wn of
houses of stone and brick not far away from that castle, and they beheld
that the rest of the island was very fertile and green, like to a pure
emerald of bright fertility. And they beheld that there were several
groves and plantations of trees and of fruit-trees at several places
upon the island, so that, what with this and what with that, it was like
a fragment of paradise planted in that place.

All these they beheld, as it were, upon the palm of the hand. And after
they had gazed for a while, Sir Ector said: "Methinks that yonder is as
fair a place as ever I saw in all of my life. Now let us descend
thitherward and let us seek to discover to what noble lord yonder island
castle belongeth." To the which Sir Percival said, "That meeteth
altogether my wishes."

So thereupon those two rode down into that valley and so came to the
margin of the lake. And they beheld that the waters of the lake were as
clear as crystal and that all around the lake was a strand of yellow
pebbles that appeared like pebbles of gold in the sunlight, wherefore it
was as though that lake was altogether surrounded with the ring of gold.
And beyond this strand of pebbles were meadows of long grass and of
flowers, and chiefly these flowers were daffodils.

[Sidenote: _Sir Percival and Sir Ector ride beside the lake._]

So those two knights proceeded along that golden strand, all in the
shining sunlight, until, by and by, they came to a certain part of the
lake that was nighest to the castle. And the island at that point sloped
very gently down to the water, and as these two knights gazed across the
waters they saw how that a wide, smooth meadow lay betwixt the castle
and the waters of the lake, and that the meadow was besprinkled with an
incredible number of bright daffodil flowers like to the meadows upon
the other side of that strand of pebbles. And they perceived that there
was a lady standing deep in the long grass of the meadow and in the
midst of the flowers, and they saw that she wore many ornaments of gold
set with jewels and that she carried a sparrow-hawk upon her wrist.

[Sidenote: _Sir Percival bespeaketh a lady of Joyous Isle._]

[Sidenote: _Of the champion of Joyous Isle._]

Then Sir Percival called to that lady across the water, saying, "Lady,
what is this castle and who is the lord thereof?" To this the lady also
called out in reply (speaking in a voice that was wonderfully high and
clear), saying: "This is hight the J