Communicator (communicator) wrote,
Communicator
communicator

On re-reading Gawain

I just finished Gawain and the Green Knight. I forgot how often Gawain kissed the mysterious Lord Bertilak. Quite a lot.

I haven't got the Armitage translation with me, so here's one I found online.

alle my get I schal yow gif agayn bi my trawþe
he þe haþel aboute þe halse and hendely hym kysses
and eftersones of þe same he serued hym þere
now ar we euen quoþ þe haþel in þis euentide
of alle þe couenauntes þat we knyt syþen I com hider

'all that I have gained I will give it to thee by my troth.' Then he caught the lord about the neck and gently kissed him, and then he kissed him again. 'Now are we quits,' quoth the lord, 'this eventide of all the covenants we made since I came hither.'

he metez me þis godmon inmyddez þe flore
and al with gomen he hym gret and goudly he sayde
schal fylle vpon fyrst oure forwardez nouþe
þat we spedly han spoken þer spared watz no drynk
þen acoles he kny3t and kysses hym þryes
as sauerly and sadly as he hem sette couþe
bi kryst quoþ þat oþer kny3t 3e cach much sele
in cheuisaunce of þis chaffer 3if 3e hade goud chepez

'The lord met Gawain in the midst of the hall, and greeted him warmly, and the knight spake goodly words: 'I will be the first to fulfil our covenant that we plighted together when the drink was not lacking.' Then he embraced the lord and kissed him three times as gravely and carefully as he could. 'By Christ,' said the other knight, 'thou hast had great joy in achieving such treasures, and thy bargain was a good one.'

Sorry if this is trivialising a serious piece of literature and all that, but phew.
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