Forþi þis Зol ouerзede, and þe зere after, 500
And vche sesoun serlepes sued after oþer:
After Crystenmasse com þe crabbed lentoun,
Þat fraystez flesch wyth þe fysche and fode more symple;
Bot þenne þe weder of þe worlde wyth wynter hit þrepez,
Colde clengez adoun, cloudez vplyften, 505
Schyre schedez þe rayn in schowrez ful warme,
Fallez vpon fayre flat, flowrez þere schewen,
Boþe groundez and þe greuez grene ar her wedez,
Bryddez busken to bylde, and bremlych syngen
For solace of þe softe somer þat sues þerafter bi bonk; 510
And blossumez bolne to blowe
Bi rawez rych and ronk,
Þen notez noble innoзe
Ar herde in wod so wlonk.
This wonder came as a gift to Arthur in the first
Youth of the year, for he longed to hear of some bold adventure.
Though their words were few when they first sat to table,
Soon they had more to say than they had words for.
Gawain was glad to begin those games in the hall,
But if the mood grew heavy at last it was no wonder,
For though after strong drink men may be merry in their minds,
A year soon runs its length and never returns the same,
And the end seldom seems to belong to the beginning.
So this Christmas was over then, and the last of the year followed it,
And the seasons went by in turn one after the other.
After Christmas came crabbèd Lent
That chastises the flesh with fish and plainer food.
But then the weather of the world makes war on winter,
Cold cringes downward, clouds lift,
The shining rain comes down in warm showers,
Falls on the fair meadow, flowers appear there,
Both the open land and the groves are in green garments,
Birds hurry to build, and they sing gloriously
With the joy of the soft summer that arrives on all the hills,
And blossoms are opening
In thick hedgerows, and then the noblest
Of all songs ring
Through the lovely forest.
After þe sesoun of somer wyth þe soft wyndez 516
Quen Zeferus syflez hymself on sedez and erbez,
Wela wynne is þe wort þat waxes þeroute,
When þe donkande dewe dropez of þe leuez,
To bide a blysful blusch of þe bryзt sunne. 520
Bot þen hyзes heruest, and hardenes hym sone,
Warnez hym for þe wynter to wax ful rype;
He dryues wyth droзt þe dust for to ryse,
Fro þe face of þe folde to flyзe ful hyзe;
Wroþe wynde of þe welkyn wrastelez with þe sunne, 525
Þe leuez lancen fro þe lynde and lyзten on þe grounde,
And al grayes þe gres þat grene watz ere;
Þenne al rypez and rotez þat ros vpon fyrst,
And þus зirnez þe зere in зisterdayez mony,
And wynter wyndez aзayn, as þe worlde askez, no fage, 530
Til Meзelmas mone
Watz cumen wyth wynter wage;
Þen þenkkez Gawan ful sone
Of his anious uyage. 535
Зet quyl Al-hal-day with Arþer he lenges;
And he made a fare on þat fest for þe frekez sake,
With much reuel and ryche of þe Rounde Table.
Knyзtez ful cortays and comlych ladies
Al for luf of þat lede in longynge þay were, 540
Bot neuer þe lece ne þe later þay neuened bot merþe:
Mony ioylez for þat ientyle iapez þer maden.
For aftter mete with mournyng he melez to his eme,
And spekez of his passage, and pertly he sayde,
‘Now, lege lorde of my lyf, leue I yow ask; 545
Зe knowe þe cost of þis cace, kepe I no more
Then comes the season of summer with the soft winds,
When Zephyrus breathes gently on the seeds and grasses.
Happy is the green leaf that grows out of that time
When the wet of the dew drips from the leaves
Before the blissful radiance of the bright sun.
But then comes harvest time to hearten them,
Warning them to ripen well before winter.
It brings drought until the dust rises,
Flying up high off the face of the field,
A fierce wind wrestles with the sun in the heavens,
The leaves fly from the lime tree and light on the ground,
Then all that was growing at first ripens and decays,
And thus in many yesterdays the year passes
And winter comes back again as the world would have it, in the way of things.
Until the Michaelmas moon
When first the days feel wintry
And Gawain is reminded then
Of his dread journey.
Still he stays until All Saints' Day with Arthur
And kept that feast with them for the sake of the knights,
With revelry and high spirits at the Round Table.
Noble knights and beautiful ladies
Were all grieving out of love for that knight,
But nevertheless they gave words to nothing but mirth.
Many made jests who were joyless because of that gentle knight.
And after the meal he speaks sadly to his uncle
About his journey, and in plain words he said,
“Now, liege lord of my life, I must ask to take leave of you.
You know the terms of this promise. I do not care
To telle yow tenez þerof, neuer bot trifel;
Bot I am boun to þe bur barely to-morne
To sech þe gome of þe grene, as God wyl me wysse.'
Þenne þe best of þe burз boзed togeder, 550
Aywan, and Errik, and oþer ful mony,
Sir Doddinaual de Sauage, þe duk of Clarence,
Launcelot, and Lyonel, and Lucan þe gode,
Sir Boos, and Sir Byduer, big men boþe,
And mony oþer menskful, with Mador de la Port. 555
Alle þis compayny of court com þe kyng nerre
For to counseyl þe knyзt, with care at her hert.
