47-T48, seq. , will give a very clear idea of the appearance of a knight in full battle-array. NOTES 3” Page 83, line 570—' To tht Table Round I came .' Here we find an allusion to two methods of laying claim to a property. There seems a difference of opinion as to the first; Simrock holds that the pouring out of the wine constituted the claim ; Bartsch, that the point of the action lay in carrying off some part of the property claimed. This s ee ms the more probable interpretation, the pouring out of the wine then, as well as the sprinkling the queen, would be accidental. In Chrttien the indignation of long and queen at the insult is far more strongly emphasised. The burning of a wisp of straw, as a declaration of rights claimed, is mentioned by Grimm in his Deutsche Rechtsaltertkiimer. Page 83, line 586—' Iwanet.' The diminutive of Iwein, the well-known hero of Hartmann's poem (the Owain, son of Urien of Rheged, of Welsh tradition). Page 83— 4 Parnval at the court of King Arthur .' There are some distinctive features in Wolfram's version of this incident. Parrival's behaviour towards the King, though unconventional, is far less discourteous than that ascribed to him either by Chrfitien or by the English 4 Sir Percyvelle.' In Chretien's poem, Perceval rides into the hall, where he finds the king and courtiers plunged in grief at the insult offered to them by the Red Knight. The king does not reply to Perceval's greeting, and the lad rides so close to him that his horse's head knocks off the king’s cap. A reason for the failure of the Knights of the Round Table to avenge the insult offered by the Red Knight is sug¬ gested in the fact that they are already wounded in battle. [The student of Irish heroic saga cannot fail to recall the strange disability under which the knights of Conchobor’s court suffered at times and which completely prostrated them. The province of Ulster would have lain defenceless were it not that the Cuchulainn alone was free from the disability, and single-handed defied the men of the rest of Ireland. There are many points of contrast between the enfances of Cuchulainn and those of Perceval.—A.N.] The kindly feel¬ ing shown both by Arthur and Guinevere towards Ither is not paralleled in Chrfitien, where the Red Knight is represented as Arthur’s deadliest foe, and Guinevere is like to die of shame and wrath at the insult offered to her. Chretien also places Perceval's refusal to dismount here, whereas Wolfram places it on his arrival at Guraemanz’ castle. In Chretien the hero tells the Red Knight of his intention to demand his armour from Arthur, and there is no trace of the courteous and poetical greeting which Ither here addresses to ParzivaL The confusion of the Red Knight with the hero's own personal foe is of course due to the introduction of the Lkhelein episode which is peculiar to Wolfram; but Chrfitien has a most curious passage connected with Perceval's inability to disarm his dead antagonist:

4Ains auroie par carboo&s
Trestout escarbellifc le mort, Que nule des annes enport; * which as it stands is decidedly difficult of interpretation; while in the English Sir Percy- velle we find the hero saying:

4My moder bad me,
Wheane my dart solde broken* be Owte of the irene brenne the tree,' which evidently indicates the source of Chretien's curious remark. An examination of the different versions seems to show that, while the German is the fuller and more poetical, the French is here closer to the original form of the story. Pages 85 and 86, lines 635, 658—* Kay the Seneschal ,' The character of Kay is one of the problems of the Arthurian legends. In all the tales he is represented as filling the office of Seneschal, and in all he is represented as a man of rough manners, violent temper, and bitter tongue. The Seneschal {Senes-scha/h), the oldest servant, was master of the Digitized by * L.oogle PAHZ1VAL ceremonies, one at the chief personages of a royal household, and not uafreqaeatly the trusted confidant of the king; but such a ch as tisem ent as Kay here, and in other wninas, inflicts upon Kunnewaare, was distinctly outsido his office, and, taking into c oM i derat ion the standing of Kunnewaare and Antanor, quite inconceivable. Here, as in other instances, we base traces of an original tradition dating from a time when a far rougher code of manners and customs obtained. Wolfram, while adhering closely to bis source, and to the traditional r ep rese n tation of Kay’s character, was evidently extremely pooled by the undignified and discourteous part allotted to him, and in Book vi. (p. 169) he diverges from the story in order to explain what be feels to be a difficulty, and to defend Kay at some length. The Northern French poets apparently felt the same, and as Kay is generally represented as Arthur’s foster-brother they invented the fable that the unknightly traits in his character were due to his having been committed to the care of a peasant nurse when his mother took charge of the infant Arthur. Page 85, line 65a— 1 The maiden Kunnewaare.' The * laughing damsel' seems to be an archaic and misunderstood dement in the Grail romances. A common incident of folk-tales is for the hero, fool, lout, or tatterdemalion, to win to wife a princess who has not laughed or spoken for years by inducing her to do either of these things. Some such incident has apparently been woven into an heroic romance, the main outlines of which were already fixed, so that the actual conclusion, marriage of the hero with the laughing damsel, has been disturbed. Note, however, the homage paid by Panival to Kunne- waare, and her evident affection for him (Bode vi. pp. 181-185). Her name too is sug¬ gestive, it has been derived from la fueele a la gaunt vaire (the maiden with the coloured robe), but in its present form it is suspiciously like Kondwiramur, and it should be noted that it is the rejected lover of this queen whom Kunnewaare eventually marries. Is it possible that the Perceval romance from which both Chretien and ' Kiot ’ drew contained doublets of this personage? In the one case in her original, in the other in a modified form. An instructive parallel may be adduced from the saga of Cuchulainn. He is the hero of an Andromeda episode and should by rights wed the delivered heroine, but the story being already fixed before the episode was assimilated,-the heroine is passed on to a companion of the hero.—[A.N.]. Page 89, line 766—' Jdaestricht, or e'en Cologne.' German art, in the early Middle Ages, readied its highest level in the Rhenish provinces, especially at Cologne. Page 91, line 8a6—* Gumeman* of Grakart.' The old knight who instructs the hero in knightly duties is a traditional part of the story, and belongs to most of the ver¬ sions. In Peredur, he is identified with the Fisher King, Perceval’s unde. In Chrttien his name is given as Gonemans of Gelbort; in Gerbert, Chretien’s continuator, he is, Gomemant (one of several points of contact between Gerbert and Wolfram's source). Page 91, line 847—* He bade them lead the guest in.* This is one of the many passages which afford an interesting glimpse of the maimers and customs of a bygone age. It may be well to summarise here what we know of the reception and tre a tment of a guest in the Middle Ages. If a strange knight rode into the court-yard of a castle he was received by squires and pages, who held his bridle and assisted him to dismount The guest was then conducted to a chamber where he was disarmed and provided with suitable robes. In every important household there was a KUider-hammer, or wardrobe, presided over by a chamberlain, whose office it was to see that all guests were provided with garments fitted to their station. The preparation of these dresses was the work of the women of the household, and it can have been no light task, as even if a whole company arrived they would all expect to be provided with the requisite dress. The guest, being robed, was then conducted to the great Hall, which was in the upper story of the rei gtle Half-way on the staircase leading to it, he would be met, and welcomed with the kiss of greeting, by Digitized by Google NOTES 5»3 both host Md hostess (eL Book w, p. 107), sod led by them into the Hall whets be would receive the fleeting of the assembled company. When att were sea l ed the gnest would say who be was, and whence be came, but, if he kept silence on this point, it was not etiquette to ask him till the next morning (cl Book m. p. 95). The evoking meal then followed, after which, on occasions of great festivity, such as that recounted in Book xui. (marriage feast of Gawain and Orgehise) there would be dancing, otherwise the time seems to have been spent in conversation till the appearance of the wine-cup, Nackt Trunk, gave the signal Tor separation. Then knights conducted the guest to his chamber, where pages disrobed him, and apparently waited with lighted tapers till he fell asleep. The account given here of Parxival’s visit to Gurnemanx gives a very good idea of bow the following day would be spent, indeed Wolfram's love for detailed description, and accuracy of statement render this poem peculiarly valuable to a student of the manners and customs of the Middle Ages. From various hints in the Gawain episodes, notably Books x. and xi., it seems as if the privilege extended to a guest might on occasion be construed with a freedom decidedly repellent to modern ideas. Page 96, lines 984, 985—* Full five shall thy senses be,* Cf. Book ix. p. aoo. Page 98, line 1055—' The prince bade his daughter hither,* The introduction of Gurnemanx' daughter, and her incipient love affair with Parzival is peculiar to this version. There is a curious discrepancy to be noted between the apparent susceptibility of the hero here and in Book ix. pp. 260, 261, and his indifference to feminine charms displayed elsewhere, notably in bis rejection of Orgeluse's advances and neglect of the CbAteau Merveil adventure. The latter presentment seems most in accordance with Parzival’s character; is the susceptibility to be ascribed to the poet} Page 99, line 1080—‘ I lose once mart a sen, ' The sons of the old knight are mentioned in other versions, but Wolfram alone names them. The circumstances of Scheateflur's death are recounted in Book iv. p. 121; the account given of the other two sons is largely borrowed from Hartmann's Erec, where die strife for the hawk at Kanedig, and the venture, Schoie-de-la-kurt (which is not a person, but an expedition), is fully recounted. Brandigan is Klamide’s kingdom, cf. Book iv.; Mabonagrein, bis cousin, Book iv. p. 123. Mabaut is another form of the name Matilda. From Titurel we learn that Gurxgrei and Mahaut were the parents of Schionatulander, Sigunl's lover, cf. also Book vm. p. 245 and note. TRADITIONAL EVENTS Arrival at besieged city; maiden of the"! castle b eseeches the hero's aid; over -1 Chretien and his continuator Gerbert; Pere- throwal of her enemies and final marriage f dur; Sir Percyvelle. with maiden. J Name of the maiden; Chrfttien, Blancbe-fleur; Sir Percyvelle Lufamour; Peredur unnamed. Page T03, line 17—' Who rideth astray , etc.* According to Simrock this passage in the original contains a play upon words which cannot be reproduced in tranriatkxi: Siegel—schlegel, the word employed for axe here, signifying, in some parts of Germany, * a Mien tree.' Digitized by Google 3H PARZIVAL Page 104, line a6—‘ The city o/Ptlraf&r' In Chretien the name of the city is * Bean- repaire,* of which this is evidently the German rendering. The substitution of p for b is still a distinguishing mark of German pronunciation of French. In Sir Percyvelle it is ' the maiden land.' Page 104, line 38—* The King KlamiiL' This character is named by Wolfram and Chrttien only; in Peredur he is the Earl; in Sir Percyvelle , 'Sowdane.' Chrttien calls him * Clamadex/ and it is worthy of note that in Perceval li Gallois the son of the Red Knight slain by Perceval is called 1 Clamadas,’ evidently a variant of the same name. Page 105, line 78—‘ A/y lord the Count of WerlAeim . 1 Wertheim is in Lower Franconia. Bartsch 'thinks either Poppo 1. or his son Poppo 11. is referred to here. From the expression used, ‘ my lord,' it seems as if Wolfram had at one time been in his service. Page 106, line 89— 4 Trilhmding.' There are three places of this name in the neigh¬ bourhood of Eschenbach: Hohen, Alten, and Wasser-Trtlhending. The latter is still famous for its krapfen , a kind of pancake. Page 107, line 119—' Kiot ofKotelangen (i.e. Catalonia) and Manfilot' Kiot is the father of Sigunl, and appears again in Book xvi. The account of his marriage with Schoisiane, her death, and his subsequent adoption of the life of a hermit will be found in Book ix. p. 874. From Wolfram's unfinished poem of Titurtl we learn that Manfilot was bis companion. Page 107, line 133—' The twain Isolde .' An allusion to Isolde la Belle, the wife of King Mark of Cornwall, and mistress of Sir Tristan ; and Isolde of the white hand. Tristan's wife. Page 109, line 008, seq.—* Till the cry of heart-sorrow woke him.* This nocturnal visit of the Lady of the castle to the hero’s chamber seems to be part of the original tradi¬ tion, and it is evident by the apologetic manner in which Wolfram tells the story that be is somewhat puzzled by Kondwiramur's conduct. From the Introduction to Book til, and also from the blame he bestows on Chrfitien for having done a wrong to the story. Diese Afdre unrecht gethan, we gather that Wolfram set a high value on fidelity to his source, and these and similar apologetic passages must be explained by the unwillingness of the poet to depart from the traditional form of the legend, while, at the same time, the story, representing as it did the manners and customs of an earlier and ruder period, was somewhat distasteful to him. Page no, line 243—‘ Kingron the Seneschal. ' This character is Aguigrenons in Chrfitien, elsewhere he is unnamed. Mr. York Powell points out that Wolfram's form presupposes an Agingrenons, which would either indicate that the existing MSS. of Chre¬ tien, or Chretien himself, misread u for », or that Wolfram did not get his version by ear as he maintains (or that Wolfram was following a source other than Chretien). Page Z14, line 365. seq .—* The marriage night.* A similar account is given by Ger- bert, one of the continuators of Chretien. (Chretien himself does not record the marriage, which takes place on a later visit of the hero to Beau-repaire.) In Gerbert’s version we have an indication of later influence, as the motive-power is the recognition by both Perceval and his bride of the superiority of virginity to the married state. Wolfram's version seems for more in accordance with the character of the hero, and is probably closer to the original form of the story. Page 116, line 400—' Galogandres, Duke of Gippones .' This character and Count Narant only appear here. Uckerland is probably a corruption of Oultrdand, as noted in Book iil Page 118, line 505—* Gringor*.' The French Gringoire— Gregory. All this account of Digitized by Google NOTES Kbmktt’s arms, charger, etc., is peculiar to Wolfram; whose fondness for minute -and descriptive detail is a noticeable characteristic. Pagp xax, line 598—' Dianasdron' Dinaderon en Gales in Chr&ien, who does not mention KarminoL In the roll of King Arthur’s knights we find such names as Sir Dinas, Sir Dinant, Sir Dinadan; all of which seem to come from the same root The name is probably Keltic, and belongs to the original version of the story. Page 123, line 660— ‘ Mabonagrein.* Cf. Book m. p. 108 and note. I BOOK V TRADITIONAL EVENTS Hero meets with the Fisher King; visits the Chr&ien and continuators: Peredur; Per- Grail Castle, sees the Grail, lance, etc., but ceval; Perceval li Gallois. (Sir Percyvelle asks no question, and is therefore reproached omits everything connected with the Grail.) by maiden with dead knight. (The reader will find all this part of the legend, the varying forms of the visit to the Grail Castle, the Fisher King, the Grail, etc., fully discussed in Mr. Alfred Nutt's Studies on the Legend tf the Holy Grail .) Page 131, line Abenberg*s field.' Castle and town of Abenberg, in the neigh¬ bourhood of Eschenbach. Page 131, line 75—‘ Repante de Schoie* This name appears to signify 'Thought of joy. ’ The Grail maidens are not named in other versions. Page 13a, line 87—' Then one to the host would call him* This was evidently the Court Jester, always a privileged person. Page 133, lines 109, no—‘ Lignum Aloe* Bartsch holds this to be a mistake of the poet, who has misunderstood the old French word A loer, Chretien has simply seces hoists. ' Wildberg ’ was the home of the poet, who is here making allusion to his poverty, as in Book iv. p. 106. Page 132, line hi— 'And the host had bid them lay him.