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Notes de lecture
110
Le texte de base est celui de ldition de Janet Cowen, Penguin Classics (2 vol.).
BOOK VI
CHAPTER 9. How Sir Turquin was slain, and how Sir Launcelot
bad Sir Gaheris deliver all the prisoners
1
Then at the last Sir Turquin waxed faint, and gave somewhat aback, and bare his shield low for
weariness. That espied Sir Launcelot, and leapt upon him ercely and gat him by the beaver of his helmet, and plucked him down on his knees, and anon he rased o his helm, and smote his neck in sunder.
And when Sir Launcelot had done this, he yode unto the damosel and said, Damosel, I am ready to
go with you where ye will have me, but I have no horse.
Fair sir, said she, take this wounded knights horse and send him into this manor, and command him to
deliver all the prisoners.
So Sir Launcelot went unto Gaheris, and prayed him not to be aggrieved for to lend him his horse.
Nay, fair lord, said Gaheris, I will that ye take my horse at your own commandment, for ye have both
saved me and my horse, and this day I say ye are the best knight in the world, for ye have slain this day in my sight
the mightiest man and the best knight except you that ever I saw, and, fair sir, said Gaheris, I pray you tell me
your name.
Sir, my name is Sir Launcelot du Lake, that ought to help you of right for King Arthurs sake, and in especial for my lord Sir Gawains sake, your own dear brother. And when that ye come within yonder manor, I am
sure ye shall nd there many knights of the Round Table, for I have seen many of their shields that I know on yonder tree. There is Kays shield, and Sir Brandiles shield, and Sir Marhaus shield, and Sir Galihuds shield, and Sir
Brian de Listinoises1 shield, and Sir Alidukes shield, with many more that I am not now advised of, and also my
two brethrens shields, Sir Ector de Maris and Sir Lionel. Wherefore I pray you greet them all from me, and say that
I bid them take such stu there as they nd, and that in any wise my brethren go unto the court and abide me
there till that I come, for by the feast of Pentecost I cast me to be there, for as at this time I must ride with this
damosel for to save my promise.
2
And so he departed from Gaheris, and Gaheris yede in to the manor, and there he found a yeoman porter keeping there many keys. Anon withal Sir Gaheris threw the porter unto the ground and
took the keys from him, and hastily he opened the prison door, and there he let out all the prisoners,
and every man loosed other of their bonds. And when they saw Sir Gaheris, all they thanked him, for
they weened that he was wounded.
Not so, said Gaheris, it was Launcelot that slew him worshipfully with his own hands. I saw it with mine
own eyes. And he greeteth you all well, and prayeth you to haste you to the court; and as unto Sir Lionel and Ector
de Maris he prayeth you to abide him at the court.
That shall we not do, said his brethren, we will nd him and we may live.
So shall I, said Sir Kay, nd him or I come at the court, as I am true knight.
3
Then all those knights sought the house thereas the armour was, and then they armed them,
and every knight found his own horse, and all that ever longed unto him. And when this was done,
there came a forester with four horses lade with fat venison.
Anon, Sir Kay said, Here is good meat for us for one meal, for we had not many a day no good repast.
And so that venison was roasted, baken, and sodden, and so after supper some abode there all
night, but Sir Lionel and Ector de Maris and Sir Kay rode after Sir Launcelot to nd him if they might.
mes frres doivent se rendre la cour et y attendre mon retour (je compte my trouver pour la Pentecte), car pour
linstant, je dois partir cheval et accompagner cette demoiselle pour respecter ma promesse.
2
Ainsi donc, il quitta Guerrehet, ce dernier entra dans le manoir et y trouva un guichetier, porteur dun trousseau de clefs ; sire Guerrehet le prcipita par terre et lui prit son trousseau, puis se hta
douvrir les cachots et de rendre leur libert tous les captifs, qui sentraidrent pour se dlivrer de
leurs entraves. En voyant sire Guerrehet, tous le remercirent, croyant quil avait t bless [en se battant contre Trican].
Pas du tout, expliqua Guerrehet, cest Lancelot qui la tu avec bravoure en combat singulier : jen ai
t tmoin. Du reste, il tient tous vous saluer et vous prie de regagner la cour en hte ; quant vous, messires
Lionel et Ector des Marais, il vous prie de lattendre la cour.
