Notes de lecture

64


Le texte de base est celui de ldition de Janet Cowen, Penguin Classics (2 vol.).




BOOK IV



CHAPTER 3. How King Arthur had ado with them and overthrew them, and slew
the ve kings and made the remnant to ee

1 Unto this counsel these ve kings assented, and so they passed forth with their host through
North Wales, and came upon Arthur by night, and set upon his host as the king and his knights
were in their pavilions. King Arthur was unarmed, and had laid him to rest with his Queen Guene-
ver.
Sir, said Sir Kay, it is not good we be unarmed.
We shall have no need, said Sir Gawain and Sir Griet, that lay in a little pavilion by the king.
With that they heard a great noise, and many cried, Treason, treason!
Alas, said King Arthur, we be betrayed! Unto arms, fellows, then he cried. So they were armed
anon at all points.
Then came there a wounded knight unto the king, and said, Sir, save yourself and my lady the
queen, for our host is destroyed, and much people of ours slain.
So anon the king and the queen and the three knights took their horses, and rode toward
Humber to pass over it, and the water was so rough that they were afraid to pass over.
Now may ye choose, said King Arthur, whether ye will abide and take the adventure on this side, for
and ye be taken they will slay you.
It were me lever, said the queen, to die in the water than to fall in your enemies hands and there be
slain.

2 And as they stood so talking, Sir Kay saw the ve kings coming on horseback by themself
alone, with their spears in their hands even toward them.
Lo, said Sir Kay, yonder be the ve kings; let us go to them and match them.
That were folly, said Sir Gawain, for we are but three and they be ve.
That is truth, said Sir Griet.
No force, said Sir Kay, I will undertake two of them, and then may ye three undertake for the other
three.
V
e
r
s
i
o
n

1

And therewithal, Sir Kay let his horse run as fast as he might, and struck one of them through
the shield and the body a fathom, that the king fell to the earth stark dead. That saw Sir Gawain,
and ran unto another king so hard that he smote him through the body. And therewithal King
Arthur ran to another, and smote him through the body with a spear, that he fell to the earth
dead. Then Sir Griet ran unto the fourth king, and gave him such a fall that his neck brake. Anon
Sir Kay ran unto the fth king, and smote him so hard on the helm that the stroke clave the helm
and the head to the earth.
That was well stricken, said King Arthur, and worshipfully hast thou holden thy promise, therefore I
shall honour thee while that I live. And therewithal they set the queen in a barge into Humber; but
always Queen Guenever praised Sir Kay for his deeds, and said, What lady that ye love, and she love
you not again she were greatly to blame; and among ladies, said the queen, I shall bear your noble fame,
for ye spake a great word, and fullled it worshipfully. And therewith the queen departed.

3 Then the king and the three knights rode into the forest, for there they supposed to hear of
them that were escaped; and there he found the most part of his people, and told them all how
the ve kings were dead. And therefore let us hold us together till it be day, and when their host have
espied that their chieftains be slain, they will make such dole that they shall no more help themself.
And right so as the king said, so it was; for when they found the ve kings dead, they made
such dole that they fell from their horses. Therewithal came King Arthur but with a few people,
and slew on the left hand and on the right hand, that well-nigh there escaped no man, but all
were slain to the number thirty thousand. And when the battle was all ended, the king kneeled
down and thanked God meekly. And then he sent for the queen, and soon she was come, and she
made great joy of the overcoming of that battle.





Le roi Arthur leur livre bataille, lemporte sur eux, tue les cinq rois
et met en fuite le reste de ses ennemis

