Chrétien de Troyes worked on his novel Yvain ou Chevalier au lion, most scholars believe between 1172 and 1181. The text survives in seven manuscripts (not counting small fragments) dating from the 13th or early 14th century; five of them are kept in the Paris National Library, two in the libraries of Chantilly and the Vatican. The first scholarly edition of the novel was prepared by Wendelin Förster and published in 1887 (Kristian von Troyes. Samtliche Werke, V. II); reprinted 1891, 1902, 1906, 1912, 1913, 1926 This translation is based on Förster's text. It is verified from the edition of Mario Roca (Les Romans de Chretien de Troyes, v. IV. Paris, 1970). Small abbreviations have been made in the translation.

Abridged translation from Old French by V. Mikushevich