Book XVI: Lohengrin

Now Anfortas and his Templars they suffered sore grief and pain,And their true love in bondage held him, since he prayed them for death in vain;And in sooth death had been his portion, save they wrought that the Grail he saw--From the might of Its mystic virtue fresh life must he ever draw.

Then he spake to the knights of Monsalväsch, 'Of a sooth, were ye true of heart,Ye had pitied ere this my sorrow, how long shall pain be my part?If reward ye would have as deserving, then God give ye payment fair,For ever was I your servant since the days that I harness bare.Atonement in full have I made here for aught I have done of wrongTo ye, e'en tho' none had known it, and my penance endureth long!If ye would not be held unfaithful, by the helmet and shield I bore,And the bond of our common knighthood, release me from bondage sore!For this of a truth must ye grant me, if ye do not the truth disdain,I bare both as a knight undaunted, and fame thro' my deeds did gain.For hill and vale have I ridden, and many a joust have run,And with sword-play good from my foemen much hatred methinks, I won.Yet with ye doth that count for little! Bereft of all joy am I;Yet, cometh the Day of Judgment, my voice would I lift on high,And in God's sight, I, one man only, at the last will accuse ye all,If freedom ye fail to give me, and to Hell shall ye surely fall!For in sooth ye should mourn my sorrow--From the first have ye seen the thing,And ye know how it came upon me--Now I profit ye not as king,And all too soon will ye think so, when thro' me ye have lost your soul--Alas! why thus ill-entreat me? Ere this had I been made whole!'

And the knights from his grief had freed him, save they hope from the word must drawThat Trevrezent spake of aforetime, and that writ on the Grail he saw.And once more would they wait his coming whose joy there had waxen weak,And the hour that should bring them healing from the question his lips should speak.

Then the king of a wile bethought him, and fast would he close his eyes,And four days long so he held them, when the knights, in their 'customedwise,Before the Grail would bear him, if he said them or yea, or nay;But his weakness so wrought upon him, as before the shrine he lay,That his eyelids he needs must open, and against his will must live,For the Grail held death far from him and fresh life must Its vision give.

And so was it with Anfortas till the day when ParzivalAnd Feirefis his brother, rode swift to Monsalväsch' hall;And the time was near when the planet, its course in high heaven run,Mars or Jupiter, glowing wrathful, its station had well-nigh won,And the spot whence it took its journey--Ah! then was an evil dayThat wrought ill to the wound of Anfortas, and the torment would have its way;And maiden and knight must hearken as the palace rang with his cries,And the help that no man might give him he besought with despairing eyes,For past all aid was he wounded, and his knights could but share his grief--Yet the tale saith he drew ever nearer who should bring him alone relief.

Then oft as the bitter anguish in its bondage the hero held,The taint of the wound to banish, the hall was with sweetness filled,For before him they spread on the carpet Terebinth, and odours fairOf aromatic spices and sweet woods filled the scented air.Teriak and precious Ambra, and methinks that their smell was sweet--Cardamom, Jeroffel, Muscat, lay broken beneath the feetWhere'er one set foot on the carpet; and e'en as each footstep fellTheir perfume arose, and their freshness, of the venom o'ercame the smell.And his fire was of Lignum aloe, as methinks ye have heard afore--Of the horny skin of the viper had they fashioned the pillars fourThat stood 'neath his couch--'Gainst the venom must his knights on the cushions strewPowder of roots so precious, whose healing scent they knew.Well stuffed, but unsewed, was the covering against which the monarch leant,And the silk and the mattress 'neath it were of Palmât of Nouriente.And the couch itself was yet richer, with many a precious stoneWas it decked, nor were others found there save the rarest of jewels alone;And by Salamanders woven were the cords which the bed did bind,Yea even the fastening 'neath it--Yet no joy might Anfortas find.The couch on all sides was costly, (no man shall contend I weenThat he in the days of his lifetime a richer shall e'er have seen,)'Twas precious alone from the virtue of the jewels and their magic power,Would ye learn their names, then hearken, for we know them unto this hour.

Carbuncle and Balas ruby, Silenite, and Chalcedony,Gagatromeus, Onyx, Coral, and Bestion, fair to see.And there too were Pearl and Opal, Ceraunius and Epistites,Jerachites, Heliotropia, Panterus, Agate, and Emathites.Antrodragma, Praseme, and Saddae, Dionisia and Celidon,Sardonyx and red Cornelian, Jasper and Calcofon.Echites, Iris, Gagates, and Lyncurium, with many more,Asbestos and Cecolithus, and Jacinth, that rich couch bore.Galactida, Orites, Enydrus, and Emerald, glowing green,Absist and Alabanda, and Chrysolect had ye seen.Hiennia, Sapphire, Pyrites, and beside them, here and there,Turquoise, and Lipparèa, Chrysolite, and Ruby fair--Paleisen, Sardius, Diamond, Chrysoprasis, and Malachite,Diadoch, Peanite, and Medus with Beryl and Topaze bright.

