THE ROMANCE OF TRISTAN AND ISEULT
The Romance of Tristan & Iseult Drawn from the best French Sources and Retold by J. Bédier Rendered into English by H. Belloc
London: George Allen & Company, Ltd. Ruskin House, Rathbone Place. Mcmxiii
“Le Roman de Tristan et Iseut,” by M. Joseph Bédier, was crowned by the French Academy
Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & Co.
at the Ballantyne Press, Edinburgh
CONTENTS
PART THE FIRST
THE CHILDHOOD OF TRISTAN
THE MORHOLT OUT OF IRELAND
THE QUEST OF THE LADY WITH THE HAIR OF GOLD
THE PHILTRE
THE TALL PINE-TREE
THE DISCOVERY
THE CHANTRY LEAP
PART THE SECOND
THE WOOD OF MOROIS
OGRIN THE HERMIT
THE FORD
THE ORDEAL BY IRON
PART THE THIRD
THE LITTLE FAIRY BELL
ISEULT OF THE WHITE HANDS
THE MADNESS OF TRISTAN
THE DEATH OF TRISTAN
PART THE FIRST
THE CHILDHOOD OF TRISTAN
My lords, if you would hear a high tale of love and of death, here is that of Tristan and Queen Iseult; how to their full joy, but to their sorrow also, they loved each other, and how at last they died of that love together upon one day; she by him and he by her.
Long ago, when Mark was King over Cornwall, Rivalen, King of Lyonesse, heard that Mark’s enemies waged war on him; so he crossed the sea to bring him aid; and so faithfully did he serve him with counsel and sword that Mark gave him his sister Blanchefleur, whom King Rivalen loved most marvellously.
He wedded her in Tintagel Minster, but hardly was she wed when the news came to him that his old enemy Duke Morgan had fallen on Lyonesse and was wasting town and field. Then Rivalen manned his ships in haste, and took Blanchefleur with him to his far land; but she was with child. He landed below his castle of Kanoël and gave the Queen in ward to his Marshal Rohalt, and after that set off to wage his war.