* * The Maimed King* invariably figures in the Grail Romances, whether they deal only with the Quest, as here, or with the early history of the Grail. He is generally wounded through the thighs, either with a lance, or with a sword, but the circumstances under which be receives the wound vary greatly. In most of the versions he is met with while engaged in fishing, and is known as the Fisher King, or the ' Rich Fisher.' Page 13a, line 195—' The bleeding lance* This is a feature in most of the Grail Romances, and seems to have been an original feature of the story, though it had not the close connection with the Grail, which the fully developed Christian legend has g i ven to iL In the earlier versions of the story it is the weapon with which the Maimed King was wounded; finally, it became the spear with which our Lord's side was pierced on the cross. Wolfram, who never appears to connect the Grail with the Passion, gives it the first mean¬ ing. The visit to the Grail Castle is told in varying forms, but the King, the Grail, Sword, and Lance almost invariably appear, and the hero is either Perceval or bis companion Gawain, but Perceval is, undoubtedly, the original hero of the Quest. Page 133, line 137 and seq.—' The Grail P^oc^^i^ In Cbrttien 'this is much more 3* PAJtZIVAL simply t reated . There are two squirts bearing candlesticks, and two maidens, one of whom carries the Grail, the other a silver dish, tedlloor, Wolfram has evidently the opportunity to give play to his love of detailed description, and his account of the Grail Feast and the Gaul Maidens is far more elaborate than any given e lse wh ere. Page 136, line 223—* The food-supplying pouters of the Grail* In other romances of the cycle we find similar powers attributed to the GraiL Malory, who borrowed largely from the Quest* and Grand S. Graal, gives a like account There is evidently a con¬ nection between this feature of the Grail, and the food-supplying talismans which figure largely in the legendary lore of most countries. Page 137, line 247—* A squire who a sword did bear, CL p. 144, lines 472 and seq. This incident also occurs in Chidden, and in varying form in most of the versions. In this poem the meaning and use of the sword are somewhat inexplicable. In Chrttien the word will break in one peril, known only to its maker, and then can be made whole by dipping it in a lake. Wolfram’s account seems to be based on a misunderstanding of a French original. In some of the other versions the sword is already broken, and can only be made whole by the achiever of the Quest In Wolfram the sword is a very puzzling feature of the story, with which indeed it seems to have little or no connection. The sword, which breaks in Parzival's deadly combat with his unknown brother, is not this sword, bat the one taken from Ither of Gaheviess. Page 137, line 267— * The fairest of old men ancient .’ Titurel, cf. Book IX. p. 287. Page 137, line 273— "Tis a symbol good, the bowstring .’ Introduction to Book*!., line 9, and note. Page 139, line 325—* The garden of Paradise* This is one of the allusions which seem to connect the Grail in Wolfram’s version with an Oriental source, cf. p. 135. Page 141, line371—' A hidden hand drew the rope taut* Chrttien has the incident of the drawbridge rising, but in no other version are the reproaches addressed to the hero immediately on his leaving the castle, they are invariably put into the mouth of the maiden with the dead knight In the Perceval the maiden's words, 4 The Lord hates thee/ recall Wolfram’s Ihr suit varen dersunnen has, which Bartsch says is an ancient formula of declaring a person accurst, and unworthy of the fight of day. Page 141, line 381 —'Doubled the throw of sorrow.* CL Book nr. p. 100; Book 11. p. 47. Similes borrowed from games of chance are not unusual in this poem. Page 141, line 397— 1 A woman*s voice make moan.* This meeting with the maiden after the visit to the Grail Castle is in most versions the only one. In Chrttien she now tells the hero his name which he learns or guesses for the first time. It was not improb¬ ably this incident which led either Wolfram, or bis source, to place a first meeting earlier in the story while still retaining one in the original position. Wolfram, with characteristic love for detail, follows up the history of Siguirt for more fully than other writers of the cycle. Page 14a, line 427—‘ Afonsalvdsch,* Probably * Mont Sauvage,' in allusion to its wild and lonely position. A full account of the Grail and Its keepers is given in Book ix. pp. 270, 271. Page 143, line 463—* Lustete.' A character in Hartmann's /wein , from which the episode is quoted. Cf. Book IX. p. 252, and opening of Book xir. Page 144, line 475—' Trebuchet.* This name is also given in Chrttien; he Is alluded to again p. 147, and in Book ix. p. 281, in connection with the knives of silver men¬ tioned in line 498 of this book. Page 147, line 595—* Tenabroc.' Also p. 133, line 146.. This name is borrowed from Hartmann's Erec. Chrttien has * Danebroc/ Page 147, line 6ox—' Beblunan.' According to Bartsch this name is combined from Digitized by Google NOTES Provencal, fox/, fair; eman, height—' the fair height,' which would suit very well with the position of Angers, the capital of Anjou. Page 15a, line 760—' Wild Taurian, Dodimds brother* Cl Book ix. p. 965. Tasrian does not seem to have been identified, but Dodme appears, in many of the Arthurian romances, always with the title of ' Le Saovage.' So we find him named in Malory. Wolfram seemed to hare transferred the characteristic from one brother to the other. Page 155, line 849 —*lefreit the son of Idol' This is the French name Geoffrey. Me n tio n ed again in Book vi. line 168. Most critics identify this diameter with Cindtkn’s GijUs H fins Do. TRADITIONAL EVENTS Blood drops on the snow and love-trance Chrfitien: Peredur. of hero. Overthrows Kay and Segramor. (Perceval Li Gallois relates a similar in¬ cident of Gawain.) Hero is cursed by Grail messenger for his Chrttien: Peredur. failure to ask the question. (In Perceval there is a cursing by Merlin.) Page 159, line a —'From Karidol and his kingdom* Karidol—Carduel or Cardoile, the Anglo-Norman form of Carlisle. This is undoubtedly Arthur's original capital, but throughout this poem Nantes seems to be regarded as the royal city. Curiously enough we find the two names combined in Gautier de Doulens, one of the continuators of Li Conte del Graal, who introduces, as one of his dramatis persona, Carduel of Nantes. Page 160, line 99—* Whitsuntide.' An examination of the Romances will show this statement to be correct; Pentecost and Christinas seem to have been the two feasts held in especial honour at King Arthur's court PWge x6o, line 49—* Blood-drops on the snow.* Both Wolfram and Cbrttien insist only on the two colours, red and white, and the fact that they are putried by, and think it necessary to explain, the presence of snow at Whitsuntide shows that they are taking over the incident from an older source. As a matter of,fact it is to be found in tales unconnected with the Arthurian cycle, and of varying nationality. In Peredur (Webb) a raven has settled upon the body of a wild goose killed by a falcon, and the hero thinks of three colours (black, for hair; white, for skin; red, for cheeks); in the Fate of the Sons of Usntch, an Irish tale written down before the middle of the twelfth century, and probably centuries older, these three colours are likewise present, but it is a calf instead of a wild goose that is slain, and it is the heroine, not the hero, who is fascinated by the colours. The incident has always been a favourite one with Celtic story-tellers (ci Argyll ^ Tales, M'I ones and Nutt, pp. 431-34), and curiously it is the slai n-bird, instead of the diakarcalf version which predominates, although the Fate of the Sons of Usneeh is probably the most famous of all Irish stories, and no traceable literary influence of the Welsh tale upon Irish romance is known. Those familiar with Grimm's fairy tales will remember a similar incident in the story of Snowdrop, where the queen pricks her finger, and wishes for a daughter with hair as black as the ebony window-frame, skin as white as the snow, and cheeks as red as the blood; but here, of co urs e , the • fa e rin a rio n* Digitized by vJiOO^lC PARZIVAL element is absent. I have attempted to show (' the lai of Etidoc and the mttrchen of Schneewittchen,’ Folk Lore, iii. i), that the Gaelic version of the Schneewittchen type of story represents the earliest attainable form of the story.—[A.N.]. Page 16a, line 87—* Segramor ,’ or Saigremors. This knight is a familiar figure in the Arthurian Romances, and the episode is quite in accordance with his general character. Chrfttien calls him * Le Desre&' (uncurbed, impetuous). In Malory^>e is * Le Desirous.’ Cf. also Book viii. p. 341. Page 163, line 121—' To seek for the magic pheasant * Simrock thinks this an allusion to a popular folk-tale, in which a magician, condemned to death, contrives to escape by setting his judges and executioner to seek for the fallen bird, by the irresistible strains of his magic pipe. Page 166, line 335—' Heinrich of Veldeck.' A German poet who lived towards the end of the twelfth century. His translation of the sCneid, founded on a French version of the poem, was extremely popular, and Wolfram frequently refers to it in his Partival . Page 169, line 331—' Herman of Thuringia .’ This Landgrave of Thuringia is well known to history as a generous patron qf the literature of his day. His court at the Wart- burg was the resort of all the leading poets, and it filled a place in the literary life of the twelfth century only comparable to that taken by the neighbouring court of Weimar six hundred years later. The terms in which Wolfram speaks of the guests at the Wartburg is quite in keeping with what is known of the Landgrave’s lavish hospitality. Simrock renders a passage from Walther von der Vogelweide which describes the tumultuous life of the court as follows: ‘ Wer in den Ohren siech ist oder lcrank im HaupC, Der meide ja Thuringen’s Hof, wenn er mir glaobt Kim er dahin, er wOrde ganz bethdret; Ich drang so lange zu, dasc ich nkht mehr vermag, Ein Zng flhrt ein, ein andrer aus, so Nacht als Tag, Ein wunder ists, dass da noch Jemand hftret.’ The Wartbnrg-krieg, a poem of the end of the thirteenth century, in which the prin¬ cipal poets of the age are r ep re s ented as competing in song before the Landgrave, supposes this contest to take place in 1307, and is doubtless an echo of what was no unusual incident at that date. Wolfram’s poem of WiUehalm was composed at the wish of the Landgrave, and in it he speaks of the death of bis patron. Herman died in xax6, and the brilliant life at the Wartburg came to an end; his successor Ludwig, the husband of S. Elizabeth, having little taste for literature. Page 169, line 335— 'And so Knight Walter singeth .’ Walther von der Vogdweide, one of the most famous of German lyric poets, was of knightly birth but small means; be seems to have supported himself by his art, leading a wandering life at the principal courts of his day. Of his connection with Wolfram nothing is known, save the fact of their being together at the court of the Landgrave Herman in the early years of the thirteenth century. The line here quoted does not occur in any of Walther's extant poems. Page 169, line 338—' Heinrich of Rispach .* Nothing seems to be known of the character here referred to. From the fact that there is a R c isbach in the neighbourhood of Eschenbach, Bartsch conjectures that it was some one personally known to Wolfram. Page 171, line 385 —* The time when the knife's sharp blade* Wolfram is here quoting from an unknown source. No such adventures are recorded in any Romance that has come down to us; but they are quite in keeping with Gawain's character. Page 176, line 539—' The right of the Round Table * This custom is alluded to in other Arthurian Romances, and we meet with it again in Book xiil Here Wolfram to imply merely that the king did not eat in public with his knights, Le. at the Round Digitized by Google NOTES 3*9 Table, before they had heard of some knightly venture; in Book xin. he speaks as if no meal might be partaken of by any of the courtiers till this came to pass. The first rendering seems to be the correct one. [The whole incident is thoroughly in keeping with the conventions of early Irish romance, in which die personages are invariably subject to strict rules and obligations, geasa, to use the Irish word.—AN.] Page 177, line 585—* The Grail Messenger' This incident occurs in both Cbr&ien and Feredur, but the messenger is unnamed, or simply termed 'The Loathly Damsel.' Such a damsel is met with in the Ptrceval , but when she reaches King Arthur's Court she is transformed into a maiden of surpassing beauty. It will be noted that one of the queens imprisoned in Ch&teau Merveil also bears the name of Kondrie (p. 189). Mr. Nutt, in his Studies on the Legend of the Holy Grail , suggests this was originally the Loathly Damsel released from the transforming spell (It may be noted that Wagner has kept this idea, and in the first act his Kundry is the Loathly Messenger; in the second, ' Kondrie la Belle.') Chretien’s description of Kondrie’s appearanqe is even more repulsive than Wolfram’s. In Book X. we have a curious account of the origin of these strange people. [The ' Loathly Damsel' is one of those personages .that most clearly testify to the reliance of the romance-writers upon a traditional popular basis, and also in this instance to the specific Celtic origin of that popular basis. A commonplace of folk-tales of the 'task' class is that the hero is helped by a personage having private ends of his or her own to'Serve) as, until the hero achieves the Quest (which he never does unaided), the helper cannot be released from a spell, generally of transformation into an animal, but sometimes into a shape of surpassingl^Dideous ugliness. The oldest European variant of this latter type with which I am acquainted is to be found in an Irish folk-tale imbedded in the so-called Cormac’s Glossary, a compilation of the tenth century. I have given this in full {Argyllshire Tales , M'Innes and Nutt, pp. 467,468). In its outri horror the description of the bespelled king's son strikingly recalls that of Kundrie. Such a task story, in which the hero is helped by a transformed personage, who cannot be delivered until the Quest is achieved, is one of tbe main staples of the Perceval cycle, but it is only in the Welsh tale of Peredur that tbe incident appears in a straightforward and intelligible form. The sodden transformation from foulness to radiant beauty is met with in another connection earlier in Ireland than elsewhere in Europe: tbe incident of the Perilous Kiss, in which the embrace of a courteous knight frees a bespelled damsel from loathly disguise, an incident frequently associated with Gawain, is, as I have shown (Academy, April 30, 1899), of early occurrence in Ireland. Another element which goes to the complex individuality of Kundrie can be paralleled from early Irish romance. As the female messenger of the fairy dynasty of Mazadan, she corresponds to Leborcbam, the female messenger of tbe semi- mythic King Conchobor, the head and centre of tbe oldest Irish cycle of heroic romance. Like Kundrie, Leborcham was of startling and unnatural hideousness, and she is brought into special connection with Cuchulainn the chief hero of tbe Ulster cycle, as Kundrie is with Perceval the chief hero of one group of tbe Arthur romances.—AN.] Plage 181, line 697—‘ Chdleam Merveil .’ The adventure of this magic castle, achieved by Gawain, is related at length in Book xi. Page 184, line 806—* Kingrimursel.' Tbe name of this character in Cbrfitien is Gmgambresil, of which this is evidently the German rendering. Here, again, Wolfram either heard or read Gingambresil Page 185, line 839—‘ Trihalibot' This is India. Page x86, line 859—' The heathen queen <f Ianfus' The name of this queen, we find from line 1009, was Ekuba; one of the few classical names we find in this poem. Page 189, line 977—' The Greek, Sir Klias This is Cligts, the hero of Chretien’s Digitized by vj oogle PARZIVAL poem of that name, son of the Grade Emperor Alexander and Surdaraour, sister to Gawain, cf. Book xil Malory has Sir Qegis, probably the same name. Page 190, line 1002— 4 Twelve spears of Angram.' Angram was probably in India, and noted for its steel Oraste-Genteaein seems to be the name of the country from which the reed, or bamboo, was brought Cf. Book yii. pp. 2x8, 219. TRADITIONAL EVENTS Meeting with army of Meljanx of Lys; Gawain takes part in the tournament, and overthrows Meljans. Chr&ien: Perceval relates the same incident, with the difference that Perceval overcomes both Gawain and Melians. Introduction, line 1-16—This passage is somewhat obscure, but the meaning appears to be that the poet thinks he may possibly be blamed for leaving the history of Parzhral his chief hero, to follow the fortunes of Gawain; and would excuse himself for so doing by the plea of fidelity to his source. Very few of the romances of this date can be considered original works in the sense in which we would now employ that term; they were mostly a re-statement, or re-combining of traditional material, and it was a point of honour to adhere closely, in the march of incident, to the original form, though the poet was free to do as Wolfram has done, and introduce personal and contemporary allusions, or give his own interpretation of the meaning of the tale. The fact that Wolfram here so strongly blames those who depart from the traditional form of the story, and at the end of his poem specially accuses Chretien of having sinned in this way, seems a strong argument against the theory that Chrdtien, and Chrfetien alone, was Wolfram’s source of information. Pagei95, lines—' Gawain .