She alone, being skilled in philtres, could save Tristan, but she alone wished him dead.  When Tristan knew himself again (for her art restored him) he knew himself to be in the land of peril.  But he was yet strong to hold his own and found good crafty words.  He told a tale of how he was a seer that had taken passage on a merchant ship and sailed to Spain to learn the art of reading all the stars,—­of how pirates had boarded the ship and of how, though wounded, he had fled into that boat.  He was believed, nor did any of the Morholt’s men know his face again, so hardly had the poison used it.  But when, after forty days, Iseult of the Golden Hair had all but healed him, when already his limbs had recovered and the grace of youth returned, he knew that he must escape, and he fled and after many dangers he came again before Mark the King.

THE QUEST OF THE LADY WITH THE HAIR OF GOLD

My lords, there were in the court of King Mark four barons the basest of men, who hated Tristan with a hard hate, for his greatness and for the tender love the King bore him.  And well I know their names:  Andret, Guenelon, Gondoine and Denoalen.  They knew that the King had intent to grow old childless and to leave his land to Tristan; and their envy swelled and by lies they angered the chief men of Cornwall against Tristan.  They said: 

“There have been too many marvels in this man’s life.  It was marvel enough that he beat the Morholt, but by what sorcery did he try the sea alone at the point of death, or which of us, my lords, could voyage without mast or sail?  They say that warlocks can.  It was sure a warlock feat, and that is a warlock harp of his pours poison daily into the King’s heart.  See how he has bent that heart by power and chain of sorcery!  He will be king yet, my lords, and you will hold your lands of a wizard.”

They brought over the greater part of the barons and these pressed King Mark to take to wife some king’s daughter who should give him an heir, or else they threatened to return each man into his keep and wage him war.  But the King turned against them and swore in his heart that so long as his dear nephew lived no king’s daughter should come to his bed.  Then in his turn did Tristan (in his shame to be thought to serve for hire) threaten that if the King did not yield to his barons, he would himself go over sea serve some great king.  At this, King Mark made a term with his barons and gave them forty days to hear his decision.

On the appointed day he waited alone in his chamber and sadly mused:  “Where shall I find a king’s daughter so fair and yet so distant that I may feign to wish her my wife?”

Just then by his window that looked upon the sea two building swallows came in quarrelling together.  Then, startled, they flew out, but had let fall from their beaks a woman’s hair, long and fine, and shining like a beam of light.