The Great Contest
Poz ces tempuroer, Arts map Euthoer Pendraccó bodeor il roys soery Vrettannes yan ac h-ollor, soer la Combrogia et soer la Gouotadunia; et Marcus Cunomoros bodeor il roys soery Chornubiow, y Vrigantiow et-z-y h-Armorow Mor. Azor, gouenont y Barbarow di Saxen, l’ Ynys lor Validor engouadenz. Congouenont il Roys Arts et-z-el Roys Dalouedus, rex onoroes for lis Armorow Beck et for lis Galleow, poz le dunen le Roie Marcon, ‘n el Castre Dor.
Per y Vritten goueneit il Roy Artursos, ac cunel Roie, gouenont y sew chingethes. Gouenont il Caratacos la Bracca Fort, il Darmalos Validos, Sarcramoros Dubiow, et Moriolindos il sew Druids, per y Zewes cares, et valez ‘nal doxtrenea. Per y Galleow goueneit il Roy Dalouedus, ac cunel Roie, gouenont y sew chingethes. Gouenont il Merandos map Adanatos y Gouhennes la Padgouer, Cingetericcos lor Mille Legieun, Saguvarios Heros d’ Ynys Trimacciow, et Talencanus il sew Druids, per y Zewes cares, et valez ‘nal doxtrena. Ac congouenont poz la Castra Dor al laz le more en Dumnonia; ac for celasta domiow il domenus, il Marcus Cunomorus, rex onoroes for lis Cornobiow, for lis Armorow Mor et for lis Brigantiow; ac amb le Roie, y sew qingethes l’ Acouella Creracarvos, ke passes le nawcent sorsaltasot, Qemper il Valez, yn maps d’ Armorow Mor, Lupullus Magnus, doquei bodeor yan pednogouena al laz l’ ouzeor et daw deoirgouennes per li cascyn pednogouena, et Magomagus il sew Druids, per y Zewes cares, et valez ‘nal doxtrena.
Decki il Roys Arts li Roie Dalouedus: “A Vrazoer Chares, ystas engouades, la meva Insula, l’ Ynys lor Validor en goueritate! Et n’ ystaturont pass y Varbarow feleck vencend solament le pays le mew. Pozem me doensistar-lis si aydas-me tu: manda-me nuis alchyn lor tew cingeth valez. Saus la betisez enteir dil sew valeoir et-z-el sew validez!”
Et Dalouedus: “A Vrazoer Chares, en per que pozem me desalir des cysta Insula, concezent que en aci manent nius alchyn lor mew cingeth validam? Engouaduront y Barbarow et Phirates la nusteor patria new, que azor engouadente en li teva insula! Ne pozeor pass nonck forer!”
Disputavont long et refortement y dew Roies; ácer et enprotrages fus la seva disputació! Enoyoes en la disputacien, rhuasot la sophiós Helena, deoirgouena li Roie Marcon, que ‘s domande ys dis Druides. Parlasot il Marcos cunel sew Dreuid, Magomagon; et comparlasot c’ ys cunny Dreuides alteor, hos moz endwisa prevaldus soer y Zreuides: “A Zreuides Valez!, per y Zewes cares, et valez ‘nal doxtrena: ke dodaimos le nusteor consele des la nusteor savidurea et sofiez! Ke ne disputes pass mays! Azor: devemos nus Nerthes le Preyden en Gallia et-z-Armorow Beck agrocazuer? au devez vus Armorow Beck en Briten agrocazuer?”
Detragevent-si il Magomagus, il Moriolindos et-z-el Talencanus per yen trewzia; et per zies trew ambisezevent-si y sew phensamenz et-z-y sew pharlamenz am l’ ysteir passoes, am le futeur oscur et-z-am l’ azora periclez. Dipos di zies trew, regouenont y Dreuides facionz le sew jeudicien: “Faremus c’ adventuras traw, per campiones naw; trino d’ Armorow, d’ Combrogow, di Cornovow!” Et-z assegurasont y threw di Cornow la difficultate lor adventuras; en absteyndois il Roys Marcs es la disputacien, consele sofiós persecoueint. L’ Adventura la Prima: ar legouantar l’ Acona le Mapon, k’ ystase al laz le Castre Dor. Il Cingetericcos lor Mille Legieun bodeor il prims, et doprovois-la en deveoir per li Roie Daloued; et bobavant y h-Armorow com buzeck, et dipos rengremivent co feyllement couant concezus le cazer l’ Acona! Alley le validez le Cingetericcos lor Mille Legieun! Gouertegitos map Cai, yn varró validós ‘nyn tunica rudd gouestiw bodeor il secunds, et doprovois-la en devoir per li Roie Arton; et legouantasot l’ Acona dois uchelles co le lamme le yen! Bouasont y Nerthes le Preyden co buzeck.
