And I schal ware 11 alle my wyt to wynne me theder,12 And that I swere the for sothe, and by my seker 13 traweth." "That is innogh in Nwe Yer, hit nedes no more," Quoth the gome in the grene to Gawan the hende,14 "Gif 15 I the telle trwly, quen I the tape 16 have, And thou me smothely hacz 17 smyten, smartly I the teche Of my hous, and my home, and myn owen nome,18 Then may thou frayst my fare,19 and forwardez 20 holde. And if I spende no speche, thenne spedez thou the better, 410 For thou may leng 21 in thy londe, and layt no fyrre,22 And thou hast rightly rehearsed, as reason was truly, Clearly all the covenant that of the king I asked, Save that thou must assure me, sir, by thy honour, That thou wilt seek me thyself in what spot soever Thou thinkst to find me, in faith, and fetch thee such wages As thou dealest me to-day before these doughty nobles." "In what climes shall I seek thee? In what country is thy dwelling? Of thy habitation have I ne'er heard, by Him that wrought me; Nor know I thee, knight, thy court, nor thy But direct me to thy dwelling and disclose how men call thee, And I shall strive with my strength to steer my steps thither; And that I swear thee surely and by my sacred honour." "That is enough at New Year; no more is needful," Quoth the grim man in green to Gawain the courteous; "If I tell thee truly, when I the tap have taken And thou hast smoothly smitten me, if smartly I teach thee Of my house and my home and how men call But stay. Take now thy grim tool duly; Let's see thee hack away!" "Yea, sir," quoth Gawain, "truly;" His axe he strokes in play. XIX The Green Knight on the ground goodly prepares him; Lightly lowers his head and loosens his collar, 18 16 tap, stroke 17 hast name 19 ask my state, name 11 12 use to get there 13 14 sure courteous 15 if est 27 26 2o cheek His longe lovelych lokkez he layd over his 1 420 Let the naked nec to the note 1 schewe. 3 4 The kay fot on the folde he be-fore sette, And schrank thrugh the schyire grece, and 10 That the bit of the broun stel bot 11 on the grounde. That fele 14 hit foyned 15 wyth her fete, there 16 The blod brayd 17 fro the body, that blykked 18 And nawther 19 faltered ne fel the freke 20 renkkez 27 stoden, 31 Laght 25 to his lufly 28 hed, and lyft hit up sone;29 Steppez in to stel-bawe 32 and strydez alofte, sette, As 35 non unhap had hym ayled, thagh 36 hedlez nowe, In stedde.37 He brayde 38 his blunk 31 aboute, 440 That ugly bodi that bledde; Moni on of hym had doute,39 But sturdily strode forth on his stiff shanks, And roughly he reached forth among the ranked courtiers, Laid hold of his lovely head, and lifted it up quickly; And then strides to his steed, the bridle he Steps into the stirrup and straddles aloft, As if no harm had happened, though he was I' the stead. He turned his steed about, 440 Such a dunt 10 as thou hacz dalt " disserved thou habbez,12 To be yederly yolden 13 on Nw Yeres morn. The Knyght of the Grene Chapel, men knowen me mony; 14 For-thi 15 me for to fynde, if thou fraystez,16 faylez thou never; Ther-fore com, other 17 recreaunt be calde the be-hoves.' With a runisch route 18 the raynez he tornez, Halled 19 out at the hal-dor, his hed in his hande, That the fyr of the flynt flawe 20 from fole hoves.21 To quat kyth he be-com,22 knewe non there, Never more then thay wyste from quethen 23 he wacz wonnen.24 461 "See, Gawain, that thou be sedulous to seek as thou saidest, And search assiduously till thou, sir, dost find me, As thou has promised in this presence before these proven knights. To the Green Chapel do thou go, I charge thee truly. Such a dint as thou hast dealt deserved hast thou, 452 To be yarely yielded on New Year's morning. As the Knight of the Green Chapel, I am known to many; Thou shalt not fail to find me if faithfully thou triest; Therefore come or coward to be called shall behoove thee." With reckless roughness the reins he twitches, Hurls out of the hall-door, his head in his hand, So that fire from the flint flew from his steed's hoofs. To what region he rode none could say rightly, 460 Any more than they wist by what way he had come. What then? 26 31 35 whence come accounted those entirely though courteous 30 loud dismay suits playing now and then suitable 36 nevertheless 37 food 38 address 39 40 deny many men know me 22 mar I 16 Perle plesaunte to prynces paye To clanly clos 17 in golde so clere; Oute of oryent, I hardyly saye, Ne proved I never her precios pere,18 So rounde, so reken in uche araye,is So smal, so smothe her sydez were; Queresoever I jugged gemmez gaye, I sette hyr sengeley in synglere.20 19 22 Alas! I leste 21 hyr in on erbere; Thurgh gresse to grounde hit fro me yot; 23 24 I dewyne, for-dolked of luf-daungere A radiant pearl for royal array Clean to enclose in gold so clear; Out of the Orient, I boldly say, Found have I never her precious peer, So pure, so perfect at each assay, So small, so smooth that blissful sphere; Wherever I judged of jewels gay, I set her apart as the prize most dear. Alas! in an arbor I lost her here, Slipping through grass to earth, I wot; I pine, cut off from the loving cheer Of my own pearl without a spot. 12 5 40 6 170 1 lift up 2 prosperity does but oppress my heart grievously distress swell and burn the quiet hour float many things 9 clod 10 earth 11 jewel 12 stretched out 13 that seized upon me a secret sorrow lay in my heart 15 though reason reconciled all difficulties 16 lamented 17 taken away 18 timid reasons 14 20 21 50 Before that spot my hands I spread, A bed among the flowers I sought; XIV More wonder my judgment stole away; A crystal cliff as clear as day, Its royal rays gleamed through the air; 160 A mannerly maiden, debonair, I knew her well, I had seen her ere. XV The more I questioned her fair face 31 26 25 170 into a dream a greater wonder daunted my judgment saw 27 pleasant water 28 gleaming 29 many a royal gleam arose from it 30 child grace 32 gleaming white was her attire 33 before 34 that one has refined 35 SO shone that beautiful one beneath the cliff was a long time 37 the longer hard I looked the more certainly I knew her questhough Christ's nature taught me comfort tioned 39 when I had examined 40 such delight wrought 22 bed of flowers 23 brains 24 I slided 19 fought |