[Sidenote: Sir Percival stands in meditation] Now when Sir Percival beheld
the blood and the black feathers upon that white snow, he said to himself:
"Behold! that snow is not whiter than the brow and the neck of my lady; and
that red is not redder than her lips; and that black is not blacker than
her hair." Therewith the thought of that lady took great hold upon him and
he sighed so deeply that he felt his heart lifted within him because of
that sigh. So he stood and gazed upon that white and red and black, and he
forgot all things else in the world than his lady-love.
Now it befell at that time that there came a party riding through those
parts, and that party were Sir Gawaine and Sir Geraint and Sir Kay. And
when they saw Sir Percival where he stood leaning against a tree and
looking down upon the ground in deep meditation, Sir Kay said: "Who is
yonder knight?" (For he wist not that that knight was Sir Percival.) And
Sir Kay said further: "I will go and bespeak that knight and ask him who he
is."
But Sir Gawaine perceived that Sir Percival was altogether sunk in deep
thought, wherefore he said: "Nay, thou wilt do ill to disturb that knight;
for either he hath some weighty matter upon his mind, or else he is
bethinking him of his lady, and in either case it would be a pity to
disturb him until he arouses himself.
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