And many they taught high courage, and others such virtue knewThat healing skill they taught men, and fresh life from their power they drew.And many their strength won from them, if aright they might use their art,And therewith would they tend Anfortas whom they loved with a faithful heart--And great grief had he brought his people, yet joy soon his lot shall be--To Terre de Salväsch from Ioflanz he rideth to speak him free,Parzival, with the maid and his brother, nor in truth did I ever hearThe distance these three had journeyed ere they drew to the Burg anear;But conflict had been their portion had Kondrie not been their guide,But afar from all strife did she hold them, and in peace on their way they ride.

So came they at length to an outpost--Then swiftly towards them spedMany Templars well armed and mounted, and right soon they the truth had read,And they knew by the guide that succour at last to their walls should draw,And the Captain he spake out gladly as the Turtle-doves he sawGleam fair on Kondrie's vesture, 'Now an end hath it found, our grief,With the sign of the Grail he cometh who shall bring to our king relief,The knight we have looked and have longed for since the dawn of our sorrow's day--Stand ye still, for great gladness cometh, and our mourning is past away!'

Feirefis Angevin would urge him, his brother, to joust to ride,But Kondrie, she grasped his bridle, lest conflict should there betide,And the maiden, true but unlovely, spake thus unto Parzival,'Shield and banner, thou sure shouldst know them, of the Grail are these heroes all,And ready to do thee service.' Then out spake the heathen bold,'If so it shall be, from battle mine hand may I well withhold.'

Then Parzival prayed that Kondrie would ride forward, the knights to meet,And she rode, and she spake of the gladness that neared them with flying feet.And, one and all, the Templars sprang straightway unto the ground,And from off their head the helmet in the self-same hour unbound,And Parzival they greeted, and they were in his greeting blest,And Feirefis they welcomed as befitted a noble guest.And then with the twain to Monsalväsch the Templars they took their way;Though they wept, yet methinks that gladness was the fount of their tears that day.

And a countless folk they found there, many grey-haired knights and old,And pages of noble bearing, and of servants, a host untold.And sad were the folk and mournful, whom their coming might well rejoice,And Parzival and his brother they welcomed with friendly voice,And kindly did they receive them, without, in the palace court,At the foot of the noble stairway, and the knights to the hall they brought.

And, e'en as was there the custom, a hundred carpets round,Each one with a couch upon it, were spread there upon the ground;And each couch bare a velvet covering, and methinks, if the twain had wit,The while that the squires disarmed them 'twould pleasure them there to sit.And a chamberlain came towards them, and he brought to them vesture fair,And each should be clad as the other, and many a knight sat there.And they bare many precious vessels of gold, (none I ween was glass,)And the twain they drank, and upstood them to get them to Anfortas.

And this have ye heard of aforetime, how he lay, for he scarce might sit,And the couch and its goodly decking, forsooth have ye read of it.And the twain did Anfortas welcome with gladness, and yet with grief,And he spake, 'O'er-long have I waited tho' I win from thine hand relief;But a while ago didst thou leave me in such wise, art thou true of heart,And thinkest to aid my sorrow, thou must have in repentance part.If e'er men have praised thy valour, then be thou to my woe a friend,And pray of these knights and maidens that death may my torment end;If Parzival men shall call thee, then forbid me the Grail to seeSeven nights and eight days, and I wot well my wailing shall silenced be!Nor further I dare to warn thee--Well for thee if thou help canst bring!A stranger shall be thy comrade, and I think it an evil thingThat thus he doth stand before me, say wherefore no thought dost takeFor his comfort, and bid him seat him?' Then Parzival, weeping, spake:

'Now say where the Grail It lieth? If God's mercy He think to show,And it be o'er His wrath the victor, this folk, they shall surely know!'Then three times on his knee he bowed him in the Name of the Trinity,And three times he prayed that the sorrow of Anfortas should ended be,Then he stood upright, and he turned him to the monarch, and thus he spake:'What aileth thee here, mine uncle?' He who Lazarus from death did wake,And by the mouth of His saint, Sylvester, a dead beast to life did bring,Wrought healing and strength on Anfortas--and all men beheld the king,And what French folk shall know as 'Florie' it shone on his face so fair,And Parzival's manly beauty was but as the empty air!Yea, Vergulacht, Askalon's monarch, and Absalom, David's son,And all who the dower of beauty as their birthright shall e'er have won--E'en Gamuret, as men saw him draw near unto Kanvoleis,So wondrous fair to look on--they were naught unto all men's eyesWhen matched with the radiant beauty that forth from his bitter woeHe bare, the King Anfortas--such skill God doth surely know!

No choice was there for the Templars since the writing upon the GrailHad named unto them their ruler, and Parzival did they hailTheir king and their lord henceforward; and I ween ye in vain would seekWould ye find two men as wealthy, if of riches I here may speak,As Parzival and his brother, Feirefis Angevin--And many a proffered service the host and his guest did win.

I know not how many stages queen Kondwiramur had madeOn her journey towards Monsalväsch, nor, joyful, her steps delayed,For already the truth had been told her, and a messenger tidings bare,And she knew that her grief was ended and her gladness had blossomed fair.And led by her uncle, Kiot, and by many a hero bold,Had she come unto Terre de Salväsch and the wood where they fought of old;Where in joust Segramor had fallen, and her lord did her likeness knowIn the threefold blood-drops mystic, on the white of the drifted snow.And there should Parzival seek her, and tho' toilsome and rough the wayYet never a gladder journey had he ridden than he rode that day!