L’ Adventura la Secund: ar rattrayer l’ Annulle le Elenez des acouas la Sinuw Corverack. Ne carent rhen y Nerthes le Preyden le Don lor Manowes le More, soer que enducent y Varbarow ais lituw le Briten; et ne doprovoiont outh c’ adventura. Redipos goueneir ce yowenck ‘n itener des Votadunea le freiz y demeynes le Roie Arton. Trist eny sew laveor bodeor ce yowenck, et fasot solament le moz “Ancorigos”, il sew nom; dubow y sew cabelles, albow il sew pexteor, et ruzow la sew bilia, et ucklow la sew bucla, et gouirizow la sew sulia; et jijanasont y marches, y gouennes et-z-y sendoes couant gouezont-el y sew ocheolles! Brackes di rhennes et thoganó long de rhennes bodeor gouestiw; et yen anouls l’ argeont endambisezeves am li monclow; et arraptoes denteir y thorckes l’ anoule yen cortines di la camessa la sew amant; et-z-en le cortines, yn outha le sang la sew amant derapes, et-z-en outha le sang le mezissem endefendent-cel; et-z-en y outhes, la tristez d’ amor godnethes et di gouitha rummes! Moz cuech, deiazeis y vrackes et la toganen, et ensaltasot doien li more oscur et-z enbouilleint. Long il sew itener co y vamulles la Dazouenda; et long tarriavot ys en le Pays Uchel, et nonck regoueneit az la terra lor Pryden! Redipos, forllamasot il Merandos map Adanatos li Luzal map Neptunow, Don lor Manowes le More, et maryw la Dazouenda; et ensaltasot doien li more. Dipos di oras thraw, bodeor l’ Anouls le Elenez en la seva manuw. Doponeusont y philas dois yscouthes co buzeck y h-Armorow; et-z acer la gouenció lor Nerthes le Preyden!
L’ Adventura la Ters: ar declarar le bodiouechtoer, deus le trasamblar il campió tras yen tanis gouiouent; et ne-y-omm rhen trawendien l’ adventura doprovois! Fasis y Zreuides yen fosses di paumes le naw en lath et di paumes le dawenaw en longez; benedeckont-el y Zreuides; et domandasont Taranes, il gouwands le Marcon, fase la tanis validam en le fosses. Di tan calidez bodeor la tanis, colicouefaceite yen yspaza d’ arew, et condorceite yen yspaza d’ eysoeren. Couant ne-y-omm rhen trawendien l’ adventura doprovois, doprovoisont l’ adventura y dew Rhoies. Brackis en bracke, doenamblasont tras la tanis: azor tetulis il Dalouedus l’ Arton, azor tetulis l’ Arts le Dalouedon; et hos moz endwisa regouenont andoles.
Yan gutis facionz le sew jeudicien: “Cuomo brazoeres doprovoiz vus l’ adventura! A Zaloued, ne podus rhen trasamblar la tanis send le tew brazoer; a h-Art, ne podus rhen trasamblar la tanis send le tew brazoer. C’ at la goueritat: ne poz il yen di vus rhen gouencer sen l’ alteor. Azor: trasper yn semisaone, y chingethes le Preyden monisont ar h-agrocazuent en Armorow; et trasper yn semisaone, y chingethes l’ Armorow monisont ar h-agrocazuent en Preyen. Oc la jeudició!”
Et long il sezlonds lor eduoagrow en Pryden et-z-en Gallia; en Dumnonea et-z-en Armorica et-z-en Votadunea. Agrocazuont ters dawouygaint deck agrow en Pryden y h-Armorow; en Armorica y Nerthes le Preyden agrow le ters dawouygaint deck ys agrocazuont. Alliges en la seva causa justa per y Zreuides; preserwasot la Briten il Arts, et preserwasot l’ Armorica il Dalouedus.
At that time, Arthur son of Uther Pendragon was king over the Britons one and all, over Kemr and over Gododdin; and Mark Cunomore was king over the Kernow, the Brigantes and the Little Britons. Now, Barbarians from Saxony came, invading the Isle of the Mighty. King Arthur met with King Dalwede, king over the Gauls and Lesser Armoricans, at Castle Dor, house of King Mark.
For Britain came King Arthur, and with the King came his warriors. Caradoc Strong Arm, Darmalos the Brave, Sarcamore the Black and Merlin his Druid came, blessed by the Gods and mighty in the Lore. For the Gauls came King Dalwede, and with the King came his warriors. Merand son of Adanath of the Four Wives, Cingetrick of the Thousand Legions, Segovar Hero of the Isle of Tremack and Talencand his Druid came, blessed by the Gods and mighty in the Lore. And they met at Castle Dor by the sea in Dumnonia; and the lord over that place was Mark Cunomore, honored king of the Kernow, the Lesser Britons and the Brigantes; and around the king were his warriors Aquilla Creracarf, who could leap ninehundred paces, Kemper the Strong, a son of Little Britain, Little Wolf the Great, who had a chief wife on each arm and two underwives for each chief wife, and Magomagus his Druid, by the Gods and mighty in the Lore.