* Gauvain (French), Gvtchlmai (Welsh). In all the earlier ver¬ sions of the Grail story this knight plays a part only secondary to that of the chief hero Perceval Certain episodes of which he is sole hero, in Chretien as in Wolfram, break the course of the Perceval story, though Wolfram, with considerable skill, has brought them into close connection with the main thread of the legend. With Chretien's continuaiors, too. Gawain is an important character, he also visits the Grail Castle and fails to ask the question; and a German version of the Grail legend, Diu Krdne, by Heinrich von Turlin, makes him the chief hero, it is he who achieves the Quest and heals Anfortas. It is noticeable that none of the earlier versions know anything of either Lancelot or Galahad as Grail-seekers; Wolfram does mention the former, but only incidentally, and throughout bis poem be evidently looks upon Gawain as the typical Arthurian knight, the pride and glory of die Round Table. It is curious that, though he feels himself compelled to apologise for some of the characters, to make an elaborate defence for Kay, and find excuses for Kondwiramur, Wolfram never has a word of blame for Gawain, and strong as the contrast is between his morality and that of Parzival, he certainly never draws a comparison to the disadvantage of the former; as husband of Orgeluse and lord of the Cbftteau Merveil, Gawain's lot in life is brilliant enough to awaken the envy of Kay who is jealous for King Arthur’s honour. The whole presentment of Gawain in the poem is an eloquent commentary on the moral teaching of the original Arthurian legend, of which he is the oldest representative. Later compilers seem to have felt this, and as the legend gradually became eedesiastidsed, and assumed the form of a religious romance, so the original heroes of the story were Digitized by Google NOTES gradually supplanted by others, whose characters, in the opinion of monkish compilers lent ' themselves more to purposes of moral edification. Thus Perceval the married man was , forced to yield to Galahad the celibate, and, though he was never driven out of the story, j was relegated to a secondary position; and Gawain, whose character in the early romances defied any attempt at converting him into a moral example, became merely a foil 1 to the superior virtue of his companions, while the adventures originally ascribed to him , were passed over to the repentant sinner Lancelot The order of Grail heroes seems to have been as follows: Perceval, Gawain ; Perceval, Gawain, Lancelot; Galahad, Perceval, and Lan c elot. It is in this last order that they have come down to us through Malory’s redaction of the legends. Page 196, line 34—* The stud from Monsalvdsch came.* Cf. Book IX. p. 273, where ParrivaTs possession of a Grail-steed leads to his being mistaken for L&hekan. Page 198, line 96—‘ Meljakans* Cf. Book ill. p. 7a and note. Page 198, line 105—' Meljans of Lys' It will be seen, from the list of traditional events given above, that this character appears in other versions of the Perceval legends. Though the context is different, the name with but little variation appears in other of the Grail romances, Malory has Melias de Lile, in every instance the name indicates a French origin. Page 198, line 119—' IAppaut* The name of this character in Chrfttien is Tiebaut of Tintaguel, the German is evidently a rendering of this French name. Tintagud seems to point to a Keltic original. Page 199, line 124—* Obit and Obilot.* Bartsch considers that both these names are derived from a French source, Obie, from the verb obier, signifying excitable, passionate; Obilot, from the French belot, a fair child. In Chr&ien the sisters are unnamed, but the younger is called La fucikle as monos petites. Page 199, line 136—' Galas and Annora* Here we learn, for the first time, the name of Galoes’ love, cf. Book il p. 46 and note. Annora is the same name as Eleanor. Page aoo, line x68— 4 Lisavander' The French has several variations of this name, Teudaves, Travezdatcs, Trahedavet, Page 205, line 318, and p. 219, line781—* A charger the king bestrode* This is an allusion to the captivity of Queen Guinevere and her rescue by Lancelot Kay was among her would-be liberators, and was smitten by Meljakans: * enbor fis dem satele hin, das in ein ast der helm gevienc, und bt der gurgelen hienc.' This incident is related in Hart¬ mann’s Iwein ; but the subsequent freeing of the queen by Lancelot, referred to on p. 2x9, is taken from Chretien’s Chevalier de la Charrette. The adventure is again alluded to in Book xii. Page axo, line 493—* Gawain and Obilot.* Though Chretien and Wolfram agree here in the main outline of the story, yet the details differ completely, and the episode as related by the German poet is far more graceful and poetical in treatment. In 'Chrttien the elder sister strikes the younger in the face, and it is in order to avenge this insult that the child begs Gawain to fight for her. It iS the father, and not the child herself, who suggests presenting the knight with a token; be bids Gawain at first pay no attention to her request, and there is no trace of the pride and affection with which Lippaut evidently regards both his daughters, or of the confidence between father and child which is so charming a feature in Wolfram's poem. Gawain, according to Chretien, does not present his little lady with the captured monarch, but only with his steed, a compliment she shares too with his hostess and her daughters. In the French poet we have nothing of the amusing assumption of maiden dignity by the child Obilot, or of the graceful courtesy, half serious, half laughing, with which Gawain falls in with her whim, and sustains his part in the pretty play. Critics have bestowed much praise on this book, and on the character of the child Obilot, and some have thought that, VOL. L . in the picture of father and X PARZIVAL child, and in the words pat into Lippaat's month, we have a glimpse of die home life of (be poet, and an expression of personal feeling. In IVillehalm, Wolfram refers to his daughter’s dolls, and throughout his poems he frequently allude* to children, their ways, and their amusements. However that may be, nowhere else in the poem does Gaw ai n appear to so much advantage as in this episode. Page air, line 53a—' Partivai: Cf. Book vi. p. 188, line 941. Page ai6, Kne 668—* Even new shall the Erfurt vineyards* ete. An allusion to the siege of Erfurt by the Landgrave Herman in 1303. As the poet speaks of the traces of strife as being yet visible, this book of the Parrival must have been written not long after that data Page 3x7, line 715, and seq.—' The captivt Breton knights * It is doubtful to what romance Wolfram here makes allusion. Chrfeien, in his Chevalier la Charrette , relates the capture of some of Arthur’s knights by King Bagdemagns—Poidflconjonz, who Meljakanz carried off Guinevere, but they were released by Lancelot. Wolfram seems to have known another version of the story, as he evidently did know a romance dealing with the fete of Arthur’s son, Ilinot, of whom we know nothing. He refers to this at length fn Book xii. Cluse seems to betoken an enclosed space, a ravine, Chrfeien calls it Le passage des fierres —The Gampilon was a fabulous beast of the dragon type, also mentioned in the Gudrun. Page 318, line 733—’ The Red Knight* It is worth noticing that, throughout the Gawain episodes, Wolfram never loses sight of his principal hero; if Parrival does not appear personally, as he does in this book, he is always alluded to in direct connection with the development of the story, e.g. t Book vin. pp. 343, 243. This is not the case in Chretien, where the Gawain episodes are entirely independent Some critics have evolved an elaborate theory to account for the importance assigned to Gawain in this and following books, and maintain that Wolfram felt that while Parrival was a prey to spiritual doubt and despair, it was more artistic to keep him in the background than to make him the hero of a series of chivalrous adventures. The more probable solution seems to be exactly the opposite, viz., that the Gawain episodes were already introduced into the legend, that Wolfram, or his source, felt it a flaw that they should have so little connection with the main thread of the story, and therefore conceived the idea of introducing the principal hero, and, by keeping him always more or less en Evidence , making it possible to weave the Gawain adventures into the-febric of the legend, instead of leaving them an e xerts- cence on its surface—a conception which was finally perfected by the connection of Oifduse, Gawain’s lady-love, with both Parrival and Anfortas, thereby bringing all the different elements