English Medieval Literature

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight I

vv. 1- 99

(1)

Sithen the sege and the assaut was sesed at Troye,

The

burgh brittened and brent to brondes and askes -

The

tulk that the trammes of tresoun there wrought

Was

tried for his trecherye, the truest on erthe -

Hit

was Ennias the athel and his high kynde

That

sithens depresed provinces and patrounes become

Welnegh

of all the wele in the west iles.

Fro

rich Romulus to Rome riches him swythe,

With

grete bobbaunce that burgh he bigges upon first

(10)

And nevenes hit his owen name, as hit now hat;

Ticius

to Tuskan and teldes begynnes,

Langaberde

in Lumbardie lyftes up homes,

And

fer over the French flode Felix Brutus

On

mony bonkes ful brode Bretayn he settes

With wynne,

Where werre and wrake and wonder

By sythes has woned therinne,

And oft both blysse and blunder

Ful skete has skyfted synne.

(20)

And when this Bretayn was bigged by this burn rich,

Bold

bredden therinne baret that loveden,

In

mony turned tyme tene that wroghten.

Mo

ferlyes on this folde han fallen here oft

Then

in any other that I wot syn that ilk tyme.

Bot

of all that here bult, of Bretayn kynges,

Ay

was Arthur the hendest, as I have herd telle.

Forthy

an aunter in erde I attle to schewe,

That

a selly in sight sum men hit holden

And

an outtrage aventure of Arthures wonderes.

(30)

If ye wil lysten this laye bot one littel whyle,

I

schal telle hit astit, as in toun herd,

With tonge,

As hit is stad and stoken

In stori stif and stronge,

With lel letteres loken

In londe so has bene longe.

This

kyng lay at Camylot upon Cristmasse

With

mony lovely lord, ledes of the best,

Rekenly

of the Rounde Table all to rich brether,

(40)

With rich revel aryght and rechles mirthes.

There

tournayed tulkes by tymes ful mony,

Justed

ful joily these gentyle knightes,

Sithen

caryed to the court caroles to make.

For

there the fest was ilyche ful fiften dayes,

With

all the mete and the mirthe that men couth avyse;

Such

glaum and gle glorious to here,

Dere

dyn upon day, daunsyng on nightes,

All

was hap upon high in halles and chambers

With

lordes and ladies, as levest hem thoght.

(50)

With all the wele of the worlde thay woned there samen,

The

most kyd knightes under Crystes selven

And

the lovelokkest ladies that ever lif haden,

And

he the comlokest kyng that the court holdes.

For

all was this fayr folk in her first age

On sille,

The hapnest under heven,

Kyng highest mon of wille;

Hit were now grete nye to neven

So hardy a here on hille.

(60)

While Newe Yere was so yep that hit was newe comen,

That

day double on the dece was the douth served.

Fro

the kyng was comen with knightes into the halle,

The

chauntry was there cast of clerkes and other,

Nowel

nayted onewe, nevened ful oft;

And

sithen rich forth runnen to reche hanselle,

Yeyed

yeres-yiftes on high, yelde hem by hande,

Debated

busyly about tho giftes;

Ladies

laghed dul loude thogh thay lost haden,

(70)

And he that wan was not wroth, that may ye wel trowe.

All

this mirthe thay maden to the mete tyme.

When

thay had waschen worthily that wenten to sete,

The

best burn ay above, as hit best semed,

Quene

Guenore ful gay graythed in the myddes,

Dressed

on the dere dece, dubbed alla aboute,

Smal

sendal bisides, a selure hir over,

Of

tried tolouse and of tars tapites innowe,

That

were embrawded and beten with the best gemmes

That

myght be proved of pris with penyes to bye

(80)

In day.

The comlokest to discrye

There glent with yen gray,

A semloker that ever he sye

Soth myght no mon say.

Bot

Arthur wolde not ete til all were served,

He

was so joly of his joyfnes and sumwhat childgered;

His

lif liked him lyght, he lovied the lasse

Auther

to longe lye or to longe sitte,

So

busied him his yong blode and his brayn wylde.

(90)

And also an other maner meved him eke

That

he thrugh nobelay had nomen: he wolde never ete

Upon

such a dere day ere him devised were

Of

sum aventurus thing an uncouthe tale,

Of

sum mayn mervayl that he myght trowe,

Of

alderes, of armes, of other aventures,

Auther

sum segge him besoght of sum siker knight

To

joyne with him in justying, in jopardy to lay,

Lede,

lif for lif, leve uchone other,

As

fortune wolde fulsun hem, the fayrer to have.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight I



13th century