The Mabinogion (Oxford World's Classics) (22 page)

And then he had a dream. This was his dream, that he was travelling along the river valley to its source until he came to the highest mountain he had ever seen, and he was sure that the mountain was as high as the sky. As he came over the mountain he could see that he was travelling along level plains, the fairest that anyone had ever seen, on the other side of the mountain. And he could see great, wide rivers flowing from the mountain to the sea, and he was travelling to the sea-fords and the rivers. After travelling in this way for a long time, he came to the mouth of a great river, the widest that anyone had seen, and he could see a great city at the mouth of the river, and a great wall around the city with many great towers of different colours. At the mouth of the river he saw a fleet, and that was the largest fleet he had ever seen. Among the fleet he saw a ship which was much larger and fairer than any of the others: of as much of it that he could see above the water, one plank was of gold and the next was of silver. He saw a bridge of whalebone from the ship to the
shore, and imagined he was walking along the bridge into the ship. A sail was hoisted on the ship, and she steered over sea and ocean. He saw himself coming to the fairest island in the world, and having crossed the island from one sea to the other he could see, at the far end of the island, steep mountains and lofty crags, and rough, rugged terrain the like of which he had never seen before. From there he saw an island in the sea, facing that rugged terrain, and between him and the island he saw a land whose plain was the length of its sea, whose forest was the length of its mountain. From that mountain he saw a river crossing the land, making for the sea, and at the mouth of the river he saw a great castle, the fairest that anyone had ever seen, and he saw the castle gate was open, and he came into the castle. He saw a hall in the castle. He thought that the roof-tiles of the hall were all of gold. The side of the hall he thought to be of valuable, sparkling stones. The floors of the hall he imagined to be of pure gold, with golden couches and silver tables. On a couch facing him he saw two young, auburn-haired lads playing
gwyddbwyll
.
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He saw that the board for the
gwyddbwyll
was silver, and its pieces were of red gold. The lads’ garments were of pure black brocaded silk, and frontlets of red gold on their heads holding their hair in place, with precious, sparkling stones in them, rubies and white gems alternating with imperial stones. On their feet were boots of new Cordovan leather, with bands of red gold fastening them. And at the foot of the hall-pillar he saw a grey-haired man in a chair of elephant ivory with the images of two eagles in red gold on it. There were gold bracelets on his arms, and many gold rings on his fingers; and a gold torque around his neck, and a gold frontlet holding his hair; and a noble quality about him. There was a
gwyddbwyll
board in front of him, and a bar of gold in his hand, and with steel files he was carving
gwyddbwyll
pieces from the bar.

He saw a maiden sitting before him, in a chair of red gold. Because of her beauty it was no easier to gaze upon her than it would be upon the sun when it is at its brightest and most beautiful. The maiden wore shifts of white silk with clasps of red gold at her breast, and a surcoat of gold brocaded silk with a mantle to match, and a brooch of red gold holding the mantle about her; and a frontlet of red gold on her head, with rubies and white gems in the frontlet, and pearls alternating with imperial stones; and a girdle of red gold about her; and she was the most beautiful sight to behold. The maiden got up
to meet him from the golden chair, and he embraced her, and they sat down together in the golden chair. And the chair was no narrower for them both than for the maiden alone. And as he had his arms around the maiden, and his cheek against her cheek, what with the dogs straining at their leashes, and the corners of the shields touching one another, and the spear-shafts striking together, and the stamping of the horses, the emperor woke up. And when he awoke he could no longer live or breathe or exist because of the maiden he had seen in his sleep. Not a bone-joint of his, not the root of a fingernail, let alone anything larger, was not full of love for the maiden.

Then his retinue said to him, ‘Lord,’ they said, ‘it is gone time for you to eat.’

Then the emperor mounted his palfrey, the saddest man that anyone had ever seen, and he made his way to Rome. Whatever messages he was given, no answer was received because of his sadness and moroseness. And then he arrived in the city of Rome, and he was thus the whole week long. Whenever his retinue went to drink from golden vessels and to take their pleasure, he would not accompany any one of them. Whenever they went to listen to songs and entertainment, he would not accompany them. He did nothing but sleep, for as often as he slept, he would see in his sleep the woman he loved best; when he was not sleeping, because of her he cared for nothing, for he did not know where in the world she was.

