“le morte darthur” : notes de lecture ; volet 118

7/26/2019 Le Morte DArthur : Notes de lecture ; volet 118

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Notes de lecture

118

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

BOOK VI

CHAPTER 17. How Sir Launcelot overtook a knight which chased his wifeto have slain her, and how he said to him

1 So Sir Launcelot rode many wild ways throughout moors and marshes. And as he rode in a val-ley he saw a knight chasing a lady, with a naked sword, to have slain her. And by fortune as this knightshould have slain this lady, she cried on Sir Launcelot and prayed him to rescue her.

When Sir Launcelot saw that mischief, he took his horse and rode between them, saying, Knight,fie for shame, why wilt thou slay this lady? thou dost shame unto thee and all knights .

What hast thou to do betwixt me and my wife?said the knight. I will slay her maugre thy head.

That shall ye not,said Sir Launcelot, for rather we two will have ado together.Sir Launcelot,said the knight, thou dost not thy part, for this lady hath betrayed me.It is not so,said the lady, truly he saith wrong on me. And for because I love and cherish my cousin ger-

main, he is jealous betwixt him and me; and as I shall answer to God there was never sin betwixt us. But, sir,saidthe lady, as thou art called the worshipfullest knight of the world, I require thee of true knighthood, keep me andsave me. For whatsomever ye say he will slay me, for he is without mercy.

Have ye no doubt,said Launcelot, it shall not lie in his power.Sir,said the knight, in your sight I will be ruled as ye will have me.And so Sir Launcelot rode on the one side and she on the other. He had not ridden but a while,

but the knight bad Sir Launcelot turn him and look behind him, and said, Sir, yonder come men of armsafter us riding.

And so Sir Launcelot turned him and thought no treason, and therewith was the knight and thelady on one side, and suddenly he swapped offhis ladys head.

2 And when Sir Launcelot had espied him what he had done, he said, and called him, Traitor, thou

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hast shamed me for ever.And suddenly Sir Launcelot alit offhis horse, and pulled out his sword to slayhim, and therewithal he fell flat to the earth, and gripped Sir Launcelot by the thighs, and cried mercy.

Fie on thee,said Sir Launcelot, thou shameful knight, thou mayest have no mercy, and therefore ariseandfight with me.

Nay,said the knight, I will never arise till ye grant me mercy.Now will I proffer thee fair,said Launcelot, I will unarm me unto my shirt, and I will have nothing upon

me but my shirt, and my sword and my hand. And if thou canst slay me, quit be thou for ever.

Nay, sir,said Pedivere, that will I never.Well,said Sir Launcelot, take this lady and the head, and bear it upon thee, and here shalt thou swearupon my sword, to bear it always upon thy back, and never to rest till thou come to Queen Guenever.

Sir,said he, that will I do, by the faith of my body.Now,said Launcelot, tell me what is your name?Sir, my name is Pedivere.In a shameful hour wert thou born,said Launcelot.

3 So Pedivere departed with the dead lady and the head, and found the queen with King Arthur atWinchester, and there he told all the truth.

Sir knight,said the queen, this is an horrible deed and a shameful, and a great rebuke unto Sir Launce-

lot; but notwithstanding his worship is not known in many divers countries. But this shall I give you in penance,make ye as good skift as ye can, ye shall bear this lady with you on horseback unto the Pope of Rome, and of himreceive your penance for your foul deeds; and ye shall never rest one night thereas ye do another, and ye go to anybed the dead body shall lie with you.

This oath there he made, and so departed. And as it telleth in the French book, when he came toRome, the Pope bad him go again unto Queen Guenever, and in Rome was his lady buried by the Popescommandment. And after this Sir Pedivere fell to great goodness, and was an holy man and an hermit.

Sire Lancelot surprend un chevalier qui poursuivait sa propre femmeen vue de la tuer et le sermonne

1 Sire Lancelot emprunta ainsi cheval de nombreux chemins difficiles travers monts et marais.Chevauchant donc dans une valle, il aperut un chevalier qui , lpe nue au poing, poursuivait unedame avec lintention de la tuer. Et le hasard voulut quau moment o ce chevalier all ait tuer cettedame, elle appela dun cri sire Lancelot son secours.

Comprenant quel crime allait tre commis, il sinterposa avec son cheval et scria : Chevalier,quelle honte ! Pourquoi veux-tu tuer cette dame ? Tu jettes lopprobre sur toi-mme et toute la chevalerie.

