Pearl Poet

“ I know never where thou livest, by him that wrought me;
nor do I know thee, knight, thy court, nor thy name.
But tell me truly the way and how thou art called,
and I will use all my wit to win my way thither, —
and that I swear thee, for a sooth, and by my sure troth.
"New Year will suffice for that; no more is needed now,"
quoth the man in green to Gawain the courteous.
"To tell the truth, after I have received thy tap,
and thou hast smitten me well, I shall promptly inform thee
of my house and my home and mine own name. ”

“ None but a person truly religious could have written a poem informed with so lofty a moral tone. Perhaps no other writer of his age could have pictured the scenes between Gawain and the lady without having them border either on the luscious or the coarse. And only a man conversant with the highest society of his time, a man who had seen the world, could describe with such loving wealth of detail the knightly trappings, the merry evenings at the castle, and the stirring hunts. More elaborate guesses about his personality may be found in the editions of Gollancz and Bateson. ”

“ When the lord had learned that he had that hero,
he laughed aloud, so dear it seemed to him;
and all the men in the castle made much joy
at appearing promptly in the presence of him
who contains in his own person all worth and prowess
and gracious traits, and is ever praised;
above all the men in the world his renown is the greatest.
Each warrior said full softly to his companion —
"Now shall we see courteous turns of behaviour,
and the blameless forms of noble talking;
what profit there is in speech may we learn without asking
since we have taken that fine father of nurture. ”

“ Curtains running on ropes, red gold rings,
tapestries of Toulouse and Tars hung on the wall,
and under foot on the floor of the same pattern.
There with mirthful speeches the hero was despoiled
of his burnie and of his bright weeds.
Quickly men brought him rich robes
that he might pick and choose the best for his change.
As soon as he took one and was wrapped therein,
that sat upon him seemly with sailing skirts,
the hero by his visage verily seemed
to well nigh every man in looks
glowing and lovely is all his limbs;
it seemed to them that Christ never made a
comelier knight. ”

“ The other warrior with a quick motion withheld the bright weapon,
and then he reproved the prince with many proud words.
"Thou art not Gawain," said the man, "who is held so good,
who never flinched for any army by hill nor by vale;
and now thou fleest for fear before thou feelest any harm.
Such cowardice I never heard of that knight.
I neither winced nor fled, sir, when thou didst strike,
nor tried any tricks in King Arthur's house.
My head flew to my foot, and yet I never budged;
and thou, ere any harm taken, art fearful in heart.
Wherefore the better man I ought to be called
for it." ”

“ The clear light then
appeared along the walls, as men set and distributed
waxen torches all about the hall.
Much mirth and glee rose up therein,
about the fire on the hearth, and in various wise
at supper and after. Many noble songs they sang,
as Christmas carols and new dance tunes,
with all the mannerly mirth that a man can tell of.
And ever our lovely knight sat beside the lady.
Such seemly cheer she made to the hero,
sought with such sly stolen [79] glances to please the stalwart one,
that the wight was all amazed, and wroth with himself. ”

“ The warrior on his steed settled himself in his saddle,
and fiercely his red eyes he reeled about;
bent his thick brows, shining green;
and waved his beard, awaiting whoso would rise.
When none would answer him he coughed aloud,
stretched himself haughtily and began to speak;
"What! Is this Arthur's house," said the hero then,
"that is famous through so many realms?
Where is now your pride and your conquests,
your fierceness, and your wrath and your great words?
Now is the revel and the renown of the Round Table
overcome by the word of a single man ”

“ Lo! little it is, and less it is worth;
but whoso knew the virtues that are knit therein,
he would esteem it at a greater price peradventure;
for whatsoever man is girt with this green lace,
while he has it fittingly wrapped about him,
there is no warrior under heaven that can wound him;
for he could not be slain by any device in the world."
Then the knight paused, and it came to his heart
that it would be a jewel for the peril that awaited him
when he arrived at the chapel to undergo his ordeal. ”