Þere watz much derue doel driuen in þe sale
Þat so worthé as Wawan schulde wende on þat ernde,
To dryзe a delful dynt, and dele no more wyth bronde. 560
Þe knyзt mad ay god chere,
And sayde, ‘Quat schuld I wonde?
Of destinés derf and dere
What may mon do bot fonde?' 565
He dowellez þer al þat day, and dressez on þe morn,
Askez erly hys armez, and alle were þay broзt.
Fyrst a tulé tapit tyзt ouer þe flet,
And miche watz þe gyld gere þat glent þeralofte;
Þe stif mon steppez þeron, and þe stel hondelez, 570
Dubbed in a dublet of a dere tars,
And syþen a crafty capados, closed aloft,
Þat wyth a bryзt blaunner was bounden withinne.
Þenne set þay þe sabatounz vpon þe segge fotez,
His legez lapped in stel with luflych greuez, 575
With polaynez piched þerto, policed ful clene,
Aboute his knez knaged wyth knotez of golde;
To mention the trouble of it, not a word about that.
But I am bound to set out for that stroke tomorrow without fail,
To search for the Green Knight, as God may guide me.”
Then the best of the knights gathered around:
Ywain and Eric and many others,
Sir Doddinaval de Savage, the Duke of Clarence,
Lancelot and Lionel, and the good Lucan,
Sir Bors and Sir Bedivere, big men both of the
m,
And many other noble knights, with Mador of the Gate.
All this company of the court crowded close to the King
To counsel the knight, out of the care in their hearts.
There was a great sharp grief passing through the hall
At so noble a one as Gawain going on that errand
To suffer a terrible blow and handle the sword no more.
Still, the knight spoke cheerfully,
Saying, “What should trouble me?
In the face of harsh destiny
What can a man do but try?”
He stays there all that day and makes ready the next morning,
Calls early for his arms and they were all brought to him.
First a red silk tapestry was spread on the floor
With a great mound of gilded armor gleaming on top of it.
The brave knight steps onto it and picks up the steel,
Dons a doublet of rich Tarsian silk,
Then a leather tunic cleverly cut to close at the top,
And all the inside lined with pure white fur.
Then they set the broad steel shoes on the knight's feet,
Elegant greaves encased his legs with steel
With knee pieces buckled to them, burnished brightly
And fastened with gold knots around his knees.
Queme quyssewes þen, þat coyntlych closed
His thik þrawen þyзez, with þwonges to tachched;
And syþen þe brawden bryné of bryзt stel ryngez 580
Vmbeweued þat wyз vpon wlonk stuffe,
And wel bornyst brace vpon his boþe armes,
With gode cowters and gay, and glouez of plate,
And alle þe godlych gere þat hym gayn schulde þat tyde; 585
Wyth ryche cote-armure,
His gold sporez spend with pryde,
Gurde wyth a bront ful sure
With silk sayn vmbe his syde.
When he watz hasped in armes, his harnays watz ryche:
Þe lest lachet oþer loupe lemed of golde. 591
So harnayst as he watz he herknez his masse,
Offred and honoured at þe heзe auter.
Syþen he comez to þe kyng and to his cort-ferez,
Lachez lufly his leue at lordez and ladyez; 595
And þay hym kyst and conueyed, bikende hym to Kryst.
Bi þat watz Gryngolet grayth, and gurde with a sadel
Þat glemed ful gayly with mony golde frenges,
Ayquere naylet ful nwe, for þat note ryched;
Þe brydel barred aboute, with bryзt golde bounden; 600
Þe apparayl of þe payttrure and of þe proude skyrtez,
Þe cropore and þe couertor, acorded wyth þe arsounez;
And al watz rayled on red ryche golde naylez,
Þat al glytered and glent as glem of þe sunne.
Þenne hentes he þe helme, and hastily hit kysses, 605
Þat watz stapled stifly, and stoffed wythinne.
Hit watz hyзe on his hede, hasped bihynde,
Then graceful thigh pieces, completely covering
His thick-muscled thighs, were tied on with thongs,
And then the linked mail shirt of bright steel rings
All embedded in a noble fabric,
And well-burnished pieces on both of his arms,
With good, graceful elbow plates and gauntlets of silver,
And all the fine gear that was to help him, whatever might happen,
With splendid coat armor,
Gold spurs fastened proudly on him,
A sword of which he was sure
Slung on a silk belt around him.
When he was dressed in his armor his garments were a glory.
The least latchet of its fastenings glittered with gold.
Then, armored as he was, he went to hear Mass
Offered and celebrated at the high altar.
After that he comes to the King and to his companions,
Takes his leave formally of lords and ladies,
And they kissed him and walked with him and commended him to Christ.
By then Gryngolet was ready, girt with a saddle
Glittering merrily with many gold fringes
And new studs everywhere, set for that journey.
