English Medieval Literature

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight I

vv. 100- 195

(100)

This was kynges countenance where he in court were,

At

uch farand fest among his fre meyny

In halle.

Therfore of face so fere

He stightles stif in stalle;

Ful yep in that Newe Yere

Much mirthe he mas withalle.

Thus

there stondes in stalle the stif kyng himselven,

Talkande

before the high table of trifles ful hende.

There

good Gawayn was graythed Guenore biside,

(110)

And Agravayn a la dure mayn on that other side sittes,

Both

the kynges sistersones and ful siker knightes;

Bischop

Bawdewyn above begynnes the table,

And

Ywan, Uryn son, ette with himselven.

These

were dight on the dece and derworthly served,

And

sithen mony siker segge at the sidbordes.

Then

the first cource come with crakkyng of trumpes,

With

mony baner ful bryght that therbi henged.

Newe

nakryn noyse with the noble pipes,

Wylde

werbles and wight, wakened lote,

(120)

That mony hert ful high hef at her towches.

Dayntyes

driven therwith of ful der metes,

Foysoun

of the fresch, and on so fele disches

That

pine to finde the place the peple before

For

to sette the sylveren that sere sewes holden

On clothe.

Uch lede as he loved himselve

There laght withouten lothe;

Ay two had disches twelve,

Good ber and bryght wyne both.

(130)

Now wil I of her servyce say yow no more,

For

uch wye may wel wit no wont that there were.

An

other noyse ful newe neghed bilive,

That

the lede myght have leve liflode to cach;

For

unethe was the noyse not a whyle sesed

And

the first cource in the court kyndely served,

There

hales in at the halle dor an aghlich mayster,

One

the most on the molde on mesure high.

Fro

the swyre to the swange so sware and so thik

And

his lyndes and his lymmes so long and so grete,

(140)

Half etayn in erde I hope that he were;

Bot

mon most I algate mynne him to bene,

And

that the meriest in his muckel that myght ride;

For

of bak and of brest all were his body sturn,

Both

his wombe and his wast were worthily smal

And

all his fetures folwande in forme that he had

Ful clene.

For wonder of his hewe men hade,

Set in his semblaunt sene;

He ferde as freke were fade,

(150)

And overal enker grene.

And

all graythed in grene this gome and his wedes:

A

strayt cote ful streght that stek on his sides,

A

mery mantyle above, mensked withinne

With

pelure pured apert, the pane ful clene

With

blithe blaunner ful bryght, and his hode both,

That

was laght fro his lokkes and layd on his schulderes,

Heme

wel-haled hose of that same grene

That

spend on his sparlyr, and clene spures under

Of

bryght gold upon silk bordes barred ful rich,

(160)

And scholes under schankes there the schalk rides;

And

all his vesture verayly was clene verdure,

Both

the barres of his belt and the blithe stones

That

were richly rayled in his aray clene

Aboute

himself and his sadel upon silk werkes.

That

were enbrawded above with bryddes and flyes,

With

gay gaudi of grene, the gold ay inmyddes.

The

pendauntes of his paytture, the proud cropure,

His

molaynes and all the metail anamayld was then,

(170)

The stiropes that he stode on stayned of the same,

And

his arsouns all after and his athel skyrtes,

That

ever glemered and glent all od grene stones.

The

fole that he ferkes on fyne of that ilk,

Sertayn,

A grene horse grete and thik,

A stede ful stif to strayne,

In brayden brydel quik,

To the gome he was ful gayn.

Wel

gay was this gome gered in grene,

(180)

And the here of his hed of his horse sute.

Fayr

fannand fax umbefoldes his schulderes;

A

much berd as a busk over his brest henges,

That

with his highlich here that of his hed reches

Was

evesed all umbetorne above his elbowes,

That

half his armes therunder were halched in the wyse

Of

a kynges capados that closes his swyre;

The

mane of that mayn horse much to hit lyke,

Wel

cresped and cemmed, with knottes ful mony,

Folden

in with fildore aboute the fayr grene,

(190)

Ay a herle of the here, an other of gold;

The

tayl and his toppyng twynnen of a sute,

And

bounden both with a bande of bryght grene,

Dubbed

with ful dere stones, as the dok lasted,

Sithen

throwen with a thwong, a thwarle knot aloft,

There

mony belles ful bryght of brent gold rungen.



Background Information

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight I

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight II