Fitt I (Stanzas I–XX)

IN the tyme of Arther thys antur be-tydde,
Be-syde the Tarnewathelan, as the boke tellus ;
That he to Karlylle was comun, that conquerour kydde,
Wythe dukys, and with dosiperus, that with the deure dwellus,
For to hunte atte the herd, that lung hase bynne hydde ;
Tyl on a day thay horn dyȝt into the depe dellus,
Fellun to tho femalus, in forest was fredde ;
Fayre by fermesones, by frythys, and felles,
To the wudde thay weyndun, these wlonkes in wedes ;
Bothe the kyng and the qwene,
And other doȝti by-dene ;
Syr Gawan, graythist on grene,
Dame Gaynore he ledus.

Thenne Syr Gawan the gode, Dame Gaynour he ledus,
Inne a gliderand gyde, that glemit so gay ;
That was with rebans reuersut, quo so ryȝt redys,
Arayit aure with rebans, rycheste of ray ;
Hur hud of a haa hew, that hur hede hidus,
Of purpure, and palle werke, and perre to pay ;
Wos schrod in a schort cloke, that the rayn shredes,
Set aure with saferes, quo sothely will say,
Safers and seledyms, serclet on sydus ;
Her sadylle sette with that ilke,
With ryche sa savmhellus of sylke,
Opun a mule as the mylke ;
Thus gayli ho glydus.

And thus Dame Gaynour the gode, gayli ho glidus
The gatys with Syr Gawan, by a grene welle ;
And a byrne on a blonke, that with the quene a-bydus,
That borne was in Burgoyne, be boke and by belle ;
So lung he ledys that lady by that loghe sydus,
Ther at a laurialle scho lyȝt, loe by a hille ;
The fellus, Arther and his hurles, hernestely he rydest,
To teche horn to hor tristurs, quo truly wille telle ;
To hor tristurs he horn taȝte, quo truly me trowes,
Yche lord with-outen lette,
Vn-to a tre ar thay sette,
Wyth bow and wyth berselette,
Vndurneth the boes.

Thus vndur boes thay byde, than byrnes so bold,
To beker atte the barrens, in bonkes so bare ;
There myȝte hathels on hye, herdus be-hold,
To herkyn huntyng with home, in holtis so hore ;
Thay kest of hor cowpullus, in cliffes so cold,
Cumfordun hor kenettes, to kele horn of care ;
Thay felle to the female dure, feyful thyk fold ;
With felle houundus and with fresche, thay folo the fare.
Thay questun, thay quellun,
By frythun, by fellun,
The dere in the dellun,
Thay droupun and daren.

Alle dyrkyns the dere, in the dym scoghes,
For drede of the dethe droupus the doe ;
For the squyppand watur, that squytherly squoes,
Thayre werre on the wild squyne wurchis horn wo.
The hunteres thay haulen, by hurstes and by hoes,
To the rest raches that releues of the roe :
Thay geuen no gomen, nyf no grythe, that on the grounde groes,
The grehoundys in the grene greues, so gladdely thay goe ;
Thus gladdely thay goe, in greuis so grene,
The king blue a rechase,
Folut fast on the trase,
With mony seriandys of mase,
That solas to see.

Thus that solas to see, the semelokest of alle,
Thay soȝt to thayre souerayne, undur the scha schene ;
Alle butte Syr Gauan, graythest of alle,
Was laft with Dame Gaynour, vndur the greues grene.
By a lauryel ho lay, vndur a lefe sale,
Of box and of barbere, byggyt ful bene ;
Euyn atte the mydday this ferly con falle,
And this mykyl meruel, that I of mene ;
Nou wold I of this meruel mele, if I moȝt,
The day wex as dirke
As the mydnyȝte myrke,
Ther-of Syr Arther wos irke,
And liȝte on his fote.

Thus on fote con thay founde, these frekes vn-fayn,
And fled to the forest fro the fau fellus ;
Thay ran to the raches, for redeles of rayn,
For the snyterand snaue, that snaypely horn snellus ;
So come a lau oute of a loghe, in lede is noȝt to layn,
In lykenes of Lucifere, lauyst in hellus ;
Glydand to Dame Gaynour, hyre gates were gayne,
ȝauland ful ȝamerly, with mony loude ȝelles ;
Hyt ȝaulit, hit ȝamurt, with wlonkes full wete,
And sayd with sykyng sare,
" I banne the byrde that me bare,
For noue comyn is my care,
I gloppen and Y grete !"

