Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Page 8
For to mete wyth menske þe mon on þe flor;
He sayde, ‘Зe ar welcum to welde as yow lykez 835
Þat here is; al is yowre awen, to haue at yowre wylle and welde.'
‘Graunt mercy,’ quoþ Gawayn,
‘Þer Kryst hit yow forзelde.’
As frekez þat semed fayn 840
Ayþer oþer in armez con felde.
Gawayn glyзt on þe gome þat godly hym gret,
And þuзt hit a bolde burne þat þe burз aзte,
A hoge haþel for þe nonez, and of hyghe eldee;
Brode, bryзt, watz his berde, and al beuer-hwed, 845
Sturne, stif on þe stryþþe on stalworth schonkez,
Felle face as þe fyre, and fre of hys speche;
And wel hym semed, for soþe, as þe segge þuзt,
To lede a lortschyp in lee of leudez ful gode.
Þe lorde hym charred to a chambre, and chefly cumaundez
They led him in by the broad gate, opened up wide,
And he told them to stand, and he rode over the bridge.
Many hands held his saddle while he dismounted,
And many strong men led his horse to the stable.
Then knights and squires gathered around him
To escort this knight joyfully into the hall.
When he raised his helmet they hurried to him
To take it from his hand, waiting upon him.
His sword and his shield, both of them, were taken.
Then he greeted each one of the knights there graciously,
And many proud men pressed forward to honor that prince.
All clad in his armor they brought him to the hall,
Where a fine fire was burning fiercely.
Then the lord of them all comes from his chamber
To greet the man in the hall with honor.
He said, “You are welcome to use this house as you will.
Everything here is your own, for your pleasure and use.”
Gawain said, “God grant you mercy,
The Christ reward your care.”
Then as knights, heartily,
They embraced each other.
Gawain looked at the man who welcomed him so warmly
And thought he was a bold knight who held this castle.
A huge warrior indeed, and in the prime of life,
Broad, and his beard was bright, and beaver-red.
He was formidable, standing firm on stalwart legs,
Face fierce as the fire, and free with his speech.
He seemed well suited, certainly, the knight thought,
To be lord of a castle and of good people.
The lord led him to a chamber and gave careful orders
To delyuer hym a leude, hym loзly to serue; 851
And þere were boun at his bode burnez innoзe,
Þat broзt hym to a bryзt boure, þer beddyng watz noble, Of cortynes of clene sylk wyth cler golde hemmez,
And couertorez ful curious with comlych panez 855
Of bryзt blaunner aboue, enbrawded bisydez,
Rudelez rennande on ropez, red golde ryngez,
Tapitez tyзt to þe woзe of tuly and tars,
And vnder fete, on þe flet, of folзande sute.
Þer he watz dispoyled, wyth spechez of myerþe, 860
Þe burn of his bruny and of his bryзt wedez.
Ryche robes ful rad renkkez hym broзten,
For to charge, and to chaunge, and chose of þe best.
Sone as he on hent, and happed þerinne,
Þat sete on hym semly wyth saylande skyrtez, 865
Þe ver by his uisage verayly hit semed
Welneз to vche haþel, alle on hwes
Lowande and lufly alle his lymmez vnder,
Þat a comloker knyзt neuer Kryst made hem þoзt. 870
Wheþen in worlde he were,
Hit semed as he moзt
Be prynce withouten pere
In felde þer felle men foзt.
A cheyer byfore þe chemné, þer charcole brenned, 875
Watz grayþed for Sir Gawan grayþely with cloþez,
Whyssynes vpon queldepoyntes þat koynt wer boþe;
And þenne a meré mantyle watz on þat mon cast Of a broun bleeaunt, enbrauded ful ryche And fayre furred wythinne with fellez of þe best, 880
Alle of ermyn in erde, his hode of þe same;
[60]
and the green knight
For someone to be assigned to serve Gawain,
And at his bidding a number of knights
Conducted him to a bright bedroom with noble bedclothes,
Curtains of pure silk with shining gold hems
And elaborate coverlets with elegant panels
Of white fur with embroidery around them,
Curtains running on cords, with red gold rings,
Tapestries on the wall from Tharsia and Toulouse
And more of the same under foot on the floor.
There they took off his gear, talking and laughing,
His knight's shirt of mail, his bright armor and garments.
They had rich robes fit for a prince ready for him
To take in exchange, choosing what he liked best.
As soon as he had them and had put them on,
They suited him beautifully with their long falls,
And surely it looked almost as though spring had come,
To each knight there, with the colors of the clothes,
Bright and beautiful, and his limbs inside them.
Christ never made a more splendid knight, they thought.
It seemed to them that wherever
In the world he came from, he might
Be a prince without peer
In the field where bold men fight.
Before the fireplace, where charcoal was burning,
A chair was placed for Gawain, with coverings over it:
Cushions on quilts, both of them beautiful,
And then a rich mantle was cast around him
Of an elegant brown fabric lavishly embroidered
And neatly lined with the finest of furs,
All trimmed with ermine, and his hood was the same,
And he sete in þat settel semlych ryche,
And achaufed hym chefly, and þenne his cher mended.