Then a Templar tidings brought him, 'E'en as doth her rank beseemFull many a knight so courteous rideth hither beside the queen.'Then Parzival bethought him, with the knights of the Holy GrailTo Trevrezent did he ride first, and he told him the wondrous tale;From his heart was the hermit joyful that it thus with Anfortas stood,Nor death was his lot, but the question brought rest to the hero good.And he quoth, 'Yea, God's power is mighty--Who doth at His Council sit?Who hath known of His strength the limit? What Angel hath fathomed it?God is Man, and the Word of His Father; God is Father at once and Son,And I wot thro' His Spirit's working may succour and aid be won!'

Then Trevrezent quoth to his nephew, 'Greater marvel I ne'er may seeThan that thou by thy wrath hast won blessing, and th' Eternal TrinityHath given thee thy desiring! Yet aforetime in sooth I lied,For I thought from the Grail to bring thee, and the truth I from thee would hide.Do thou for my sin give me pardon, henceforth I thy hand obey,O my king, and son of my sister!--Methinks that I once did sayThat the spirits cast forth from Heaven thereafter the Grail did tendBy God's will, and besought His favour, till their penance at last did end.But God to Himself is faithful, and ne'er doth He changing know,Nor to them whom I named as forgiven did He ever forgiveness show.For they who refuse His service, He Himself will, I ween, refuse,And I wot they are lost for ever, and that fate they themselves did choose.And I mourned for thy fruitless labour, for ne'er did the story standThat the Grail might by man be conquered, and I fain had withheld thine hand;But with thee hath the chance been other, and thy prize shall the highest be,But since God's Hand doth give It to thee, turn thine heart to humility.'

Quoth Parzival to his uncle, 'I would see her I ne'er might seeFor well-nigh five years--When together we dwelt she was dear to me,And no whit less dear shall she now be! Yet thy counsel I fain would hearSo long as death fail to part us, thou didst help me in need so drear!Now I ride to my wife, since she cometh to meet me upon my way,By Plimizöl's banks doth she wait me, and leave I from thee would pray.'

And the good man bade 'God speed him,' and he rode thro' the dusky night,And his men knew the woodland pathways--In the early morning lightHe found that which brought him gladness; full many a tent stood fair,From out the kingdom of Brobarz many banners were planted there,With many a shield beneath them--there lay princes from out his land,And Parzival fain would ask them where the tent of the queen might stand?If her camp lay apart from the others? Then they showed him where she should be,And a goodly ring around her of tents did the hero see.And Duke Kiot of Katelangen, he had risen ere dawn of day,And he looked on the band of riders who came by the woodland way.

And tho' grey was the light of the morning, yet, as the host nearer drew,Kiot saw the Dove on their armour, and the arms of the Grail he knew;And the old man sighed as he thought him of Schoysiané, his lovely bride,How he won her in bliss at Monsalväsch, and how she untimely died.Towards Parzival he stepped him, and he bade him a greeting fair;By a page he bade the queen's Marshal a lodging meet prepareFor the knights who had there drawn bridle--in sooth 'twas a gallant band--Then to the queen's dressing-chamber he led Parzival by the hand,('Twas a small tent made of buckram,) and there, in the waxing light,His harness they take from off him ere he pass to his lady's sight.

And the queen she knew naught of his coming--her twin sons beside her lay,Lohengrin and Kardeiss; and their father, methinks he was glad that day!There he found them slumbering sweetly, in a tent both high and wide,And many a lovely lady lay sleeping on either side.Then Kiot, he drew the covering from the queen, and he bade her wake,And look, and laugh, and be joyful, and her love to her arms to take;And she looked up and saw her husband; and naught but her smock she bare,The covering she wrapt around her, and sprang swift on the carpet fair,Kondwiramur, the lovely lady--and Parzival held her tight,And they say that they kissed each other, the queen and her faithful knight.'Thou joy of my heart! Good Fortune hath sent thee again to me,'She quoth, and she bade him welcome, 'Now in sooth I should wrathful be,Yet have I no heart for anger! Ah! blest be the dawn and the dayThat this dear embrace hath brought me, which all sorrow must drive away.For now at last have I found thee, whom my heart hath desired so long,And grief in my heart is vanquished, and sighing is turned to song.'

And now from their sleep they wakened, both Lohengrin and Kardeiss,Naked they lay on their pillows, and fair in their father's eyes,And, joyful, Parzival kissed them whom he never had seen before--Then at Kiot's courteous bidding the babes from the tent they bore,And Kiot, he bade the maidens to get them from out the tent,And they greeted their lord, long absent, ere yet on their way they went.Then he bade the queen care for her husband, and the maidens from thence he led,And the curtains they drew together, for as yet was the night scarce sped.

Now if blood and snow had robbed him of his senses and wit of yore,(In this self-same spot its message the snow to his true heart bore,)For such sorrow she well repaid him, Kondwiramur, his wife--Nor elsewhere had he sought love's solace in payment for love's fierce strife,Tho' many their love had proffered--I ween that in bliss he lay,And converse sweet, till morning drew nigh to the middle day.

