Under the lead of Gawain and others, and lastly of Arthur himself, the
knights of the Round Table sought in vain for that which lay so near,
yet seemed so far, because their dim vision could not pierce the
earthly mists that cloud Heaven from our view. Some said that angels
had conveyed the Holy Mountain farther East, where it was guarded by
Prester John; and that only when wild Saracens threatened Christendom,
did the Templars appear with the silver dove on shield and helmet, and
help to win the victory; then they vanished, and none knew whence they
came or whither they went. Meanwhile Percival and Konduiramur lived
happily together, serving in the Temple of the Sangreal, and educating
their children with the greatest care. Kardeiss, the eldest son, on
reaching man’s estate, was made ruler over his mother’s kingdom of
Belripar, and over his patrimony of Waleis and Anjou. The younger son,
Lohengrin, remained at home with his parents, while the daughter,
Aribadale, took the place of Queen Repanse, and bore the holy Grail
from the altar to the hall and back again. It was long since any of the
knights of the temple had been called by the sound of the silver bell
to go out and fight against the unbelievers, for the Saracens had been
completely conquered by the Christians. But one evening, when the
knights were all assembled round the king in the royal hall, the silver
bell was heard apparently at a great distance, but coming ever nearer
and nearer. It sounded like a cry for help. At the same moment the
announcement appeared on the sacred vessel in letters of flame, that
Lohengrin was the hero chosen by God to defend the rights of the
innocent, and that he should be borne whither he should go, in a boat
drawn by a white swan with a crown upon its neck.
“Hail Lohengrin, chosen of the Lord!” cried the knights of the temple.
Percival rejoiced greatly, and embraced, and blessed his son, while
Konduiramur, her heart filled with joy at Lohengrin’s high calling, and
also with anxiety about his safety, went to fetch the armour inlaid
with gold that Amfortas had once worn, and the sword that had broken
during Percival’s fight with his brother Feirefiss, but which had since
been re-forged and tempered in the sanctuary of the Sangreal.
A squire now entered the hall, and announced that a boat lay in the
lake below the mountain, which a swan with a golden crown was towing by
a chain of gold. This was the sign that the hour of the young hero’s
departure was come. The king and queen, and all the knights accompanied
him to the shore, where the boat awaited him. As he was about to
embark, Percival gave him a golden horn, and said:
“Blow three times on this horn as a sign that you have arrived amongst
the worldly-minded children of men, and again three times to show that
you are coming home; for, if you are ever asked from whence you came,
and of what family you are sprung, you must at once be up and away on
your return to the holy mountain. This is the indestructible law of the
brotherhood of the Sangreal.”
Lohengrin sprang into the boat, and the swan swam away with it, bearing
it towards the sea. The air was full of the softest strains of music;
but whether it was the swan that sang, or a choir of angels, Lohengrin
could not tell. The music ceased when the boat reached the sea. Its
place was taken by the howling of the storm, and the sound of many
waters. When night came on, the young hero stretched himself in the
bottom of the boat, and fell asleep, undisturbed by wind or waves.