Fitt III (Stanzas XXXIX–LV)

[GAWAYNE and Galleronne gurdenne here stedis,
Alle in gleterande golde, gaye was here gere ;
The lordes be-lyfe hom to list ledis,
Withe many seriant of mace, as was the manere.
The burnes broched the blonkes, that the side bledis j
Aythire freke apponne fold has fastned his spere ;
Schaftis in shide wode thay shindre in schides ;
So jolyly thes gentille justede one were !
Schaftis thay shindr, in sheldes so schene ;
And sithenne with brandes bryghte,
Riche mayles thay righte ;
There encontres the knyghte
With Gawayne. one grene.]

Thenne Syr Gauan the gode was graythet in grene,
With his griffuns of gold engrelet fulle gay,
Trowlt with trulofes, and tranest be-twene ;
Opon a startand stede he strikes oute of stray.
The tother in his turnyng, he talkes tille him in tene,
And sayd, " Querto draues thou so dreȝghe, and mace suche deray?"
He sqwapputte him in at the squyre, with a squrd kene,
That greuut Syr Gauan euer tille his dethe day.
The dyntus of that duȝty were douteouse be-dene;
Syxti maylis and moe,
The squrd squappes in toe,
His canel-bone allsoe,
And cleuet his schild clene.

He keruet of the cantel, that couurt the knyȝte,
Thro his shild and his shildur, a schaft-mun he share ;
Then the latelest lord loghe opon heȝte,
And Gauan grechut ther with, and greuut wundur sore :
Sayd, "he shuld rewarde the this route, and I con rede o-ryȝte."
He foundes into the freke with a fresche fare ;
Throȝt basynet and breny, that burnyschet wos bryȝte,
With a bytand brand euyn throghet he him bare ;
He bare thruȝe his brenys, that burneyst were bryȝte.
Then gloppunt that gaye,
Hit was no ferly, in faye,
His stedes startun on straye,
With steroppus fulle stryȝte.

Thenne with steroppus fulle streȝte, stifly he strikes,
Waynes atte Sir Wawane, ryȝte as he were wode ;
Thenne his lemmon on lofte scrilles and scrykes,
Quenne the balefulle birde blenked on his blode.
Other lordus and lades, thayre laykes welle likes,
Thonked God of his grace, for Gawan the gode.
With a squappe of his squrde, squeturly him strykes,
Smote of Gauan stede heued, in styd quere he stode ;
The fayre fole foundret, and felle bi the rode ;
Gauan was smyther and smerte,
Owte of his steroppus he sterte,
As he that was of herte,
Fro Greselle the gode.

" Greselle," quod Gauan, " gone is, God ote !
He wos the burlokke[st] blonke, ther euyr bote brede !
By him that inne Bedelem wasse borne for oure bote,
I schalle reuenge the to day, and I con ryȝt rede."
" Foche the my fresun," quod the freke, " is fayrest on fote,
He wulle stond the in stoure, in-toe so mycul styd."
" No more for thi fresun, then for a rysche rote,
Butte for dylle of a dowmbe best, that thus schuld be ded
I mowrne for no matyttory, for I may gete more."
And as he stode bi his stede,
That was gud in iche nede,
Neȝtehond Syr Wauan wold wede.
So wepputte he fulle sore.

Sore wepput for woe, Syr Wauan the wiȝte,
Bouun to his enmy, that woundut was sore ;
The tother droȝghe him o-dreghe, for drede of the knyȝte,
Then he brochet his blonke, opon the bente bare.
" Thus may we dryue furthe the day," quod Gauan, " to the dirke nyȝte,
The sun is past the merke of mydday and more,"
In myddes the lyste on the lawunde, this lordes doun lyȝte ;
A-gayn the byrne with his brand, he busket him ȝare :
Thus to batelle thay boune with brandis so bryȝte ;
Shene schildus thay shrede,
Welle ryche mayles wexun rede,
And mony duȝty hadun drede,
So fursely thai foȝtun.

Thus on fote con thai feȝte, opon the fayre fildus,
As fresch as ij lions, that fawtutte the fille :
Witturly ther weys, thayre weppuns thay weld ;
Wete ȝe wele, Sir Wauan, him wontut no wille,
He berus to him with his brand, vndur his brode shild,
Thro the wast of the body wowundet him ille ;
The squrd styntet for no stuffe, he was so wele stelet,
The tother startes on bakke, and stondus stone stille ;
If he were stonit in that stounde, ȝette strykes he sore ;
He girdus to Syr Gauane,
Throȝhe ventaylle and pusane,
That him lakket no more to be slayne,
Butte the brede of hore.

And thus the hardy on heyte, on helmis thai heuen,
Betun downe berels, in bordurs so bryȝte,
That with stones iraille were strencult and strauen,
Frettut with fyne gold, that failis in the fiȝte.
With schildus on ther schildurs, schomely thay shewen,
Stythe stapuls of stele, thay striken doune streȝte.
Thenne byernes bannes the tyme, the bargan was bruen,
That evyr these duȝti with dyntus, so dulfuly were diȝte.
Hit hurte King Arther in herte, and mengit his mode ;
Bothe Sir Lote, and Sir Lake,
Meculle menyng con make ;
Thenne Dame Gaynor grette for his sake,
For Gawan the gode !

Thenne grette Dame Gaynour, with hur gray een,
For grefe of Sir Gauan grimliche wouundes ;
Thenne the knyȝte, that was curtase, cruail, and kene,
With a stelun brand, he strikes in that stounde ;
Alle the cost of the knyȝte, he keruys doune clene,
Thro the riche mayles, that ronke were and rouunde ;
Suche a touche in that tyde, he taȝte hym in tene,
And gurdes me Sir Gallerun, euyn grouelonges on grounde.
Alle grouelonges in grounde, gronet on grene,
Als wowundut as he wasse,
Wundur rudely he rose,
Fast he foundes atte his face,
With a squrd kene.

