[Sidenote A: Fear kept all silent.] [Sidenote B: The knight rolled his red eyes about,] [Sidenote C: and bent his bristly green brows.] [Sidenote D: Waving his beard awhile, he exclaimed:] [Sidenote E: "What! is this Arthur's court?] [Sidenote F: Forsooth the renown of the Round Table is overturned 'with a word of one man's speech.'"] [Sidenote G: Arthur blushes for shame.] [Sidenote H: He waxes as wroth as the wind.]
XV.
[A] Ande sayde, "haþel, by heuen þyn askyng is nys, 324 & as þou foly hat3 frayst, fynde þe be-houes; I know no gome þat is gast of þy grete wordes. Gif me now þy geserne, vpon gode3 halue, & I schal bayþen þy bone, þat þou boden habbes." 328 Ly3tly lepe3 he hym to, & la3t at his honde; [Fol. 95b.] Þen feersly þat oþer freke vpon fote ly3tis. [B] Now hat3 Arthure his axe, & þe halme grype3, & sturnely sture3 hit aboute, þat stryke wyth hit þo3t. 332 Þe stif mon hym bifore stod vpon hy3t, Herre þen ani in þe hous by þe hede & more; [C] Wyth sturne schere[1] þer he stod, he stroked his berde, & wyth a countenaunce dry3e he dro3 doun his cote, 336 No more mate ne dismayd for hys mayn dinte3, Þen any burne vpon bench hade bro3t hym to drynk of wyne, [D] Gawan, þat sate bi þe quene, 340 To þe kyng he can enclyne, "I be-seche now with sa3e3 sene, Þis melly mot be myne."
[Sidenote A: He assures the knight that no one is afraid of his great words.] [Sidenote B: Arthur seizes his axe.] [Sidenote C: The knight, stroking his beard, awaits the blow, and with a "dry countenance" draws down his coat.] [Sidenote D: Sir Gawayne beseeches the king to let him undertake the blow.] [Footnote 1: chere (?).]
XVI.
"Wolde 3e, worþilych lorde," quod Gawan to þe kyng, 344 [A] "Bid me bo3e fro þis benche, & stonde by yow þere, Þat I wyth-oute vylanye my3t voyde þis table, & þat my legge lady lyked not ille, I wolde com to your counseyl, bifore your cort ryche. 348 [B] For me þink hit not semly, as hit is soþ knawen, Þer such an askyng is heuened so hy3e in your sale, Þa33e 3our-self be talenttyf to take hit to your-seluen, [C] Whil mony so bolde yow aboute vpon bench sytten, 352 Þat vnder heuen, I hope, non ha3er er of wylle, Ne better bodyes on bent, þer baret is rered; [D] I am þe wakkest, I wot, and of wyt feblest, & lest lur of my lyf, quo laytes þe soþe, 356 Bot for as much as 3e ar myn em, I am only to prayse, No bounté bot your blod I in my bodé knowe; & syþen þis note is so nys, þat no3t hit yow falles, & I haue frayned hit at yow fyrst, folde3 hit to me, 360 & if I carp not comlyly, let alle þis cort rych, bout blame." [E] Ryche to-geder con roun, & syþen þay redden alle same, 364 To ryd þe kyng wyth croun, & gif Gawan þe game.
[Sidenote A: He asks permission to leave the table; he says,] [Sidenote B: it is not meet that Arthur should be active in the matter,] [Sidenote C: while so many bold ones sit upon bench.] [Sidenote D: Although the weakest, he is quite ready to meet the Green Knight.] [Sidenote E: The nobles entreat Arthur to "give Gawayne the game."]
XVII.
Þen comaunded þe kyng þe kny3t for to ryse; [Fol. 96.] & he ful radly vp ros, & ruchched hym fayre, 368 [A] Kneled doun bifore þe kyng, & cache3 þat weppen; & he luflyly hit hym laft, & lyfte vp his honde, & gef hym godde3 blessyng, & gladly hym biddes [B] Þat his hert & his honde schulde hardi be boþe. 372 "Kepe þe cosyn," quod þe kyng, "þat þou on kyrf sette, & if þou rede3 hym ry3t, redly I trowe, Þat þou schal byden þe bur þat he schal bede after. Gawan got3 to þe gome, with giserne in honde, 376 & he baldly hym byde3, he bayst neuer þe helder [C] Þen carppe3 to sir Gawan þe kny3t in þe grene, "Refourme we oure for-wardes, er we fyrre passe. Fyrst I eþe þe, haþel, how þat þou hattes, 380 Þat þou me telle truly, as I tryst may?" [D] "In god fayth," quod þe goode kny3t, "Gawan I hatte, Þat bede þe þis buffet, quat-so bi-falle3 after, & at þis tyme twelmonyth take at þe anoþer, 384 Wyth what weppen so[1] þou wylt, & wyth no wy3 elle3, on lyue." Þat oþer on-sware3 agayn, "Sir Gawan, so mot I þryue, 388 [E] As I am ferly fayn. Þis dint þat þou schal dryue."
