Read The Romance of Tristan: The Tale of Tristan's Madness (Classics) for Free Online Page B

would not believe these
     slanderers and send me away. The wicked, sly Cornishmen are very pleased with this
     and they are laughing over it. It looks to me now as though they wanted Mark to have
     no one of his own lineage around him. His marriage has done me much harm. God, why
     is the king so foolish? I would let him hang me before I became your lover. He will
     not even let me clear myself. He is angry with me because of his evil counsellors;
     he is very wrong to believe them, he does not realize how they have deceived him. I
     can remember one occasion when they kept very quiet: it was when Morholt came here,
     and not a single one of them dared take up his arms. My uncle was very much afraid
     then and would rather have been dead than alive. For the honour of the king I armed
     myself; I did battle with Morholt and drove him away. My dear uncle ought not to
     believe the slanders that are told about me; it makes me deeply angry to think of
     it. Does he not think he is wronging me? For he certainly is, by God! My lady, go
     straight to the king and tell him to have a fire made: I will walk into it, and if a
     single thread of my tunic is burnt then he can burn the rest of me; for I know there
     is no one at his court who would do battle with me. My lady, does your great
     kindness not move you to pity? Speak well of me to my uncle. I came to him from over
     the seas, and I want to return honourably.’
    ‘Indeed, you are making a great mistake in asking me to tell him the truth
     and beg him to forgive you. I do not want to die yet nor ruin myself utterly! He
     thinksill of you on my account: am I to talk to him about this? I
     should be very rash. I will not do it, Tristan, nor should you ask me to. I am quite
     alone in this land. On my account he has forbidden you to enter his chamber. It
     would be madness for me to talk about it and I shall not say a word. But I will tell
     you something I want you to know: if he could forget his anger and his ill will and
     pardon you, I should be very happy. But if he knew of this meeting I know it would
     be death for us. I am going. But I shall not be able to sleep. I am very much afraid
     that someone may have seen us coming here. If the king heard a word of our being
     together, I should not be surprised if he decided to have me burnt. My body is
     trembling with fear. I must go, I have been here far too long.’
    Yseut turned to go, but Tristan called her back.
    ‘My lady, out of pity for his people, God took human form and was born of a
     virgin; out of pity for me, please advise me. I know you dare not remain here; but
     there is no one I can talk to except you, for I know the king hates me. All my
     weapons are pledged to him: let him give them back to me and I will take my leave,
     for I dare not stay. I know I am brave enough [for my service to be welcome] in any
     land I go to. I know there is no court in the world whose lord would not have me if
     I went there. I have been glad to serve the king, Yseut, and by my own head I tell
     you that before a year has passed he will wish for all the gold in the world that he
     had not thought of banishing me; and that is true. For God’s sake, Yseut,
     think of me, discharge me from the debt I owe my host.’
    ‘By God, Tristan, I marvel that you can ask me to do this!
     You are trying to do me harm, your request is not fair to me. You know what
     suspicion is, whether or not it is well-founded. By the glorious God who made heaven
     and earth and us, if the king were to hear a word of your wanting to be released
     from your pledges, he would obviously think you were disloyal. I could certainly not
     take this risk. You must realize that I am truly not saying this out of
     selfishness.’
    Then Yseut went away and Tristan bade her farewell, weeping. Tristan leaned on a
     block of grey marble (to support himself, I think) and poured out his grief
     alone:
    ‘God, fair St Evrol, I never thought to suffer such misfortune nor