four arthurian romances-第3部分

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mance　of　adventure　in　which　the　worldly　distresses　and　the　final　reward　of　piety　are　conventionally　exposed。　　It　is　uninspired；　its　place　is　difficult　to　determine；　and　its　authorship　is　questioned　by　some。　　It　is　aside　from　the　Arthurian　material；　and　there　is　no　clue　to　its　place　in　the　evolution　of　Chretien's　art；　if　indeed　it　be　his　work。

A　few　words　must　be　devoted　to　Chretien's　place　in　the　history　of　mediaeval　narrative　poetry。　　The　heroic　epic　songs　of　France；　devoted　either　to　the　conflict　of　Christendom　under　the　leadership　of　France　against　the　Saracens；　or　else　to　the　strife　and　rivalry　of　French　vassals　among　themselves；　had　been　current　for　perhaps　a　century　before　our　poet　began　to　write。　　These　epic　poems；　of　which　some　three　score　have　survived；　portray　a　warlike；　virile；　unsentimental　feudal　society；　whose　chief　occupation　was　fighting；　and　whose　dominant　ideals　were　faith　in　God；　loyalty　to　feudal　family　ties；　and　bravery　in　battle。　　Woman's　place　is　comparatively　obscure；　and　of　love…making　there　is　little　said。　　It　is　a　poetry　of　vigorous　manhood；　of　uncompromising　morality；　and　of　hard　knocks　given　and　taken　for　God；　for　Christendom；　and　the　King　of　France。　　This　poetry　is　written　in　ten…　or　twelve…　sylabble　verses　grouped；　at　first　in　assonanced；　later　in　rhymed；　〃tirades〃　of　unequal　length。　　It　was　intended　for　a　society　which　was　still　homogeneous；　and　to　it　at　the　outset　doubtless　all　classes　of　the　population　listened　with　equal　interest。　　As　poetry　it　is　monotonous；　without　sense　of　proportion；　padded　to　facilitate　memorisation　by　professional　reciters；　and　unadorned　by　figure；　fancy；　or　imagination。　　Its　pretention　to　historic　accuracy　begot　prosaicness　in　its　approach　to　the　style　of　the　chronicles。　　But　its　inspiration　was　noble；　its　conception　of　human　duties　was　lofty。　　It　gives　a　realistic　portrayal　of　the　age　which　produced　it；　the　age　of　the　first　crusades；　and　to　this　day　we　would　choose　as　our　models　of　citizenship　Roland　and　Oliver　rather　than　Tristan　and　Lancelot。　The　epic　poems；　dealing　with　the　pseudo…historical　characters　who　had　fought　in　civil　and　foreign　wars　under　Charlemagne；　remained　the　favourite　literary　pabulum　of　the　middle　classes　until　the　close　of　the　thirteenth　century。　　Professor　Bedier　is　at　present　engaged　in　explaining　the　extraordinary　hold　which　these　poems　had　upon　the　public；　and　in　proving　that　they　exercised　a　distinct　function　when　exploited　by　the　Church　throughout　the　period　of　the　crusades　to　celebrate　local　shrines　and　to　promote　muscular　Christianity。　　But　the　refinement　which　began　to　penetrate　the　ideals　of　the　French　aristocracy　about　the　middle　of　the　twelfth　century　craved　a　different　expression　in　narrative　literature。　　Greek　and　Roman　mythology　and　history　were　seized　upon　with　some　effect　to　satisfy　the　new　demand。　　The　〃Roman　de　Thebes〃；　the　〃Roman　d'Alexandre〃；　the　〃Roman　de　Troie〃；　and　its　logical　continuation；　the　〃Roman　d'Eneas〃；　are　all　twelfth…　century　attempts　to　clothe　classic　legend　in　the　dress　of　mediaeval　chivalry。　　But　better　fitted　to　satisfy　the　new　demand　was　the　discovery　by　the　alert　Anglo…Normans　perhaps　in　Brittany；　perhaps　in　the　South　of　England；　of　a　vast　body　of　legendary　material　which；　so　far　as　we　know；　had　never　before　this　century　received　any　elaborate　literary　treatment。　　The　existence　of　the　literary　demand　and　this　discovery　of　the　material　for　its　prompt　satisfaction　is　one　of　the　most　remarkable　coincidences　in　iiterary　history。　　It　would　seem　that　the　pride　of　the　Celtic　populations　in　a　Celtic　hero；　aided　and　abetted　by　Geoffrey　of　Monmouth；　who　first　showed　the　romantic　possibilities　of　the　material；　made　of　the　obscure　British　chieftain　Arthur　a　world　conqueror。　　Arthur　thus　became　already　in　Geoffrey's　〃Historia　regum　Britaniae〃　a　conscious　protagonist　of　Charlemagne　and　his　rival　in　popularity。　　This　grandiose　conception　of　Arthur　persisted　in　England；　but　this　conception　of　the　British　chieftain　did　not　interest　the　French。　　For　Chretien　Arthur　had　no　political　significance。　　He　is　simply　the　arbiter　of　his　court　in　all　affairs　of　justice　and　courtesy。　　Charlemagne's　very　realistic　entourage　of　virile　and　busy　barons　is　replaced　by　a　court　of　elegant　chevaliers　and　unemployed　ladies。　　Charlemagne's　setting　is　historical　and　geographical；　Arthur's　setting　is　ideal　and　in　the　air。　　In　the　oldest　epic　poems　we　find　only　God…　fearing　men　and　a　few　self…effacing　women；　in　the　Arthurian　romances　we　meet　gentlemen　and　ladies；　more　elegant　and　seductive　than　any　one　in　the　epic　poems；　but　less　fortified　by　faith　and　sense　of　duty　against　vice　because　breathing　an　enervating　atmosphere　of　leisure　and　decadent　morally。　　Though　the　Church　made　the　attempt　in　〃Parzival〃；　it　could　never　lay　its　hands　so　effectively　upon　this　Celtic　material；　because　it　contained　too　many　elements　which　were　root　and　branch　inconsistent　with　the　essential　teachings　of　Christianity。　　A　fleeting　comparison　of　the　noble　end　of　Charlemagne's　Peers　fighting　for　their　God　and　their　King　at　Ronceval　with　the　futile　and　dilettante　careers　of　Arthur's　knights　in　joust　and　hunt；　will　show　better　than　mere　words　where　the　difference　lies。

