Here begins the Good Story of New Creation…
What follows after those words is one of the more...
What follows after those words is one of the more...
The Good Story of New Creation [NGE AU]
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Preface
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Here begins the Good Story of New Creation…
What follows after those words is one of the more unique medieval romances to survive to the modern times. Composed of twenty six chapters, it recounts the deeds of King Gend of Nihon, his son Sindzi, warrior women Reya and Aska as well as a plethora of other remarkable characters as they defend their land from repeated Saxon assaults and slay a number of their chieftains, finally culminating in a quixotic, allegorical vision experienced by Sindzi.
Discovered in late 1990s inside a late 13th century codex known as the Purple Book of Płock, written in Middle High German in an octosyllabic verse, the Good Story of New Creation stands apart from other examples of minnesang contained in codes thanks to its eclectic style and wide range of inspirations incorporating elements from Irish, Welsh and French romances, as well as plethora of other works, such as religious literature (the final two chapters are often seen as a reference to Saint Patrick's Purgatory). This variety is both the greatest strength of the work, as well as its greatest weakness. The anonymous author, thought to be working on commission by emperor Fredrick II, often strains under the weight of the material he attempts to work with, and although the breadth of his inspirations is remarkable, he seems lacking in the poetic verve of the greatest of his time, such as Chretien de Troyes or Walther von der Vogelweide.
However, despite the obvious stylistic shortcomings, this romance is in many ways unique; it clearly strives to tell an original story, paying only a most token effort at incorporating it into the literary convention of Arthurian romances, puts a surprising amount of attention in attempting to give the characters a semblance of psychological depth, and takes unusual liberties with its usage of Christian imagery. This, as well as its strange focus on female characters, often serving unusual, warrior roles, had drawn suspicions of forgery or, in fact, a literary practical joke of sorts. However, the current scholarly consensus holds that the Good Story is in fact an authentic, if highly unusual work. Much speculation surrounds it, from the identity of the author (such as including the idea that he – or she – was in fact a foreigner to Europe, experimenting with a style unknown to them), the meaning of the bizarre, abrupt ending to the story in the final, allegorical chapters as well as conspicuous absence of references to this romance in other sources, suggesting that it failed to achieve any sort of popularity, if it was at all known.
Much of the discourse surrounding the romance, however, is highly professional in nature and likely of at best secondary interest for a modern reader without taste for subtle paleographic distinctions and attempts at establishing the exact relationship between the Good Story and a plethora of other, obscure works. A more pressing issue would be a lack of an easily available translations; having been only recently discovered, the romance had never had the chance to go through the hands of the great popularizers of medieval literature, that is the 19th century classicists, whose translations, although often rough around the edges and imprecise have done an immeasurable amount of good at bringing the old texts back into the hands of modern readers.
The purpose of this translation is to amend that, and render the Good Story accessible, so that its strange, problematic, but also inspiring content can be appreciated and discussed outside the professional circles. In order to do that, certain concessions have been made, chief of which was the switch from verse to prose; this partially to emulate the style of 19th century translations, but also because unlike with the works such Chretien's Perceval or Yvain, the Good Story does not lose much when brought down to this form. Furthermore, side commentary had been kept to absolute minimum, in order to avoid turning this book into an enormous volume of footnotes, attempting to trace the exact origin of each scene, character and motif, as well as explaining the often overly opaque allegories employed by the anonymous author. In lieu of that, an afterword attempting a more in-depth examination is included for a more curious reader, along with a list of suggested further readings. Finally, chapter headers have been provided, to facilitate the ease of reading.
What follows after those words is one of the more unique medieval romances to survive to the modern times. Composed of twenty six chapters, it recounts the deeds of King Gend of Nihon, his son Sindzi, warrior women Reya and Aska as well as a plethora of other remarkable characters as they defend their land from repeated Saxon assaults and slay a number of their chieftains, finally culminating in a quixotic, allegorical vision experienced by Sindzi.
