Here is the translation of the Roman de Tristan et Iseult of 1900 by Joseph Bedier. Here is the fifteenth part: Iseult aux Blanches Mains.
Iseult aux Blanches Mains
Lovers could not live or die without each other. Separated, it was not life, nor death, but life and death at the same time.
Par les mers, les îles et les pays, Tristan voulut fuir sa misère. Il revit son pays de Loonnois, où Rohalt le Foi-Tenant reçut son fils avec des larmes de tendresse ; mais ne pouvant supporter de vivre dans le repos de sa terre, Tristan s’en fut par les duchés et les royaumes, cherchant les aventures. Du Loonnois en Frise, de Frise en Gavoie, d’Allemagne en Spain, he served many lords, completed many rights of way. But, for two years, no news came to him from the Cornwall, no friend, no message.
Then he believed that Iseut had despised him and that she was forgetting him.
Now it happened that one day, riding with the only Gorvenal, he entered the land of Brittany. They crossed a devastated plain: everywhere ruined walls, villages without inhabitants, fields cleared by fire, and their horses trampled ashes and coals. On the deserted moor, Tristan thought:
« Je suis las et recru. De quoi me servent ces aventures ? Ma dame est au loin, jamais je ne la reverrai. Depuis deux années, que ne m’a-t-elle fait quérir par les pays ? Pas un message d’elle. À Tintagel, le roi l’honore et la sert ; elle vit en joie. Certes le grelot du chien enchanté accomplit bien son œuvre ! Elle m’oublie, et peu lui chaut des deuils et des joies d’antan, peu lui chaut du chétif qui erre par ce pays désolé. À mon tour, n’oublierai-je jamais celle qui m’oublie ? jamais ne trouverai-je qui guérisse ma misère ? »
Pendant deux jours, Tristan et Gorvenal passèrent les champs et les bourgs sans voir un homme, un coq, un chien. Au troisième jour, à l’heure de none, ils approchèrent d’une colline où se dressait une vieille chapelle, et, tout près, l’habitacle d’un ermite. L’ermite ne portait point de vêtements tissés, mais une peau de chèvre, avec des haillons de laine sur l’échine. Prosterné sur le sol, les genoux et les coudes nus, il priait Marie-Madeleine de lui inspirer des prières salutaires. Il souhaita la bienvenue aux arrivants, et tandis que Gorvenal établait les chevaux, il désarma Tristan, puis disposa le manger. Il ne leur donna point de mets délicats ; mais du pain d’orge pétri avec de la cendre et de l’eau de source. Après le repas, comme la nuit était tombée, et qu’ils étaient assis autour du feu, Tristan demanda quelle était cette terre ruinée :
"Handsome lord," said the hermit, "it is the land of Brittany, held by Duke Hoël." It used to be a beautiful country, rich in meadows and plowed land: here mills, there apple trees, there farms. But Count Riol de Nantes made a mess there; its foragers everywhere started the fire, and everywhere carried off the prey. Its men are rich for a long time: so goes the war.
- Brother, said Tristan, why did Count Riol so despise your lord Hoël?
- So I will tell you, lord, the occasion of war. Know that Riol was the vassal of Duke Hoël. Now, the Duke has a daughter, beautiful among all the daughters of kings, and Count Riol wanted to take her as his wife. But her father refused to give her to a vassal, and Count Riol tried to kidnap her by force. Many men have died for this quarrel. "
Tristan asked:
"Can Duke Hoël still support his war?"
- With great difficulty, my lord. However, his last castle, Carhaix, still resists, because the walls are strong, and strong is the heart of the son of Duke Hoël, Kaherdin, the good knight. But the enemy urges them on and starves them: will they be able to hold out for long? "
Tristan asked how far away was Carhaix castle.
“Sire, only two miles away. "
They parted ways and slept. In the morning, after the hermit had sung and they had shared the barley and ash bread, Tristan took leave of the prud'homme, and rode towards Carhaix.
When he stopped at the foot of the closed walls, he saw a troop of men standing on the rampart walk, and asked for the duke. Hoël was among these men with his son Kaherdin. He made himself known, and Tristan said to him:
« Je suis Tristan, roi de Loonnois, et Marc, le roi de Cornouailles, est mon oncle. J’ai su, seigneur, que vos vassaux vous faisaient tort et je suis venu pour vous offrir mon service.