of the tale into touch each with the other. TRADITIONAL EVENTS Arrival of Gawain at castle; committed un care of lady to whom be makes love; is I Chrftien: Peredur. attacked by her people and defends himself j with a chess-boairi. J *Th e Perceval gives an account of an adventure with a lady and a chess-board of which Perceval is the hero, but the circumstances differ entirely, being similar to those of an episode found in Gautier de Doulens and also in Peredur. Digitized by vjiOO^IC NOTES Page 9*9, line Ashalon.' The name of this dty in Chrttien fa Escavafion, apparently a variant of Avalon. The name in Wolfram may be either a misunderstanding of the French original, or it fa not impossible that Askaloo, being well known to the Crusaders of that time, was purposely substituted for a similar sounding-title. Page 330, line 06—' Alneas and Dido.' An allusion to the Alneid of Heinrich won Veldeck, to which Wolfram often refers. We learn from line iai that the writer was already dead. Cf. note. Book vl Phge 230, line 41—' Where Magadan reigned as Monarch.' CL Book I. p. 31, and Book ix. p. 363. There fa evidently a confusion here between the fairy and her kingdom. Fay-Morgan fa, of course, the fairy-queen, and the name seems later to have been trans¬ ferred to Arthur’s sister, who fa called Morgan le Fay in Malory. Terre-de-la-schoie, given in Book l as the name of the lady, fa her kingdom; the confusion probably arises from a minmiiM-aianHittg of the French source. We find, on p. 240, that the mother of King Vergulacht, Fleurdamur, was sister to Gamuret, consequently Parrival and Vergulacht are first cousins, and we are meant to understand that Gawaiu, who, as a lad, had seen Gamuret at Kanvoleis (Book II. p. 39), was struck by the king’s likeness to bis uncle and cousin, though he evidently knows nothing of the relationship; cf. Appendix A far notes on the supposed origin of the Angevin race. Page 231, line 58—* Not sack as in Kariddl* This fa the longest of the many allnsions to the Brec of Hartmann von Aue, and refers to the same Incident as Book in. p. 81, cL note on passage. • Page 33a, line 106—* The Margravine of Heitstein' This name varies greatly in the MSS., but both Ijtchmann and Bartsch give the reading in the text. The Margravine mentioned fa identified with the wife of Berchtokl won Chamrn and Vohburg, who died in Z304. Page 333, line 146—* Of my father’s sister,' etc. This line fa curious as giving a very early instance of a play upon words familiar to us in modern pussies. Gawain, of course, simply states that he fa 1 hfa father’s son,’ and gives the queen no information whatever as to his birth. Page 334, line 181, and seq. —' At length did shechamceon sente chess-men,* etc. It should be noted that chess-men, in the Middle Ages, were often of a very large sise, and would form no despicable weapons. In Chretien's version of the incident he specially speaks of these as ten times larger than other chess-men, and of very hard ivory. Adventures in which a chess-board plays a part are of not infrequent occurrence in the Grail romances. Page 334, line 190—' The Burger maids cf Tollenstdn.* ToUenstein fa a town in the neighbourhood of Eschenbach; the allusion fa evidently to some kind of Carnival sports held there. Mock Tournaments, in which women took part, are often alluded to in old French and German poems. The point of the allusion evidently fa that they fought for mere sport, while Antikonie fought in defence of her guest, and her action fa therefore held the more praiseworthy. Page 335, line ssz —* The height who to battle bade him.* Cf. Book vi. p. 184 and note. Page 83d, line 357—' With a lance-thrust by BkunAt.* Ekunftt has been already named in Book ill. p. 99. It seems doubtful whence Wolfram derived this incident. Page 338, line 316—* As Kid himself hath told us.* This fa the first time Wolfram names the source whence he drew his poem. It has already been noted in the Introduction that the exfatenoe of this Kiot fa a matter of debate, as no poem of hfa has come down to us, and apparently no other writer mentions hfa name. This passage should be compared with Book ix. p. a6a, where the nature of the mb. in which Kiot found the story of Parxival and the Grail fa stated. It certainly seems dear that Wolfram had a source of Digitized by V ^.oogie 3*4 PARZIVAL information other than the poem of Chretien de Troyes; his other statements as to con¬ temporary events and contemporary literature are perfectly accurate, and we do not find him inventing feigned names for other writers of the day; it therefore seems somew ha t unreasonable to conclude, simply because we know nothing of Kiot's work, that Wolfram here, and in other passages, is, to put it mildly, inventing an elaborate fiction. The fact of the great popularity obtained by Chretien’s version of the Grail legend is quite enough to account for the disappearance of a version which, for some reason or other (very probably its curious account of the Grail), had failed to attract the popular fancy. Page 240, line 363—• If Tumus thou fain wouldst be,* An allusion to the ARneid of Heinrich von Veldeck, where Turnus reproaches Trances for cowardice, and is answered in much the same strain as Liddamus answers KingrimurseL Page 240, line 387— 4 Nay, why should I be a Wolfhartt* This passage to line 398 b an allusion to the great German epic, the Niebelungenlied , the various lays composing which seem to have been brought into order and welded into a literary whole about this time. Wolfram's version of the cook’s appeal to Gunther varies slightly from the received text and probably represents an older form. Page 241, line 407—' Sibeck n/er drew a sword * This is an allusion to the story of Dietrich von Berne, parts of which were incorporated in the Niebelungenlied , where, however, this special incident is not to be found. Ermenrich was unde to Dietrich and Emperor of Rome; Sibech, who seems to have been as faithless as he was cowardly, to avenge a personal injury, counselled the Emperor to a course which brought about the ruin of himself and his people. Page 242, line 452— 4 The wood Leektamreis* Tamreis, as we find from Book XiL, is the name of a tree, this proper name seems to be combined from Lah, old French near, and tamreis (tamarisk?). The knight is, of course, PartivaL Chretien has not this inddent; which is a proof of Wolfram's superior skill in controlling the thread of his story. Page 245, line 541— 1 At Schoie-de-la-Kurt.' Cf. note to Book in., where are find the account of this venture, and of the death of Gurzgrei, son of Gumemanz. Ganddus is the brother of Schionatulander, Sigunl's love. Page 247, line 597—' To the Grail must his pathway wend,* It is a very curious feature, both in this poem and in that of Chretien, that the Grail Quest, undertaken by Gawain, is allowed to drop into oblivion. Wolfram only makes one more allusion to it. Book XI., and Chretien apparently ignores it altogether. In other versions of the story, and notably in Chretien's continuators, the achievement of the Grail Quest by Gawain is an important feature. It is true that Chretien's portion of the Conte breaks off short before the end of the Gawain episode, and that those who maintain that Wolfram had no other source than Chretien point to this as a proof of their theory, urging that had Chretien finished the poem he would undoubtedly have brought Gawain to Monsalvisch, and that Wolfram, deserted by his source at this point, carried the Gawain Quest no further. But it must be noted that Wolfram, who, according to this theory, has hitherto followed Chretien with remarkable fidelity, shows no embarrassment at the loss of his guide, but, by bringing Gawain promptly into touch with Panrival, finishes his poem in a thoroughly coherent and harmonious manner, his conclusion agreeing, in certain peculiar features, with his Introduction, which, also, is unknown to Chretien. The simplest solution appears to be that both Chretien and Wolfram were in possession of a common source, wherein the Gawain episodes were presented in an incomplete and abbreviated form. Mr. Nutt points out that the Gawain Quest, as related by Chretien's continuators, not only fails to agree with Chretien's commencement, but also presents features more archaic than those of the Perceval Quest. Digitized by vjiOOQlC NOTES 3*5 TRADITIONAL EVENTS * Hero meets with pilgrims who reproach' him for bearing arms on Good Friday, and direct him to a hermit, who points out his sins and gives him absolution. ChrCtien: Feredur: Perceval. Introduction to line 25. This spirited opening, with its invocation of the embodied * Frau Aventhire,’ is peculiar to Wolfram. The entire episode is much more briefly treated by Chretien, who brings his hero at once in contact with the pilgrims, and has neither the meeting with Sigunt nor the combat with the Grail knight. Page 251, line 5— 4 Frau Aventivn* This is a personification of the 'story * and of the spirit of romantic story-telling. Grimm (A 7 . Sckr, i. 83-112) claims that we have here a survival of the personifying instinct which led the northern poets to make 'Saga* a daughter of Odin. The word itself is simply taken over from French romance where or diet tAventun is a standing initial formula, in which Aventure exactly renders the maere of the opening quatrain of the Niehelnngenlied. —[A.N.] Page 251, line 6—' Whom Kondrii, to find the Grail,* Cf. Book VI. p. 187. Page 252, line 34—* The sword that Anfertas gave him* Cf. Book V. pp. 137 and 144, and note. Page 252, line 47—' Sehionatulauder and Siguni.