The Vision of Sir Launfal

In the 10 stanzas of Part Second, Launfal’s vision is narrated and his quest for the Holy Grail concludes.

In Stanza 1, the wintry scene continues. There is an air of decay and death, and even the crow that was part of the summer landscape earlier is affected by the now “cold sun” (Line 245).

In the second stanza, Launfal returns to his castle to find an old man there in his place. He seems to be an older version of Launfal himself, having returned from his quest for the Grail, without his noble regalia but instead “the badge of the suffering and the poor” (Line 256). This Launfal, ill-equipped for the cold winter, remembers the warmth of the desert through which he had passed on his quest, and the “red-hot sands” (Line 268), where a camel train passed on its way to an oasis for a much-needed drink. There, a “little spring” (Line 270), reminiscent of the brook in The Prelude to Part Second, is personified and playful.

In Stanza IV, Launfal hears the leper ask for alms. The leper and his illness are described in harsh tones: “lank as the rain-blanched bone” (Line 276), “lone” (Line 277), “white” (Line 278), and “desolate” (Line 279).

In Stanza V, Launfal’s reaction to the leper’s plea is the opposite of that when the two first crossed paths. Launfal explains that he sees in the leper the image of Christ, “Mild Mary’s son” (Line 286), with his “crown of thorns” (Line 282) and wounds. This time, Launfal is charitable towards the leper.

In Stanza VI, the leper remembers the “haughtier” (Line 290) Launfal as he left the castle in his finery. Now, Launfal gives to the leper from what little he has himself: he shares his “single crust” (Line 295) and gives him water from the stream. These humble offerings are transformed into “fine wheaten bread” (Line 300) and red wine, just as Jesus turned water into wine in the Bible.

Stanza VII begins with Launfal’s “downcast face” (Line 302). A light soon shines around him, however, and the leper is transformed: “Shining and tall and fair and straight” (Line 306). He appears before Launfal as an angelic or saintly figure, like one found guarding the “Beautiful Gate” (Line 307) of Heaven or the “Temple of God in Man” (Line 309).

In Stanza VIII, the leper/Christ tells Launfal that despite his long and fruitless wanderings, his quest for the Holy Grail is in fact complete, in the form of the cup with which Launfal offered the leper a drink. The Holy Supper of which the Grail was a part has been restored through the sharing of bread by Launfal, in his charitable act to the poor man. He explains that Launfal has shown his devotion to God through his giving of alms with true compassion.

Stanza IX is a very short exclamation by Launfal, now awoken from his dream, as he realizes that his search is over and that the real meaning of the quest has been revealed to him.

In the final stanza of the poem, Launfal’s castle is described in its newly-transformed state. Its doors are open to all, including the “meanest serf” (Line 344), with whom Launfal shares all he has. The sun has reached within the castle walls, bringing warmth and light to the previously scowling “turrets tall” (Line 337), and the castle basks in perpetual summer.