And the army, they rode together, on the Templars had they gazed,And their shields in jousts were piercèd, and with many a sword-blow grazed;And each knight he wore a surcoat of silk or of velvet rare,And their feet were shod with iron, nor harness beside they bare.

Nor longer they cared to slumber--Then the queen alike and kingArose, and e'en as they bade him, a priest the Mass would sing;And closely they thronged together, that army, brave and good,Who in their queen's day of peril her shield 'gainst Klamidé stood.Then, the benediction given, his men greeted Parzival,Many gallant knights and worthy, their true words from true lips must fall.

From the tent they take the hangings, and the king spake, 'Say which is he,Of my boys, who henceforward ruler of your folk and your land shall be?'And further he spake to the princes, 'Both Waleis and Norgal's land,And their towns, Kingrivals and Kanvoleis, by his birthright shall serve his hand,With Béalzenan and Anjou, should he grow unto man's estate;And thither shall ye fare with him, and shall there on his bidding wait.Gamuret was he called, my father, and he left them to me, his heir,But I, by God's grace, have won me an heritage yet more fair!Since the Grail shall be mine, I bid ye your fealty to swear anewTo my child, ere this hour be ended, if your hearts shall to me be true!'And of right goodwill they did this--Ye saw many proud banners wave,And two little hands the tenure of many a wide land gave.And there did they crown Kardeiss king; and, when many a year had flown,Kanvoleis, and Gamuret's kingdom they needs must his lordship own--And then by Plimizöl's water did they measure a circle wideThat there a feast might be holden ere again on their way they ride.Nor long at the board they tarried; no longer the host might stay,The tents were struck, with their child-king they wended their homeward way.

And many a maid and vassal must bid to their queen FarewellIn such wise that they made loud mourning, and many a teardrop fell.And Lohengrin and his mother did the Templars take in their care,And with them to the Burg of Monsalväsch again on their journey fare.Quoth Parzival, 'Once in this woodland an hermitage did I see,And thro' it a rippling brooklet flowed swift on its way so free;If ye know where it stands ye shall show me.' His comrades swift answer gave,They knew one; 'There dwells a maiden, and she weeps o'er her true love's grave;A shrine of all goodness is she--Our road it doth lead that way,And her heart is ne'er free from sorrow.' 'That maid will we see to-day,'Quoth Parzival, and the others, as he willed, so they thought it good,And onward they spurred their chargers, and rode thro' the lonely wood.

And they found, in the dusk of the evening, on her knees Siguné dead,And the queen wept for bitter sorrow--Then they brake thro' unto the maid;Parzival, for the sake of his cousin, bade them raise of the tomb the stone,There, embalmed lay Schionatulander, nor long should he lie alone,For beside him they laid the maiden, who in life to him true love gaveIn such wise as beseemed a maiden, and they closed o'er the twain the grave.And she wept for her uncle's daughter, the queen, with a faithful heart;Schoysiané, the dead maid's mother, had shown her a mother's part,And had cared for her in her childhood, and therefore she sorrow knew:And Parzival's aunt, too, was she, if the tale Kiot read be true.

Kiot knew not the death of his daughter, he was guardian to King Kardeiss--(Nor my tale like the bow shall be bended, but straight as an arrow flies,)They delayed not upon their journey, to Monsalväsch they came by night,And the hours Feirefis must wait them sped swift in their joyful flight.And they lighted many a taper, 'twas as flamed all the woodland wide,And a Templar of Patrigalt, armèd, by the queen's bridle rein did ride;And broad and wide was the courtyard, and many a host stood there,And they welcomed the queen, and a greeting to their lord and his son they bare;And they bore Lohengrin to his uncle, Feirefis, who was black and white,And the babe turned aside nor would kiss him--as children oft do from fright!

But gaily he laughed, the heathen--Then they gat them from out the court,When first the queen had dismounted, who joy with her coming brought--And they led the guests so noble, where, with many a lady fair,Both Feirefis and Anfortas awaited them on the stair.Répanse de Schoie, and from Greenland, Garschiloie, the fair of face,Florie of Lünel, the bright-eyed, rich were they in maiden grace.There she stood, than a reed more graceful, to whom beauty nor truth should fail,The daughter of Reil's lord, Jernis, as Anflisé the maid they hail;And of Tenabroc, maid Clarischanz, sweet was she, and bright to see,And so slender her shape, I think me, an ant's scarce might slighter be.

Feirefis stepped toward his hostess, and he kissed her e'en as she bade,And a kiss did she give Anfortas, for she joyed that his woe was stayed.Feirefis by the hand must lead her where her husband's aunt she found,Répanse de Schoie, and she kissed her, and the maidens who stood around,And her lips that were red aforetime thro' kissing grew yet more red,(And sorely I ween doth it grieve me, that this labour, I, in her stead,Might not here have taken on me, for weary in sooth was she;)Then her maids by the hand they take her, and they lead her in courteously.

