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19. The Marriage of Sir Gawain

[A Fragment]

Table of Contents

I

Kinge Arthur lives in merry Carleile,

And seemely is to see,

And there he hath with him Queene Genever,

That bride soe bright of blee188.

II

And there he hath with him Queene Genever,

That bride soe bright in bower,

And all his barons about him stoode,

That were both stiffe and stowre189.

III

The king kept a royall Christmasse,

Of mirth and great honor.

Soon after Christmas the King chanced to ride by Tarn Wadling190, in the forest of Inglewood, when he was met by a fierce baron armed with a club, who offered him choice between fighting and ransom. For ransom, the King must return on New Year’s Day—

IV

‘And bring me word what thing it is

That a woman will most desire;

This shalbe thy ransome, Arthur,’ he sayes,

‘For I’le have noe other hier.’

V

King Arthur then held up his hand,

According thene as was the law;

He tooke his leave of the baron there,

And homward can he draw.

VI

And when he came to merry Carleile,

To his chamber he is gone,

And ther came to him his cozen Sir Gawaine,

As he did make his mone.

VII

And there came to him his cozen Sir Gawaine,

That was a curteous knight;

‘Why sigh you soe sore, unckle Arthur,’ he said,

‘Or who hath done thee unright?’—

VIII

‘O peace, O peace, thou gentle Gawaine,

That faire may thee beffall!

For if thou knew my sighing soe deepe,

Thou wo’ld not mervaile att all.

IX

‘Ffor when I came to Tearne Wadling,

A bold barron there I fand,

With a great club upon his backe,

Standing stiffe and strong.

X

‘And he asked me wether I wo’ld fight

Or from him I shold begone,

Or else I must him a ransome pay,

And soe depart him from.

XI

‘To fight with him I saw noe cause;

Methought it was not meet;

For he was stiffe and strong with-all,

His strokes were nothing sweete.

XII

‘Therefor this is my ransome, Gawaine,

I ought to him to pay;

I must come againe, as I am sworne,

Upon the New Yeer’s day;

XIII

‘And I must bring him word what thing it is

That a woman will most desire].

Arthur, having collected and written down many answers to the baron’s riddle, was true to his promise, thus—

XIV

Then king Arthur drest him for to ryde,

In one soe rich array,

Toward the fore-said Tearne Wadling,

That he might keepe his day.

XV

And as he rode over a more,

Hee see a lady where shee sate

Betwixt an oke and a greene hollen191; She was cladd in red scarlett.

XVI

Then thereas shold have stood her mouth,

Then there was sett her eye;

The other was in her forhead fast,

The way that she might see.

XVII

Her nose was crooked and turn’d outward,

Her mouth stood foule a-wry;

A worse form’d lady than shee was,

Never man saw with his eye.

XVIII

To halch upon192 him, King Arthur, This lady was full faine, But King Arthur had forgott his lesson, What he sho’ld say againe.

XIX

‘What knight art thou,’ the lady sayd,

‘That will not speak to me?

Of me be thou nothing dismay’d,

Tho I be ugly to see.

XX

‘For I have halched you curteouslye,

And you will not me againe;

Yett I may happen Sir Knight,’ shee said,

‘To ease thee of thy paine.’

XXI

‘Give thou ease me, lady,’ he said,

‘Or helpe me any thing,

Thou shalt have gentle Gawaine, my cozen,

And marry him with a ring.’

The hag thereupon gave him the right answer and he rode forward.

XXIII

And when he came to the Tearne Wadling,

The baron there co’ld he finde,

With a great weapon on his backe,

Standing stiffe and stronge.

XXIV

And then he tooke King Arthur’s letters in his hands,

And away he co’ld them fling,

And then he puld out a good browne sword,

And cryd himselfe a king.

XXV

And he sayd, ‘I have thee and thy land, Arthur,

To doe as it pleaseth me,

For this is not thy ransome sure,

Therfore yeeld thee to me.’

XXVI

And then bespoke him noble Arthur,

And bad him hold his hand:

‘And give me leave to speake my mind

In defence of all my land.’

XXVII

He said, ‘As I came over a more,

I see a lady where shee sate

Betweene an oke and a green hollen;

Shee was clad in red scarlett.

XXVIII

‘And she says a woman will have her will,

And this is all her cheef desire:

Doe me right, as thou art a baron of sckill193, This is thy ransome and all thy hyer.’

XXIX

He sayes, ‘An early vengeance light on her!

She walkes on yonder more;

It was my sister that told thee this,

As shee heard it of me before.]

XXX

‘But heer I’le make mine avow to God

To doe her an evill turne;

For an’ ever I may thate fowle theefe get,

In a fyer I will her burne.’

The King, having returned home, told his knights that he had in the forest a bride for one of them, and a number rode out in his company to find her.