Quas-tu intervenir entre moi et ma femme ? demanda le chevalier.Je la tuerai en dpit de toi.Vous nen ferez rien, laissa tomber sire Lancelot, car nous allons de prfrence nous battre en duel,

vous et moi.Messire Lancelot, objecta le chevalier, tu outrepasses ton devoir, car cette dame ma t infidle. Cest faux, coupa la dame, pure calomnie. Comme jprouve de laffection et de la tendresse pour mon

cousin germain, notre proximit lui porte ombrage mais, aussi vrai que je devrai en rpondre devant Dieu, jamaisnous navons commis de pch ensemble. Mais, messire, poursuivit la dame, puisquon dit de toi que tu es lechevalier le plus valeureux au monde, je te prie instamment, en ta qualit de chevalier digne de ce nom, de meprotger et de me sauver la vie car, vous aurez beau dire, il me tuera : il est inaccessible la piti.

Nen doutez pas, rpondit sire Lancelot, il ny parviendra pas.Messire, enchana le chevalier,sous vos yeux je me plierai vos exigences.Cest ainsi que sire Lancelot et la dame chevauchrent de part et dautre du mari.Il ne se passa

pas longtemps avant que le chevalier ne dise sire Lancelot de se retourner et de regarder derrire luicar, expliqua-t-il, Messire, il y a l-bas des hommes en armes cheval qui nous poursuivent.

Sire Lancelot se retourna donc, ne songeant pas un subterfuge ; sur quoi, le chevalier et ladame se trouvant cte cte, soudain il la dcapita.

2 Voyant ce que lautre venait de faire, sire Lancelot linterpella : Tratre ! tu mas jamais couvert


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de honte. Et sire Lancelot mit aussitt pied terre, dgaina son pe pour le tuer, et lautre du coup seprosterna, treignit les cuisses de sire Lancelot, implorant sa piti.

Honte toi !, scria sire Lancelot, misrable chevalier, tu ne mrites aucune grce, par consquentrelve-toi et bats-toi avec moi.

Non, rpondit le chevalier,je ne me relverai pas avant que vous me fassiez grce.Eh bien, dcida sire Lancelot,je vais te faire une proposition honnte : je vais retirer mon armure et me

mettre en chemise, je naurai rien dautre que ma chemise et mon pe la main. Si tu russis me tuer, tu chap-

pes dfinitivement toute sanction.Non, messire, rpondit Pdivre,jamais de ma vie.Dans ce cas, trancha sire Lancelot, prends la dpouille de cette dame et sa tte et porte-les ; et tu vas

jurer ici mme sur mon pe de toujours les transporter sur ton dos, sans jamais tarrter avant darriver auprs dela reine Guenivre.

Messire, rpondit lautre,je mexcuterai, jen donne ma parole.Au fait, demanda sire Lancelot, dites-moi, quel est votre nom ?Messire, je mappelle Pdivre.Le jour o tu es n est marquer dune pierre noire, conclut Lancelot.

3 Pdivre partit donc, charg du corps et de la tte de sa femme, trouva la reine auprs du roi

Arthur Winchester, et l fit un rcit vridique. Messire chevalier, dclara la reine, cest l un forfait horrible, ignominieux, ainsi quun affront consid-rable inflig sire Lancelot (mais il est vrai que sa rputation nest pas encore parvenue dans bien des pays diff-rents). Voici la pnitence que je vous ordonne : imposez-vous tous les efforts possibles, vous allez devoir porter cettedame sur votre dos jusqu Rome auprs du pape et recevoir de lui votre pnitence pour vos forfaits odieux ; vousne devrez pas vous reposer deux nuits au mme endroit, et si vous vous couchez sur un lit, le cadavre devra reposer vos cts.

Il pronona le serment sance tenante et partit. Le livre en franais nous apprend qu son arri-ve Rome, le pape lui enjoignit de retourner auprs de la reine Guenivre, tandis que sa femme taitinhume Rome, par dcision du pape. Par la suite, sire Pdivre se tourna vers le bien, devint un sainthomme et se fit ermite.

Tutoie-vouvoiement dans la totalit du chapitre.

1 How Sir Launcelot overtooka knight Le sens usuel ( rattraper ) ne convient pas.MED:

ov rt n(v.) Also overtak(e, -tac, owertake, ourtake & (N) overta, (distorted for rime) overto.Forms: sg. 3 overtketh, etc. & (N) overtse; p. overtk, -tc & (N)aurtke & (error)overteok; used as pr. subj. [4. (a), quot.: (c1440)]; ppl. overtke(n & (N) aurtken,overtain, (N or NM) overtn.