And the knights, in the hall they waited, that with countless tapers brightWas decked, on the walls they sparkled, and burnt with a steady light,For a solemn feast they made ready, when the Grail should be shown to all;For it was not on every feast-day, that they bare It thro' the hall,But on high festivals only--When nearer their aid should draw,On that even when joy forsook them, and the bleeding spear they saw,'Twas then, that the Grail might help them, that It thus thro' the hall was borne--Yet Parzival asked no question, and left them of joy forlorn--But now, in joy and gladness, might they look on the Grail again,For at last was their mourning ended, and their sorrow was pierced and slain!

When the queen her riding garment had put off, and decked her hair,She came in such garb as beseemed her, in the light of the tapers fair;And Feirefis stepped to meet her, and he took her by the hand,And no man gainsaid his fellow, that in this, or in other land,None might speak of a fairer woman! And rich was the garb she wore,A silk by a skilled hand woven, such as Sarant had wrought of yore,And with cunning and skill had fashioned in Thasmé, the paynim town--Feirefis Angevin, he led her thro' the palace hall adown,And the three great fires they burnt there with Lignum aloe sweet;And more there were by forty, both carpets alike and seats,Than the time when Parzival sat there and looked on the wondrous Grail,But one seat above all was costly, nor the host to his place should fail.And Feirefis, and Anfortas, they should sit there beside the king--And, courteous, they did them service, who the Grail to the hall should bring.

Aforetime methinks ye heard it, how they to Anfortas bareThe Grail, even so would they do now 'fore the child of King Tampentäre,And Gamuret's son--The maidens, no longer they make delay,Five-and-twenty in rightful order they wend thro' the hall their way.And Feirefis gazed on the first maid, with her sweet face and waving hair,And she pleased him well, yet the others who followed were yet more fair;And costly and rich their garments, and lovely each maiden's face,But Répanse de Schoie, who followed, was first in her maiden grace,And the Grail, so men have told me, might be borne by her hands alone;Pure was her heart, and radiant as sunlight her fair face shone.

Did I tell ye of all the service--how many did water pour,And the tables they bare, (I wot well far more than they had of yore,)How discord fled from the palace; how the cars on their circuit rolled,With their freight of golden vessels, 'twere long ere the tale were told.For the sake of speed would I hasten--with reverence from the GrailEach took of the fowl of the forest, wild or tame, nor their drink should fail;Each took wine or mead as it pleased him, Claret, Morass, or Sinopel;At Pelrapär 'twas far other, as Gamuret's son might tell!

Then the heathen would know the wonder--What hands did these gold cups fillThat stood empty here before him? The wonder, it pleased him still!Then answered the fair Anfortas, who sat by the heathen's side,'Seest thou not the Grail before thee?' But Feirefis replied,'Naught I see but a green Achmardi, that my Lady but now did bear,I mean her who stands before us with the crown on her flowing hair,And her look to mine heart hath piercèd--I deemed I so strong should beThat never a wife nor a maiden my gladness should take from me;But now doth it sore displease me, the love I may call mine own--Discourteous indeed I think me to make unto thee my moanWhen I never have done thee service! What profits my wealth, I trow,Or the deeds I have done for fair women, or the gifts that I gave but now,Since here I must live in anguish! Nay, Jupiter, thou wast fainI should ride here, didst hither send me to torment of grief and pain?'

And the strength of his love, and his sorrow, turned him pale where he erst was light--Kondwiramur, she had found a rival in this maiden's beauty bright--In her love-meshes did she hold him, Feirefis, the noble guest,And the love that he erst had cherished he cast it from out his breast.What recked he of Sekundillé, her love, and her land so fair,Since she wrought on him woe so bitter, this maiden beyond compare?Klauditté, and Sekundillé, Olympia, and many more,Who in distant lands had repaid him with love for his deeds of yore,What cared he now for their kindness? It seemed but a worthless thingTo Gamuret's son, the heathen, great Zassamank's noble king!

Then he saw, the fair Anfortas, his comrade in pain so sore,(For the spots in his skin waxed pallid, and heavy the heart he bore,)And he spake, 'Sir Knight, it doth grieve me if thou dost for my sister mourn,No man for her sake hath sorrowed since the day that the maid was born.No knight for her joust hath ridden; to none doth she favour show;But with me did she dwell at Monsalväsch, and hath shared in my bitter woe,And it somewhat hath dimmed her beauty, since she seldom hath joyful been--Thy brother is son to her sister, he may help thee in this I ween.'

'If that maiden shall be thy sister,' quoth Feirefis Angevin,'Who the crown on her loose locks weareth, then help me her love to win.'Tis she that my heart desireth--What honour mine hand hath wonWith shield and spear in Tourney, for her sake hath it all been done,And I would she might now reward me! The Tourney hath fashions five,And well known unto me is each one, nor against knightly rule I strive.Spear in rest 'gainst the foe have I ridden; I have smitten him from the side;His onslaught have I avoided; nor to fair joust have failed to rideIn gallop, as should beseem me; I have followed the flying foe--Since the shield, it hath been my safeguard, such sorrow I ne'er may knowAs that which to-day besets me--I have fought with a fiery knightAt Agremontein, I bare then a shield of Asbestos bright,And a surcoat of Salamander, else sure had I there been burned;And in sooth my life have I perilled, and my fame have I dearly earned.Ah! would but thy sister send me to battle for love's reward,In strife would I do her bidding, and her fame and mine own would guard.And ever my heart fierce hatred to my god Jupiter shall bear,If he make not an end of my sorrow, and give me this maiden fair!'