Voil qui est hors de question, scrirent les deux frres, nous voulons le retrouver, si Dieu nous prte
vie.
Moi aussi, ajouta sire Keu, je dois le retrouver avant de retourner la cour, aussi vrai que je suis chevalier.
3
Puis tous les chevaliers se mirent en qute dans le manoir de lentrept des quipements, revtirent alors leurs armures, chacun dentre eux retrouva son cheval et tout ce qui lui appartenait. Lopration mene bien, arriva un garde-chasse menant quatre chevaux chargs de venaison bien en chair.
Ce qui entrana cette remarque de sire Keu : Nous voici avec de quoi faire de franches lippes pour
une seule fois, car cela fait belle lurette que nous navons pas festoy.
Les btes furent donc cuites la broche, au four ou bouillies, et aprs le djeuner, tandis que certains restaient sur place pour passer la nuit, messires Lionel et Ector des Marais, ainsi que sire Keu, partirent cheval pour retrouver sire Lancelot, si possible.
La bavire (articule)
se trouve au-dessus du gorgerin.
Clich ARMAE.COM
Louis Aycelin, chevalier, seigneur de Montaigut, Chteldon, le Breuil, etc., gouverneur du Nivernais et du Donziois ( 1427), avait pris part la croisade de Barbarie en 1390, porta dsormais le
nom de Listenois. Le lieu de Listenois na pu tre identi. Aucun prcdent porteur de ce
nom, antrieur Louis Aycelin de Montaigut, na pu davantage tre relev.
(Germain Lefvre-Pontalis, 1896)
3 he found a yeoman porter keeping there many keys il trouva un portier, simple domestique (yeoman) et porte-clefs
4 four horses lade with fat venison Cerfs et sangliers sont surchargs de graisse la saison du rut (heat 1) ; la scne se passe donc en automne.
Sir Carados of the dolowres towre a noble knyght and Sir Terquyne his broer
Dans lmission le Masque et la Plume, Jean-Louis Bory traduisit un jour Heat (titre dun lm de Paul Morrissey, 1972) par
Chaleur . Le lm a t distribu dans les pays hispanophones sous le titre Caliente [ En chaleur ] : nuance.
1
Sur Delavigne, voir Jean Vidalenc, Un Orlaniste oubli : Casimir Delavigne (1793-1843) , Histoire et littrature : les crivains
et la politique (1977), p. 105-122. Sur Desnoyers, voir Luce Abels, Fernand Desnoyers, 'le dernier bohme' , in Le champ
littraire 1860-1900 : tudes oertes Michael Pakenham (1996), p. 142-148.
3
J. Cowen, I, p. 283, 285 et 288 ; P.J.C. Field (2013), I, p. 270, 273 et 275.
Than com in Sir Carados of e dolowres towre and Sir Terquyne knyghts of e catell
Than com in Sir launcelot and he mote Sir Terquyn and he hil and than cam ere in Sir Carados his
bro and bothe at onys they aayled hym and he as e mote noblyt knyght of e worlde worhypfully fought w ith
hem bothe & helde them hote at all men wondred of e nobles of ir launcelot
er
Dautres morts-vivants sactivent dans des joutes et des tournois (occasion, pour
certains, de retourner au royaume des ombres) Au point quil est permis de se demander si, au lieu dincohrences, il ne sagirait pas de la trace de remaniements, des pices
et morceaux ayant t dplacs par le(s) rdacteur(s) pour des raisons inconnues, sans
prendre garde aux distorsions structurelles ainsi cres.
Homre fournit un exemple assez connu dun dfunt qui rapparat dans le rcit comme si de rien
ntait : dans lIliade, le contingent des Paphlagoniens est command par Pylmne (),
qui est tu au chant V par Mnlas ; au chant XIII, lorsque son ls Harpalion est tu, [ses compatriotes] vont, aigs, et son pre, avec eux, qui verse des larmes ( ).
Sur la Paphlagonie, voir Claire Barat (Universit de Valenciennes et du Hainaut-Cambrsis),
La Paphlagonie : histoire et peuplement , in H. Bru et G. Labarre, d., LAnatolie des peuples, des
cits et des cultures (IIe millnaire av. J.-C.-Ve sicle ap. J.-C.) , vol. I, 2014, p. 149-164.