The bridle with stripes around it bound with bright gold,
And the ornaments of the breast trappings and of the proud caparison,
The crupper and the coverlet, were the color of the saddle bow,
And all were set on a red ground with bright gold nails
That flashed and glinted like the gleam of the sun.
Then he takes up the helmet and quickly kisses it.
It was stoutly stapled and was padded inside.
It stood high on his head, fastened behind him,
Wyth a lyзtly vrysoun ouer þe auentayle,
Enbrawden and bounden wyth þe best gemmez
On brode sylkyn borde, and bryddez on semez, 610
As papiayez paynted peruyng bitwene,
Tortors and trulofez entayled so þyk
As mony burde þeraboute had ben seuen wynter in toune.
Þe cercle watz more o prys 615
Þat vmbeclypped hys croun,
Of diamauntez a deuys
Þat boþe were bryзt and broun.
Then þay schewed hym þe schelde, þat was of schyr goulez
Wyth þe pentangel depaynt of pure golde hwez. 620
He braydez hit by þe bauderyk, aboute þe hals kestes,
Þat bisemed þe segge semlyly fayre.
And quy þe pentangel apendez to þat prynce noble
I am in tent yow to telle, þof tary hyt me schulde:
Hit is a syngne þat Salamon set sumquyle 625
In bytoknyng of trawþe, bi tytle þat hit habbez,
For hit is a figure þat haldez fyue poyntez,
And vche lyne vmbelappez and loukez in oþer,
And ayquere hit is endelez; and Englych hit callen
Oueral, as I here, þe endeles knot. 630
Forþy hit acordez to þis knyзt and to his cler armez,
For ay faythful in fyue and sere fyue syþez
Gawan watz for gode knawen, and as golde pured,
Voyded of vche vylany, wyth vertuez ennourned in mote; 635
Forþy þe pentangel nwe
He ber in schelde and cote,
And above the visor there was a bright scarf
Embroidered and adorned with the finest of gems
On a broad silk border, and birds along the seams,
Even parrots painted preening among them,
Turtle doves and true-love knots sewn there so densely,
Many women must have been working on it, there at court, for seven winters.
The circlet was still more precious
Around his crown:
As many diamonds as you please,
And brightly they shone.
Then they showed him the shield that was bright red
With the pentangle painted on it in pure gold.
He took it by the baldric and slung it around his neck,
And it appeared to be perfectly suited to him.
And why the pentangle was appropriate to that noble prince
I mean to tell you, though it delay me.
It is a sign that Solomon once established
As a symbol of truth, which is what it stands for,
For it is a figure that has five points,
And each line overlaps and locks into another,
And everywhere it is endless, and the English, whenever
They speak of it, call it the endless knot, as I do here.
And so it suits this knight and his bright heraldry,
For he was faithful in five things always, and in five ways.
Gawain was known as a good knight and as gold purified,
Clear of every crudeness, graced and protected by virtues.
So on shield and coat armor
He bore the n
ew pentangle
As tulk of tale most trwe
And gentylest knyзt of lote.
Fyrst he watz funden fautlez in his fyue wyttez, 640
And efte fayled neuer þe freke in his fyue fyngres,
And alle his afyaunce vpon folde watz in þe fyue woundez
#x00DE;at Cryst kaзt on þe croys, as þe crede tellez;
And quere-so-euer þys mon in melly watz stad,
His þro þoзt watz in þat, þurз alle oþer þyngez, 645
Þat alle his forsnes he feng at þe fyue joyez
Þat þe hende heuen-quene had of hir chylde;
At þis cause þe knyзt comlyche hade
In þe inore half of his schelde hir ymage depaynted,
Þat quen he blusched þerto his belde neuer payred. 650
Þe fyft fyue þat I finde þat þe frek vsed
Watz fraunchyse and felaзschyp forbe al þyng,
His clannes and his cortaysye croked were neuer,
And pité, þat passez alle poyntez, þyse pure fyue
Were harder happed on þat haþel þen on any oþer. 655
Now alle þese fyue syþez, for soþe, were fetled on þis knyзt,
And vchone halched in oþer, þat non ende hade,
And fyched vpon fyue poyntez, þat fayld neuer,
Ne samned neuer in no syde, ne sundred nouþer,
Withouten ende at any noke I oquere fynde, 660
Whereeuer þe gomen bygan, or glod to an ende.
Þerfore on his schene schelde schapen watz þe knot
Ryally wyth red golde vpon rede gowlez, Þat is þe pure pentaungel wyth þe peple called with lore. 665
Now grayþed is Gawan gay,
And laзt his launce ryзt þore,
That meant no one's speech could be truer,
No one's word more noble.
First he was found faultless in all his five senses,
And second, the knight's five fingers never failed him,
And all his faith upon earth was in the five wounds
Christ received on the cross, as the creed tells us,
And wherever this man found himself in the fighting,
His whole thought held to those through everything else,
And then all his courage came from the five joys
That the high Queen of Heaven had from her Child.
For this reason the knight had her portrait
Painted on the inside of his shield,
So that when his glance fell on it his heart never faltered.
The fifth five that the knight practiced, I find,
Were generosity, and fellowship especially,
Purity of heart and courtesy were never wanting in him,