Of the twain, Frimutel was the father, and therefore Anfortas boreE'en such face and such form as his sister--Then the heathen, he looked once moreOn the maiden and then on her brother--What they bare him of drink or meatNo morsel he ate, yet he sat there as one who made feint to eat.

Then to Parzival spake Anfortas, 'Sir King, it doth seem to meThat thy brother, who sitteth by me, he faileth the Grail to see!'And Feirefis spake that he saw naught, nor knew what It was 'the Grail';And they hearkened his words, the Templars, and a marvel they deemed the tale.And Titurel needs must hear it, in his chamber the old king lay,And he quoth, 'If he be a heathen, then such thought shall he put awayAs that eyes unbaptized may win them the power to behold the Grail!Such barriers are built around It, his sight to the task shall fail.'

Then they bare to the hall these tidings, and the host and Anfortas toldHow that which the folk did nourish, Feirefis, he might ne'er behold,Since from heathen eyes It was hidden, and they prayed him to seek the graceOf Baptism, by its virtue he should win him in Heaven a place.

'If I, for your sake, be baptizèd, will that help me to win my love?'Spake Gamuret's son, the heathen--'As a wind shall all sorrows prove,That wooing or war shall have brought me, to the grief that I now must feel!If long or short the time be since I first felt the touch of steel,And fought 'neath a shield, such anguish ne'er hath fallen unto my share,And tho' love should, I ween, be hidden, yet my heart would its grief declare!'

'Of whom dost thou speak?' quoth the Waleis, 'Of none but that lady bright,Who is sister to this, thy comrade--If thou, as a faithful knight,Wilt help me to win the maiden, I will give her with kingly handGreat riches, and men shall hail her as queen over many a land!''If to Baptism thou wilt yield thee,' spake the host, 'then her love is thine,(And as thou I right well may hail thee, since the Grail and Its realm are mine,And our riches methinks are equal)'--Quoth Feirefis Angevin,'Then help me to bliss, my brother, that the love of thine aunt I win.And, if Baptism be won by battle, then help me to strife I pray,That I, for sweet love's rewarding, may do service without delay.And mine ear well doth love the music when the spear-shafts in splinters break,And the helmet rings clear 'neath the sword-thrust, and the war-cry the echo wakes.'

Then Parzival laughed out gaily, and Anfortas, he laughed yet more,'Nay, nay,' quoth the host, 'such blessing is no guerdon for deeds of war.I will give unto thee the maiden, by true Baptism's grace and power,But the god and the love of a heathen shalt thou leave in the self-same hour;And to-morrow, at early dawning, will I give to thee counsel true,Whose fruit shall be seen in the crowning of thy life with a blessing new!'

Now Anfortas, before his sickness, in many a distant landHad won him fair fame, for Love's sake, by the deeds of his knightly hand.And the thoughts of his heart were gentle, and generous he was and free,And his right hand had won full often the guerdon of victory;So they sat in the wondrous presence of the Grail, three heroes true,The best of their day, and the bravest that sword-blade in battle drew.

An ye will, they enough had eaten--They, courteous, the tables bareFrom the hall, and as serving-maidens, low bent they, those maidens fair.And Feirefis Angevin saw them as forth from the hall they passed,And in sorrow and deeper anguish I ween was the hero cast.And she who his heart held captive, she bare from the hall the Grail,And leave did they crave of their monarch, nor his will to their will should fail.

How the queen, herself, she passed hence; how men did their task begin;Of the bedding soft they brought him who for love's pain no rest might win;How one and all, the Templars, with kindness would put awayHis grief, 'twere too long to tell ye--speak we now of the dawning day.

In the light of the early morning came his brother, Parzival,With the noble knight Anfortas, and in this wise the tale they tell;This knight who to love was captive, proud Zassamank's lord and king,They prayed, of true heart, to follow, and they would to the Temple bring,And before the Grail they led him--And there had they bidden standThe wisest men of the Templars--knights and servants, a goodly band,Were there ere the heathen entered: the Font was a ruby rare,And it stood on a rounded pillar that of Jasper was fashioned fair,And of old Titurel, he gave it, and the cost was great I ween--Then Parzival spake to his brother, 'This maid wouldst thou have for queen,Then the gods thou hast served henceforward thou shalt for her sake forswear,And ever thine arms, as a true knight, 'gainst the foes of the true God bear,And, faithful, still do His bidding'--'Yea, aught that may win my love,'Quoth the heathen, 'I'll do right gladly, and my deeds shall my truth approve.'Now the Font, toward the Grail had they turned it, filled with water, nor hot nor cold,And a priest by its side did wait them, and grey-haired he was, and old;He had plunged 'neath baptismal waters full many a paynim child,And he spake to the noble heathen, and gentle his speech and mild--'If thy soul thou wouldst wrest from the Devil, thou shalt serve Him who reigns on high,And Threefold is He, yet but One God for aye is the Trinity.God is Man, and the Word of His Father, God is Father at once and Son,And alike shall the twain be honoured, and the Spirit with them is One!In the Threefold Name shall it cleanse thee, this water, with Threefold might,And from shadow of heathen darkness shalt thou pass into Christian light.In water was He baptizèd, in Whose likeness was Adam made,And each tree from the water draweth its sap, and its leafy shade.By water all flesh is nourished, and all that on earth doth live,And the eyes of man are quickened, such virtue doth water give;And many a soul it cleanseth, till it shineth so pure and whiteThat the angels themselves in heaven methinks shall be scarce so bright!'

