Version 1

Notes de lecture
116

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

BOOK VI

CHAPTER 15. How Sir Launcelot came into the Chapel Perilous and gat there of a dead corpse
a piece of the cloth and a sword
1
Right so Sir Launcelot departed, and when he came unto the Chapel Perilous he alit down, and
tied his horse unto a little gate. And as soon as he was within the churchyard he saw on the front of the
chapel many fair rich shields turned up-so-down, and many of the shields Sir Launcelot had seen
knights bear beforehand. With that he saw by him there stand a thirty great knights, more by a yard
than any man that ever he had seen, and all those grinned and gnashed at Sir Launcelot.
And when he saw their countenance he dread him sore, and so put his shield afore him, and
took his sword ready in his hand ready unto battle, and they were all armed in black harness ready with
their shields and their swords drawn. And when Sir Launcelot would have gone throughout them, they
scattered on every side of him, and gave him the way, and therewith he waxed all bold, and entered
into the chapel, and then he saw no light but a dim lamp burning, and then was he ware of a corpse
hilled with a cloth of silk.
Then Sir Launcelot stooped down, and cut a piece away of that cloth, and then it fared under
him as the earth had quaked a little; therewithal he feared. And then he saw a fair sword lie by the dead
knight, and that he gat in his hand and hied him out of the chapel. Anon as ever he was in the chapel
yard all the knights spake to him with a grimly voice, and said, Knight, Sir Launcelot, lay that sword from
thee or else thou shalt die.
Whether that I live or die, said Sir Launcelot, with no great word get ye it again, therefore ght for it
and ye list.
2
Then right so he passed throughout them, and beyond the chapel yard there met him a fair damosel, and said, Sir Launcelot, leave that sword behind thee, or thou wilt die for it.

I leave it not, said Sir Launcelot, for no treaties.

No, said she, and thou didst leave that sword, Queen Guenever should thou never see.
Then were I a fool and I would leave this sword, said Launcelot.
Now, gentle knight, said the damosel, I require thee to kiss me but once.
Nay, said Sir Launcelot, that God me forbid.
Well, sir, said she, and thou hadst kissed me thy life days had been done, but now, alas, she said, I
have lost all my labour, for I ordained this chapel for thy sake, and for Sir Gawain. And once I had Sir Gawain within me, and at that time he fought with that knight that lieth there dead in yonder chapel, Sir Gilbert the Bastard;
and at that time he smote the left hand o of Sir Gilbert the Bastard. And, Sir Launcelot, now I tell thee, I have loved thee this seven year, but there may no woman have thy love but Queen Guenever. But sithen I may not rejoice
thee to have thy body alive, I had kept no more joy in this world but to have thy body dead. Then would I have
balmed it and served it, and so have kept it my life days, and daily I should have clipped thee, and kissed thee, in
despite of Queen Guenever.
Ye say well, said Sir Launcelot, Jesu preserve me from your subtle crafts.
And therewithal he took his horse and so departed from her. And as the book saith, when Sir
Launcelot was departed she took such sorrow that she died within a fourteen night, and her name was
Hellawes the sorceress, Lady of the Castle Nigramous.
3
Anon Sir Launcelot met with the damosel, Sir Meliots sister. And when she saw him she clapped
her hands, and wept for joy. And then they rode unto a castle thereby where lay Sir Meliot. And anon as
Sir Launcelot saw him he knew him, but he was passing pale, as the earth, for bleeding.
When Sir Meliot saw Sir Launcelot he kneeled upon his knees and cried on high: O Lord,1 Sir
Launcelot, help me!
Anon Sir Launcelot leapt unto him and touched his wounds with Sir Gilberts sword. And then
he wiped his wounds with a part of the bloody cloth that Sir Gilbert was wrapped in, and anon an
wholer man in his life was he never.
And then there was great joy between them, and they made Sir Launcelot all the cheer that they
might, and so on the morn Sir Launcelot took his leave, and bad Sir Meliot hie him to the court of my lord
Arthur, for it draweth nigh to the Feast of Pentecost, and there by the grace of God ye shall nd me. And therewith they departed.