Discovered in late 1990s inside a late 13th century codex known as the Purple Book of Płock, written in Middle High German in an octosyllabic verse, the Good Story of New Creation stands apart from other examples of minnesang contained in codes thanks to its eclectic style and wide range of inspirations incorporating elements from Irish, Welsh and French romances, as well as plethora of other works, such as religious literature (the final two chapters are often seen as a reference to Saint Patrick's Purgatory). This variety is both the greatest strength of the work, as well as its greatest weakness. The anonymous author, thought to be working on commission by emperor Fredrick II, often strains under the weight of the material he attempts to work with, and although the breadth of his inspirations is remarkable, he seems lacking in the poetic verve of the greatest of his time, such as Chretien de Troyes or Walther von der Vogelweide.
However, despite the obvious stylistic shortcomings, this romance is in many ways unique; it clearly strives to tell an original story, paying only a most token effort at incorporating it into the literary convention of Arthurian romances, puts a surprising amount of attention in attempting to give the characters a semblance of psychological depth, and takes unusual liberties with its usage of Christian imagery. This, as well as its strange focus on female characters, often serving unusual, warrior roles, had drawn suspicions of forgery or, in fact, a literary practical joke of sorts. However, the current scholarly consensus holds that the Good Story is in fact an authentic, if highly unusual work. Much speculation surrounds it, from the identity of the author (such as including the idea that he – or she – was in fact a foreigner to Europe, experimenting with a style unknown to them), the meaning of the bizarre, abrupt ending to the story in the final, allegorical chapters as well as conspicuous absence of references to this romance in other sources, suggesting that it failed to achieve any sort of popularity, if it was at all known.
Much of the discourse surrounding the romance, however, is highly professional in nature and likely of at best secondary interest for a modern reader without taste for subtle paleographic distinctions and attempts at establishing the exact relationship between the Good Story and a plethora of other, obscure works. A more pressing issue would be a lack of an easily available translations; having been only recently discovered, the romance had never had the chance to go through the hands of the great popularizers of medieval literature, that is the 19th century classicists, whose translations, although often rough around the edges and imprecise have done an immeasurable amount of good at bringing the old texts back into the hands of modern readers.
The purpose of this translation is to amend that, and render the Good Story accessible, so that its strange, problematic, but also inspiring content can be appreciated and discussed outside the professional circles. In order to do that, certain concessions have been made, chief of which was the switch from verse to prose; this partially to emulate the style of 19th century translations, but also because unlike with the works such Chretien's Perceval or Yvain, the Good Story does not lose much when brought down to this form. Furthermore, side commentary had been kept to absolute minimum, in order to avoid turning this book into an enormous volume of footnotes, attempting to trace the exact origin of each scene, character and motif, as well as explaining the often overly opaque allegories employed by the anonymous author. In lieu of that, an afterword attempting a more in-depth examination is included for a more curious reader, along with a list of suggested further readings. Finally, chapter headers have been provided, to facilitate the ease of reading.
Chapter 1. The begetting and refusing Sindzi. The courting of Liliana. War against the Saxons. The curse of Lilian. Return of Sindzi. First attack by the Saxons. The slaying of Sachiel.
Gargulec
impact!
- Location
- a garden
Chapter 1.
The begetting and refusing of Sindzi. The courting of Liliana. War against the Saxons. The curse of Lilian. Return of Sindzi. First attack by the Saxons. The slaying of Sachiel.
Here begins the good story of new creation. It speaks of great deeds which had been made in Wales, and should be often recounted. And they were as follow: there was a castle that was near Carlisle, where good king Arthur had often kept his court, and the castle was named Nihon. It was very mighty, and built from white marble and good timber; there was no castle in the world as strong as Nihon, and fifty great ships were held in its harbour. Many great knights lived inside, and they held a great feast and great tournament every week, and many came from all the directions of the world to participate. They were loved, and ruled justly by King Gend. They never went to war against other Christians, but often fought with the Saxons, and also with others. They would send their ships across the sea to Alba, and to Scandia, and often brought back great riches, gold, jewels and bondsmaids aplenty. And they were always led by king Gend, who was very bold, and never shied from battle, and never failed to share the booty of war evenly.