“ This is the evil and the loss that I have got
from the cowardice and covetousness that I showed there.
This is the token of untruth that I am taken in,
and I must needs wear it while I may last;
for none may hide his shame without mishap,
for where it once is incurred, depart it will never."
The king and all the court comfort the knight.
They laugh loud at his tale, and lovingly agree
that the lords and the ladies that belong to the Table,
each knight of the brotherhood, should have a baldric,
an oblique band about him of a bright green,
and wear that for the sake of the hero. ”

“ Look Gawain, that thou be ready to go as thou has promised,
and seek loyally, hero, till thou find me;
as thou has promised in this hall in the hearing of these knights.
To the green chapel go thou, I charge thee, to receive
such a blow as thou has dealt. Thou deservest
to be promptly paid on New Year's morn. [18]
As the knight of the green chapel many men know me;
therefore, if thou strivest to find me, thou shalt never fail. ”

“ If what ye say be true, I am to blame."
"Yet I taught you about kissing," replied the fair lady;
"wherever a countenance is known, quickly to claim a kiss;
that becomes every knight who practices courtesy." ”

“ There dwells in that waste a wight the worst upon earth;
for he is stiff and stern and loves to strike;
and greater he is than any man in the world,
and his body bigger than the four best
that are in Arthur's house, and bigger than Hector or any other.
He maintains that adventure at the green chapel.
There passes by that place none so proud in arms
but he dins him to death with dint of his hand.
For he is a man without measure and uses no mercy;
for be it churl or chaplain that rides by the chapel,
monk or mass-priest, or any man else,
he likes as well to kill him as to go alive himself. ”

“ The lord hindered him from that, persuaded him to linger,
and said, "As I am a true man, I pledge my troth
thou shalt reach the green chapel to do thy tasks,
sir, by New Year's light, long before prime.
Therefore lie in thy loft and take thine ease;
and I shall hunt in this holt and keep the covenant —
change merchandise with thee when I return hither;
for I have tried thee twice, and faithful I find thee;
now 'third time, best time.' [80] Think on the morrow.
Make we merry while we may, and be joyful:
for a man can catch trouble whensoever he likes." ”

“ Gawain was glad to begin those games in the hall;
but it would not be surprising if the end were heavy;
for though men be merry in mind when they have much drink,
yet a year runs full swiftly, and yields never the same;
the beginning full seldom matches the end. ”

“ When he came to the water, where he did not wish to wade,
he hopped over on his axe, and fiercely advanced,
with savage ferocity pacing the broad snow-covered
glade.
⁠Sir Gawain met the knight
⁠and bowed to him, not at all low.
⁠The other said, "Now, sweet, sir,
⁠in a covenant a man can trust thee."
"Gawain," quoth the green warrior, "may God preserve thee.⁠ [ original ]
Indeed thou art welcome, hero, to my place;
and thou hast timed thy travel as a true man should. ”

“ Commend me to that courteous one, your comely mate;
both the one and the other, my honoured ladies,
who have thus with their craft quaintly beguiled their knight.
But it is no wonder that a fool should rave,
and through wiles of women be won to sorrow. ”

“ The huntsman encouraged the hounds that first caught the scent,
hurled sharp words at them with a great noise.
The hounds that heard it hastened thither quickly,
and fell immediately to the scent, forty at once.
Then there rose such a resounding cry of gathered hounds
that the rocks about rang.
The hunters cheered them with horn and with mouth;
then all together they swung in a troop
between a pool in that wood and a wild crag.
On a hill, beside a cliff at the side of the bog,
where the rough rock was rudely fallen,
they fared to the finding, and the hunters after them. ”

“ But the lady blessed him and spake in this wise:
"A man as good as Gawain is properly held —
and courtesy is closed so entirely in him —
could not easily have lingered so long with a lady
but he had on some trifling excuse or other [53] courteously craved a kiss."
Then said Gawain, "Indeed, be it as you like;
I shall kiss at your commandment as becomes a knight,
and fear [54] lest he displease you; so urge that plea no more." ”

“ For shame!
⁠I came hither all alone to sit
⁠and learn from you some accomplishment;
⁠do teach me part of your skill
⁠while my lord is from home."
"In good faith," quoth Gawain, "God reward you!⁠ [ original ]
Great is the entertainment, and huge the pleasure to me,
that so worthy a one as ye should come hither,
and take pains with so poor a man, and play with your knight
in any wise; it delights me. ”

