Version 1

Notes de lecture
148

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

BOOK VII
CHAPTER 29. Yet of the said tournament
1
Then when this was done there was drawing of swords, and then there began a sore tournament. And there did Sir Lamorak marvellous deeds of arms; and betwixt Sir Lamorak and Sir Ironside
that was the Red Knight of the Red Launds, there was strong battle; and betwixt Sir Palomides and
Bleoberis there was a strong battle; and Sir Gawain and Sir Tristram met, and there Sir Gawain had the
worse, for he pulled Sir Gawain from his horse, and there he was long upon foot, and defouled.
Then came in Sir Launcelot, and he smote Sir Turquin, and he him; and then came Sir Carados
his brother, and both at once they assailed him, and he as the most noblest knight of the world worshipfully fought with them both, that all men wondered of the noblesse of Sir Launcelot.
And then came in Sir Gareth, and knew that it was Sir Launcelot that fought with the two perilous knights. And then Sir Gareth came with his good horse and hurtled them in sunder, and no stroke
would he smite to Sir Launcelot. That espied Sir Launcelot, and deemed it should be the good knight Sir
Gareth: and then Sir Gareth rode here and there, and smote on the right hand and on the left hand, and
all the folk might well espy where that he rode. And by fortune he met with his brother Sir Gawain, and
there he put Sir Gawain to the worse, for he put o his helm, and so he served ve or six knights of the
Round Table, that all men said he put him in the most pain, and best he did his devoir.
For when Sir Tristram beheld him how he rst jousted and after fought so well with a sword,
then he rode unto Sir Ironside and to Sir Persant of Inde, and asked them, by their faith, What manner a
knight is yonder knight that seemeth in so many divers colours? Truly, meseemeth, said Tristram, that he putteth himself in great pain, for he never ceaseth.
Wot ye not what he is? said Sir Ironside.
No, said Sir Tristram.
Then shall ye know that this is he that loveth the lady of the castle, and she him again; and this is he that
won me when I besieged the lady of this castle, and this is he that won Sir Persant of Inde, and his three brethren.
What is his name, said Sir Tristram, and of what blood is he come?
He was called in the court of King Arthur, Beaumains, but his right name is Sir Gareth of Orkney, brother
to Sir Gawain.

By my head, said Sir Tristram, he is a good knight, and a big man of arms, and if he be young he shall
prove a full noble knight.
He is but a child, they all said, and of Sir Launcelot he was made knight.
Therefore he is mickle the better, said Tristram. And then Sir Tristram, Sir Ironside, Sir Persant,
and his brother, rode together for to help Sir Gareth; and then there were given many strong strokes.
2
And then Sir Gareth rode out on the one side to amend his helm; and then said his dwarf, Take
me your ring, that ye lose it not while that ye drink.
And so when he had drunk he gat on his helm, and eagerly took his horse and rode into the eld,
and left his ring with his dwarf; and the dwarf was glad the ring was from him, for then he wist well he
should be known.
And then when Sir Gareth was in the eld all folks saw him well and plainly that he was in
yellow colours; and there he rased o helms and pulled down knights, that King Arthur had marvel
what knight he was, for the king saw by his horse that it was the same knight.

