And they fixed17 upon Aberfraw as the place where she should become his bride. And they went thence, and towards Aberfraw the hosts proceeded, Matholch and his host in their ships, Bendigeid Vran and his host by land, until they came to Aberfraw. And at Aberfraw they began the feast, and sat down. And thus sat they: the king of the Island of the Mighty and Manawyddan, the son of Llyr, on one side, and Matholch on the other side, and Branwen, the daughter of Llyr, beside him. And they were not within a house, but under tents. No house could ever contain Bendigeid Vran. And they began the banquet, and caroused18 and discoursed21. And when it was more pleasing to them to sleep than to carouse19, they went to rest, and Branwen became Matholch’s bride.
And next day they arose, and all they of the court, and the officers began to equip, and to range the horses and the attendants, and they ranged them in order as far as the sea.
And, behold, one day Evnissyen, the quarrelsome man, of whom it is spoken above, came by chance into the place where the horses of Matholch were, and asked whose horses they might be. “They are the horses of Matholch, king of Ireland, who is married to Branwen, thy sister; his horses are they.” “And is it thus they have done with a maiden23 such as she, and moreover my sister, bestowing24 her without my consent? They could have offered no greater insult to me than this,” said he. And thereupon he rushed under the horses, and cut off their lips at the teeth, and their ears close to their heads, and their tails close to their backs; and he disfigured the horses, and rendered them useless.
And they came with these tidings unto Matholch, saying that the horses were disfigured and injured, so that not one of them could ever be of any use again. “Verily, lord,” said one, “it was an insult unto thee, and as such was it meant.” “Of a truth, it is a marvel25 to me that, if they desire to insult me, they should have given me a maiden of such high rank, and so much beloved of her kindred, as they have done.” “Lord,” said another, “thou seest that thus it is, and there is nothing for thee to do but to go to thy ships.” And thereupon towards his ships he set out.
And tidings came to Bendigeid Vran that Matholch was quitting the court without asking leave, and messengers were sent to inquire of him wherefore he did so. And the messengers that went were Iddic, the son of Anarawd, and Heveyd Hir. And these overtook him, and asked of him what he designed to do, and wherefore he went forth26. “Of a truth,” said he, “if I had known, I had not come hither. I have been altogether insulted; no one had ever worse treatment than I have had here.” “Truly, lord, it was not the will of any that are of the court,” said they, “nor of any that are of the council, that thou shouldst have received this insult; and as thou hast been insulted, the dishonor is greater unto Bendigeid Vran than unto thee.” “Verily,” said he, “I think so. Nevertheless, he cannot recall the insult.” These men returned with that answer to the place where Bendigeid Vran was, and they told him what reply Matholch had given them. “Truly,” said he, “there are no means by which we may prevent his going away at enmity with us that we will not take.” “Well, lord,” said they, “send after him another embassy.” “I will do so,” said he. “Arise, Manawyddan, son of Llyr, and Heveyd Hir, and go after him, and tell him that he shall have a sound horse for every one that has been injured. And beside that, as an atonement for the insult, he shall have a staff of silver as large and as tall as himself, and a plate of gold of the breadth of his face. And show unto him who it was that did this, and that it was done against my will; but that he who did it is my brother, and therefore it would be hard for me to put him to death. And let him come and meet me,” said he, “and we will make peace in any way he may desire.”
The embassy went after Matholch, and told him all these sayings in a friendly manner; and he listened thereunto. “Men,” said he, “I will take counsel.” So to the council he went. And in the council they considered that, if they should refuse this, they were likely to have more shame rather than to obtain so great an atonement. They resolved, therefore, to accept it, and they returned to the court in peace.
Then the pavilions and the tents were set in order, after the fashion of a hall; and they went to meat, and as they had sat at the beginning of the feast so sat they there. And Matholch and Bendigeid Vran began to discourse20; and, behold, it seemed to Bendigeid Vran, while they talked, that Matholch was not so cheerful as he had been before. And he thought that the chieftain might be sad because of the smallness of the atonement which he had for the wrong that had been done him. “O man,” said Bendigeid Vran, “thou dost not discourse to-night so cheerfully as thou wast wont27. And if it be because of the smallness of the atonement, thou shalt add thereunto whatsoever28 thou mayest choose, and to-morrow I will pay thee for the horses.” “Lord,” said he, “Heaven reward thee!” “And I will enhance the atonement,” said Bendigeid Vran, “for I will give unto thee a caldron, the property of which is, that if one of thy men be slain29 to-day, and be cast therein, to-morrow he will be as well as ever he was at the best, except that he will not regain30 his speech.” And thereupon he gave him great thanks, and very joyful14 was he for that cause.