He had a son, who was named Sindzi. He had been born very small and frail, and grew as a runt. And knights of Gend saw that and said that they would not accept him as their king and that he would not be allowed to lead them, for he was very weak. Gend resented that, but yielded to their clamouring and sent Sindzi away to France, where he was to be prepared for a priestly life. Thus Gend was left without an heir. And he said to his knights that he still had the hammer and anvil to forge more and better sons, and they were contented. However, it is wrong by a father to refuse a son, and so his wife was struck barren, and could bear him no more children. Then she died, killed by a raid of the Irishmen, and Gend was afflicted with great grief; his kingdom withered.
It happened some years later that a white ship of unusual make was seen making the way into the harbour, and onboard of the ship was a maiden that was more beautiful than all other maidens. Her hair was like spun gold, and her lips were very red. But she wore terrible rags. Truly no more hideous clothes had ever been worn by a woman of that beauty! And she said to king Gend that she was Lilian, the daughter of the king of Saxons, and she was banished from his court for he had been secretly in love with a lord named Adam, who was Christian, and thus not allowed to marry him. And he had her baptized and they married in secret. When the king of Saxons discovered that, he had her put onto the sea so that she would die, but the good grace of God brought her to king Gend. And king Gend saw her and became deeply in love. But she was bound in a nuptial and so he could not lie with her. So he said to her:
"It is good that you have been brought to here. It would be wrong for a good king to deny you help. We will raid against the king of Saxons, and defeat him, and then return your love to you. And if he is dead, I will marry you instead, and you will bear me beautiful, strong sons."
And she was happy to hear that, and cried in thanks. She was given good clothes and food, and well cared for. And king Gend called his knights to march against the king of Saxons.
Accursed be the hour when the serpent brought lust to the human kind! Despicable sin that turns wretched the finest of men! For such was the desire of king Gend to have a son that would be his heir that he did not plan to rescue Adam, even if he was to be found alive. He lusted after Lilian greatly.
So he marched with his troops, and the king of Saxons marched against him, and they met in a field, and the armies of the king of Saxons were crushed with such ferocity that when the bodies of the slain were piled after the battle, they made a hill which is today known as the Saxon Hill. And the king of Saxons was killed too, and six out of his seven sons. Then king Gend made an order to his men that they were to raid the holdings of his and slay all men that were to be found inside, leaving none alive, so that Adam, the love of Liliana, would be among those slaughtered. Having been completely taken over by lust, he did not lead his knights any longer, but hurried back to Nihon, to there tell Liliana that her husband was dead, and then marry her.
His knights marched into the holdings of the king of Saxons, and ravaged them terribly, slaying all men and burning all buildings. And there in the prison, they found Adam, bound. And he pleaded to be allowed out so that he could be reunited with his love. But the knights obedient to the king's words put him to the sword. And the moment they spilled the Christian blood, they were all instantly afflicted with a terrible plague, and died without exception.
At the same hour, king Gend was tied with a nuptial tie with Liliana. But as he moved to kiss her, a terrible sign was made apparent: blood dripped from his hand, as if he was holding a murderer's sword. And Liliana understood instantly the meaning of it, and said unto him:
"Christian-slayer, oath-breaker, may you be always cursed for what you have done! May you have no sons and may your kingdom rot and may none raise weapons in its defense but for women and children!"
And she would not lie with him, so he had her put in a deep cellar and chained, but such was the strength of her virtue that the more king Gend's tortured her with solitude and imprisonment, the more beautiful she appeared. And even when he gave her no food nor water, she seemed well fed and never thirsty. That continued for many years.
The land withered further and although he had been once loved, now none spoke well of king Gend. But he was very proud, so he did not find contrition. His heart became like flint. Meanwhile, the son of the king of Saxons grew, and decided to avenge his father, and reclaim his daughter, which he meant to marry and have with her a child of incest. He was a pagan, and thus unaware of the sinfulness of such union. He summoned many great warriors, and promised them great wealth if they were to capture Liliana. They thought that it would be easy, for the land of Nihon could not be defended well, unless by women or children, and of them, they were unafraid.
