III - Lunet's Advice and Laudine's Change of Mind

Summary

Lord Iwein sat hidden

in joys and in sorrows:

the window brought good comfort to him –

he benefited by it in that he could see her.

On the other hand, he feared death –

thus he endured both delight and anguish.

He sat there and looked at her

until she went away,

back out through the great hall.

Alas, with what great difficulty he refrained,

when he saw her walk past him,

from speaking to her!

Yet he had to refrain out of fear.

The gates through which she had walked

were closed,

and he was so imprisoned

that again his way out

was barred once more.

That mattered little to him,

for if both gates were

open and free of access,

and if he had, moreover, been freed

from all his guilt,

so that he might, with grace and favour,

go wherever seemed good to him –

still his sole inclination was

no other than to remain there.

If he had been elsewhere,

he would still have wished to be back there.

His heart was not inclined to go anywhere else

but there where he knew her to be –

that place was the best for him.

Thus my lord Iwein was

sorely oppressed

by these two perils.

No matter how great his success,

he would still be dishonoured

if he returned to court

without proof of his story,

for they would not believe any of it if he told them.

Dô begunde in an strîten

ze den andern sîten,

daz im gar unmære

elliu diu êre wære,

diu im anders möhte geschehn,

ern müese sîne frouwen sehn,

von der er was gevangen.

Schiere chom gegangen

diu guote magt diu sîn pflac.

Si sprach: ‘Ich wæne, ir swæren tac

und übel zît hinne tragt.’

Er sprach: ‘Daz sî iu widersagt,

wan ichn gewan liebern tac nie.’