XXXI

Sir Lancelott and Sir Steven bold,

They rode with them that day,

And the formost of the company

There rode the steward Kay.

XXXII

Soe did Sir Banier and Sir Bore,

Sir Garrett with them soe gay,

Soe did Sir Tristeram that gentle knight,

To the forrest fresh and gay.

XXXIII

And when he came to the greene forrest,

Underneath a greene holly tree,

Their sate that lady in red scarlet

That unseemly was to see.

XXXIV

Sir Kay beheld this lady’s face,

And looked uppon her swire194; ‘Whosoever kisses this lady,’ he sayes, ‘Of his kisse he stands in feare.’

XXXV

Sir Kay beheld the lady againe,

And looked upon her snout;

‘Whosoever kisses this lady,’ he saies,

‘Of his kisse he stands in doubt.’

XXXVI

‘Peace, cozen Kay,’ then said Sir Gawaine,

‘Amend thee of thy life;

For there is a knight amongst us all

That must marry her to his wife.’

XXXVII

‘What! wedd her to wiffe!’ then said Sir Kay,

‘In the divell’s name anon!

Gett me a wiffe where-ere I may,

For I had rather be slaine!’

XXXVIII

Then some tooke up their hawkes in hast.

And some tooke up their hounds,

And some sware they wo’ld not marry her

For citty nor for towne.

XXXIX

And then be-spake him noble King Arthur,

And sware there by this day,

For a litle foule sight and misliking

They should not say her Nay].

At length Sir Gawain, for Arthur’s sake, consented. The ugly bride was taken home and bedded, when to Gawain’s delight in his arms she turned to a beautiful woman. She then offered him a choice.—

XL

Then shee said, ‘Choose thee, gentle Gawaine,

Truth as I doe say,

Wether thou wilt have me in this liknesse

In the night or else in the day.’

XLI

And then bespake him gentle Gawaine,

Was one soe mild of moode,

Sayes, ‘Well I know what I wo’ld say,

God grant it may be good!

XLII

‘To have thee fowle in the night

When I with thee sho’ld play—

Yet I had rather, if I might,

Have thee fowle in the day.’

XLIII

‘What! when lords goe with ther feires195,’ shee said, ‘Both to the ale and wine, Alas! then I must hyde my selfe, I must not goe withinne.’

XLIV

And then bespake him gentle Gawaine,

Said, ‘Lady, that’s but skill;

And because thou art my owne lady,

Thou shall have all thy will.’

XLV

Then she said, ‘Blesed be thou, gentle Gawain,

This day that I thee see!

For as thou seest me att this time,

From hencforth I wilbe.

XLVI

‘My father was an old knight,

And yett it chancèd soe

That he marryed a younge lady

That brought me to this woe.

XLVII

‘Shee witched me, being a faire young lady,

To the greene forrest to dwell,

And there I must walke in woman’s liknesse,

Most like a feend of hell.

XLVIII

‘She witched my brother to a carlish [boore]

Being thus given what a woman most desires (that is, her will) she is released from the spell and becomes beautiful at all times: and Sir Gawain leads his lady in triumph among the knights, to present her to the King and Queen.

L

‘Come kisse her, brother Kay,’ then said Sir Gawaine,

‘And amend thé of thy liffe;

I sweare this is the same lady

That I marryed to my wiffe.’

LI

Sir Kay kissed that lady bright,

Standing upon his ffeete;

He swore, as he was trew knight,

The spice was never soe sweete.

LII

‘Well, cozen Gawaine,’ sayes Sir Kay,

‘Thy chance is fallen arright,

For thou hast gotten one of the fairest maids

I ever saw with my sight.’—

LIII

‘It is my fortune,’ said Sir Gawaine;

‘For my unckle Arthurs sake

I am glad as grasse wold be of raine,

Great joy that I may take.’

LIV

Sir Gawaine tooke the lady by the one arme,

Sir Kay tooke her by the tother,

They led her straight to King Arthur,

As they were brother and brother.

LV

King Arthur welcomed them there all,

And soe did Lady Genever his queene,

With all the knights of the Round Table,

Most seemly to be seene.

LVI

King Arthur beheld that lady faire

That was soe faire and bright,

He thanked Christ in Trinity

For Sir Gawaine that gentle knight.

LVII

Soe did the knights, both more and lesse,

Rejoyced all that day

For the good chance that hapened was

To Sir Gawaine and his lady gay.

FOOTNOTES:

188. blee = hue, complexion.

189. stowre = strong or perhaps we should read ‘stiff in stowre’ = sturdy in fight.

190. Tarn Wadling = The place—near Hesketh in Cumberland, on the road from Carlisle to Penrith—keeps its name to this day. But the tarn has been drained and its site is now a pasture for sheep.

191. hollen = holly-tree.

192. halch upon = salute.

193. sckill = wit, judgement.

194. swire = neck.

195. feires = mates.