Alle gloppuns and gretys Dame Gaynour the gay,
And sayd to Syr Gauan, " Quat is thi best rede ?"
" Hyt is but the clyppus of the sune, I herd a clerk say ;"
And thus he cumforthes the quene, throghe his knyȝt-hed ;
Ho sayd, " Syr Cador, Syr Clegius, Syr Costantyne, Syr Cay,
These knyȝtes ar vn-curtas, by cros, and by crede !
That thus haue laft me allone, at my dethe day,
With on the grymlokkest gost, that euer herd I grete !"
" Of the gost," quod the gome, " greue the no mare ;
For I wille speke with the sprete,
And of hit woe wille I wete,
Gif that I may hit bales bete,
And the body bare."

Alle bare was the body, and blak by the bone,
Vmbeclosut in a cloude, in clething evyl clad ;
Hit ȝaulut, hit ȝamurt, lyke a woman,
Nauthyr of hyde, nyf of heue, no hillyng hit had ;
Hyt stedyt, hit stode as stylle as a stone ;
Hyt menet, hit musut, hyt marret for madde.
Vn-to the gryselyche gost Syr Gauane is gone,
And rayket to hit in a res, for he was neuyr radde ;
Rad was he neuyr ȝette, quo so ryȝte redus ;
Opon the chefe of hur cholle,
A padok prykette on a polle,
Hyr enyn were holket and holle,
And gloet as the gledes.

Alle gloet as the gledes, the gost qwere hit glidus,
Was vmbyclosut in a cloude, in clething vn-clere
Was sette aure with serpentes, that sate to the sydus ;
To telle the todus ther opon with tung were ful tere.
Then this byrne braydet owte a brand, and the body bidus
For alle this chiualrouse knyȝt, chonget no chere ;
The houndes hyes to the holtes, and thayre hedus hidus ;
The greundes were alle a-gast, of the gryme bere.
Thus were the grehondes a-gast of the gryme bere ;
The bryddus in the boes,
That of the gost gous,
Thay scryken in the scoes,
That herdus myȝten horn here.

Alle the herdus myȝtun here, the hyndest of alle,
Off the schaft and the shol, shaturt to the shin ;
Thenne coniurt the knyȝt, and on Cryst callus,
" As Thou was claryfiet on crosse, and clanser of synne,
Wys me, thou waret wyȝte ! quedur that thou schalle,
Querfore that thou walkes these woddes with-inne ?"
Ho sayd; ho was a figure of flesche, fayrest of alle,
" Crystunt and crisumpte with kingus in my kynne ;
I hade kingus in my kynne, that kyd were for kene ;
Thus God hase grauntut me grace,
To dre my penawunse in this place,
And I am comun in this cace,
To carpe with ȝour qwene.

For qwene was I sum-qwile, briȝter of broes
Thenne Berel, or Brangeuayne, the birdus so bold ;
Of alle the gornun, and the grythe, that on the ground groes,
Grattur thenne Dame Gaynour, be grete sowmus of gold ;
Of palas, of parkes, of poundes, of ploes,
Of toures, of tounes, of tresurus vn-told ;
Of castels, of cuntrayes, of cliffes, of does,
Thus am I cachet fro kythe, to cares so kold !
Thus am I cachet to care, and couchet in clay ;
Lo ! thou curtase knyȝte,
Houe dylful dethe hase me dyȝte,
To lette me onus haue a syȝte
Of Ganore the gay."

Thenne Syr Gauan the gode, to Gaynour is gone,
Be-fore the body he hur broȝte, and the byrde bryȝte,
Ho sayd, " Welcum, Waynor, i-wys, wurlok in wone
Lo ! hou dilful dethe hase thi Dame dyȝte !
For my rud was raddur then rose of the ron,
My lere as the lilly that lauchet so lyȝte ;
Now I am a gryselyche gost, and griseliche I grone,
With Lucifere, in a lake, thus lau am I lyȝte.
Thus lau am I lyȝte, take wittenesse by me ;
For alle ȝour fresche forur,
That menes of ȝour merur,
Kynge, Duke, and Emperoure,
Alle thus schalle ȝe be.