Suite du tournoi
1
Cette phase une fois termine, on dgaina les pes et le tournoi devint alors pre. Sire Lamorat
accomplit des exploits admirables et la bataille t rage entre lui et sire Cte-de-Fer (autrement dit le
Chevalier Rouge des Landes Rouges), ainsi quentre sire Palamde et [sire] Blobris ; sire Gauvain et
sire Tristan croisrent le fer, et le premier eut le dessous, car son adversaire larracha son cheval, il
dut se dfendre longuement pied et fut couvert de honte.
Puis sire Lancelot entra en lice et changea des coups avec sire Trican, que rejoignit bientt son
frre, sire Caradoc, le combat ayant lieu deux contre un : lui, le plus valeureux chevalier au monde,
ayant le mrite de se battre contre deux adversaires, sa noblesse forant ladmiration de tous.
Puis t son entre en lice sire Gahriet, qui il navait pas chapp que ctait sire Lancelot
quassaillaient les deux redoutables chevaliers ; mont sur son bon cheval, sire Gahriet se rua entre les
deux frres et les spara, sans un seul coup de sa part destin sire Lancelot : celui-ci sen t la remarque et estima quil devait sagir du preux chevalier, sire Gahriet, allant ici et l, frappant droite et
gauche, au vu de tous qui pouvaient suivre ses interventions. Le hasard voulut quil joute avec son frre
Gauvain et ce dernier eut le dessous, car il lui t sauter son casque, comme cinq ou six autres chevaliers de la Table Ronde : visiblement, il se donnait beaucoup de mal et se dpensait sans compter.
Constatant de quelles qualits il avait fait preuve dabord la joute, puis lescrime, sire Tristan
alla trouver cheval sire Cte-de-Fer et sire Persant dInde et leur demanda, sur lhonneur, Qui est
donc ce chevalier quon voit paratre sous des couleurs aussi changeantes ? Jai vraiment limpression, ajouta sire
Tristan, quil se met en quatre car il narrte pas un instant.
Comment ? vous ne savez pas qui cest ? stonna sire Cte-de-Fer.
Non, rpondit sire Tristan.
Sachez donc que cest celui qui aime la dame du chteau et que son amour est pay de retour ; cest le
mme qui ma vaincu quand jassigeais la dame de ce chteau, cest lui encore qui a battu sire Persant dInde et
ses trois frres.
Quel est son nom, demanda encore sire Tristan, et de quelle souche vient-il ?
la cour du roi Arthur on lappelait Beaumains, mais de son vrai nom cest sire Gahriet des Orcades,
frre de sire Gauvain.
Sur ce que jai de plus cher, assura sire Tristan, cest un valeureux chevalier et un fameux guerrier, et
sil est jeune, il se rvlera un vritable preux.
Ce nest encore quun gamin, dirent tous les autres, et cest sire Lancelot qui la adoub.
Il nen est que bien suprieur, conclut sire Tristan. Sur quoi sire Tristan, sire Cte-de-Fer, sire
Persant et son frre partirent ensemble cheval venir en aide sire Gahriet, et une vole de coups violents sabattit alors en tous sens.

2
Sire Gahriet gagna alors cheval un endroit un peu lcart de la lice pour ajuster son casque
et son nain lui dit cette occasion : Conez-moi votre anneau pour vous viter de le perdre en buvant.
Une fois quil se fut dsaltr, il remit son casque, remonta en selle avec ardeur et regagna la lice,
laissant son anneau son nain ; et celui-ci se rjouit quil sen soit spar, sachant bien quainsi on le
reconnatrait.
Et quand sire Gahriet se retrouva en lice, tout le monde put voir sans hsitation que sa couleur
tait le jaune ; et tandis quil arrachait des casques et jetait des chevaliers bas de leur monture, le roi
Arthur se demandait qui tait ce chevalier, car le roi avait dduit de la robe du cheval du jeune homme
quil sagissait toujours du mme chevalier.

1 he was long upon foot, and defouled

Winchester f. 141v defouled, Caxton

dele(d) a beau ntre attest

ni dans le manuscrit de Winchester,
ni dans ldition de Caxton,
cest (souvent) le choix de J. Cowen.
were foul deled under horse-feet, was greatly deled (volet 14)
beware ye be not defiled with shame (volet 28)
that I should dele you to do Sir Persant such a shame (volet 131)
he was long upon foot and deled (volet 148)
Lanctre de foul, vieil-anglais fl, donne flen, do fulen, befulen et beflen
dfulen = amalgame de lancien-franais defoler fouler aux pieds, pitiner ; blesser et
de fulen
Resterait expliquer la variante defuyle, defoyle ; OED : The phonology of the variant defuyle, defoyle (found nearly as early as defoule), has not been satisfactorily made out It
does not appear to have been specially connected with dele. defoyle(d) se trouve 8 fois
dans Winchester et 7 fois chez Caxton.
dele, OED :
An altered form of defoul, defoil, by association with file v. defoul, orig. a. OF. defouler to trample
down, oppress, outrage, violate, had, by the 14th c., come to be associated with the Eng. adj. foul,
and, in accordance with this, to be used in the sense pollute; in this sense Eng. had already the
native verbs befoul and befile, also foul and file (the latter:OE. flan umlaut deriv. of OE. fl, foul);
and the example of these synonymous pairs appears to have led to the similar use of defile beside
defoul. What share, if any, the variant defoil had in the process does not appear.

Le glossaire dune dition de Vinaver (1971) donne une bonne ide de la confusion :
defoyle, defowle, v. to dele, to deower ; to put to shame ; to aict ; to trample.

Sagissant ici de Gauvain, on peut comprendre soit couvert de honte , soit pitin
(cf. la 1re citation du volet 14), la 1re hypothse tant plus vraisemblable.

 2 the king saw by his horse that it was the same knight Caxton/J. Cowen hair

his hair

Winchester, folio 142r, dernire ligne hore

for the kynge awe by his hore that hit was