Read Online The Mabinogion (Oxford World's Classics) by Sioned Davies - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sioned Davies
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answer: ‘They have no reason to ask me to divorce my wife, unless she has no children. I know that she has a child, and I will not divorce her. If she has done wrong, let her be punished for it.’
Rhiannon summoned wise and learned men. And when she thought it better to accept her punishment than argue with the women, she accepted her punishment. This is what it was: to stay at that court in Arberth for seven years. And there was a mounting-block * outside the gate—to sit by that every day, and tell the whole story to anyone whom she thought might not know it, and offer to carry guests and strangers on her back to the court if they permitted it. But rarely would anyone allow himself to be carried. And so she spent part of the year.
At that time Teyrnon Twrf Liant was lord over Gwent Is Coed, * and he was the best man in the world. In his house he had a mare, and throughout his kingdom no stallion or mare was more handsome. And every May eve * she would give birth, but no one knew at all what became of her foal. One evening Teyrnon spoke with his wife.
‘My wife,’ he said, ‘we are careless, losing our mare’s offspring every year without keeping one of them.’
‘What can we do about it?’ she said.
‘God’s vengeance upon me’, he said, ‘if I do not find out what fate befalls the foals—tonight is May eve.’
He had the mare brought indoors, and he armed himself, and began the night’s vigil. As it begins to get dark the mare gives birth to a big, perfect foal which stands up on its feet immediately. Teyrnon gets up to examine the sturdiness of the foal. As he is doing this he hears a loud noise, and after the noise an enormous claw * comes through the window, and grabs the foal by its mane. Teyrnon draws his sword and cuts off the arm at the elbow so that that part of the arm, and the foal with it, are inside. Then he hears a noise and a scream at the same time. He opens the door and rushes off after the noise. He cannot see the cause of the noise because the night is so dark; but he rushes after it, and follows it. Then he remembers that he has left the door open, and he returns. And by the door there is a small boy in swaddling-clothes with a mantle of brocaded silk wrapped around him. He picks up the boy and sees that he is strong for his age.
Teyrnon fastened the door and made for the room where his wife was.
‘My lady,’ he said, ‘are you asleep?’
‘No, my lord,’ she said. ‘I was asleep, but when you came in I woke up.’
‘Here is a son for you, if you want,’ he said; ‘something you have never had.’
‘Lord,’ she said, ‘what happened?’
‘I will tell you everything,’ said Teyrnon, and he told her the whole story.
‘Well, lord,’ she said, ‘how is the boy dressed?’
‘In a mantle of brocaded silk,’ he said.
‘Then he is the son of noble people,’ she said. ‘Lord,’ she said, ‘it would be a pleasure and delight to me—should you agree—to take women into my confidence and say that I have been pregnant.’ *
‘I will agree with you gladly on the matter,’ he said. This was done. They had the boy baptized in the way it was done at that time. This was the name that they gave him, Gwri Wallt Euryn: * all the hair on his head was as yellow as gold.
The boy was brought up at the court until he was a year old. And before he was a year old he was walking strongly, and was sturdier than a well-developed and well-grown three-year-old boy. The boy was reared a second year, and he was as sturdy as a six-year-old. * And before the end of the fourth year he was bargaining with the stableboys to be allowed to water the horses.
‘Lord,’ said his wife to Teyrnon, ‘where is the foal you saved the night you found the boy?’
‘I ordered it to be given to the stableboys,’ he said, ‘and told them to look after it.’
‘Would it not be good, lord, for you to have it broken in, and given to the boy?’ she said. ‘For on the night you found the boy,
Rhiannon summoned wise and learned men. And when she thought it better to accept her punishment than argue with the women, she accepted her punishment. This is what it was: to stay at that court in Arberth for seven years. And there was a mounting-block * outside the gate—to sit by that every day, and tell the whole story to anyone whom she thought might not know it, and offer to carry guests and strangers on her back to the court if they permitted it. But rarely would anyone allow himself to be carried. And so she spent part of the year.
At that time Teyrnon Twrf Liant was lord over Gwent Is Coed, * and he was the best man in the world. In his house he had a mare, and throughout his kingdom no stallion or mare was more handsome. And every May eve * she would give birth, but no one knew at all what became of her foal. One evening Teyrnon spoke with his wife.
‘My wife,’ he said, ‘we are careless, losing our mare’s offspring every year without keeping one of them.’
‘What can we do about it?’ she said.
‘God’s vengeance upon me’, he said, ‘if I do not find out what fate befalls the foals—tonight is May eve.’
He had the mare brought indoors, and he armed himself, and began the night’s vigil. As it begins to get dark the mare gives birth to a big, perfect foal which stands up on its feet immediately. Teyrnon gets up to examine the sturdiness of the foal. As he is doing this he hears a loud noise, and after the noise an enormous claw * comes through the window, and grabs the foal by its mane. Teyrnon draws his sword and cuts off the arm at the elbow so that that part of the arm, and the foal with it, are inside. Then he hears a noise and a scream at the same time. He opens the door and rushes off after the noise. He cannot see the cause of the noise because the night is so dark; but he rushes after it, and follows it. Then he remembers that he has left the door open, and he returns. And by the door there is a small boy in swaddling-clothes with a mantle of brocaded silk wrapped around him. He picks up the boy and sees that he is strong for his age.
Teyrnon fastened the door and made for the room where his wife was.
‘My lady,’ he said, ‘are you asleep?’
‘No, my lord,’ she said. ‘I was asleep, but when you came in I woke up.’
‘Here is a son for you, if you want,’ he said; ‘something you have never had.’
‘Lord,’ she said, ‘what happened?’
‘I will tell you everything,’ said Teyrnon, and he told her the whole story.
‘Well, lord,’ she said, ‘how is the boy dressed?’
‘In a mantle of brocaded silk,’ he said.
‘Then he is the son of noble people,’ she said. ‘Lord,’ she said, ‘it would be a pleasure and delight to me—should you agree—to take women into my confidence and say that I have been pregnant.’ *
‘I will agree with you gladly on the matter,’ he said. This was done. They had the boy baptized in the way it was done at that time. This was the name that they gave him, Gwri Wallt Euryn: * all the hair on his head was as yellow as gold.
The boy was brought up at the court until he was a year old. And before he was a year old he was walking strongly, and was sturdier than a well-developed and well-grown three-year-old boy. The boy was reared a second year, and he was as sturdy as a six-year-old. * And before the end of the fourth year he was bargaining with the stableboys to be allowed to water the horses.
‘Lord,’ said his wife to Teyrnon, ‘where is the foal you saved the night you found the boy?’
‘I ordered it to be given to the stableboys,’ he said, ‘and told them to look after it.’
‘Would it not be good, lord, for you to have it broken in, and given to the boy?’ she said. ‘For on the night you found the boy,
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