That night they continued to discourse as much as they would, and had minstrelsy and carousing31; and when it was more pleasant to them to sleep than to sit longer, they went to rest. And thus was the banquet carried on with joyousness32; and when it was finished, Matholch journeyed towards Ireland, and Branwen with him; and they went from Aber Menei with thirteen ships, and came to Ireland. And in Ireland was there great joy because of their coming. And not one great man nor noble lady visited Branwen unto whom she gave not either a clasp or a ring, or a royal jewel to keep, such as it was honorable to be seen departing with. And in these things she spent that year in much renown33, and she passed her time pleasantly, enjoying honor and friendship. And in due time a son was born unto her, and the name that they gave him was Gwern, the son of Matholch, and they put the boy out to be nursed in a place where were the best men of Ireland.
And, behold, in the second year a tumult34 arose in Ireland, on account of the insult which Matholch had received in Wales, and the payment made him for his horses. And his foster-brothers, and such as were nearest to him, blamed him openly for that matter. And he might have no peace by reason of the tumult, until they should revenge upon him this disgrace. And the vengeance35 which they took was to drive away Branwen from the same chamber36 with him, and to make her cook for the court; and they caused the butcher, after he had cut up the meat, to come to her and give her every day a blow on the ear; and such they made her punishment.
“Verily, lord,” said his men to Matholch, “forbid now the ships and the ferry-boats, and the coracles, that they go not into Wales, and such as come over from Wales hither, imprison37 them, that they go not back for this thing to be known there.” And he did so; and it was thus for no less than three years.
And Branwen reared a starling in the cover of the kneading-trough, and she taught it to speak, and she taught the bird what manner of man her brother was. And she wrote a letter of her woes39, and the despite with which she was treated, and she bound the letter to the root of the bird’s wing, and sent it toward Wales. And the bird came to that island; and one day it found Bendigeid Vran at Caer Seiont in Arvon, conferring there, and it alighted upon his shoulder, and ruffled40 its feathers, so that the letter was seen, and they knew that the bird had been reared in a domestic manner.
Then Bendigeid Vran took the letter and looked upon it. And when he had read the letter, he grieved exceedingly at the tidings of Branwen’s woes. And immediately he began sending messengers to summon the island together. And he caused seven-score and four of his chief men to come unto him, and he complained to them of the grief that his sister endured. So they took counsel. And in the counsel they resolved to go to Ireland, and to leave seven men as princes at home, and Caradoc,[65] the son of Bran, as the chief of them.
Bendigeid Vran, with the host of which we spoke22, sailed towards Ireland; and it was not far across the sea, and he came to shoal water. Now the swine-herds of Matholch were upon the sea-shore, and they came to Matholch. “Lord,” said they, “greeting be unto thee.” “Heaven protect you!” said he; “have you any news?” “Lord,” said they, “we have marvellous news. A wood have we seen upon the sea, in a place where we never yet saw a single tree.” “This is indeed a marvel,” said he; “saw you aught else?” “We saw, lord,” said they, “a vast mountain beside the wood, which moved, and there was a lofty ridge41 on the top of the mountain, and a lake on each side of the ridge. And the wood and the mountain, and all these things, moved.” “Verily,” said he, “there is none who can know aught concerning this unless it be Branwen.”
Messengers then went unto Branwen. “Lady,” said they, “what thinkest thou that this is?” “The men of the Island of the Mighty, who have come hither on hearing of my ill-treatment and of my woes.” “What is the forest that is seen upon the sea?” asked they. “The yards and the masts of ships,” she answered. “Alas!” said they; “what is the mountain that is seen by the side of the ships?” “Bendigeid Vran, my brother,” she replied, “coming to shoal water, and he is wading42 to the land.” “What is the lofty ridge, with the lake on each side thereof?” “On looking towards this island he is wroth, and his two eyes on each side of his nose are the two lakes on each side of the ridge.”
The warriors43 and chief men of Ireland were brought together in haste, and they took counsel. “Lord,” said the neighbors unto Matholch, “there is no other counsel than this alone. Thou shalt give the kingdom to Gwern, the son of Branwen his sister, as a compensation for the wrong and despite that have been done unto Branwen. And he will make peace with thee.” And in the council it was resolved that this message should be sent to Bendigeid Vran, lest the country should be destroyed. And this peace was made. And Matholch caused a great house to be built for Bendigeid Vran, and his host. Thereupon came the hosts into the house. The men of the island of Ireland entered the house on the one side, and the men of the Island of the Mighty on the other. And as soon as they had sat down, there was concord44 between them; and the sovereignty was conferred upon the boy. When the peace was concluded, Bendigeid Vran called the boy unto him, and from Bendigeid Vran the boy went unto Manawyddan; and he was beloved by all that beheld him. And from Manawyddan the boy was called by Nissyen, the son of Euroswydd, and the boy went unto him lovingly. “Wherefore,” said Evnissyen, “comes not my nephew, the son of my sister, unto me? Though he were not king of Ireland, yet willingly would I fondle the boy.” “Cheerfully let him go to thee,” said Bendigeid Vran; and the boy went unto him cheerfully. “By my confession45 to Heaven,” said Evnissyen in his heart, “unthought of is the slaughter46 that I will this instant commit.”