King Gend, however, unwilling to make amends, but also unwilling to lose his kingdom, went to Morgana and asked her for help, for he believed only black sorcery could help him; he who has abandoned God finds only the devil to turn to. And the witch told him that he should make suits of mail from greatest steel, such that women and children could wear them. He did so, and she placed many powerful spells on them. And then she said to him that if he defends his kingdom in spite of the curse, then he will be allowed to be joined with Liliana. But he must summon his son back from the land of France.
This he did. And he had also given the other suit of armor to Reya, who was a woman of the Normans. She spoke little and had hair like the sky. She bore weapons very well, and defended the castle Nihon against Saxons for a time. But there was a great number of them, and she was alone, so she was gravely wounded, and taken to the healers. Even then, she said to be allowed back to wear the armor and fight, for it was unlike a Norse woman to leave the field of combat unless victorious, or slain. Then Sindzi arrived back from France. And king Gend commanded him to wear a suit of mail made for him. But Sindzi refused. He did not have much love for his father, who had him sent away, and also thought himself to not be a warrior; he wanted to take priestly vows, and did not want to shed the blood of the Saxon men.
In that time, the siege of Nihon was led by a great Saxon warrior named Sachiel, for he was in truth like an avenging angel of God. But he was a godless man. Yet, none could defeat him, but for those who wore the suit of magical armor.
So king Gend had Reya Sky-hair brought from the healers, still in great wounds and great pain, and said unto Sindzi: "Put on the suit of mail, or she will, and you will be forever shamed." And Sindzi, who was well reared, would not allow such a thing. So he said: "I will wear the suit of armor and fight the Saxon men, but you, my father, are a cruel man, who would send a brave woman to die." And he put on the suit of armor and marched against the Saxon men, slaying great many of them. However, he was untrained in warrior arts, and thus suffered many wounds; had it not been for the spells of the armor, he would have been surely slain.
Then he faced Sachiel, who laughed at him. For Sachiel knew a charm that would make it so that neither spear nor sword nor arrow could hurt him. He struck at Sindzi and almost killed him. It was a terrible blow; it could break a headstone in two. Sindzi threw at him his spear, but it did not have any effect. So Sindzi performed the feat of battle spasm. He let a shout from his mouth which curdled milk in hundred miles, and made men bleed from their ears. And he fought Sachiel, and with his bare hands removed his head, and Sachiel was killed. Then Sindzi collapsed, and was brought to the healers. But king Gendo did not respect him for that, and said: "The feat of the battle spasm is an Irishman's art." And he had nothing but hate for the Irishmen, for they slew his wife. And he believed, which was erroneous (but will be explained later) that Sindzi had been taught by the Irishmen how to perform the feat of the battle spasm. And he only hated him more for that.
The begetting and refusing of Sindzi. The courting of Liliana. War against the Saxons. The curse of Lilian. Return of Sindzi. First attack by the Saxons. The slaying of Sachiel.
Here begins the good story of new creation. It speaks of great deeds which had been made in Wales, and should be often recounted. And they were as follow: there was a castle that was near Carlisle, where good king Arthur had often kept his court, and the castle was named Nihon. It was very mighty, and built from white marble and good timber; there was no castle in the world as strong as Nihon, and fifty great ships were held in its harbour. Many great knights lived inside, and they held a great feast and great tournament every week, and many came from all the directions of the world to participate. They were loved, and ruled justly by King Gend. They never went to war against other Christians, but often fought with the Saxons, and also with others. They would send their ships across the sea to Alba, and to Scandia, and often brought back great riches, gold, jewels and bondsmaids aplenty. And they were always led by king Gend, who was very bold, and never shied from battle, and never failed to share the booty of war evenly.
He had a son, who was named Sindzi. He had been born very small and frail, and grew as a runt. And knights of Gend saw that and said that they would not accept him as their king and that he would not be allowed to lead them, for he was very weak. Gend resented that, but yielded to their clamouring and sent Sindzi away to France, where he was to be prepared for a priestly life. Thus Gend was left without an heir. And he said to his knights that he still had the hammer and anvil to forge more and better sons, and they were contented. However, it is wrong by a father to refuse a son, and so his wife was struck barren, and could bear him no more children. Then she died, killed by a raid of the Irishmen, and Gend was afflicted with great grief; his kingdom withered.