“ All this company of the court came nearer to the king,
to counsel the knight, with care at their hearts.
There was much deep grief felt in the hall
that so worthy a one as Gawain should go on that errand,
to endure a sorry dint and deal none himself with
his brand.
⁠But the knight ever made good cheer,
⁠and said, "Why should I swerve
⁠from stern and strange destiny?
⁠What can a man do but try?"
He lingered there all that day, and on the morn made ready.⁠ [ original ]
Early he asked for his arms, and they were all brought. ”

“ That is the true pentangle as the people properly
call it.
⁠Now was the gay Gawain armed.
⁠He caught up his lance right there,
⁠and with a good-day
⁠he went for evermore.
He spurred his steed with the spurs and sprang on his way⁠ [ original ]
so swiftly that the stone struck out fire after him.
All who saw the gentle man sighed in heart,
and the heroes said all together to each other
in their love for that comely knight, "By Christ, it is a shame
that thou, hero, must be lost, who art so noble of life.
In faith it is not easy to find his match upon the earth. ”

“ And also an oþer maner meued him eke ⁠90
Þat he þurȝ nobelay had nomen, he wolde neuer ete
Vpon such a dere day er hym deuised were
Of sum auenturus þyng an vncouþe tale,
Of sum mayn meruayle, þat he myȝt trawe,
Of alderes, of armes, of oþer auenturus, ⁠95
Oþer sum segg hym bisoȝt of sum siker knyȝt
To joyne wyth hym in iustyng, in jopardé to lay,
Lede, lif for lyf, leue vchon oþer,
As fortune wolde fulsun hom, þe fayrer to haue. ”

“ There is no reason to suppose that the beautiful descriptions of wild nature were in the French poem; and very likely the arming of the hero and the hunting were less elaborated there. It seems probable, too, that our author has changed the motivation and ending of the story; for in his original it would be natural to suppose from the analogues that the Green Knight enticed Gawain to his castle in order that this greatest of heroes might rid him of his strange hue and giant form, and that, after Gawain had succeeded, the disenchanted knight accompanied him to Arthur's Court. ”

“ The hero washed when he would and went to his meat.
Men served him seemly enough,
— double fold as was proper —
with pottages various and suitable, seasoned in the best manner;
and many kinds of fish,
some baked in bread, some broiled on the coals,
some boiled, some in sauces savoured with spices;
and always discourse so pleasant that it pleased the warrior.
Full freely and often the hero called it a feast
right courteously, when all the retainers together praised him as
courteous. [33]
⁠"Do this penance now,
⁠and soon things will be better!" ”

“ Fair entertainment they had quietly among themselves;
the lord in his jovial, friendly demeanor behaved
as a man out of [40] his wits that knew not what he did.
Then he spake to the knight, crying loud,
"Ye have agree to do the deed that I bid.
Will ye hold this hest here at once?"
"Yea, sir, forsooth," said the true hero,
"while I stay in your castle I shall be obedient to your hest."
"Since ye have travelled from afar," quoth the warrior,
"and then have sat late with me, ye are not well nourished,
I know, either with sustenance or with sleep. ”

“ Introduction Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the finest representative of a great cycle of verse romances devoted wholly or principally to the adventures of Gawain. Of these there still survive in English a dozen or so; in French — the tongue in which romance most flourished — seven or eight more; and these, of course, are but a fraction of what must once have existed. [intro 1] No other knight of the Round Table occupies anything like so important a place as Gawain in the literature of the middle ages. ”

“ She comes to the curtain and peeps at the knight.⁠ [ original ]
Sir Gawain at once welcomes her worthily,
and she returns his greeting right promptly,
seats herself softly by his side, laughs opens,
and with a lovely look addresses these words to him:
"Sir, if ye be Gawain, it seems to me
a very strange thing that a man of such quality
should not follow the conventions of good society; and should
after making acquaintance with a person cast him utterly from his mind.
Thou hast already forgotten what I taught you yesterday
in the best language that I knew."
"What is that?" quoth the hero. ”