Then he arose and took up the boy, and before any one in the house could seize hold of him he thrust the boy headlong into the blazing fire. And when Branwen saw her son burning in the fire, she strove to leap into the fire also, from the place where she sat between her two brothers. But Bendigeid Vran grasped her with one hand, and his shield with the other. Then they all hurried about the house, and never was there made so great a tumult by any host in one house as was made by them, as each man armed himself. And while they all sought their arms Bendigeid Vran supported Branwen between his shield and his shoulder. And they fought.
Then the Irish kindled47 a fire under the caldron of renovation48, and they cast the dead bodies into the caldron until it was full; and the next day they came forth fighting men, as good as before, except that they were not able to speak. Then when Evnissyen saw the dead bodies of the men of the Island of the Mighty nowhere resuscitated49, he said in his heart, “Alas! woe38 is me, that I should have been the cause of bringing the men of the Island of the Mighty into so great a strait. Evil betide me if I find not a deliverance therefrom.” And he cast himself among the dead bodies of the Irish; and two unshod Irishmen came to him, and, taking him to be one of the Irish, flung him into the caldron. And he stretched himself out in the caldron, so that he rent the caldron into four pieces, and burst his own heart also.
In consequence of this, the men of the Island of the Mighty obtained such success as they had; but they were not victorious50, for only seven men of them all escaped, and Bendigeid Vran himself was wounded in the foot with a poisoned dart51. Now the men that escaped were Pryderi, Manawyddan, Taliesin, and four others.
And Bendigeid Vran commanded them that they should cut off his head. “And take you my head,” said he, “and bear it even unto the White Mount in London, and bury it there with the face towards France. And so long as it lies there, no enemy shall ever land on the island.” So they cut off his head, and these seven went forward therewith. And Branwen was the eighth with them. And they came to land on Aber Alaw, and they sat down to rest. And Branwen looked towards Ireland, and towards the Island of the Mighty, to see if she could descry52 them. “Alas!” said she, “woe is me that I was ever born; two islands have been destroyed because of me.” Then she uttered a groan53, and there broke her heart. And they made her a four-sided grave, and buried her upon the banks of the Alaw.
Then the seven men journeyed forward, bearing the head with them; and as they went, behold there met them a multitude of men and women. “Have you any tidings?” said Manawyddan. “We have none,” said they, “save that Caswallawn,[66] the son of Beli, has conquered the Island of the Mighty, and is crowned king in London.” “What has become,” said they, “of Caradoc, the son of Bran, and the seven men who were left with him in this island?” “Caswallawn came upon them, and slew54 six of the men, and Caradoc’s heart broke for grief thereof.” And the seven men journeyed on towards London, and they buried the head in the White Mount, as Bendigeid Vran had directed them.
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1
exalted
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| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
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2
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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strife
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| n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争 | |
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4
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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5
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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6
outstripped
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| v.做得比…更好，（在赛跑等中）超过( outstrip的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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7
upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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converse
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| vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反 | |
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9
saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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10
prosper
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| v.成功，兴隆，昌盛；使成功，使昌隆，繁荣 | |
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boon
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| n.恩赐，恩物，恩惠 | |
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12
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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13
joyfully
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| adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地 | |
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14
joyful
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| adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的 | |
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15
throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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bestow
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| v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费 | |
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17
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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caroused
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| v.痛饮，闹饮欢宴( carouse的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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carouse
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| v.狂欢；痛饮；n.狂饮的宴会 | |
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20
discourse
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| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
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21
discoursed
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| 演说（discourse的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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22
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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23
maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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24
bestowing
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| 砖窑中砖堆上层已烧透的砖 | |
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25
marvel
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| vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事 | |
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26
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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28
whatsoever
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| adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么 | |
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29
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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30
regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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31
carousing
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| v.痛饮，闹饮欢宴( carouse的现在分词 ) | |
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32
joyousness
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| 快乐，使人喜悦 | |
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33
renown
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| n.声誉，名望 | |
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tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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35
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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36
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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37
imprison
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| vt.监禁，关押，限制，束缚 | |
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38
woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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39
woes
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| 困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉 | |
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40
ruffled
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| adj. 有褶饰边的, 起皱的 动词ruffle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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41
ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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42
wading
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| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的现在分词 ) | |
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43
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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44
concord
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| n.和谐；协调 | |
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45
confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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46
slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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47
kindled
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| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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48
renovation
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| n.革新，整修 | |
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49
resuscitated
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| v.使（某人或某物）恢复知觉，苏醒( resuscitate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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50
victorious
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| adj.胜利的，得胜的 | |
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51
dart
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| v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲 | |
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52
descry
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| v.远远看到；发现；责备 | |
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53
groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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54
slew
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| v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多 | |
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