- Alas! Sire Tristan, go your way and may God reward you! How to welcome you here? We have no more food; no wheat, nothing but beans and barley to subsist.
- What does it matter? said Tristan. I lived in a forest, for two years, of herbs, roots and venison, and know that I found this life good. Order this door to be opened for me. "
Kaherdin then said:
"Receive him, my father, since he is of such courage, that he may take his share of our goods and our ills. "
Ils l’accueillirent avec honneur. Kaherdin fit visiter à son hôte les fortes murailles et la tour maîtresse, bien flanquée de bretèches palissadées où s’embusquaient les arbalétriers. Des créneaux, il lui fit voir dans la plaine, au loin, les tentes et les pavillons plantés par le duc Riol. Quand ils furent revenus au seuil du château, Kaherdin dit à Tristan :
"Now, my dear friend, we will go up to the room where my mother and my sister are. "
The two, holding hands, entered the women's room. The mother and the daughter, seated on a quilt, adorned an English straw with pride and sang a song of canvas: they said how Belle Doette, seated in the wind under the white thorn, waits and regrets Doon her friend, if slow to come. Tristan greeted them and they greeted him, then the two knights sat down beside them. Kaherdin, showing the stole his mother was embroidering:
« Voyez, dit-il, bel ami Tristan, quelle ouvrière est ma dame : comme elle sait à merveille orner les étoles et les chasubles, pour en faire aumône aux moutiers pauvres ! et comme les mains de ma sœur font courir les fils d’or sur ce samit blanc ! Par foi, belle sœur, c’est à droit que vous avez nom Iseut aux Blanches Mains ! »
Then Tristan, knowing that her name was Iseut, smiled and looked at her more gently.
Or, le comte Riol avait dressé son camp à trois milles de Carhaix, et, depuis bien des jours, les hommes du duc Hoël n’osaient plus, pour l’assaillir, franchir les barres. Mais, dès le lendemain, Tristan, Kaherdin et douze jeunes chevaliers sortirent de Carhaix, les hauberts endossés, les heaumes lacés, et chevauchèrent sous des bois de sapins jusqu’aux approches des tentes ennemies ; puis, s’élançant de l’aguet, ils enlevèrent par force un charroi du comte Riol. À partir de ce jour, variant maintes fois ruses et prouesses, ils culbutaient ses tentes mal gardées, attaquaient ses convois, navraient et tuaient ses hommes, et jamais ils ne rentraient dans Carhaix sans y ramener quelque proie. Par là, Tristan et Kaherdin commencèrent à se porter foi et tendresse, tant qu’ils se jurèrent amitié et compagnonnage. Jamais ils ne faussèrent cette parole, comme l’histoire vous l’apprendra.
However, while they returned from these rides, speaking of chivalry and courtesy, Kaherdin often rented to his dear companion his sister Iseut aux Blanches Mains, the simple, the beautiful.
One morning, as dawn had just dawned, a lookout hurried down from his tower and ran through the halls, shouting:
“Lords, you have slept too much! Get up, Riol is coming to assault! "
Knights and bourgeois armed themselves and ran to the walls: they saw the helms shining in the plain, the cendal pennons floating, and all of Riol's host advancing in fine arrows. Duke Hoël and Kaherdin immediately deployed the first knights' battles in front of the gates. When they came within reach of a bow, they broached the horses, spears lowered, and the arrows fell on them like April rain.
But Tristan was arming himself in his turn, with those whom the lookout had woken up last. He ties up his breeches, passes the bliaut, the narrow covers and the golden spurs; he puts on the hauberk, fixes the helmet on the face; he mounts, spurs his horse as far as the plain and appears, the shield drawn up against his chest, crying: "Carhaix!" It was about time: Hoel's men were already retreating towards the bailes. Then it was beautiful to see the melee of downed horses and heartbroken vassals, the blows struck by the young knights, and the grass which, under their feet, became bloody. Ahead of everyone, Kaherdin had proudly stopped when he saw a daring baron, the brother of Count Riol, dawning against him. The two collided with lowered spears. The Nantais broke his without disturbing Kaherdin, who with a safer stroke tore the opponent's shield apart and planted his burnished iron in his side to the gonfanon. Lifted from the saddle, the knight empties the pommels and falls.
