第31章 Balin and Balan(1)

Pellam the King,who held and lost with Lot In that first war,and had his realm restored But rendered tributary,failed of late To send his tribute;wherefore Arthur called His treasurer,one of many years,and spake,'Go thou with him and him and bring it to us,Lest we should set one truer on his throne.

Man's word is God in man.'

His Baron said 'We go but harken:there be two strange knights Who sit near Camelot at a fountain-side,A mile beneath the forest,challenging And overthrowing every knight who comes.

Wilt thou I undertake them as we pass,And send them to thee?'

Arthur laughed upon him.

'Old friend,too old to be so young,depart,Delay not thou for aught,but let them sit,Until they find a lustier than themselves.'

So these departed.Early,one fair dawn,The light-winged spirit of his youth returned On Arthur's heart;he armed himself and went,So coming to the fountain-side beheld Balin and Balan sitting statuelike,Brethren,to right and left the spring,that down,From underneath a plume of lady-fern,Sang,and the sand danced at the bottom of it.

And on the right of Balin Balin's horse Was fast beside an alder,on the left Of Balan Balan's near a poplartree.

'Fair Sirs,'said Arthur,'wherefore sit ye here?'

Balin and Balan answered 'For the sake Of glory;we be mightier men than all In Arthur's court;that also have we proved;For whatsoever knight against us came Or I or he have easily overthrown.'

'I too,'said Arthur,'am of Arthur's hall,But rather proven in his Paynim wars Than famous jousts;but see,or proven or not,Whether me likewise ye can overthrow.'

And Arthur lightly smote the brethren down,And lightly so returned,and no man knew.

Then Balin rose,and Balan,and beside The carolling water set themselves again,And spake no word until the shadow turned;When from the fringe of coppice round them burst A spangled pursuivant,and crying 'Sirs,Rise,follow!ye be sent for by the King,'

They followed;whom when Arthur seeing asked 'Tell me your names;why sat ye by the well?'

Balin the stillness of a minute broke Saying 'An unmelodious name to thee,Balin,"the Savage"--that addition thine--My brother and my better,this man here,Balan.I smote upon the naked skull A thrall of thine in open hall,my hand Was gauntleted,half slew him;for I heard He had spoken evil of me;thy just wrath Sent me a three-years'exile from thine eyes.

I have not lived my life delightsomely:

For I that did that violence to thy thrall,Had often wrought some fury on myself,Saving for Balan:those three kingless years Have past--were wormwood-bitter to me.King,Methought that if we sat beside the well,And hurled to ground what knight soever spurred Against us,thou would'st take me gladlier back,And make,as ten-times worthier to be thine Than twenty Balins,Balan knight.I have said.

Not so--not all.A man of thine today Abashed us both,and brake my boast.Thy will?'

Said Arthur 'Thou hast ever spoken truth;

Thy too fierce manhood would not let thee lie.

Rise,my true knight.As children learn,be thou Wiser for falling!walk with me,and move To music with thine Order and the King.

Thy chair,a grief to all the brethren,stands Vacant,but thou retake it,mine again!'

Thereafter,when Sir Balin entered hall,The Lost one Found was greeted as in Heaven With joy that blazed itself in woodland wealth Of leaf,and gayest garlandage of flowers,Along the walls and down the board;they sat,And cup clashed cup;they drank and some one sang,Sweet-voiced,a song of welcome,whereupon Their common shout in chorus,mounting,made Those banners of twelve battles overhead Stir,as they stirred of old,when Arthur's host Proclaimed him Victor,and the day was won.

Then Balan added to their Order lived A wealthier life than heretofore with these And Balin,till their embassage returned.

'Sir King'they brought report 'we hardly found,So bushed about it is with gloom,the hall Of him to whom ye sent us,Pellam,once A Christless foe of thine as ever dashed Horse against horse;but seeing that thy realm Hath prospered in the name of Christ,the King Took,as in rival heat,to holy things;And finds himself descended from the Saint Arimathaean Joseph;him who first Brought the great faith to Britain over seas;He boasts his life as purer than thine own;

Eats scarce enow to keep his pulse abeat;

Hath pushed aside his faithful wife,nor lets Or dame or damsel enter at his gates Lest he should be polluted.This gray King Showed us a shrine wherein were wonders--yea--Rich arks with priceless bones of martyrdom,Thorns of the crown and shivers of the cross,And therewithal (for thus he told us)brought By holy Joseph thither,that same spear Wherewith the Roman pierced the side of Christ.

He much amazed us;after,when we sought The tribute,answered "I have quite foregone All matters of this world:Garlon,mine heir,Of him demand it,"which this Garlon gave With much ado,railing at thine and thee.

'But when we left,in those deep woods we found A knight of thine spear-stricken from behind,Dead,whom we buried;more than one of us Cried out on Garlon,but a woodman there Reported of some demon in the woods Was once a man,who driven by evil tongues From all his fellows,lived alone,and came To learn black magic,and to hate his kind With such a hate,that when he died,his soul Became a Fiend,which,as the man in life Was wounded by blind tongues he saw not whence,Strikes from behind.This woodman showed the cave From which he sallies,and wherein he dwelt.

We saw the hoof-print of a horse,no more.'

Then Arthur,'Let who goes before me,see He do not fall behind me:foully slain And villainously!who will hunt for me This demon of the woods?'Said Balan,'I'!

So claimed the quest and rode away,but first,Embracing Balin,'Good my brother,hear!

Let not thy moods prevail,when I am gone Who used to lay them!hold them outer fiends,Who leap at thee to tear thee;shake them aside,Dreams ruling when wit sleeps!yea,but to dream That any of these would wrong thee,wrongs thyself.