[Sidenote A: The king gives his nephew his weapon,] [Sidenote B: and tells him to keep heart and hand steady.] [Sidenote C: The Green Knight enquires the name of his opponent.] [Sidenote D: Sir Gawayne tells him his name, and declares that he is willing to give and receive a blow.] [Sidenote E: The other thereof is glad.] [Footnote 1: MS. fo.]
XVIII.
[A] "Bigog," quod þe grene kny3t, "sir Gawan, melykes, Þat I schal fange at þy fust þat I haf frayst here; 392 & þou hat3 redily rehersed, bi resoun ful trwe, Clanly al þe couenaunt þat I þe kynge asked, Saf þat þou schal siker me, segge, bi þi trawþe, Þat þou schal seche me þi-self, where-so þou hopes 396 I may be funde vpon folde, & foch þe such wages [B] As þou deles me to day, bifore þis douþe ryche." [C] "Where schulde I wale þe," quod Gauan, "where is þy place? I wot neuer where þou wonyes, bi hym þat me wro3t, 400 Ne I know not þe, kny3t, þy cort, ne þi name. [D] Bot teche me truly þer-to, & telle me howe þou hattes, & I schal ware alle my wyt to wynne me þeder, & þat I swere þe for soþe, & by my seker traweþ." [Fol. 96b.] 404 "Þat is in-nogh in nwe 3er, hit nedes no more," Quod þe gome in þe grene to Gawan þe hende, [E] "3if I þe telle trwly, quen I þe tape haue, & þou me smoþely hat3 smyten, smartly I þe teche 408 Of my hous, & my home, & myn owen nome, Þen may þou frayst my fare, & forwarde3 holde, [F] & if I spende no speche, þenne spede3 þou þe better, For þou may leng in þy londe, & layt no fyrre, 412 bot slokes; [G] Ta now þy grymme tole to þe, & let se how þou cnoke3." "Gladly sir, for soþe," 416 Quod Gawan; his ax he strokes.
[Sidenote A: "It pleases me well, Sir Gawayne," says the Green Knight, "that I shall receive a blow from thy fist; but thou must swear that thou wilt seek me,] [Sidenote B: to receive the blow in return."] [Sidenote C: "Where shall I seek thee?" says Sir Gawayne;] [Sidenote D: "tell me thy name and abode and I will find thee."] [Sidenote E: "When thou hast smitten me," says the knight, "then tell I thee of my home and name;] [Sidenote F: if I speak not at all, so much the better for thee.] [Sidenote G: Take now thy grim tool, and let us see how thou knockest."]
XIX.
[A] The grene kny3t vpon grounde grayþely hym dresses, A littel lut with þe hede, þe lere he discouere3, [B] His longe louelych lokke3 he layd ouer his croun. 420 Let þe naked nec to þe note schewe. Gauan gripped to his ax, & gederes hit on hy3t, Þe kay fot on þe folde he be-fore sette, [C] Let hit doun ly3tly ly3t on þe naked, 424 Þat þe scharp of þe schalk schyndered þe bones, [D] & schrank þur3 þe schyire grece, & scade hit in twynne, Þat þe bit of þe broun stel bot on þe grounde. [E] Þe fayre hede fro þe halce hit [felle] to þe erþe, 428 [F] Þat fele hit foyned wyth her fete, þere hit forth roled; Þe blod brayd fro þe body, þat blykked on þe grene; [G] & nawþer faltered ne fel þe freke neuer þe helder, Bot styþly he start forth vpon styf schonkes, 432 [H] & ru[n]yschly he ra3t out, þere as renkke3 stoden, La3t to his lufly hed, & lyft hit vp sone; & syþen bo3e3 to his blonk, þe brydel he cachche3, [I] Steppe3 in to stel bawe & stryde3 alofte, 436 [J] & his hede by þe here in his honde halde3; & as sadly þe segge hym in his sadel sette, As non vnhap had hym ayled, þa3 hedle3 he[1] we[re], in stedde; 440 [K] He brayde his bluk[2] aboute, Þat vgly bodi þat bledde, [Fol. 97.] Moni on of hym had doute, Bi þat his resoun3 were redde.
[Sidenote A: The Green Knight] [Sidenote B: puts his long lovely locks aside and lays bare his neck.] [Sidenote C: Sir Gawayne lets fall his axe] [Sidenote D: and severs the head from the body.] [Sidenote E: The head falls to the earth.] [Sidenote F: Many kick it aside with their feet.] [Sidenote G: The knight never falters;] [Sidenote H: he rushes forth, seizes his head,] [Sidenote I: steps into the saddle,] [Sidenote J: holding the while the head in his hand by the hair,] [Sidenote K: and turns his horse about.] [Footnote 1: MS. ho.] [Footnote 2: blunk (?).]