To the priest then he spake, the heathen, 'If it bringeth me ease for woeI will swear whatsoe'er thou biddest--If reward in her love I know,Then gladly I'll do His bidding--Yea, brother, I here believeIn the God of my love, and for her sake all other gods I'll leave,(For such sorrow as she hath brought me I never have known before,)And it profiteth naught Sekundillé the love that to me she bore,And the honour that she hath done me--All that shall have passed away--In the Name of the God of my father would I fain be baptized to-day!'

Then the priest laid his hands upon him, and the blessing baptismal gave,And he did on the chrisom vesture, and he won what his soul did crave,For e'en as he was baptizèd they made ready the maiden mild,And for christening gift they gave him King Frimutel's lovely child.

From his eyes had the Grail been hidden ere baptismal waters brightHad passed o'er his head, but henceforward, 'twas unveiled to his wondering sight,And, e'en as the rite was over, on the Grail they this writing read;'The Templar whom God henceforward to a strange folk should send as head,Must forbid all word or question of his country, or name, or race,If they willed he aright should help them, and they would in his sight find grace.For the day that they ask the question that folk must he leave straightway'--Since the time that their king, Anfortas, so long in his anguish lay,And the question o'er-long awaited, all questions but please them ill,The knights of the Grail, and no man doth question them with their will.

Then, baptized, Feirefis the Christian to Anfortas made urgent prayer,He should ride with him to his kingdom, and his riches with him should share;But, with courtesy, Anfortas to the knight and his prayer said 'Nay,Naught shall hinder the willing service that to God I would give alway;'Tis a goodly crown, the Grail crown, thro' pride was it lost to me,Henceforth do I choose as my portion a life of humility,And riches and love of women shall be strangers unto my heart--Thou leadest with thee a fair wife, henceforth shall it be her partWith true love to reward thy service, as to women is fit and fair,But I for the love of mine Order henceforward mine arms will bear;For the Grail and Its service only I many a joust will ride,But I fight never more for women--thro' a woman did ill betide!Yet no hatred I bear to women, high courage and joy they giveUnto men, tho' I won but sorrow while I did in their service live.'

But yet, for the sake of his sister, Feirefis rested not to prayThat Anfortas should journey with them, but ever he said them nay.Then he prayed Lohengrin should fare with him, but the mother, she willed it not;And King Parzival spake, 'In the service of the Grail hath he part and lot,And my son, he is pledged to the Order, and a faithful heart and trueMust he bear in the holy service--God grant him the will thereto!'

Then in joy and in fair diversion, till eleven days were o'er,Feirefis abode at Monsalväsch, on the twelfth would he ride once-more,He would lead his wife, this rich man, to his army that yet did waitHis coming, and Parzival sorrowed for the brother he won so late,And mourned sore when he heard the tidings--Then counsel he took straightway,And a goodly force of the Templars did he send with them on their way,Thro' the woodland paths should they guide them--Anfortas, the gallant knight,Himself fain would be their escort--sore wept many maidens bright.

And new pathways they needs must cut them to Karkobra's city fair--Then Anfortas, he sent a message to him who was Burg-grave there;And he bade him, if aye of aforetime rich gifts from his hand he wonTo bethink him, that so this service of true heart by him be done;His brother-in-law with his lady, the king's sister, he now must guideThro' the wood Loehprisein, where the haven afar lieth wild and wide--For now 'twas the hour of parting, nor further the knights must fare,But Anfortas, he spake to Kondrie, and he bade her the message bear.Then from Feirefis, the rich man, the Templars leave did pray,And the courteous knight and noble rode hence on his homeward way.

And the Burg-grave no whit delayed him, but he did e'en at Kondrie's word,And gave welcome fair and knightly to the folk and their noble lord.Nor might Feirefis grow weary of his stay, at the dawn of day,With many a knight as escort, they guided him on his way.But I know not how far he had ridden, nor the countries his eyes had seenEre he came once more to Ioflanz, and its meadow, so fair and green.

And some of the folk yet abode there--and Feirefis fain had known,In the self-same hour, the tidings of whither the host had flown;For each one had sought his country, and the road that full well he knew--King Arthur to Camelot journeyed with many a hero true--Then he of Tribalibot hastened, and his army he sought once more,For his ships lay yet in the haven, and they grieved for their lord full soreAnd his coming brought joy and courage to many a hero bold--The Burg-grave and his knights from Karkobra he rewarded with gifts and gold--And strange news did they tell unto Kondrie, for messengers sought the host,Sekundillé was dead; with the tidings they many a sea had crossed.Then first in her distant journey did Répanse de Schoie find joy,And in India's realm hereafter did she bear to the king a boy;And Prester John they called him, and he won to himself such fameThat henceforward all kings of his country were known by no other name.And Feirefis sent a writing thro' the kingdoms whose crown he bore,And the Christian Faith was honoured as it never had been of yore.(And Tribalibot was that country which as India here we know.)Then Feirefis spake to Kondrie, and he bade her his brother show(Who reigneth in far Monsalväsch) what had chanced unto him, the king,And the death of Queen Sekundillé--and the tidings the maid did bring;And Anfortas was glad and joyful to think that his sister fair,Without or strife or conflict, the crown of those lands might bear.

