Literature of antiquity and the Middle Ages - Summary - 2019
Mule without a Reed
Peyen from Maisieres (XIII century)
So, the story begins: to the court of the legendary King Arthur, where courageous and noble knights are going, is a girl on a mule. The beauty goes "at all without knots" and bitterly cries. Noble ladies and knights send Senešal Kee to find out what the matter is. Soon Kay returns and reports: the girl is sad that she has no reins on her mule, and she is looking for a brave knight who will agree to find this knot and return it. But she will find such a thing and fulfill her request, she is ready to become his humble wife.
The ladies enthralled by beauty, Kay asks to allow him to do this feat. Ready to go for a knife at least to the edge of the world, Kei wants to get a kiss from the lady before the road. However, he refuses to do so: first, the kennel, and then the kiss. Without losing more precious time, Kay sits on a mule, and he stably shakes on a familiar road. Soon the mull will turn into a forest full of lions, leopards and tigers; with a loud rumble beast rushes "where the knight walked the way." Cursing everything in the world, the unlucky Seneschal thinks only about how to take away the legs from time to time. From repentance to the mistress of the mule, predators, having looked at the sedok, retreat to the thicket.
The forest was over, the mule drove to the plain, and Kay sparkled with the spirit. However, he does not rejoice for a long time: the mule enters the gorge, where snakes, tarantulas and spiders swarm at the bottom, whose sinister, angry breath, fluttering like black smoke, is so frightening Kei that he is horrified to return to the forest to wild beasts. Finally, and this obstacle is behind, now Keya is waiting for a stormy stream, through which it is possible to move through the bridge only. Seneshall does not withstand and turns back; Thanks to the silt, he passes harmless to all the reptiles and beasts and finally comes to Arthur's palace.
Upon learning that he did not bring the reins, the girl in the mountain tore herself on herself. Tumbled by her grief, the knight Goven asks to allow him to bring her a baton. Hearing his words, the maiden joyfully kisses the knight: the heart tells her that he will bring the bridle. Meanwhile, Seneschal Kay, "grieving in his soul", leaves the courtyard; not fulfilling the chivalrous feat of himself, he does not dare to appear before King Arthur.
Mole lends Goven the same paths as Kay. Seeing the familiar mule and his servant, the brave Goven, the animals run out to meet them. Goven guesses that, frightened by the beast, Kay broke the word given to the lady. Goven himself goes fearlessly further and with a smile on his lips passes a gorge of horror, and a stench, at the bottom of which grubbing creeps.
On a narrow plate, the knight fearlessly intersects the turbulent stream and approaches the castle, which revolves like a mill wheel. The castle is surrounded by a deep moat with water, a paleocard hanging around the groove, decorated with human heads; One pole of this terrible fence is still free. But the knight does not do the soul. Going on the bridge, Goven boldly rushes forward and penetrates into the castle with the price of just half the tail of the mule, which "hung herself at the gate." Everywhere is empty and quiet. There is a silent dwarf in the courtyard; Following him, Goven faces a huge hairy villa with an ax on his neck. Willan warns the knight that it will not be easy to reach the cherished ribs; but the caution it only ignites the courage of the hero. Then Willan hobots about the knight, takes him home, gives a dinner, runs the bed, and before the dream offers a game: first Goven cut his head, and then he is Govena. The knight agrees, cuts off the villan's head, takes it under his arm and leaves, promising to appear tomorrow at Govena's head.
In the morning, true to his word, Goven puts his head on the plate. But it turns out, the shaggy giant wanted only to scare him. The terrible sight of the villan becomes a faithful servant of the knight and equips him to fight with fierce lions. The seven shields are broken by predators, but still the knight wins them. Goven is ready to get a bride, but this is only the first test. When the knight rested and changed the armor, the villan leads him to the hall where the wounded knight lies. By custom, this knight fights with anyone who comes to the castle with a knot. The knight wins the stranger, cuts off his head and sets it on the guard near the hole. If a newcomer wins the knight, then he will have to cut off his head and take his place himself. Gaff, of course, wins the knight of the castle, but generously keeps his head on his shoulders. Now a shaggy villan brings him a bridle, Goven thinks. But the Arthur's knight is waiting for a new test: the villan brings him two fire-breathing snakes. Goven cuts off the headmaster with a powerful blow.
Then to Goven is the former dwarf and in the name of his mistress invites the knight to share with her the meal. Goven accepts the invitation, but without trusted a dwarf, he requires that he be accompanied by a true villan. Followed by their attendants, the knight comes to a beautiful lady. Fluttering with his courage, the lady invites Goven to the table. Willan and the dwarf serve them, the lady is happy to treat the hero. When the meal is over and the servants took water to wash their hands, Goven asks the lady to give him a bridle. In response, he states that he fought for her sister, and so she was ready to give him all of herself, so that he would become her master and her, and her fifty castles. But the knight is courteously answering that "it is due to the occurrence of lime," he is obliged "to bring the king faster," and, therefore, he should immediately go to the return journey. Then the lady points him to the silver nail where the precious knot hangs. Goven removes the baton, farewell to the lady, and the villan brings him a mule. The lady asks the villa to stop the rotation of the castle so that the knight easily leaves his walls, and he willingly fulfills her request.
Moving past the gate, Goven looks in amazement at the exhilarating crowd: when he drove into the castle, there was no soul in it. Villan explains to him: before all these people were hiding in the cave, because they were afraid of wild beasts. Only those who were angry, some time went out to work. Now, when Goven killed all the predators, they rejoice in the light, and there is no limit to their merriment. Willana's speeches are a great pleasure for Gouven.
Here the mule again runs over a narrow board, turns into a somber gorge, enters the dense forest, where all the animals again jump to meet him - bend the knees before the valiant knight. But Goven is not at all - he's in a hurry to Arthur's castle.
Gaul enters the meadow in front of the castle, he is noticed by the queen and her suite from the windows. Everyone is rushing towards the brave knight, and most of all the lady arrives rejoicing: she knows that Goven brought her a baton. Rewarded the knight with a kiss, she thanks him for a feat. "And here Goven told her without any embarrassment the adventures": about the forest, about the violent stream, about the wonderful palace, about the dwarf and about the villa, about how the lions were killed, how the famous knight was beaten, how two snakes were struck together, about the meal and conversation with her sister, about the rejoicing of the people in the castle.
After listening to Goven's story, the lady asks for her leave, although everyone, including the king himself, persuades her to stay and choose her gentleman among the Knights of the Round Table. But the lady stands on her own: she is not free to stay, no matter how she wants it. Having settled down on a mule, she, having refused from the attendants, rushes back to the forest. On this story "about a girl on a mule, which suddenly left the palace, here it finds its end."