The Mabinogion Vol. 1 | Page 2

can entertain one
another with relating tales, and can obtain a flagon of mead and some
meat from Kai." And the King went to sleep. And Kynon the son of
Clydno asked Kai for that which Arthur had promised them. "I too will
have the good tale which he promised to me," said Kai. "Nay,"
answered Kynon, "fairer will it be for thee to fulfil Arthur's behest in
the first place, and then we will tell thee the best tale that we know." So
Kai went to the kitchen and to the mead-cellar, and returned, bearing a
flagon of mead, and a golden goblet, and a handful of skewers upon
which were broiled collops of meat. Then they ate the collops and
began to drink the mead. "Now" said Kai, "it is time for you to give me
my story." "Kynon," said Owain, "do thou pay to Kai the tale that is his
due." "Truly," said Kynon, "thou art older, and are a better teller of
tales, and hast seen more marvellous things than I; do thou therefore
pay Kai his tale." "Begin thyself," quoth Owain, "with the best that
thou knowest." "I will do so," answered Kynon.
"I was the only son of my mother and father; and I was exceedingly
aspiring, and my daring was very great. I thought there was no
enterprise in the world too mighty for me, and after I had achieved all
the adventures that were in my own country, {17a} I equipped myself,
and set forth to journey through deserts, and distant regions. And at

length it chanced that I came to the fairest valley in the world, wherein
were trees of equal growth; and a river ran through the valley, and a
path was by the side of the river. And I followed the path until mid-day,
and continued my journey along the remainder of the valley until the
evening; and at the extremity of a plain I came to a large and lustrous
Castle, at the foot of which was a torrent. And I approached the Castle,
and there I beheld two youths, with yellow curling hair, each with a
frontlet of gold upon his head, and clad in a garment of yellow satin;
and they had gold clasps upon their insteps. In the hand of each of them
was an ivory bow, strung with the sinews of the stag; and their arrows
had their shafts of the bone of the whale, and were winged with
peacock's feathers. The shafts also had golden heads. And they had
daggers with blades of gold, and with hilts of the bone of the whale.
And they were shooting their daggers.
"And a little way from them, I saw a man {17b} in the prime of life,
with his beard newly shorn, clad in a robe and a mantle of yellow satin;
and round the top of his mantle was a band of gold lace. On his feet
were shoes of variegated leather, fastened by two bosses of gold. When
I saw him, I went towards him and saluted him; and such was his
courtesy, that he no sooner received my greeting than he returned it.
{18a} And he went with me towards the Castle. Now there were no
dwellers in the Castle, except those who were in one hall. And there I
saw four and twenty damsels, embroidering satin, at a window. And
this I tell thee, Kai, that {18b} the least fair of them was fairer than the
fairest maid thou didst ever behold, in the Island of Britain; and the
least lovely of them was more lovely than Gwenhwyvar, the wife of
Arthur, when she appeared loveliest at the Offering, on the day of the
Nativity, or at the feast of Easter. {18c} They rose up at my coming,
and six of them took my horse, and divested me of my armour; and six
others took my arms, and washed them in a vessel, until they were
perfectly bright. And the third six spread cloths upon the tables, and
prepared meat. And the fourth six took off my soiled garments, and
placed others upon me; namely, an under vest and a doublet of fine
linen, and a robe, and a surcoat, and a mantle of yellow satin, and a
broad gold band upon the mantle. And they placed cushions both
beneath and around me, with coverings of red linen. And I sat down.

Now the six maidens who had taken my horse, unharnessed him, as
well as if they had been the best Squires in the Island of Britain. Then,
behold, they brought bowls of silver wherein was water to wash; and
towels of linen, some green and some white; and I washed. And in a
little while the man sat down to the