Said King Arthur to King Dalwede: “O dear Brother, my Island stands invaded, even the Isle of the Mighty! And the Barbarians will not be happy conquering only my lands. I can stop them if thou help me: send me some of thy mighty warriors. The whole world knows their valour and strength!”
Then Dalwede: “O dear Brother, how is it I can leave this Island, allowing my strongest warriors to remain? Barbarians and pirates alike will invade our new homeland, who now invade thine! This can not be!”
Long and heated was the Kings dispute; bitter and protracted their argument! Annoyed by the argument, the wise Helena, underwife of King Mark, bad him send for his Druid. Mark spake with his Druid, Magomagus; and he in turn spake with the other Druids, in thuswise prevailing upon them: “O Mighty Druids!, by the Gods blessed and mighty in the Lore: let us give of the counsel of our wisdom! Let them stop their dispute! Now: should the Men of Britain fight in Gaul and Armorica the Lesser?; or should the Men of Gaul fight in Britain?
Magomagus, Merlin and Talencand drew aside for three days; and in three days their speech and thought rested on history past, on the dim future and on the perilous now. After three days, they returned and made their judgement: “We will devise three Tests, for nine champions; in threes from Armorica the Lesser, from Kemr and from Kernow!” And the three from Kernow would assure the difficulty of the Tests; for King Mark abstained from the argument, seeking in stead wise counsel.
The First Test: lifting the Stone of Maponos, which stands by Castle Dor. Cingetrick of the Thousand Legions was first, and he assayed the Test for King Dalwede; and the Armoricans hooted with victory, but soon moaned in failure when he let the Stone slip and fall! So much for the strength of Cingetrick of the Thousand Legions! Vertegith fitz Kay, a strong man in a red tunic was second, and he assayed the Test for King Arthur. And he lifted the Stone up on high in one hand! The Men of Britain shouted with victory.
The Second Adventure: to fetch back the Ring of Elenor from the waters of Cormerack Bay. The Men of Britain had no love for the Lord of the Waves, who led the Barbarians to the British shores; and none would assay the Test. After a while, there came this travelling youth from Gododdin in the north of Arthurs domains. Sad in his labours was this man, and he spake only the word “Ancorack”, his name. Black were his locks, white his skin, and red his lips; high his cheeks and green his eyes; and the girls and maidens and crones prattled on when their eyes lit on him! Breeks and a cloak of hide he wore, and a neck ring of silver was around his neck; and caught up in the twists of the ring was a tatter from his lovers shirt; and on the tatter a drop of his lovers blood and a drop of his own blood in defense of his lover; and in the drops the sadness of love slain and live destroyed! Without a word, he cast aside the cloack and breeks and leapt into the dark and roiling sea. Long was his journey with the handmaidens of Dadhwende; and long he tarried in the Deep Country, and he never came again to the land of Britain! After a while, Merand fitz Adanath called upon Ludhal fitz Neptune, Lord of the Waves and husband of Dadhwende; and he leapt into the sea. After three hours, the Ring of Elenor was in his hand. The Armoricans beat their shields with their spears; and the Men of Britain keened!
The Third Adventure: in order to declare the victor, the champion has to walk across a living fire; and not a single one of them at all assayed the adventure! The Druids made a ditch nine spans wide and eighteen long; they blessed it and bad Taran, Marks smith, to lay a powerful fire in the ditch. So strong was the fire, that a bronze sword melted in it and an iron sword was bent. When no man at all would assay the adventure, the two kings took on the adventure themselves. Arm in arm, they walked across the fire: now Dalwede bare Arthur, now Arthur bare Dalwede; and in thuswise they came back unharmed.
With one voice they made the judgement: “As brothers ye took up the challenge! O Dalwede, thou could not walk the fire without thy brother; o Arthur, without thy brother, thou could not walk the fire. This is truth: neither one of ye can overcome without the other. Now: for a halfyear, the warriors of Britain will go to fight in Gaul and Armorica the Lesser; and for a halfyear, the warriors of Armorica the Lesser will go to fight in Britain. This is the judgement!”
And long is the tale of the battles fought in Britain and Gaul; in Dumnonia and Armorica and Gododdin. Thrice fifty battles were fought in Britain by the Armoricans; and the Men of Britain fought thrice fifty battles in Armorica the Less. Joined by the Druids in their just cause, Arthur preserved Britain and Dalwede preserved Armorica the Less.
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