Sir Gawayne and the Green Knight eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 167 pages of information about Sir Gawayne and the Green Knight.

Sir Gawayne and the Green Knight eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 167 pages of information about Sir Gawayne and the Green Knight.
& þe gre-hounde3 so grete, þat geten hem bylyue,
1172 & hem to fylched, as fast as freke3 my3t loke,
þer ry3t.
[H] Þe lorde for blys abloy
Ful oft con launce & ly3t,
1176 [I] & drof þat day wyth Ioy
Thus to þe derk ny3t.

[Sidenote A:  Roused by the clamour the deer rush to the heights,] [Sidenote B:  but are soon driven back.] [Sidenote C:  The harts and bucks are allowed to pass,] [Sidenote D:  but the hinds and does are driven back to the shades.] [Sidenote E:  As they fly they are shot by the bowmen.] [Sidenote F:  The hounds and the hunters, with a loud cry, follow in
  pursuit.]
[Sidenote G:  Those that escaped the arrows are killed by the hounds.] [Sidenote H:  The lord waxes joyful in the chase,] [Sidenote I:  which lasted till the approach of night.] [Footnote 1:  meue (?).]

III.

[A] Þus layke3 þis lorde by lynde wode3 eue3,
& G. þe god mon, in gay bed lyge3,
1180 [B] Lurkke3 quyl þe day-ly3t lemed on þe wowes,
Vnder couertour ful clere, cortyned aboute;
& as in slomeryng he slode, sle3ly he herde
[C] A littel dyn at his dor, & derfly vpon;
1184 & he heue3 vp his hed out of þe cloþes,
A corner of þe cortyn he ca3t vp a lyttel, [Fol. 107.]
& wayte3 warly þider-warde, quat hit be my3t.
[D] Hit wat3 þe ladi, loflyest to be-holde,
1188 Þat dro3 þe dor after hir ful dernly[1] & stylle,
[E] & bo3ed to-warde þe bed; & þe burne schamed.
& layde hym doun lystyly, & let as he slepte.
[F] & ho stepped stilly. & stel to his bedde,
1192 [G] Kest vp þe cortyn, & creped with-inne,
& set hir ful softly on þe bed-syde,
& lenged þere selly longe, to loke quen he wakened. 
Þe lede lay lurked a ful longe quyle,
1196 [H] Compast in his concience to quat þat cace my3t
Mene oþer amount, to meruayle hym þo3t;
Bot 3et he sayde in hym-self, “more semly hit were
To aspye wyth my spelle [in] space quat ho wolde.”
1200 [I] þen he wakenede, & wroth, & to hir warde torned,
[J] & vn-louked his y3e-lydde3, & let as hym wondered,
& sayned hym, as bi his sa3e þe sauer to worthe,
with hande;
1204 Wyth chynne & cheke ful swete,
Boþe quit & red in-blande,
Ful lufly con ho lete,
Wyth lyppe3 smal la3ande.

[Sidenote A:  All this time Gawayne lies a-bed.] [Sidenote B:  under “coverture full clear".] [Sidenote C:  He hears a noise at his door.] [Sidenote D:  A lady, the loveliest to behold, enters softly.] [Sidenote E:  She approaches the bed.] [Sidenote F:  Gawayne pretends to be asleep.] [Sidenote G:  The lady casts up the curtain and sits on the bedside.] [Sidenote H:  Gawayne has much wonder thereat.] [Sidenote I:  He rouses himself up,] [Sidenote J:  unlocks his eyes, and looks as if he were astonished.] [Footnote 1:  deruly (?).]

IV.

Copyrights
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Sir Gawayne and the Green Knight from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.