The Romance of Tristan

Template Subtitle

Norris J. Lacy

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9780429627163
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Littérature
• Subtopic: Critique littéraire

Published in 1989: A translation of Beroul's twelfth century Tristran from the Old French. Discussion of the author is included, but since nothing is known of him (or them) the biography is limited. His literary style and historical (or legendary) influence are well surveyed.

Béroul’s TRISTRAN

TRISTRAN

……………………

1a Que nul senblant de rien en face

Com ele aprisme son ami.

Oiez com el l’a devanci: 4

“Sire Tristran, por Deu le roi,

Si grant pechié avez de moi,

Qui me mandez a itel ore!”

Or fait senblant con s’ele plore. 8

…………………… mie*

…………………… mes en vie.

…………………… ceste asenblee

…………………… s’espee. 12

……………………

……………………

Conme…………

“Par Deu, qui l’air fist et la mer, 16

Ne me mandez nule foiz mais.

Je vos di bien, Tristran, a fais,

Certes, je n’i vendroie mie.

Li rois pense que par folie, 20

Sire Tristran, vos aie amé;

Mais Dex plevis ma loiauté,

Qui sor mon cors mete flaele,

S’onques fors cil qui m’ot pucele 24

Out m’amistié encor nul jor!

Se li felon de cest’enor,

Por qui jadis vos conbatistes

O le Morhout, quant l’oceïstes, 28

Li font acroire, ce me senble,

Que nos amors jostent ensenble,

Sire, vos n’en avez talent;

Ne je, par Deu omnipotent, 32

N’ai corage de drüerie

Qui tort a nule vilanie.

Mex voudroie que je fuse arse,

……………………

not to give any sign of it

as she approached her friend.

4 Listen how she warned him:

“Lord Tristran, for God’s sake,

you are doing me great harm

by sending for me at such an hour!”

8 Then she pretended to weep!

……………………*

……………………

……………………

12 ……………………

……………………

……………………

……………………

16 “In the name of God, who created the air and sea,

never send for me again!

Tristran, I assure you, regretfully,

that I would not come.

20 Lord Tristran, the king thinks

that I have loved you sinfully;

but I affirm my fidelity before God,

and may He punish me

24 if anyone except the man who took my virginity

ever had my love.*

Even though the slanderous barons of this land,

for whose sake you once fought

28 with the Morholt and killed him,*

have obviously convinced the king

that we are united by love,

sir, you have no such desire;

32 nor, in the name of almighty God, do I

have a desire for any love

that leads to sin and shame.

I would rather be burned alive

1b Aval le vent la poudre esparse, 36

Jor que je vive que amor

Aie o home qu’o mon seignor;

Et, Dex! si ne m’en croit il pas.

Je puis dire: de haut si bas! 40

Sire, molt dist voir Salemon:

Qui de forches traient larron,

Ja pus nes amera nul jor.

Se li felon de cest’enor 44

……………………

……………………

……………………

…………………… aise…. parole 48

…………………… a nos deüsent il celer.

Molt vos estut mal endurer

De la plaie que vos preïstes

En la batalle que feïstes 52

O mon oncle. Je vos gari;

Se vos m’en erïez ami,

N’ert pas mervelle, par ma foi!

Et il ont fait entendre au roi 56

Que vos m’amez d’amor vilaine.

Si voient il Deu et son reigne,

Ja nul verroient en la face.

Tristran, gardez en nule place 60

Ne me mandez por nule chose:

Je ne seroie pas tant ose

Que je i osase venir.

Trop demor ci, n’en quier mentir: 64

S’or en savoit li rois un mot,

Mon cors seret desmenbré tot,

Et si seroit a molt grant tort;

Bien sai qu’il me dorroit la mort! 68

Tristran, certes, li rois ne set

Que por lui par vos aie ameit:

1c Por ce qu’eres du parenté

Vos avoie je en cherté. 72

Je quidai jadis que ma mere

Amast molt les parenz mon pere;

Et disoit ce, que la mollier*

N’en avroit ja son seignor chier 76

Qui les parenz n’en amereit.

Certes, bien sai que voir diset.

36 and have my ashes scattered in the wind

than ever in my life to love

any man except my lord.

Oh, God! But he does not believe me!

40 I can truly say: How far I have fallen!

Sir, Solomon told the truth:

Those who save a thief from the gallows

will never be loved by him.

44 If the traitors of this land

……………………

……………………

……………………

48 ……………………

……… they should hide it from us.

You had to endure great pain

from the wound you received

52 in your battle

with my uncle. I healed you,

and if you became my friend as a result,

I find that hardly surprising, I swear.

56 Yet they have made the king believe

that you love me sinfully.

Let them come before God and His kingdom:

They wo...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Original Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Select Bibliography
• Bérou’s Tristran
• Rejected Readings
• Notes