y. She passed within the lodge, and threw her arms about his
neck, and clipped and kissed him.
"Fair sweet friend, welcome be thou."
"And thou, fair sweet love, be thou welcome."
So either kissed and clipped the other, and fair joy was them between.
"Ha! sweet love," quoth Aucassin, "but now was I sore hurt, and my
shoulder wried, but I take no force of it, nor have no hurt therefrom
since I have thee."
Right so felt she his shoulder and found it was wried from its place. And
she so handled it with her white hands, and so wrought in her surgery,
that by God's will who loveth lovers, it went back into its place. Then
took she flowers, and fresh grass, and leaves green, and bound these
herbs on the hurt with a strip of her smock, and he was all healed.
"Aucassin," saith she, "fair sweet love, take counsel what thou wilt do.
If thy father let search this forest to-morrow, and men find me here,
they will slay me, come to thee what will."
"Certes, fair sweet love, therefore should I sorrow heavily, but, an if I
may, never shall they take thee."
Anon gat he on his horse, and his lady before him, kissing and clipping
her, and so rode they at adventure.
_Here one singeth_:
Aucassin the frank, the fair,
Aucassin of the yellow hair,
Gentle knight, and true lover,
From the forest doth he fare,
Holds his love before him there,
Kissing cheek, and chin, and eyes,
But she spake in sober wise,
"Aucassin, true love and fair,
To what land do we repair?"
Sweet my love, I take no care,
Thou art with me everywhere!
So they pass the woods and downs,
Pass the villages and towns,
Hills and dales and open land,
Came at dawn to the sea sand,
Lighted down upon the strand,
Beside the sea.
Then say they, speak they, tell they the Tale:
Aucassin lighted down and his love, as ye have heard sing. He held his
horse by the bridle, and his lady by the hands; so went they along the
sea shore, and on the sea they saw a ship, and he called unto the
sailors, and they came to him. Then held he such speech with them, that
he and his lady were brought aboard that ship, and when they were on the
high sea, behold a mighty wind and tyrannous arose, marvellous and great,
and drave them from land to land, till they came unto a strange country,
and won the haven of the castle of Torelore. Then asked they what this
land might be, and men told them that it was the country of t
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