Sone watz telded vp a tabil on trestez ful fayre,
Clad wyth a clene cloþe þat cler quyt schewed, 885
Sanap, and salure, and syluerin sponez.
Þe wyзe wesche at his wylle, and went to his mete.
Seggez hym serued semly innoзe
Wyth sere sewes and sete, sesounde of þe best,
Double-felde, as hit fallez, and fele kyn fischez, 890
Summe baken in bred, summe brad on þe gledez,
Summe soþen, summe in sewe sauered with spyces,
And ay sawes so sleзe þat þe segge lyked.
Þe freke calde hit a fest ful frely and ofte
Ful hendely, quen alle þe haþeles rehayted hym at onez, ‘As hende, 895
Þis penaunce now зe take,
And eft hit schal amende.'
Þat mon much merþe con make,
For wyn in his hed þat wende. 900
Þenne watz spyed and spured vpon spare wyse
Bi preué poyntez of þat prynce, put to hymseluen,
Þat he beknew cortaysly of þe court þat he were
Þat aþel Arthure þe hende haldez hym one,
Þat is þe ryche ryal kyng of þe Rounde Table, 905
And hit watz Wawen hymself þat in þat won syttez,
Comen to þat Krystmasse, as case hym þen lymped.
When þe lorde hade lerned þat he þe leude hade,
Loude laзed he þerat, so lef hit hym þoзt,
And alle þe men in þat mote maden much joye 910
To apere in his presense prestly þat tyme,
Þat alle prys and prowes and pured þewes
And he sat in that seat, lapped in splendor,
And warmed him
self well, and his spirits rose.
Soon they set up a table on handsome trestles
Covered with a cloth of pure gleaming white,
Napkins on top of it, and a salt cellar and silver spoons.
He washed at his leisure and went to his food.
There were many servers to wait upon him
With a choice of fine dishes wonderfully seasoned,
Double portions, for the occasion, and many kinds of fish,
Some baked in bread, some grilled on the embers,
Some boiled, some in stews flavored with spices,
And all the rich sauces that the man liked.
The knight kept politely calling it a feast
With the lords all urging him on together as he ate:
“This penance now you suffer
For better things to come.”
He moved them to much laughter
As the wine rose in him.
Then tactfully they brought the question around,
Asking that prince discreetly about himself,
And he confessed courteously that he had come from the court
Which the noble Arthur ruled alone by his grace,
The most royal King of the Round Table,
And that he himself, sitting in that hall, was Gawain,
Come there for Christmas as chance had guided him.
When the lord learned who the prince was, there with them,
He laughed aloud, it made him so happy,
And all the men in that castle showed their joy
At being there in his presence at that moment,
For every virtue and all valor and chivalry
Apendes to hys persoun, and praysed is euer;
Byfore alle men vpon molde his mensk is þe most.
Vch segge ful softly sayde to his fere: 915
‘Now schal we semlych se sleзtez of þewez
And þe teccheles termes of talkyng noble,
Wich spede is in speche vnspurd may we lerne,
Syn we haf fonged þat fyne fader of nurture.
God hatz geuen vus his grace godly for soþe, 920
Þat such a gest as Gawan grauntez vus to haue,
When burnez blyþe of his burþe schal sitte and synge.
In menyng of manerez mere
Þis burne now schal vus bryng,
I hope þat may hym here 926
Schal lerne of luf-talkyng.'
Bi þat þe diner watz done and þe dere vp
Hit watz neз at þe niyзt neзed þe tyme.
Chaplaynez to þe chapeles chosen þe gate, 930
Rungen ful rychely, ryзt as þay schulden,
To þe hersum euensong of þe hyзe tyde.
Þe lorde loutes þerto, and þe lady als, Into a cumly closet coyntly ho entrez.
Gawan glydez ful gay and gos þeder sone; 935
Þe lorde laches hym by þe lappe and ledez hym to sytte,
And couþly hym knowez and callez hym his nome,
And sayde he watz þe welcomest wyзe of þe worlde;
And he hym þonkked þroly, and ayþer halched oþer,
And seten soberly samen þe seruise quyle. 940
Þenne lyst þe lady to loke on þe knyзt,
Þenne com ho of hir closet with mony cler burdez.
Ho watz þe fayrest in felle, of flesche and of lyre,
Were said to be his and were praised constantly,
He was honored above all other men on earth.
Each knight murmured quietly to his companion,
“Now we shall see displays of elegant manners
And hear pure examples of noble expression.
We may learn the best forms of speech without asking,
Since our guest is that refined scion of courtliness.
God has indeed been bountiful to us with his grace
To have granted us such a guest as Gawain
To be here at the time of Christ's birth, when the knights will sit and sing.
This knight will lead us
To understand noble manners.
I hope that all of us
May learn the language of lovers.”
And then the dinner was done and the guest standing.
It was the time when the night was drawing near.
Chaplains were on their way to the chapels,
The bells ringing joyfully as rightly they should
For the solemn evensong of the high festival.
The lord turns to these devotions, and the lady too,
And she steps gracefully into a fine enclosed compartment.
Gawain, striding happily, is soon there.