One day a chamberlain said to him (and although he was a chamberlain of his, he was also a king in Romani),
*
‘Lord,’ he said, ‘all your men are criticizing you.’

‘Why are they criticizing me?’ said the emperor.

The servant replied, ‘Because neither your men nor anyone else has received from you either a message or an answer such as men expect to get from their lord. And that is why you are being criticized.’

‘Lad,’ said the emperor, ‘bring the wise men of Rome to me, and I will tell them why I am sad.’

Then the wise men of Rome were brought around the emperor. He said, ‘You see, men,’ he said, ‘I had a dream. And in the dream I saw a maiden. I can no longer live or breathe or exist because of her.’

‘Lord,’ they replied, ‘because you have asked us for advice, we will advise you. And this is our advice to you. Send messengers for three years to the three regions of the world
*
to look for your dream. And
since you do not know what day or night good news will reach you, your hope will sustain you.’

Then the messengers travelled until the end of the year, wandering the world and seeking news of the emperor’s dream. When they returned at the end of the year, they had no more news than on the day they set out. Then the emperor was saddened to think that he would never get news of the lady he loved best. Then other messengers set off anew to search the second region of the world. When they returned at the end of the year, they had no more news about the dream than on the first day. Then the emperor was saddened to think that he would never in his life have the good fortune to find the woman he loved best. Then the king of the Romani said to the emperor, ‘Lord,’ he said, ‘begin hunting in the forest in the direction you saw yourself go, either towards the east or towards the west.’

Then the emperor began to hunt, and he came to the bank of the river he had seen in his dream and said, ‘This is where I was when I had the dream,’ he said. ‘And I was walking westwards, towards the source of the river.’

Then thirteen men set off as the emperor’s messengers. In front of them they saw a huge mountain which seemed to touch the sky. This is how the messengers appeared as they travelled—each one had a sleeve of his cape to the front that showed he was a messenger, so that in whatever warring country they might travel, no harm would be done to them.
*
As they crossed over that mountain they saw great, level plains and great, wide rivers flowing through them. Then they said, ‘This’, they said, ‘is the land that our lord saw.’

They travelled towards the sea-fords along the rivers until they came to the mouth of a river which they saw flowing into the sea, and a great city at the mouth of the river, and a great castle in the city with great towers of different colours. They saw the largest fleet in the world at the mouth of the river, and a ship that was larger than any of the others. And then they said, ‘This again’, they said, ‘is our lord’s dream.’

And in that large ship they steered over the sea and came to land in the Island of Britain. And they crossed the Island until they saw Eryri, and then they said, ‘This’, they said, ‘is the rugged terrain that our lord saw.’

They carried on until they saw the Island of Môn facing them,
and until they saw Arfon, too. Then they said, ‘This’, they said, ‘is the land our lord saw in his sleep.’

And they saw Aber Saint,
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and the castle at the mouth of the river. They saw the castle gate was open, and they came into the castle. They saw a hall in the castle. ‘This’, they said, ‘is the hall our lord saw in his sleep.’

They came into the hall. They saw the two lads playing
gwyddbwyll
on the golden couch, and the grey-haired man at the foot of the pillar in the chair of elephant ivory carving the pieces for the
gwyddbwyll
. And they saw the maiden sitting in a chair of red gold. The messengers went down on their knees and spoke to her like this, ‘Empress of Rome,’ they said, ‘greetings! We are messengers to you from the emperor of Rome.’

‘Noblemen,’ said the maiden, ‘I see you bear the mark of wellborn men and the badge of messengers. Why are you mocking me?’

‘Lady,’ they said, ‘we are not mocking you at all. But the emperor of Rome saw you in his sleep. He can neither live nor breathe nor exist because of you. Lady, we will give you a choice—either come with us to be crowned empress of Rome, or the emperor will come here to take you as his wife.’

‘Noblemen,’ said the maiden, ‘I do not doubt what you say, neither do I believe it too much either. But if it is I whom the emperor loves, let him come here to fetch me.’

By day and by night the messengers travelled back. As their horses failed, they left them behind and bought new ones. And so they reached Rome, and greeted the emperor, and asked for their reward; and they received it even as they named it. And they spoke to him like this, ‘Lord,’ they said, ‘we will be your guides over land and sea to where that lady is whom you love best. And we know her name, and her family and her lineage.’

Immediately the emperor set off with his army, and those men as their guides. He came to the Island of Britain with his fleet, over sea and ocean. And he took the Island by force from Beli son of Manogan
*
and his sons, and drove them into the sea, and he made his way to Arfon. The emperor recognized the land the moment he saw it. And when he saw the castle at Aber Saint he said, ‘My men,’ he said, ‘over there is the castle in which I saw the lady I love best.’

He came into the castle and into the hall, and there he saw Cynan
son of Eudaf and Gadeon son of Eudaf playing
gwyddbwyll
, and Eudaf son of Caradog sitting in a chair of ivory, carving pieces for the
gwyddbwyll
. The maiden he had seen in his sleep, he could see sitting in a chair of red gold.

‘Empress of Rome,’ he said, ‘greetings!’ And the emperor threw his arms around her, and that night he slept with her.

Early the next day the maiden claimed her maiden fee,
*
since he had found her to be a virgin. He asked her to name her maiden fee. She listed thus: the Island of Britain for her father, from the North Sea to the Irish Sea, and the Three Adjacent Islands
*
to be held under the empress of Rome; and three major forts to be built for her in three locations of her choice in the Island of Britain. Then she asked that the prime fort be built for her in Arfon.
*
And soil from Rome was brought there, so that it would be healthier for the emperor to sleep and sit and walk around. After that the other two forts were built for her, namely Caerllion
*
and Caerfyrddin.

One day the emperor went to hunt from Caerfyrddin to the top of Y Freni Fawr,
*
and there he pitched his tent; and that camp has been called Cadair Faxen
*
ever since. Because the stronghold, on the other hand, was built by a host of men, it is called Caerfyrddin.
*
After that Elen decided to build great roads from one fort to the other across the Island of Britain. Because of that they are called Ffyrdd Elen Luyddog,
*
since she came from the Island of Britain, and the men of the Island of Britain would never have assembled those large armies for anyone but her.

For seven years
*
the emperor stayed in this Island. It was a custom of the Romans at that time that whenever an emperor stayed in other countries conquering for seven years, he should stay in the conquered territory and not be allowed to return to Rome. So they declared a new emperor. And he sent a threatening letter to Maxen. However, it was not so much a letter as ‘If you come and if you ever come to Rome!’ That letter and the news came to Maxen in Caerllion. And from there he sent a letter to the man who claimed to be emperor of Rome. There was in that letter, too, nothing but ‘If I go to Rome, and if I go!’

Then Maxen travelled with his host to Rome, and conquered France and Burgundy and all the countries as far as Rome. And he laid siege to the city of Rome. For a year the emperor was outside the city; he was no closer to taking it than on the first day. But the brothers of
Elen Luyddog from the Island of Britain had followed him, with a small host. And there were better fighting-men in that small host than twice their number of the men of Rome. The emperor was told that the host had been seen dismounting near his own host and pitching its tents. And no one had ever seen a fairer host or one that was better equipped or with finer banners for its size. Elen came to look at the host, and she recognized her brothers’ banners. Then Cynan son of Eudaf and Gadeon son of Eudaf went to see the emperor, and he welcomed them, and embraced them. Then they watched the men of Rome attack the city. And Cynan said to his brother, ‘We shall try and attack the city in a shrewder way than this.’

Then by night they measured the height of the walls, and they sent their carpenters into the forest, and a ladder was made for every four of their men. When those were ready, every day at noon the two emperors would have their meal, and both sides would stop fighting until everyone had finished eating. But the men of the Island of Britain had their meal in the morning, and drank until they were intoxicated. While the two emperors were eating, the Britons approached the walls and placed their ladders against them, and immediately went in over the walls. The new emperor did not have time to put on his armour before they set upon him and killed him, and many others with him. They spent three nights and three days overthrowing the men who were in the city and overcoming the castle, while another group of them guarded the city in case any of Maxen’s host should enter before they had brought everyone under their control.