Now aright have ye heard the story of the children of Frimutel,Five they were, and three are living, and death unto two befell.And the one was Schoysiané, who was pure in the sight of God,And the other was Herzeleide, and falsehood her soul abhorred;And the sword and the life of knighthood, Trevrezent, he had laid them downFor the love of God, and His service, and the hope of a deathless crown.And the gallant knight, Anfortas, pure heart and strong hand he bore,And well for the Grail he jousted, but for women he fought no more.And Lohengrin grew to manhood, and cowardice from him flew,And his heart yearned for deeds of knighthood, to the Grail he did service true.

Would ye further hear the story? A maiden, in days of yore,Whose heart was free from falsehood, the crown of a fair land bore--Her heirdom was rich and noble, and lowly and pure her heart,And no taint of earthly longing had found in her soul a part.And wooers she had in plenty, of crownèd kings, I ween,And princes, whose race and kingdom fit mate for her own had been.Yet so humble she was, the maiden, she thought not of earthly love--And the counts of her realm waxed wrathful, since no pleading her soul could move,And their anger raged hot against her that she gave not her maiden handTo one who should be fit ruler o'er her folk, and her goodly land.In God was her trust, whatever men might in their anger speak,And guiltless, she bare the vengeance her folk on her head would wreak.But she called of her land the princes, and they journeyed from far and near,From many a distant country, the will of their queen to hear.And she sware she would have no husband, and no man as her lord would ownSave him whom God's Hand should send her, his love would she wait alone.

Of the land of Brabant was she princess--From Monsalväsch he came, the knightWhom God at His will should send her, and his guide was a swan so white.He set foot in her land at Antwerp, and she knew that her heart spake true,And gallant was he to look on, and all men the hero knewFor a noble knight and manly, and his face, it was wondrous fair,And his fame was in every kingdom where men did his deeds declare.And a wise man he was, free-handed, with never a doubting heart,And faithful and true, and falsehood it found in his life no part.

A fair welcome the princess gave him--now list ye unto his rede,Rich and poor stood there around him, and they gave to his words good heed,And he spake thus, 'My Lady Duchess, if thou wilt not mine hand refuse,But wilt have me for lord and husband, for thy sake I a kingdom lose--But hearken to what I pray thee, ask thou never who I may be,And seek not to know my country, for so may I abide with thee.In the day thou dost ask the question of my love shalt thou be bereft--Take thou warning, lest God recall me to the land which erewhile I left.'Then she pledged her faith as a woman that her love, it should ne'er wax less,She would do e'en as he should bid her, and never his will transgressSo long as God wit should give her--Her love did he win that night,And Lord of Brabant and its Duchess they hailed him with morning light.

And the marriage feast was costly, and many a knight the landThat of right should be his, as vassal, must take from his princely hand.For he gave ever righteous judgment, and many a gallant deedOf knighthood he did, and, valiant, he won of fair fame his meed.Fair children were born unto them--The folk of Brabant yet knowOf the twain, how he came unto them, and wherefore he thence must go,And how long he dwelt among them ere her question broke the spell,And drove him forth, unwilling, for so shall the story tell.The friendly swan, it sought him, and a little boat did bring,And he sailed thence, and left as tokens his sword, and his horn, and ring.So Lohengrin passed from among them, for in sooth this gallant knightWas Parzival's son, and none other, if the tale ye would know aright.By water-ways he sought it, the home of the Grail, again--And what of the lovely duchess who longed for her lord in vain?Why drove she hence her true love? since he bade her be warned of yore,And forbade her to ask the question when he landed on Brabant's shore--Here Herr Erec should speak, for, I think me, he knoweth the tale to tellOf revenging for broken pledges, and the fate that such speech befell!

If Chrêtien of Troyes, the master, hath done to this tale a wrong,Then Kiot may well be wrathful, for he taught us aright the song,To the end the Provençal told it--How Herzeleide's son the GrailDid win, as was fore-ordainèd when Anfortas thereto did fail.And thus, from Provence, the story to the German land was brought,And aright was it told, and the story doth lack in its ending naught.I, Wolfram of Eschenbach, think me that here-of will I speak no more--Of Parzival's race, and his kindred, of that have I told afore;To the goal of his bliss have I brought him--he whose life such an end shall gain,That his soul doth not forfeit Heaven for sins that his flesh shall stain,And yet, as true man and worthy, the world's favour and grace doth keepHath done well, nor hath lost his labour, nor his fame shall hereafter sleep!And if good and gracious women shall think I be worthy praise,Since I tell to its end my story, then joyful shall be my days.And since for the love of a woman I have sung it, this song of old,I would that, in sweet words gentle, my guerdon by her be told!