Sire Lancelot entre dans la Chapelle Prilleuse et y rcupre sur un cadavre

un lambeau de linceul et une pe
1
Sire Lancelot repartit sans dlai et, en arrivant la Chapelle Prilleuse, descendit de cheval et
attacha sa monture un petit portail. Ds quil fut entr dans le cimetire, il vit au fronton de la chapelle quantit de beaux cus, richement orns, mais accrochs lenvers, et sire Lancelot avait vu auparavant bon nombre de ces cus ports par des chevaliers. En outre, il vit prs de lui trente chevaliers
impressionnants, dpassant de deux trois coudes les hommes les plus grands quil ait jamais vus, et
qui tous montraient les crocs et grinaient des dents lintention de sire Lancelot.
En voyant lexpression de leurs visages, il prit peur, se protgea de son bouclier et se tint sur la
dfensive avec son pe bien main, car tous, revtus dune armure noire, avaient le bouclier en position
et lpe sortie du fourreau. Quand sire Lancelot voulut se frayer un passage au milieu deux, ils sparpillrent et le laissrent passer, ce que voyant, il senhardit et entra dans la chapelle, o le seul clairage tait la faible lueur rpandue par une lampe [ huile] qui brlait, et il aperut alors un cadavre
recouvert dune toe de soie.
Sire Lancelot se pencha alors et dcoupa un morceau de ltoe, et eut alors limpression dun
lger tremblement de la terre sous ses pieds : il en frmit. Il vit alors une belle pe, place le long du
cadavre du chevalier ; il sen saisit et se hta de sortir de la chapelle. Ds quil se retrouva dans le cimetire, tous les chevaliers sadressrent lui dune voix lugubre, lui disant : Chevalier, sire Lancelot, spa1

Je mcarte du texte de J. Cowen : O lord sir Launcelot, help me!

re-toi de cette pe ou bien tu es un homme mort.

Que je vive ou que je meure, rpondit sire Lancelot, vous aurez beau dire, vous ne laurez pas, battezvous donc pour lavoir, si le cur vous en dit.
2
ces mots, il passa entre eux et, la sortie du cimetire, rencontra une belle demoiselle qui lui
dit : Sire Lancelot, pars sans emporter cette pe, ou elle sera cause de ta mort.
Je refuse de men sparer, rpondit sire Lancelot, malgr toutes les invitations le faire.
Autrement, poursuivit-elle, moins de renoncer cette pe, cest la reine Guenivre que tu ne reverrais jamais.
Dans ce cas, faudrait-il que je sois bte pour abandonner cette pe, remarqua Lancelot.
Allons, noble chevalier, reprit la demoiselle, je te prie de membrasser, ne serait-ce quune seule fois.
Non, dit sire Lancelot, Dieu ne plaise.
Eh bien, messire, conclut-elle, si tu mavais embrasse, ta vie se serait arrte l, mais maintenant,
hlas ! ajouta-t-elle, je me suis donn tout ce mal pour rien, car jai imagin cette chapelle pour toi et pour sire
Gauvain. Il fut un temps o javais sire Gauvain chez moi et, lpoque, il se battit avec sire Gilbert le Btard, le
chevalier dont le cadavre gt dans la chapelle, et ce moment-l il trancha la main gauche de sire Gilbert le Btard.
Et, sire Lancelot, je te lavoue maintenant, je taime depuis sept ans, mais aucune autre femme que la reine Guenivre ne peut avoir ton amour. Puisquil mest impossible de jouir de toi de ton vivant, la seule joie qui me restait
en ce monde tait de possder ton cadavre. Je laurais alors embaum et prserv, le gardant ainsi ma vie durant, et
chaque jour je taurais serr dans mes bras et couvert de baisers, nen dplaise la reine Guenivre.
Vous tes loquente, commenta sire Lancelot, veuille Jsus me protger de vos pouvoirs magiques
pleins de subtilit !
Il monta aussitt cheval et la quitta. ce que rapporte le livre, une fois sire Lancelot parti, elle
prouva un tel chagrin quelle en mourut dans la quinzaine ; elle sappelait Inferna la Sorcire, Dame du
chteau de Ncromant.
3
Sire Lancelot ne tarda pas aller retrouver la demoiselle qui tait la sur de Mliot de Logres.
En le voyant arriver, elle applaudit et pleura de joie. Puis ils gagnrent cheval un chteau proche o
sire Mliot tait alit. Sire Lancelot le reconnut ds quil le vit, mais il avait le teint terreux cause de la
quantit de sang quil avait perdu.
Quand sire Mliot vit sire Lancelot, il sagenouilla et cria dune voix forte : mon Dieu, sire Lancelot, laide !
Sire Lancelot fut dun bond auprs de lui ; il eeura ses plaies avec lpe de sire Gilbert, puis les
frotta avec le lambeau du linceul ensanglant dont tait enveloppe la dpouille de sire Gilbert, et lintress se retrouva en un instant plus valide que jamais.
La joie de tous fut grande et ils ftrent sire Lancelot de leur mieux. Le lendemain matin, sire
Lancelot prit cong et exhorta sire Mliot gagner sans dlai la cour de monseigneur Arthur car la fte de la
Pentecte approche et cest l que si Dieu le veut vous me retrouverez. Sur quoi, ils se sparrent.