It happened some years later that a white ship of unusual make was seen making the way into the harbour, and onboard of the ship was a maiden that was more beautiful than all other maidens. Her hair was like spun gold, and her lips were very red. But she wore terrible rags. Truly no more hideous clothes had ever been worn by a woman of that beauty! And she said to king Gend that she was Lilian, the daughter of the king of Saxons, and she was banished from his court for he had been secretly in love with a lord named Adam, who was Christian, and thus not allowed to marry him. And he had her baptized and they married in secret. When the king of Saxons discovered that, he had her put onto the sea so that she would die, but the good grace of God brought her to king Gend. And king Gend saw her and became deeply in love. But she was bound in a nuptial and so he could not lie with her. So he said to her:
"It is good that you have been brought to here. It would be wrong for a good king to deny you help. We will raid against the king of Saxons, and defeat him, and then return your love to you. And if he is dead, I will marry you instead, and you will bear me beautiful, strong sons."
And she was happy to hear that, and cried in thanks. She was given good clothes and food, and well cared for. And king Gend called his knights to march against the king of Saxons.
Accursed be the hour when the serpent brought lust to the human kind! Despicable sin that turns wretched the finest of men! For such was the desire of king Gend to have a son that would be his heir that he did not plan to rescue Adam, even if he was to be found alive. He lusted after Lilian greatly.
So he marched with his troops, and the king of Saxons marched against him, and they met in a field, and the armies of the king of Saxons were crushed with such ferocity that when the bodies of the slain were piled after the battle, they made a hill which is today known as the Saxon Hill. And the king of Saxons was killed too, and six out of his seven sons. Then king Gend made an order to his men that they were to raid the holdings of his and slay all men that were to be found inside, leaving none alive, so that Adam, the love of Liliana, would be among those slaughtered. Having been completely taken over by lust, he did not lead his knights any longer, but hurried back to Nihon, to there tell Liliana that her husband was dead, and then marry her.
His knights marched into the holdings of the king of Saxons, and ravaged them terribly, slaying all men and burning all buildings. And there in the prison, they found Adam, bound. And he pleaded to be allowed out so that he could be reunited with his love. But the knights obedient to the king's words put him to the sword. And the moment they spilled the Christian blood, they were all instantly afflicted with a terrible plague, and died without exception.
At the same hour, king Gend was tied with a nuptial tie with Liliana. But as he moved to kiss her, a terrible sign was made apparent: blood dripped from his hand, as if he was holding a murderer's sword. And Liliana understood instantly the meaning of it, and said unto him:
"Christian-slayer, oath-breaker, may you be always cursed for what you have done! May you have no sons and may your kingdom rot and may none raise weapons in its defense but for women and children!"
And she would not lie with him, so he had her put in a deep cellar and chained, but such was the strength of her virtue that the more king Gend's tortured her with solitude and imprisonment, the more beautiful she appeared. And even when he gave her no food nor water, she seemed well fed and never thirsty. That continued for many years.
The land withered further and although he had been once loved, now none spoke well of king Gend. But he was very proud, so he did not find contrition. His heart became like flint. Meanwhile, the son of the king of Saxons grew, and decided to avenge his father, and reclaim his daughter, which he meant to marry and have with her a child of incest. He was a pagan, and thus unaware of the sinfulness of such union. He summoned many great warriors, and promised them great wealth if they were to capture Liliana. They thought that it would be easy, for the land of Nihon could not be defended well, unless by women or children, and of them, they were unafraid.
King Gend, however, unwilling to make amends, but also unwilling to lose his kingdom, went to Morgana and asked her for help, for he believed only black sorcery could help him; he who has abandoned God finds only the devil to turn to. And the witch told him that he should make suits of mail from greatest steel, such that women and children could wear them. He did so, and she placed many powerful spells on them. And then she said to him that if he defends his kingdom in spite of the curse, then he will be allowed to be joined with Liliana. But he must summon his son back from the land of France.