1. (a) To overtake; overtake (sb. or sth.), catch up with; encounter; also fig.; (b) to be suitable for (ahorse); ppl. wel overtaken, fortuitously overtaken, well-met; (c) to meet (sb.) in battle;reach with a blow; (d) of the night: to come upon (a place), encompass.

2. (a) To catch (sb.), ensnare, seize; also fig.; (b) to catch (sb.) in a crime or transgression,condemn; detect and confirm (sin); ~ with(in, of), convict (sb.) of (a crime), catch in (a lie,transgression); (c) ~ wille, to gain the good will or favour (of sb.).

3. To understand (God); conceive that (sth. might be); learn or master (a science).

4. (a) To overcome (sb. or sth.); beset; vanquish (an army); (b) of fate, plague, a storm: to befall (sb.or sth.); (c) ppl. overtaken, destroyed or consumed by (fire).

5. Miscell.: (a) ~ thurgh, of a fire: to spread through (a field); (b) to transgress (a rule); (c) toextend down to (the earth); (d) to escape; (e) ~ of, to have excessive confidence in(oneself); (f)?error for outtaken: to empty out, evacuate; (g)?error for undertaken: toundertake (a task).


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2 So Sir Launcelot rode many wild ways

Caxton :

SOo yre launcelot rode many wylde wayes thorou out mareys and many wylde wayes

J. Cowen :

So Sir Launcelot rode many wild ways, throughout marsh and many wild ways.

Winchester folio 111v :

So ir launcelotrode many wylde wayes thorow oute morys & mares & many wylde wayes

3 Sir Launcelot, said the knight

Au volet 115, la sur de Mliot de Logres reconnat Lancelot ; de mme, les Phlot

au volet 117 ; ici encore, les Pdivre lidentifient sans hsiter: le hros est pour-tant encore revtu de larmure de sire Keu et monte le cheval du snchal

4 in your sight alors que Lancelot, qui ny voit pas malice1, comprend : sous vosyeux , Pdivre veut dire : aussi longtemps (et seulement aussi longtemps) que vousposerez votre regard sur moi, tant que vous ne dtournerez pas le regard

5 gripped Sir Launcelot by the thighs une des formesde la gestuelle de la supplication (/hikteia;-, toucher/embrasser les genoux, sup-

plier, implorer ). , ,

Devant lui elle sassit, saisit ses genoux de la maingauche [], et,de ladroite[] le touchant sous le menton, suppliante, adressaces paroles Zeus, le roi fils de CronosTrad. Eugne Lasserre.

[ Ingres a pris sur lui dintervertir le geste. Manuel Jover, 2006]

Cf. Maria Kazanskaya, Le rituel de l chez Hrodote.

Camenulaen9 novembre 2013.

1 Aux purs tout est pur , , Omnia munda mundis.


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6 Nay, sir, said Pediverecomme au volet 112, cest le narrateur qui vente la mche

7 take this lady and the head, and bear it upon theevoir volet 54, 3.

8 make ye as good skift 1as ye can MED:

skift e(n.) Also scift.

[ON: cp. OIskipti.]

(a) A share, portion; lot, fate; (b) an effort, attempt, a try; yeven a ~, to make an attempt, begin.

(a) (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C) 682/15: There be many knyghtes that hath envy to us;Therefore whan we shall mete at the day of justis there woll be harde skyffte for us. volet 290

a1475 Bk.Courtesy (Sln 1986) 198: Yf Any man haue part with e in gyft, With hym oumake an euen skyft.

a1500(a1460) Towneley Pl.(Hnt HM 1) 292/392: Bot fare well, thryfte! Is ther none otherskyfte Bot syfte, lady, syfte?

(b) a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3) 10480: Anna..lift hir hend vn-to e lift, And us to prai sco

gaf a scift.a1450 Yk.Pl.(Add 35290) 225/130: At oure soper as we satte..My skiffte come to scathe.(a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C) 286/8: Make ye as good skyffte as ye can, ye shall bere this lady

with you on horsebak unto the Pope of Rome.

emarque

The Pope of Rome , pre ayant dabord t un titre honorifiquedonn divers vques et patriarches, il importait de distinguer chaque occasion dequel dignitaire il tait question, et la mention du diocse suffisait. Pape de Rommesest ditpendant des sicles et est sorti de lusage aprs les guerres de religion, tandis que Pope

of Rome sest maintenu beaucoup plus longtemps ; cf. der rmische Papst, de RoomsPaus .

1Le texte de J. Cowen porte shift, bien que Caxton et Winchester folio 112v soient daccord pour donner skyft.

“le morte darthur” : notes de lecture ; volet 118

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