Caxton :

How ir Launcelot cam in to the chapel peryllous & gate there of a dede corps
a pyece of the cloth & a werde

Quitte pseudo-moderniser (avec tous les inconvnients que cela comporte), autant en tirer
le meilleur parti possible. Or, mon avis, il y aurait avantage dans le cas prsent crire :
How Sir Launcelot came into the Chapel Perilous and gat there
off a dead corpse a piece of the cloth and a sword

Caxton emploie of avec les valeurs modernes o et of (le second ntant, historiquement, quun surgeon du premier), comme le montre un nonc exceptionnel dans ce

Scribd

chapitre : he mote the lyfte hand of of ir Gylbert the batard1 [Winchester folio 110r : he
mote e lyffte hand of Sir Gylbert, dun coup dpe (smote), il spara (of = o) la main
gauche de sire G. , o *Sir Gylberts lyte hand serait inacceptable].

1 tied his horse unto a little gate peut-tre petit porche , sil sagit dun lychgate.
2 shields turned up-so-down
ce qui est infamant
3 a corpse hilled with a cloth of silk

les boucliers sont suspendus la pointe vers le haut,

MED :

hilen (v.) Also hil(len, hilien, hul(e, hullen, hulien. P.ppl. hiled(e, hild(e, ihiled, hilled, i)huled & hilte,
i)hulet.
[ON; cp. OI hylja.? OE *hyllan; cp. OS bihullean, Gothic huljan2, etc.]
1. (a) To cover (sth.), spread over, bury; deck (sth.), caparison (a horse); blot out (sin, ones sight);
~ happing on, lay a coverlet over (sb.); (b) to put clothing on (sb.), clothe; cover (the head), wear a
hat on (ones head); also g.; (c) to protect (sb. or sth.), shelter; (d) to put a roof on (sth.), roof; (e)
to embrace (sb.), fondle, cherish; also g.
2. To conceal (sth.), hide; thrust in (a sword); hiden and ~.
1
2

Cf. le fameux titre de chanson des Rolling Stones (1967), Hey, You, Get Oa My Cloud.
couvrir, cacher .
Cf. indo-europen *kel-

 4 chapel yard churchyard

5 for no treaties

entreaties

6 and thou didst leave that sword

coquille chez Caxton (loue pour leue) :

[Winchester, folio 110r: And u dyddyte leve t werde]

7 once I had Sir Gawain within me

[certainement pas en moi ]

Cf.

And o is good knyght Sir Galahad rode o fate that he cam that nyght to the catell of Carbonecke And o
hit be felle hym that he was be nyghted and cam vnto an armytayge // So the good man was fayne whan he
aw he was a knyght arraunte // So whan ey were at rete there be felle a Iantill woman com and cnokkede
at the dore and called Sir Galahad and o the good man cam to the dore to wete what he wolde than he
called the Ermyte ir vlphyne and eyde I am a Iantill woman that wolde fayne peke with the knyght
whych ys with in you
mentretenir avec le chevalier que vous hbergez
Winchester folio 389v ; voir XVII, 1, volet 408.

8 But sithen I may not rejoice thee to have thy body alive
But ithen I may not rejoice thee to have thy body alive

Caxton

And ytthen I myght nat reioye the noer thy body on lyve

Winchester folio 110r

9 he kneeled upon his knees

he kneled vpon his knees

Caxton

he kneled vppon his kneis

Winchester folio 110v

Ce genre de jeu de mots tymologique (cf. to dream a dream) se retrouve bien

plus tard dans des traductions anglaises de la Bible (le jeu de mots est absent des versions grecque et latine). Source ?