Sir William Russell Flint《The Lady Of The Lake》（湖中仙女

《The Lady Of The Lake》（湖中仙女）

作者：Sir William Russell Flint / 威廉·拉塞尔·弗林特 [英] (1880-1969)

年代：1910-1911

材质：纸面水彩

为《亚瑟王之死：亚瑟王与圆桌骑士》("Le Morte d'Arthur: The Book of King Arthur and his Noble Knights of the Round Table", 1910-1911) 所作的插画

他们骑马来到一个清澄广阔的湖边。亚瑟看见湖心处伸出一只穿着白绸袖子的手臂，举着一把精美的宝剑。
梅林说：“看，我刚才说过的那把宝剑就在那里呢。”
话音刚落，他们看见湖面上走来了一位少女。
亚瑟问：“那女子是谁？”
“那是湖上仙女。湖中还有一个美不胜收的石头岛，人世间任何地方都不可能比它更美。那位仙女马上就要来见你，只要你应对得体，她就会把那把宝剑送给你。”
不多时，那少女果然来到亚瑟跟前，并向他施礼致意。亚瑟回了礼，便问：“小姐，水面上那只手臂握着的是一把什么样的宝剑？我手上没有宝剑了，不知那剑能否归我所有？”
仙女说：“亚瑟王，那是我自己的宝剑。如果你肯答应送我一件礼物，我就把那把艾克凯勒勃宝剑送给你。”
亚瑟王说：“我向你保证：你要什么，我就送给你什么。”
仙女开心地说：“那好，请你坐上那只小船，划到湖中心去取宝剑和剑鞘吧。至于我要的礼物，到时候我自然会向你索取的。”
亚瑟王和梅林把马拴在两棵树上，上了小船。当他们来到举着宝剑的手臂边时，亚瑟王握住剑柄，取过剑来。那只手臂随即消失在水中。
——《亚瑟王之死》，托马斯·马洛里，天津人民出版社，2017

So they rode till they came to a lake, the which was a fair water and broad, and in the midst of the ake Arthur was ware of an arm clothed in white samite, that held a fair sword in that hand.
Lo! said Merlin, yonder is that sword that I spake of. With that they saw a damosel going upon the lake.
What damosel is that? said Arthur.
That is the Lady of the Lake, said Merlin; and within that lake is a rock, and therein is as fair a place as any on earth, and richly beseen; and this damosel will come to you anon, and then speak ye fair to her that she will give you that sword.
Anon withal came the damosel unto Arthur, and saluted him, and he her again. Damosel, said Arthur, what sword is that, that yonder the arm holdeth above the water? I would it were mine, for I have no sword.
Sir Arthur, king, said the damosel, that sword is mine, and if ye will give me a gift when I ask it you, ye shall have it.
By my faith, said Arthur, I will give you what gift ye will ask.
Well! said the damosel, go ye into yonder barge, and row yourself to the sword, and take it and the scabbard with you, and I will ask my gift when I see my time.
So Sir Arthur and Merlin alighted and tied their horses to two trees, and so they went into the ship, and when they came to the sword that the hand held, Sir Arthur took it up by the handles, and took it with him, and the arm and the hand went under the water.
——"Le Morte d'Arthur", Sir Thomas Malory, Published by A. W. Pollard, 1903