A couple years back, I got bit by the Arthurian bug again and bought Chrétien's collected work. It was a prose translation of the original Old French. As I was particularly interested in his tale Lancelot: The Knight of the Chart, I started with that one. After a while I set the book aside. Some months later, I tried reading it again, and again it failed to hook me. I was getting worried that I was misremembering how good Ywain actually was.
A little desperate, I searched for another translation. "That's it," I thought, "It's the translation." I did find a different translation, and while I'm only a little ways in, it is going much better. This new translation is by Burton Raffel, and to put it bluntly, it is a pleasure to read and not a chore. However, I don't think it's a simple matter of a better or worse translation. I think the largest reason for my increased ease in reading the story is that the Raffel's translation is in verse. This makes perfect sense as Chrétien wrote the stories in verse while the version that was causing me such difficulty was a prose translation. Foolishly, I had thought that a prose version would be easier. Instead of rambling on any further, I think it'd be easiest to give a sample of the two versions. First the prose:
"Now he starts his account. King Arthur, one Ascension Day, had left Caerleon and held a most magnificent court at Camelot with all the spelendour appropriate to the day. After their meal, the king did not leave those in his company. In the hall there were many nobles; and the queen was there too and with her, I believe, numerous beautiful courtly ladies conversing easily in French."
And now Raffel's:
"And he writes that once, on Ascension
Day, King Arthur held court
With all the splendor he loved,
Being so wealthy a king.
And after dining, Arthur
Remained with his companions,
For the hall was full of barons,
And the queen was there, and many
Other beautiful high-born
Ladies, exchanging elegant
Words in the finest French."
I think it's a matter of rhythm. Both say essentially the same thing, but Raffel's translation really sings. I'll let you know if my early impression holds true to the end.