Thus that cruelle and kene, kerues on heȝte,
With a cast of the carhonde, in a cantelle he strikes ;
ȝorne waitis with woe, Sir Wauan the wiȝte,
Butte ȝette him limpus the wurs, and that me wele likes.
He wend with a slyuyng, hade slayn him with slyȝt,
The squrd slippus on slonte, and on the mayle slikes,
Thenne Sir Gauan bi the coler, clechis the knyȝte,
Thenne his lemmon on lofte, ho scrilles and scrikes,
And sayd to Dame Gaynour, with grones full grille,
" Thou Lade, makelest of myȝte !
Haue pety of ȝondur nobulle knyȝte,
That is so dilfully dyȝte,
And hit were thi wille."

Thenne wilfulle Waynour to the king wente,
Keȝte of hur curonalle, and knelit him tille ;
Sayd, " As thou art ray richist, and rialle in rente,
And I thi wedut wife, atte thi none wille ;
ȝondur byrnes in batelle, that bidus on the bent,
Thay ar were i-wisse, and woundut fulle ille ;
Throȝghe schildus, and shildurs, schomfully shente ;
The grones of Sir Gauan, hit dose my hert grille,
The gronus of Sir Gauan the gode, hit greuis me sore :
Wold ȝe, luflyche Lord !
Make ȝondur knyȝtes at a-cord,
Hit were a grete cumford,
For alle that ther ware,"

But thenne speke Sir Galrun to Gawan the gode,
" I wende neuyr we ȝette, hade bene so wiȝte ;"
And sayd, " Here I make the relesche, rengthe, bi the rode !
Before this rialle route resigne the my ryȝte :
And sithin I make the monraden, mildist of mode,
As mon on this mydlert that most is of myȝte."
He stalket touward the king, in stid quere he stode,
And bede the burlyche his brand, that burneschit was briȝt
And sayd, " Of rentis and of richas, I make the relesche."
Doune knelis the knyȝte,
And speke these wurdis opon hiȝte ;
The king stode vppe ryȝte,
And cummawundut pese.

The king cummawundut pese, and stode vp-ryȝte,
And Gauan godely he sesutt for his sake ;
And then these lordus so lele, thai lepe vp liȝte,
Huaya Fus-uryayn, and Arrake Fy-lake,
Sir Meliaduke the Marrake, that mekille wasse of myȝte,
These ij traueling men, truly vppe thay take.
Vnnethe myȝte these sturun men stond vppe ryȝte,
So for-brissutte, and for-bled, thayre blees were so blake ;
Alle blake was thayre blees, for-betun with brandis.
With-outun any hersing,
There diȝte was thayre saȝtenyng,
Be-fore the comeliche king,
Thay heldun vppe thayre hondus.

" Now here I gife the," quod the king, " Gauan the bold !
Glawmorgan londus, with greuys fulle grene ;
The wurschip of Wales, to weld and thou wold,
Kirfre Castelle with colurs ful clene ;
Iche Hulkershome, to haue and to hold,
Ewaynne fiz-Erian and Arrake fiz-Lake
Wayifforthe and Waturforthe, wallet, I wene ;
Toe baroners in Bretan, with burgesse fulle bold,
That is batelt aboute, and biggutte fulle bene.
Here I done the as Duke, and dub the with my hondus ;
With thi, thou saȝtun with ȝondur knyȝte,
That is so hardi and so wiȝte,
And resingne him thi ryȝte,
And graunte him his londus."

" Nowe here I gif the, Galrun," quod Gauan, " with-outyn any gile
Alle the londus for-sothe fro Logher to Layre ;
Carrake, Cummake, Conyngame and Kale,
[That if he of cheualry, chalange ham for aire
The Lother, the Lemmok, the Loynak, the Lile,]
Sir, to thi seluun, and sithun to thine ayre,
With thi, tille oure lordschip, thou leng in a qwile,
And to the Roundtabulle to make thi repare ;
Here I feffe the in fild, frely and fayre."
Bothe the king and the quene,
And other duȝti bi-dene j
Throȝghe owte the greuis so grene
To Carlille thay kayrit.

[The kyng to Carlele es comen, with knyghttis so kene,]
Throghe greuis so grene, held the Rountabulle with rialle aray;
These wees that were wothely woundet, I wene,
Thenne surgens horn sauyt, quo sotheli wynne say ;
Cumfordun horn kindely, the king and the quene,
And sithin dubbut horn Dukes, bothe on a day,
And thenne he weddutte his wife, wlonkest I wene,
With giftus, and with gersums, Sire Galrun the gay.
Thus Gauan and Galrun, gode frindes ar thay ;
Qwen thay were nolle and sownde ;
Thay made Galrun in that stounde,
A knyȝte of the Tabulle Rounde,
Vntille his ending day.

Thenne gerut Dame Waynour to write into the west,
To alle the religeus, to rede and to sing ;
Prustes, prouincials, to pray were fulle preste,
With a meliun of massus, her modur mynnyng.
Boke-lornut byrnus, and bischoppus of the beste,
Thro-oute Bretan so bold, these bellus con ring.
And this ferli be-felle in Ingulwud forest,
Be-side holtus so hore, at a hunting :
Suche a hunting in a holt, aw noȝte to be hidde,
These knyȝtus, stalwurthe, and store,
Throȝhe the forest thay fore,
In the tyme of King Arthore
This anter be-tidde.