In the morning
they set off again together, and so they lived for almost a fortnight, until
they found themselves at the Spring beneath the pine.
When Yvain sees where they are, he falls down in a faint. His sword slides from its scabbard and cuts his neck below the cheek so that his blood flows.
When
the lion sees this he is sure that Yvain is dead. He begins to pace about and
howl, and soon decides to put an end to himself. Taking Yvain's sword between
his teeth, the lion wedges it upright against a fallen tree and tries over and
over to fling himself onto the sharp point.
The lion
had nearly succeeded when Yvain woke from his faint. He lay near the great rock
by the Spring where he had fallen.
'See,
this lion is so full of grief for me that he is ready to die. Why should I not
die, miserable creature that I am? How can I bear to look on these things -
the rock, the Spring - belonging to my wife? I had the greatest joy of all,
and lost everything through my own fault!'
In the stone chapel nearby, someone heard every word.