The lord takes his sleeve and leads him to a seat
And speaks to him as a friend, calling him by his name,
Saying he was more welcome than anyone in the world.
Gawain thanked him heartily and they embraced each other
And sat together soberly all through the service.
Then it pleased the lady to look at the knight
As she stepped from her pew with many lovely maidens.
She was more fair of skin, of cheek and of flesh,
And of compas and colour and costes, of alle oþer,
And wener þen Wenore, as þe wyзe þoзt. 945
Ho ches þurз þe chaunsel to cheryche þat hende.
An oþer lady hir lad bi þe lyft honde,
Þat watz alder þen ho, an auncian hit semed,
And heзly honowred with haþelez aboute.
Bot vnlyke on to loke þo ladyes were, 950
For if þe зonge watz зep, зolзe watz þat oþer;
Riche red on þat on rayled ayquere,
Rugh ronkled chekez þat oþer on rolled;
Kerchofes of þat on, wyth mony cler perlez,
Hir brest and hir bryзt þrote bare displayed, 955
Schon schyrer þen snawe þat schedez on hillez;
Þat oþer wyth a gorger watz gered ouer þe swyre,
Chymbled ouer hir blake chyn with chalkquyte vayles,
Hir frount folden in sylk, enfoubled ayquere,
Toreted and treleted with tryflez aboute, 960
Þat noзt watz bare of þat burde bot þe blake broзes,
Þe tweyne yзen and þe nase, þe naked lyppez,
And þose were soure to se and sellyly blered;
A mensk lady on molde mon may hir calle, for Gode! 965
Hir body watz schort and þik,
Hir buttokez balз and brode,
More lykkerwys on to lyk
Watz þat scho hade on lode.
When Gawayn glyзt on þat gay, þat graciously loked, 970
Wyth leue laзt of þe lorde he lent hem aзaynes;
Þe alder he haylses, heldande ful lowe,
Þe loueloker he lappez a lyttel in armez,
He kysses hir comlyly, and knyзtly he melez.
Of figure and color and manner, than any of them,
More beautiful, it seemed to the knight, than Guenever.
He made his way to the chancel to greet her grace.
Another lady was leading her by the left hand,
Who was older than she was; she seemed ancient,
And was treated with much honor by the knights around her,
But those two ladies were not alike to look at,
For where the young one was fresh the other was withered;
Clear pink was that one's color everywhere;
Rough wrinkled cheeks hung down on the other.
Kerchiefs on that one, with many gleaming pearls,
Adorned her breast and her bare white throat
Brighter than snow that falls on the hills.
That other was wearing a scarf around her neck
Wrapped across her black chin, with chalk-white veils
And a silk muffler folded over her forehead,
Knotted up into turrets and tricked out with ornaments
So that nothing of that lady showed but the black eyebrows,
The two eyes and the nose, the n
aked lips,
And those were unpleasant to look at and watery.
A great lady on earth, one would have to admit, before God!
Her body was short and wide,
Her buttocks round and broad.
One would rather have tasted
The other one whom she led.
When Gawain had gazed at that beauty and her gracious glances,
With the lord's leave he went over to the ladies.
He greeted the elder one with a low bow.
The lovelier one he embraced lightly,
Kissed her politely, and addressed her in courtly fashion.
Þay kallen hym of aquoyntaunce, and he hit quyk askez 975
To be her seruaunt sothly, if hemself lyked.
Þay tan hym bytwene hem, wyth talkyng hym leden
To chambre, to chemné, and chefly þay asken
Spycez, þat vnsparely men speded hom to bryng,
And þe wynnelych wyne þerwith vche tyme. 980
Þe lorde luflych aloft lepez ful ofte,
Mynned merthe to be made vpon mony syþez,
Hent heзly of his hode, and on a spere henged,
And wayned hom to wynne þe worchip þerof,
Þat most myrþe myзt meue þat Crystenmas whyle— 985
‘And I schal fonde, bi my fayth, to fylter wyth þe best
Er me wont þe wede, with help of my frendez.'
Þus wyth laзande lotez þe lorde hit tayt makez,
For to glade Sir Gawayn with gomnez in halle þat nyзt, 990
Til þat hit watz tyme
Þe lord comaundet lyзt;
Sir Gawen his leue con nyme
And to his bed hym diзt.
On þe morne, as vch mon mynez þat tyme 995
Þat Dryзtyn for oure destyné to deзe watz borne,
Wele waxez in vche a won in worlde for his sake;
So did hit þere on þat day þurз dayntés mony:
Boþe at mes and at mele messes ful quaynt
Derf men vpon dece drest of þe best. 1000
Þe olde auncian wyf heзest ho syttez,
Þe lorde lufly her by lent, as I trowe;
Gawan and þe gay burde togeder þay seten,
Euen inmyddez, as þe messe metely come,
And syþen þurз al þe sale as hem best semed. 1005
They ask to be acquainted and at once he requests
To be their true servant, if that would please them.
They took him between them and led him, while they talked,
To a chamber and a fireplace, and they sent at once
For spices, which servants brought them without stinting,
And with them the fine wine, every time they came.
The lord kept leaping lightly to his feet