The　student　of　the　history　of　social　and　moral　ideals　will　find　much　to　interest　him　in　Chretien's　romances。　　Mediaeval　references　show　that　he　was　held　by　his　immediate　successors；　as　he　is　held　to…day　when　fairly　viewed；　to　have　been　a　master　of　the　art　of　story…telling。　　More　than　any　other　single　narrative　poet；　he　was　taken　as　a　model　both　in　France　and　abroad。　Professor　F。　M。　Warren　has　set　forth　in　detail　the　finer　points　in　the　art　of　poetry　as　practised　by　Chretien　and　his　contemporary　craftsmen　（see　〃Some　Features　of　Style　in　Early　French　Narrative　Poetry；　1150…1170　in　〃Modern　Philology〃；　iii。；　179…209；　iii。；　513…539；　iv。；　655…675）。　Poets　in　his　own　land　refer　to　him　with　reverence；　and　foreign　poets　complimented　him　to　a　high　degree　by　direct　translation　and　by　embroidering　upon　the　themes　which　he　had　made　popular。　　The　knights　made　famous　by　Chretien　soon　crossed　the　frontiers　and　obtained　rights　of　citizenship　in　counties　so　diverse　as　Germany；　England；　Scandinavia；　Holland；　Italy；　and　to　a　lesser　extent　in　Spain　and　Portugal。　　The　inevitable　tendency　of　the　fourteenth　and　fifteenth　centuries　to　reduce　poetry　to　prose　affected　the　Arthurian　material；　vast　prose　compilations　finally　embodied　in　print　the　matter　formerly　expressed　in　verse；　and　it　was　in　this　form　that　the　stories　were　known　to　later　generations　until　revived　interest　in　the　Middle　Ages　brought　to　light　the　manuscripts　in　verse。

Aside　from　certain　episodes　of　Chretien's　romances；　the　student　will　be　most　interested　in　the　treatment　of　love　as　therein　portrayed。　　On　this　topic　we　may　hear　speaking　the　man　of　his　time。　〃Cliges〃　contains　the　body　of　Chretien's　doctrine　of　love；　while　Lancelot　is　his　most　perfect　lover。　　His　debt　to　Ovid　has　not　yet　been　indicated　with　sufficient　preciseness。　　An　elaborate　code　to　govern　sentiment　and　its　expression　was　independently　developed　by　the　troubadours　of　Provence　in　the　early　twelfth　century。　　These　Provencal　ideals　of　the　courtly　life　were　carried　into　Northern　France　partly　as　the　result　of　a　royal　marriage　in　1137　and　of　the　crusade　of　1147；　and　there　by　such　poets　as　Chretien　they　were　gathered　up　and　fused　with　the　Ovidian　doctrine　into　a　highly　complicated　but　perfectly　definite　statement　of　the　ideal　relations　of　the　sexes。　　Nowhere　in　the　vulgar　tongues　can　a　better　statement　of　these　relations　be　found　than　in　〃Cliges。〃

So　we　leave　Chretien　to　speak　across　the　ages　for　himself　and　his　generation。　　He　is　to　be　read　as　a　story…teller　rather　than　as　a　poet；　as　a　casuist　rather　than　as　a　philosopher。　　But　when　all　deductions　are　made；　his　significance　as　a　literary　artist　and　as　the　founder　of　a　precious　literary　tradition　distinguishes　him　from　all　other　poets　of　the　Latin　races　between　the　close　of　the　Empire　and　the　arrival　of　Dante。

　W。　W。　COMFORT。



EREC　ET　ENIDE　（1）

（Vv。　1…26。）　　The　rustic's　proverb　says　that　many　a　thing　is　despised　that　is　worth　much　more　than　is　supposed。　　Therefore　he　does　well　who　makes　the　most　of　whatever　intelligence　he　may　possess。　　For　he　who　neglects　this　concern　may　likely　omit　to　say　something　which　would　subsequently　give　great　pleasure。　　So　Chretien　de　Troyes　maintains　that　one　ought　always　to　study　and　strive　to　speak　well　and　teach　the　right；　and　he　derives　from　a　story　of　adventure　a　pleasing　argument　whereby　it　may　be　proved　and　known　that　he　is　not　wise　who　does　not　make　liberal　use　of　his　knowledge　so　long　as　God　may　give　him　grace。　　The　story　is　about　Erec　the　son　of　Laca　story　which　those　who　earn　a　living　by　telling　stories　are　accustomed　to　mutilate　and　spoil　in　the　presence　of　kings　and　counts。　　And　now　I　shall　begin　the　tale　which　will　be　remembered　so　long　as　Christendom　endures。　　This　is　Chretien's　boast。

（Vv。　27…66。）　　One　Easter　Day　in　the　Springtime；　King　Arthur　held　court　in　his　town　of　Cardigan。　　Never　was　there　seen　so　rich　a　court；　for　many　a　good　knight　was　there；　hardy；　bold；　and　brave；　and　rich　ladies　and　damsels；　gentle　and　fair　daughters　of　kings。　But　before　the　court　was　disbanded；　the　King　told　his　knights　that　he　wished　to　hunt　the　White　Stag；　（2）　in　order　to　observe　worthily　the　ancient　custom。　　When　my　lord　Gawain　heard　this；　he　was　sore　displeased。　and　said：　〃Sire；　you　will　derive　neither　thanks　nor　goodwill　from　this　hunt。　　We　all　know　long　since　what　this　custom　of　the　White　Stag　is：　whoever　can　kill　the　White　Stag　must　forsooth　kiss　the　fairest　maiden　of　your　court；　come　what　may。　　But　of　this　there　might　come　great　ill；　for　there　are　here　five　hundred　damsels　of　high　birth；　gentle　and　prudent　daughters　of　kings；　and　there　is　none　of　them　but　has　a　bold　and　valiant　knight　for　her　lover　who　would　be　ready　to　contend；　whether　fight　or　wrong；　that　she　who　is　his　lady　is　the　fairest　and　gentlest　of　them　all。〃　　The　King　replies：　〃That　I　know　well；　yet　will　I　not　desist　on　that　account；　for　a　king's　word　ought　never　to　be　gainsaid。　　To…morrow　morning　we　shall　all　gaily　go　to　hunt　the　White　Stag　in　the　forest　of　adventure。　　And　very　delightful　this　hunt　will　be。〃

（Vv。　67…114。）　　And　so　the　affair　is　arranged　for