1 Cet avis reut lagrment des cinq rois et leur arme traversa donc la Galles du Nord, atteignit
pendant la nuit le campement dArthur et fondit sur ses troupes alors que le roi et ses chevaliers se
trouvaient sous leurs tentes. Le roi Arthur avait quitt son armure et se reposait, allong ct de la
reine Guenivre.
Messire, t remarquer sire Keu, il nest pas bon que nous ayons quitt notre armure.
Nous nen naurons nul besoin, expliqurent sire Gauvain et sire Griet, qui couchaient sous une
petite tente proche de celle du roi.
Cest alors quils entendirent un vacarme et de nombreux cris de Alerte ! alerte ! .
Hlas ! dplora le roi Arthur, nous sommes trahis ! Aux armes, compagnons ! scria-t-il alors. lin-
stant mme, ils sarmrent donc de pied en cap.
Un chevalier bless vint alors trouver le roi et lui dit : Messire, sauvez votre vie et sauvez celle de ma
dame la reine car notre arme est en droute et beaucoup de nos gens ont t tus.
Aussitt, le roi, la reine et les trois chevaliers prirent leurs chevaux et se dirigrent vers le Hum-
ber dans lintention de le franchir, mais leau tait si tumultueuse quils nosrent pas tenter la tra-
verse.
Voici le moment de dcider, annona le roi Arthur : en restant, vous acceptez les risques de ce ct-ci, car
sils vous capturent, ils vous tuent.
Jaimerais encore mieux mourir noye, rpondit la reine, que tomber entre les mains de vos ennemis et
quils me tuent.

2 Ils en taient l de leur conversation lorsque sire Keu vit les cinq rois venir cheval, seuls, dans
leur direction, la lance en main.
Tenez, annona sire Keu, les cinq rois sont l-bas ; allons nous mesurer eux.
Ce serait de la folie, commenta sire Gauvain, car nous ne sommes que trois alors quils sont cinq.
Cest un fait, approuva sire Griet.
Aucune importance, dcida sire Keu : je me charge de deux dentre eux, puis vous trois pouvez vous
charger des trois autres.
Et l, sire Keu chargea aussi vite que sa monture le permettait et frappa lun des ennemis avec
une telle violence quil dfona son bouclier et lui transpera le corps sur une longueur de plus dune
brasse : le roi tomba sur le sol, raide mort. Ce que voyant, sire Gauvain se rua sur un autre roi, quil
transpera de sa lance. son tour, le roi Arthur soccupa dun troisime, que sa lance traversa de part
en part et t tomber mort sur le sol. Sire Griet se prcipita alors sur le quatrime roi, auquel il t
faire une telle chute quil sen brisa le cou. Aussitt, nouvelle charge de sire Keu, sur le cinquime roi,
qui reut un tel coup que son casque clata et que sa tte roula par terre.
Joli coup ! sexclama le roi Arthur, et tu as magniquement tenu ta promesse, je ten reconnatrai le
mrite tant que je vivrai. Sur ces entrefaites, ils mirent la reine bord dune embarcation sur le Hum-
ber ; et la reine Guenivre ne cessa de faire lloge des exploits de sire Keu en ces termes : Quelle que
soit la dame que vous aimiez, si votre amour nest pas pay de retour, elle serait grandement blmer ; et, pour-
suivit-elle, je rpandrai votre noble rputation parmi les dames, car si vous avez eu de fortes paroles, vous les
avez magniquement transformes en actes. Et l-dessus la reine sloigna.

3 Le roi et les trois chevaliers senfoncrent alors cheval dans la fort, prsumant y apprendre
des nouvelles des rescaps ; et Arthur y retrouva la majeure partie [des survivants] de son arme,
qui il annona la mort des cinq rois. Et pour cette raison, restons groups jusquau point du jour :
quand leurs troupes verront que ceux qui les commandaient sont morts, le chagrin les dsorganisera.
Le propos du roi se vria : en dcouvrant les cadavres des cinq rois, ils tombrent de cheval
sous le coup du chagrin. ce moment, le roi Arthur survint avec des eectifs rduits, frappant
droite et gauche, si bien quil ny eut pour ainsi dire aucun survivant et que le nombre de tus
sleva trente mille. La bataille nie, le roi sagenouilla et rendit grces Dieu avec humilit.
Puis il t revenir la reine, qui ne tarda pas et que cette victoire remplit de joie.




Le titre (donn par Caxton ou un de ses collaborateurs) ne donne pas
une ide trs exacte des vnements du chapitre

1 Treason, treason! Sur la question du smantisme de trahi, trahison et de treason,
je me permets de renvoyer mon billet intitul Tra ! tra ! Alerte ! alerte !, publi sur
Scribd (Item # 50).
2 fathom length made by the outstretched arms ; cf. pied, pouce, main, empan, cou-
de, aune, etc.
3 It were me lever premire occasion donne Guenivre de sexprimer : la reine se
montre la hauteur de la situation
4 by themself help themself version originale : hem sel, cf. I, 15, 7.