This he did. And he had also given the other suit of armor to Reya, who was a woman of the Normans. She spoke little and had hair like the sky. She bore weapons very well, and defended the castle Nihon against Saxons for a time. But there was a great number of them, and she was alone, so she was gravely wounded, and taken to the healers. Even then, she said to be allowed back to wear the armor and fight, for it was unlike a Norse woman to leave the field of combat unless victorious, or slain. Then Sindzi arrived back from France. And king Gend commanded him to wear a suit of mail made for him. But Sindzi refused. He did not have much love for his father, who had him sent away, and also thought himself to not be a warrior; he wanted to take priestly vows, and did not want to shed the blood of the Saxon men.
In that time, the siege of Nihon was led by a great Saxon warrior named Sachiel, for he was in truth like an avenging angel of God. But he was a godless man. Yet, none could defeat him, but for those who wore the suit of magical armor.
So king Gend had Reya Sky-hair brought from the healers, still in great wounds and great pain, and said unto Sindzi: "Put on the suit of mail, or she will, and you will be forever shamed." And Sindzi, who was well reared, would not allow such a thing. So he said: "I will wear the suit of armor and fight the Saxon men, but you, my father, are a cruel man, who would send a brave woman to die." And he put on the suit of armor and marched against the Saxon men, slaying great many of them. However, he was untrained in warrior arts, and thus suffered many wounds; had it not been for the spells of the armor, he would have been surely slain.
Then he faced Sachiel, who laughed at him. For Sachiel knew a charm that would make it so that neither spear nor sword nor arrow could hurt him. He struck at Sindzi and almost killed him. It was a terrible blow; it could break a headstone in two. Sindzi threw at him his spear, but it did not have any effect. So Sindzi performed the feat of battle spasm. He let a shout from his mouth which curdled milk in hundred miles, and made men bleed from their ears. And he fought Sachiel, and with his bare hands removed his head, and Sachiel was killed. Then Sindzi collapsed, and was brought to the healers. But king Gendo did not respect him for that, and said: "The feat of the battle spasm is an Irishman's art." And he had nothing but hate for the Irishmen, for they slew his wife. And he believed, which was erroneous (but will be explained later) that Sindzi had been taught by the Irishmen how to perform the feat of the battle spasm. And he only hated him more for that.
Last edited:
A photography of Umberto Eco, wearing a beret. Black and white.
Chapter 2 Sindzi’s lament. Lady Misetla hosts Sindzi.
Gargulec
impact!
- Location
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Chapter 2
Sindzi's lament. Lady Misetla hosts Sindzi.
After being brought to the healers, Sindzi slept for three days and three nights. So deep was his slumber that they could ring brass bells or smash swords against iron shield-rims near him, but he wouldn't wake. Only after correct time had passed, he opened his eyes again, and not recognizing the house he was in, he asked the healers to whom it belonged. And they explained to him that he was in the great-hall of King Gend. At that he gave out a terrible howl, terrifying men, for they feared that he would perform the feat of the battle spasm on them. But he did not. He commanded that a yellow ox skin should be spread on the ground for him and that he should be given the seer's drink. And it was done as he wanted. He drank the seer's drink and lay on the yellow skin, and there he slept for three days and three nights. And such fever took him that when a bronze pot was put on his forehead, it became red with heat, and then melted. Because it was such that the feat of the battle spasm was not the only feat known to Sindzi. He had also learned the feat of fever-fire where he would make his body-heat so great that all that touched it burned. It was taught to him by a druid. But the ox-skin was untouched by it.
Then Sindzi woke and said:
Great woe be to the son
that finds unfamiliar
the rafters of his father's hall.
Better to burn in a sea of fire1
than be born to a father
that exiles son without love.
No home for him now
but the reddened fields
hardship and a long sigh.
Great woe be to him
who fathered me
who they called Gend.
He who was good
and now is wicked
is God's enemy.
Heaven he seeks
Hell his finding
lamentable his fate.
Great woe be to Nihon
by Saxons besieged
greatly ravaged.
No peace will it find
under the lustful king
he cares not for kingdom.
Its doom soon comes
no warrior will stop
the treachery inside.
And all who heard his words were greatly afraid; but King Gend did not hear them, for he was at that time away from castle Nihon, and being hosted at the court of King Arthur. And so he did not learn the words of Sindzi's lamentation. However others say that he was in that time present in the hall, as were the thirteen Barons of Soul. And he was troubled by the prophetic word, but they said to him that it bodes well for him, and explained to him Sindzi's words in such a way as if to appear auspicious. For they were great liars and deceivers and schemers.