* This is Pamval's third interview with his cousin, who has a much more important rdle assigned to her in this poem than in the other romances. The hero meets her at every important crisis in his life; on his first entrance into the world, Book 111. p. 79; after his visit to the Grail Castle, Book v. p. 141; now, previous to his interview with the hermit; and finally, in Book xvi. after he has won the Grail kingdom and been reunited to his wife, he finds her dead, and buries her with her lover. Sigunl's parentage is fully given on p. 274 of this book. Page 257, line 204—' The Templar hold,* This identification of the knights of the Grail with the Templars (Templdsen) is a marked peculiarity of Wolfram’s poem. Nothing at all answering to the Grail kingdom and its organisation, as described in the Parsival, is to be found elsewhere. The introduction of this spiritual knighthood, chosen by Heaven, and, with special exceptions, vowed to celibacy, seems intended as a contrast with, and protest against, the ideal of worldly chivalry and lax morality portrayed in Arthur's court. Are we to attribute this feature of the poem to Wolfram himself or to his source? Judging from the value Wolfram placed upon fidelity to tradition it seems scarcely probable that he would have departed so for from his model as to introduce such an entirely new and striking element into the story; nor have we any trace of the poet- knight's connection with the order of Templars; but if the writer of the admitted French source was an Angevin, who had been in the East during the Angevin rule in Jerusalem, the connection is easily explained. Certainly, to judge from the freedom with which the introduction to the story has been handled, 4 Riot’ does not seem to have been hampered with an undue respect for the traditional form of the legend. Page258, line 223—' NorLdhelein , nor Kingrisein , etc* Kingrisein is the father of Vergulacht, supposed to have been slain by Gawain, cf Book vm. p. 240. King Gnuno- plays an important part in the poem from Book xu. onward. Count Laskoit, cf Book in. p. 99. Digitized by Google PARZ1VAL 3* Page 958, line 930, and seq,—' On* meriting the ground was snow-clad ,* Cf. referenc e to spring snow in Book vi. p. 160. The pilgrim train met by Par rival differs in the versions. The Montpellier MS. of Chrfeien has three knights and ten ladies; other mss. one knight and twenty ladies. Wolfram's account is more natural and more poetical. Page 959, line 963—* Dost thou mean Him, etc* The address of the knight in Chrfitien is longer and conceived in quite a different spirit. It contains one rema r ka b l e passage; speaking of the Crucifixion the knight says: ' Li fol Jmis—ton devroit tuer comm* ciens,* a speech entirely out of keeping with the spirit of love and charity characterising Wolfram's Old Knight, and Hermit. The German poem is, throughout, remarkable for the wide spirit of t olera nce displayed towards those outside the Christian pale; note, e,g„ Book 1. and espedlSfly the character of Feirefis as depicted in the two closing books of the work. The religious teaching in this ninth book is not only fuller than in Chrftiea, but seems based on a much clearer realisation of the position of the individual soul towards its Creator. The elementary truths of Christianity are much more hilly stated, and display a familiarity with the theological speculations of the day which raiders them peculiarly interesting. There is no either, in Chrfitien to the fine sp ee ch e s which Wolfram puts into the mouth of his hero. The whole episode in the French poem lacks the dignity and impressiveness which stamp it in the German version; it is in this book, and in the account of ParavaTs boyhood, that Wolfram’s poetical genius touches its highest p oint, and his superiority to Chrfeaen is most dearly seen. Page 361, line 337— 4 Towards Fontaine Sammge,* etc, CL Book v. p. 151. Page 361, line 346—' Kiot,* Cf. note to Book viil It is noticeable that there is no corresponding passage to this in Chretien; the explanation of the Grail mystery given in the Conte du Great is due to Chretien's continuators, and Occurs in the later part of the poem. Page 962, line 359—* FUgetanis.' A curious contradiction will be noted here. A few lines above we read that no heathen skill could have revealed the mysteries of the Grail, and yet apparently it was a heathen who first wrote of them. The whole account of the the Grail reads like a not-too-successful attempt to Christianise a purely pagan legend. Page 963, line 383—' And in Britain, France, and Ireland, etc * Cf. Appendix A and note on Mazadan, Book viu. Nevertheless, the connection of the Grail race with the House of Anjou, save through Herzeleide’s marriage with Gamuret, is nowhere stated, nor how Titurel was descended from Mazadan, the ancestor alike of Arthur and of Gamuret. Page 365, line 465— 1 The altar and shrine,* Wolfram appears to be absolutely correct here; during the Middle Ages, a shrine, os-reliquary, was generally placed on the altar, the use of a cross was of comparatively late date. It is curious that Chr&ien, otherwise more ecclesiastical in his details than Wolfram, has missed the characteristic feature of the stripped altar; on the other hand, he notes that Perceval spends Easter with the Hermit, and receives the Sacrament, while Wolfram passes Easter over without mention. (It is rather odd to find Chretien's Hermit saying Mass on Good Friday I) Page 367, line 531—* Ashtaroth Bartsch says that these names are derived from Talmudic tradition; Belcimon being Baal-Sehemen, a god of the Syrians; Belet, the Baal of the Chaldeans. Rhadamant is, of course, the Greek ruler of the under-worid. Page 967, line 533. and seq .—' When Lucifer and his angels,* The belief that the creation of man was directly connected with the fall of the rebel angels was very wide¬ spread, though the relation of the two as cause and effect was sometimes the rever s e of that stated here. None of the editions of the Panival give a direct reference to the source of the curious * riddling' passage which follows, bat the theory of the maidenhood of the earth was a favourite one with Medieval writers. Page 968, line 579 —Plato and the Sibyls, ' A curious proof of the belief of the Mediaeval Digitized by Google NOTES 3*7 Church in the Christian nature of the Sibylline prophecies is fou nd in the first line of the Dies I ret : ' Dies Ine, Dies Ilia, Sohret M P clum in farina Teste Darid cut Sibylla.* Page 270* line 6x5, and seq, — 'The GraiV The account of the Grail given by Wolfram is most startling, differing as it does from every other account which has come down to us. Wolfram evidently knows nothing whatever of the traditional * vessel of the Last Supper,' though the fact that the virtue of the stone is renewed every Good Friday by a Host brought from Heaven seems to indicate that he had some idea of a connection between the Grail and the Passion of our Lord. Various theories have been suggested to account for the choice of a precious stone as the sacred talisman; Birch Hirschfeld maintains that it arose entirely from a misunderstanding of Chretien’s text, the French poet describing the Grail as follows:

1Dc fin or —1 run Wott;