Thus dethe wille ȝou diȝte, I do ȝou oute of doute,
And therfore hertely take hede, quyles that thou art here
Qwen thou art ray richest, and rydus in thi route,
Haue pete on the pore, quyl thou hase pouere :
Quen birdus, and birnys ar besy the aboute,
Quyl thi body be boumet, and broȝte on a bere,
Thay wille leue the ful lyȝteli, that noue wil the loute,
And then helpes the no thing, but holi prayere.
For the prayer of the pore may purchase thi pece ;
Those at thou ȝees at thi ȝate,
Quen thou art sette in thi sete,
With alle the myrthes at thi mete,
And dayntethis on dese.

With alle dayntethis on dese, thi dietis ar diȝte,
And I in dungun, and dill, is done for to duelle ;
Naxty, and nedy, and nakut, opon heȝte ;
For in wunnyng place, is woe for to duelle ;
Thay hurlun me vn-hindely, thay haue me on heȝte,
In brasse, and in brinstone, I brenne as a belle;
For I ne wotte in this word, so woful a wiȝte ;
Hit were fulle tere for a tung, my tourmentes to telle.
Now wold I of these tourmentes talk or I goe,
Thenke thou throli opon this,
And founde to mend of thi mys,
For thou art warnut i-wis ;
Be-war of my woe !"

" Wys me for thi wirde !" cothe Waynor, i-wis,
But on thing wold I wete, and thi wille ware,
Quethir authir matyns, or masse, myȝt mend the of mys,
Or any mubulle on the muld, my myrthe were the more ;
Or bedus of these bischoppus, myȝte bringe the to blis,
Or couand in the cloystur, myȝt kele the of care,
For giffe the were my modur, grete wundur hit ware,
That euyr thy burliche body bryȝte is so bare !"
Ho sayd, " I bare the of my body, quat bote is to layne ?
By a token thou me troue,
I breke a solem adecoue,
That non wist but I and thou,
Quo sotheli wille sayne !"

" Say me," quod Gaynour, " quat myȝte saue the from site
Fro cite I schalle sayntes ger seke sone for thi sake ;
For tho baleful bestus that on thi body bites ;
Alle blynde is my ble, thi blode is so blake !"
" These ar luf peramourus, that listus and likes,
Dose me lyȝte, and lynd lau in in a lake ;
Alle the welthe of this worde thus a-way wytes,
With these wrechut wurmus, that wurchen me this wrake.
Thus to wrake am I wroȝte, Waynor, i-wis ;
Were thritte trentes of masse done,
Be-twyx vndur and none,
My saule were socurt ful sone,
And broȝte un-to blys."

Ho sayd, " To that blys bring the that birne that boȝt vs with his blode,
As he was clarifiet on crosse, and crounet with thorne,
Cristunt and crisumte, with condul and with code,
Folut in a fontestone, frely biforne ;
And Mary, his modur, that mylde is of mode,
Of qwom that blisfulle barne in Bedelem was born ;
He gif me grace, to grete thi saule with the gode,
And myn the with massus, and matins, on morun."
" To mynne me with massus, grete mestur hit were ;
For him that rest on the rode,
Thou dele fast of thi gode,
To tho that fales the fode,
Qwillus that thou art here."

" Here I hete the my hond, thi hestus to hold,
With a miliun of masse to make thi mynnyng ;
But on thing," [cothe] Waynour, " that I wete wold,
Quat wrathes Crist most at thi weting ?"
Ho sayd, " Pride with his purtenans, hase prophetes haue told,
And enperit to the pepulle in hor preching ;
These ar the branches full bittur, ther-of be thou bold,
Makes mony byrne full boune, to breke Goddus bidding,
Quo his bidding brekes, bare is of blis ;
But if thay saluen horn of ther sare,
Certis or thay hethun fare,
Thay knaue of mekil care,
ȝe Waynore, i-wis !

" Now wis me," quod Waynor, " gif that thou wost,
Quat bedus that myȝte best vs to blis bring?"
Ho sayd, " Mesure and mekenes, that is the most,
Haue pete of the pore, that plesus the kinge ;
Sethyn charite is chefe to those that wyn be chast,
Almesdede, that is aure alle other thingus.
These ar the gracius giftus of the Holi Gost.
That enspires iche sprete, with-oute spilling,
Off this spirituallte speke we no more ;
Quyll thou art quene in thi quarte,
Hald these wurdus in thi herte,
For thou mun lyf butte a starte,
And hethun schalle thou fare."