At the cry of his brother, Duke Riol rushed against Kaherdin, the brake abandoned. But Tristan blocked his way. When they collided, Tristan's spear broke in his hands, and Riol's, meeting the chest of the enemy horse, penetrated the flesh and laid it dead on the meadow. Tristan, as soon as he gets up, with a trimmed sword in his hand:
"Coward," he said, "the dead male who leaves the master to upset the horse!" You won't get out of this place alive!
- I think you're lying! Riol replied, pushing his steed on him.
Mais Tristan esquiva l’atteinte, et, levant le bras, fit lourdement tomber sa lame sur le heaume de Riol, dont il embarra le cercle et emporta le nasal. La lame glissa de l’épaule du chevalier au flanc du cheval, qui chancela et s’abattit à son tour. Riol parvint à s’en débarrasser et se redressa ; à pied tous deux, l’écu troué, fendu, le haubert démaillé, ils se requièrent et s’assaillent ; enfin Tristan frappe Riol sur l’escarboucle de son heaume. Le cercle cède, et le coup était si fortement asséné que le baron tombe sur les genoux et sur les mains.
"Get up, if you can, vassal," cried Tristan to him; at the wrong hour have you come to this meadow; you must die! "
Riol gets on his feet, but Tristan shoots him down again with a blow which rips open the helmet, sliced off the headdress and uncovered the skull. Riol implored thank you, asked to be saved, and Tristan received his sword. He took it in time, for the Nantes inhabitants from all sides had come to the rescue of their lord. But already their lord was recreating.
Riol promised to go to Duke Hoël's prison, to swear once again homage and faith, to restore the towns and villages that had been burnt down. By his order, the battle died down, and his host moved away.
When the victors had returned to Carhaix, Kaherdin said to his father:
« Sire, mandez Tristan, et retenez-le ; il n’est pas de meilleur chevalier et votre pays a besoin d’un baron de telle prouesse. »
Having taken the advice of his men, Duke Hoël called Tristan:
“Friend, I cannot love you too much, for you have kept this land for me. So I want to pay you back. My daughter, Iseut aux Blanches Mains, was born to dukes, kings and queens. Take it, I'll give it to you.
"Sire, I'll take it," said Tristan.
Ah! lords, why does he say this word? But for this word he died.
Day is taken, term fixed. The Duke is coming with his friends, Tristan with his. The chaplain sings mass. In front of everyone, at the door of the moutier according to the law of the Holy Church, Tristan marries Iseut aux Blanches Mains. The nuptials were large and rich.
Mais, la nuit venue, tandis que les hommes de Tristan le dépouillaient de ses vêtements, il advint que, en retirant la manche trop étroite de son bliau, ils enlevèrent et firent choir de son doigt son anneau de jaspe vert, l’anneau d’Iseut la Blonde. Il sonne clair sur les dalles. Tristan regarde et le voit. Alors son ancien amour se réveille, et Tristan connaît son forfait.
He remembered the day when Iseut the Blonde had given him this ring: it was in the forest where, for him, she had led the harsh life. And, lying next to the other Iseut, he saw the Morois hut again. By what forsennery had he in his heart accused his friend of treason? No, she suffered for him all misery, and he alone had betrayed her. But he also took in compassion Iseut his wife, the simple, the beautiful. The two Iseut had loved him at the wrong time. To both of them he had lied about his faith.
However, Iseut aux Blanches Mains was astonished to hear him sigh, stretched out at his side. She finally said to him, a little ashamed:
« Cher seigneur, vous ai-je offensé en quelque chose ? Pourquoi ne me donnez-vous pas un seul baiser ? Dites-le moi, que je connaisse mon tort, et je vous en ferai belle amendise, si je puis.
- Friend, said Tristan, do not be angry, but I made a wish. Not long ago, in another country, I fought a dragon, and I was about to perish, when I remembered the Mother of God: I promised her that, delivered from the monster by her courtesy, if I ever took a wife, for a whole year I would refrain from hugging and kissing her ...
"So then," said Iseut to the White Hands, "I will suffer it simply. "
But when the maids, in the morning, adjusted the gimps of married women to her, she smiled sadly, and thought that she had little right to this adornment.
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