PkrMpnHMMiavoit Signal, dasuuotaaaiaaiaras. Das plus rices at das plus dares Qui el moot u an dare *oient.’ But how Wolfram, who, in other instances appears to have understood his French source correctly, here came to represent an object of gold, adorned with many precious stones, as a precious stone, does not appear. And it must be noted that this importance assigned to a jewel is not out of keeping with the rest of the poem. From the jewel of Anflisl, the ruby crown of Belakanl, and the diamond helmet of Eisenhart in the first book, to the long list of precious stones adorning the couch of Anfortas in the last, the constant mention of jewels is a distinct feature of Wolfram's version, and cannot be paralleled by anything in Chrfttien. Moreover, in two other instances, vis. the armour of Feirefis in Book xv., apd the couch of Anfortas already mentioned, mystical and strengthening powers are attri¬ buted to them. The mss. vary in their spelling of the stone, giving Lapis, Lapsit , Jasp is , exillis, exilix or erillis ; and it is impossible to identify the stone of the Grail with any known jewel The fact that Wolfram alone of all the writers of this cycle gives this version of the legend, seems to point rather to a peculiarity in his source than to a genuine tradition of the origin of the Grail-myth. In any case it is most probable that the responsi¬ bility for the statement rests with the author of Wolfram’s French source rather than with Wolfram himself, Page 271, line 665—* They %oho took no fart in the conflict This account of the neutral angels is partially contradicted by Trevrezent in Book xvi. during his last inter¬ view with Parzivsd, when he openly admits that he had spoken untruly in order to induce Parrival to give up his Quest for the Grail. This contradiction introduces a good deal of uncertainty as to what really is the moral aim of the poem. Page 273, line 711— 1 The white dove I set on its housing.' This, the badge of the Grail knights, is peculiar to the German poem. Those familiar with Wagner's Parsifal will not need to be reminded that the dove and the swan are represented by him as the sacred birds of the GraiL The connection with the swan will be found in Book xvi. Page 273, line 737—* O than son of my sister The relationship of unde and nephew between the hermit and the hero of the Quest obtains in most of the versions. The rela¬ tionship with the wounded king varies, sometimes he is the hero's grandfather. Page 274, line 759—* Thou wait the beast that hung * etc, CL Book il p. 58. This foddent of the mother’s dream is peculiar to Wolfram. Digitized by Google PARZIVAL Page 974, 771—' Repatsse de Schoie.' Cf. Book V. p. 135 and Book XVL S finally marries Feirefis, Parzival’s half-brother. Page 975, line 785 —'But if lovt the Grail King seeheth .' This explanation of t wound of Anfortas as the punishment of unlawful love is peculiar to Wolfram, and is accordance with the superior depth and spirituality of his treatment of the legend. In 1 other versions the king is wounded in battle or accidentally. The various remedies tr for the wound, related on pp. 976,277, give a curious idea of the surgical skill of the Mid Ages, and seem drawn from a mixture of Oriental and classical sources. The names line 830 are derived from the Greek, and signify various serpents, with the exception Ecidemon, which we learn in Book xv. was an animal greatly feared by snakes, perte the Ichneumon. The reference to A£neas and the Sibyl is from the /Enoid of Heinr von Veldeck. The legend of the pelican is well known, and the first part of the passage referring the unicorn, its love for a spotless maiden, was a widespread fiction of the Mediae times, but the assertion that the carbuncle is found under the unicorn’s horn seems pecnl to Wolfram, and illustrates what has been said above as to his employment of preck stones. On p. 981 we find a full account of the influence of the planets upon the wound. Page 978, line 867—* A knight should come to the castle This promised healing the king by means of a question put by the hero is a marked 1 folk-lore' feature of ’ tale. Mr. Nutt points out in his Studies that in the Grail legend we have a version the well-known visit to a magic castle influenced by two distinct formulas familiar to fo lore students, (a) where the object of the hero is to avenge the death, or wounding, o relative—the Feud-quest; (6) to release the inhabitants of the castle from an enchanter —the un-spelling quest The bleeding lance seems to be connected with the first (pexiu also the sword, but its employment both in Wolfram and Chrfttien is so enigmatic that is difficult to know what import to attach to it), the question with the second. The fo of the question differs here; in all the other versions it is connected with the Grail: * Wh serve they with the Grail ?' Here, directly with the wounded king, ' What aileth thee, ra uncle?' Birch Hirschfeld maintains, first, that the question was a * harmless inventk of a predecessor of Chretien's (thus ignoring the archaic character of the indden secondly, that Wolfram, having misunderstood Chretien’s account of the Grail, was nan ally compelled to invent a fresh question. Of the two, Wolfram's question seems d tinctly the more natural, and the more likely to occur to the mind of a simple youth li Parzival; and he has also made much better use of the incident. It is Par rival’s failure the spirit of charity, in the love due * as a man to men,' that constitutes the sin of the omitt question. Mr. Nutt well remarks that 1 It is the insistence upon charity as the herald ai token of spiritual perfection that makes the grandeur of Wolfram's poem.' Page 983, line 1038—' If a land be without a ruler' Here we have the ger m of t well-known story of Lohengrin, related in Book xvi. We learn from this passage th Lohengrin's mission was no isolated instance, but a part of the office of the Grail knighi Wolfram's whole presentment of the Grail kingdom, as won by an act of love to a feUo* man, and used for the benefit of others, offers an ideal, not only curiously modern in too but in striking contrast to the glorification of spiritual selfishness which we find in oth Grail romances. Elsewhere, the aim of the achiever of the Quest is purely to save his on soul, and, the task accomplished, he passes away leaving the world none the better fi his work. If we look at the concluding lines of the poem, Book xvi., we shall find th Wolfram had quite a different idea of a man's duty to the world of his day. Page 283. line 1045 —*King Kastis wooed HerseUide.' Cf. Book 11. p. 48. Page 284, line 1070—-The account of Trevrezent's wanderings is curious, as it mixes 6 Digitized by Google NOTES 3*9 fabulous places such as Agremontin, the home of the Salamanders, and Fay-Morgan, with such well-known names as Seville, Sicily, and Aquilea. Rohas has been identified with a range of mountains In Styrla; CeUi is also in Styria. The derivation of * Gandein ' from a Styrian town is very curious. Whether the name was in Wolfram’s source or not, we cannot decide, but the connection can only have been introduced by the German poet. Page a86, line 1127—' Two mortal sins.* It is curious that in no other version of the story is the slaying of the Red Knight regarded as a sin. Here, however, it is quite in keeping with the pronounced knightly character of the poem. Ither is Parrival’s near kinsman, apparently both cousin, and unde by marriage (lines 1x08 and 1119), and to fight with one connected either by the tie of blood or of friendship is regarded throughout as a breach of knightly faith, cf. Books xrv. and xv. where Parzival fights, unwittingly, with Gawain and Feirefis. In Chretien the hermit tells Perceval that it is his sin in causing the death of his mother which has sealed his lips before the Grail; Wolfram seems to regard his silence independently, and, as noted above, the sin, there, seems to be failure in charity and in recognising the bond of universal brotherhood; which failure, indeed, is at ‘he root of the * two mortal sins.’ Page 267, line 1159—' Titurcl. ’ The father of the Fisher King is not named in Chretien, and indeed is only alluded to in an obscure and enigmatical passage as being nourished by the Grail. This statement is peculiar to these two writers, and seems to .ndicate that they were in possession of a common source. Page 287, line 1169— * An thou wouldst that iky life be adomid.' The passage which follows here to line 1180 should be noted, as it seems to be an interpolation; it has no xmnection whatever with the context, and is in quite a different tone from the knightly and jnecclesiastical character of the rest of Trevrezent’s teaching. VOL. I. Digitized by LjOOQle Y Printed by T. and A. Constable, Printers to Her Majesty at the Edinburgh University Press Digitized by' ^ooQle Works on Celtic Philology and Antiquities PUBLISHED OK SOLD BY DAVID NUTT, 270 STRAND. WAIFS AND STRAYS OF CELTIC TRADITION. Series initiated and directed by Lord Archibald Campbell. Demy 8vo, cloth. ARGYLLSHIRE SERIES. VOLUME I. CRAIGNISH TALES. Collected by the Rev. J. MacDougall ; and Notes on the War Dress of the Celts by Lord Archibald Campbell, xvi, 98 pages. 20 plates. 1889. 5s. VOLUME 11. 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