Then Sindzi swore not enter the hall of King Gend's again, but on the day of Easter, or when all the Saxons were slain. So he was left without home. But he was instead hosted by lady Misetla, who was the daughter of the Surging Cut Knight, who was the finest of all vassals of King Gend, and was slain by the great plague that ravaged them. And she went into mourning, and carried on herself no gold nor jewels, and only a silver crucifix, which was very plain and simple. But she was very beautiful and very wise, and properly reared. She knew all the womanly arts, but for the art of horse-riding. And she made Sindzi stay in the castle of her father, so that he would be properly hosted. And the castle was very modest, and all the arrases and ornaments were stripped from it for the time of mourning. But its walls were high and solid, and its cellars filled with the finest of wines. There a chamber had been made for Sindzi, and he did not want for anything.
1Literally: "dissolve in an orange sea"; the translation of the phrase, along with most of Sindzi's lament, is highly conjectural.
Sindzi's lament. Lady Misetla hosts Sindzi.
After being brought to the healers, Sindzi slept for three days and three nights. So deep was his slumber that they could ring brass bells or smash swords against iron shield-rims near him, but he wouldn't wake. Only after correct time had passed, he opened his eyes again, and not recognizing the house he was in, he asked the healers to whom it belonged. And they explained to him that he was in the great-hall of King Gend. At that he gave out a terrible howl, terrifying men, for they feared that he would perform the feat of the battle spasm on them. But he did not. He commanded that a yellow ox skin should be spread on the ground for him and that he should be given the seer's drink. And it was done as he wanted. He drank the seer's drink and lay on the yellow skin, and there he slept for three days and three nights. And such fever took him that when a bronze pot was put on his forehead, it became red with heat, and then melted. Because it was such that the feat of the battle spasm was not the only feat known to Sindzi. He had also learned the feat of fever-fire where he would make his body-heat so great that all that touched it burned. It was taught to him by a druid. But the ox-skin was untouched by it.
Then Sindzi woke and said:
Great woe be to the son
that finds unfamiliar
the rafters of his father's hall.
Better to burn in a sea of fire1
than be born to a father
that exiles son without love.
No home for him now
but the reddened fields
hardship and a long sigh.
Great woe be to him
who fathered me
who they called Gend.
He who was good
and now is wicked
is God's enemy.
Heaven he seeks
Hell his finding
lamentable his fate.
Great woe be to Nihon
by Saxons besieged
greatly ravaged.
No peace will it find
under the lustful king
he cares not for kingdom.
Its doom soon comes
no warrior will stop
the treachery inside.
And all who heard his words were greatly afraid; but King Gend did not hear them, for he was at that time away from castle Nihon, and being hosted at the court of King Arthur. And so he did not learn the words of Sindzi's lamentation. However others say that he was in that time present in the hall, as were the thirteen Barons of Soul. And he was troubled by the prophetic word, but they said to him that it bodes well for him, and explained to him Sindzi's words in such a way as if to appear auspicious. For they were great liars and deceivers and schemers.
Then Sindzi swore not enter the hall of King Gend's again, but on the day of Easter, or when all the Saxons were slain. So he was left without home. But he was instead hosted by lady Misetla, who was the daughter of the Surging Cut Knight, who was the finest of all vassals of King Gend, and was slain by the great plague that ravaged them. And she went into mourning, and carried on herself no gold nor jewels, and only a silver crucifix, which was very plain and simple. But she was very beautiful and very wise, and properly reared. She knew all the womanly arts, but for the art of horse-riding. And she made Sindzi stay in the castle of her father, so that he would be properly hosted. And the castle was very modest, and all the arrases and ornaments were stripped from it for the time of mourning. But its walls were high and solid, and its cellars filled with the finest of wines. There a chamber had been made for Sindzi, and he did not want for anything.
1Literally: "dissolve in an orange sea"; the translation of the phrase, along with most of Sindzi's lament, is highly conjectural.
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