SIRG AWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT PEARL and SIRO RFEO J. II..T OLII.K.I BN ThlLo rJo ft hlR ings TheF ellowshipo ft heRi ng The TwToo wers TheR eturn of Ktinhge ThlH obbit FarmtGri lofu Ha m TINA tltlmhlm of TomBo mbaJil Smitofh W ool/oManj or T"' a,J Leaf WithD onaldS wann TheR oad G&oeerOs n SIRG AWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT PEARL and SIRO RFEO by Translated J. R.R .T OLKIEN Boston HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY -197 5 FirsAtm ericaEnd ition Copyri�o:©h t1 97b5y G eorgAel le&n U nwinL td. Allr il'thrtess ervNeod .p arotf t hiwso rkm ayht reproduolr"t erda nsmititnae ndy f ormb ya nym eans, electroornm iecc hanicianlc,l udpihnogt ocopyianngd rewrdinogrb. y a nyi nformatsitoonr aogrer etriesvyaslt em, withopuetr missiinow nr itifnrgo mt hep ublisher. Printiendt heU niteSdt atoefsA merica LibraorfCy o ngrCtaJlJt doignPi unbgl icDaa/liao n Gawaina ndt heG renKen ight. SiGra waiann dt heG reeKnn ighPte,a raln,d S irO rfeo. 1.E nglipsoeht ry-MiddElneg li1s1h0,0 -1500-Modern­ izevde rsionIs.T. o lkieJno,h nR onalRde ue1l8,9 2-1973. IIP.e ar(lM iddlEen glipsoehm ). 1975.I IIS.i Orr feo (MiddlEen glipsohe m)1.9 n. IV.T itle. PR1203.G38 821'.1'08 75-20352 ISBN0 -395-21970-1 v 10 9 8 67 5 4 3 21 PREFACE Whenm y fathePrr,o fesJs.oR r. R .T olkiend,i eidn 1 973h el fetu n­ publishhiestd r anslaotfit ohnems e dievEanlg lipsohe mSs iGra waainnd thGem nK 11igPheatar,nl d S iOrrf e.Ao formo fh iPs eatrraln slawtaiso n ine xistemnocreet hatnh iryteya rasg ot,h ougihtw asm uchr evisleadt; e r andt haotf S iGrm 1'asoionna fte1r9 1T0h.e l attwearsb roadcoanst th e BBCT hirPdr ogramimne1 95H3i.s v ersioofSn iOrrf ewoa sa los made manyy earasg oa,n dh adb een( Ib eliefvoer)l ongli ada sidbeu;t h e certaiwnilsyh etdos eiet p ublished. He wishetdop rovibdoet ahg enerianrlto ductainodna c ommenrtya; andi wta sl argely beccoauulsndeo tdhe ec idet hofeno rtmh tat hessheo uld takteh atth et ranslarteimoanisn uendp ublisOhne tdh.e o neh andh,e undoubtesdoluyg hatna udience waintyhk onuotwl edego ft heo riginal poem;sh e wrootfhe i st ranslaotfPi eona 'rTlhP:ee acrerlt adiensleyr ves tob eh eardb yl oevrosf E nglipsohe twrhyo h avneo tt heo pportunity or thed esitroem asteitrds i fficult iTdoi soumcr.he adeIro sff etrh is transla­ tionB.u'th e also 'wArt ortaen:s lamtayib oena u seful offco ormmm en­ tarya;n dt hivse rsimoany p ossibbela yc ceptablet ot ehvoesnwe h o alreakdnyo wt heo rigiannadlp ,o sseesdist iownist ahl tlh eaiprp aratus.' He wishetdh ereftoore ex platihneb asiosf h isv ersiionnd ebatable passagaensd;i ndeeda vergyr eadte aolf u nshowend itoriall ileasb our behinhdi st ranslatwihoincsh, noonytl reflehcits l ong stoufdt hye languaagnedm etroef t heo riginbaultws e,r ea lsion s omed egreteh e inspiraotfii tAo.sn h ew rot'eT:h etsrea nslawteirofienr ssm ta del onagg o form y owni ntsructisoinn,c e a trmaunsstfil rastttor ryt od iscovaesr precisaeshl eyc anw hath iosr igimneaaln sa,n d mbaeyl de bye vecrl soer attenttiouo nnd erstiatbn etdt efro irt osw n saSkien.cI fie r sbte gaInh ave givetno t hei diom thoefs tee xvtesr cyl osset udayn,d I h avcee rtainly learnmeodr ea boutth emt haInk neww henI fi rsptr esumteodt ranslate them.' Butt hec ommentawrays n ever wriatntdte hnei, n troidoucndt idn ot gebety ondt he poitnetn toafbt eigvien niMnygc so.n ceirnpn r epartihnigs bookh as bteheanit ts hourledm aihnio sw n;a ndI h avneo tp rovidaendy commentaThroys.er eadewrhso mh em oswti shetdor eacwhi lblec ontent tok nowt haitnp assagoefds o ubotr d ifficultthye ster anslaatriteo hnes produocflt onsgc rutoifnt yh oer iginaanldos f, grpeaiantst o e mbodyh is conclusiinoa nr se nderaitno gn cper eciasnedm etri;ca anldf ore xlpana­ tionansd d iscussoifod nest arielf eremnucsetb em adet oe ditioofnt sh e orgiinaBlust.r eadewrhsoa rweh olulnya cquaiwnitthet dh ese pwoielmls 7 Prifact wistho k nows omethianbgo utth ema;n di ts eemetdom e thaitfi tw ere ata lplo ssitbhlete r :1r1sbtisohonusl bde i ntroduicnet dh ew ordosf t he tLinslh.iumosrdw fh,o g :tvscom ucht imaen d thougthott hesweo rksI. lu\'heer etfocroem posetdh ei ntroducotrya nde xplanaptaorrtyos ft he booki nt hfeol lwoing\\ 'y:1. . Thef irssetc tioofnt heI ntroducotnit ohnea, u thoorfS irC awia11an d Pf,ui·sdl e,r i,·focrmd my fathern'ost eTsh.e s econsde ctioonn S, ir CaiJ'i<s(J iisnnl ,hitg lyr edudc feorm)a raditoa lwkh ichhe g avaef etrt he broad:cttsso fh itsra nsilona.tF ort het hirsde ctitohneo, n lwyr itionfhg i s onP rartlh: tItc oullidn ds uitatbotl hee p urpowsaes t heo rigidnraaflft o r anc ss:tthyat w ass ubsequepnutbllyi sihner de vids feorm.A fterm y father andP rofessor EV..G ordohna dc ollaborda itne makainne gd itioofSn ir Gau•awihni,cw ha sp ublisihne1 d92 �t,h ey began waonre kd itoinoo fn PraIrntl h.ee ventth,a bto okw as almost tehnewt oirrkeo lfPy r oefssor Gordoanl onbeu,tm y fatherc'onst ributtioio tin n ucdleda smalpla rotf theI ntroducatnidot nh;ee ssaiysh erree produicnet dh ef ormi tfi nally tooaks t her esuolftt h eciorl laborIaI ttaispo pne.a rahnecrheea bse emna de possitbhlreo utghhge enerosoifMt rys I .L . GordIow nis.h a lstoot hank theD elegaotfet sh eC larendPorne sfsor t hepierr misstiouo sne i t. Iw asn ota blteo d iscovaenryw rtiinbgy mfya tehro nt hes ubjeocft SirO fre.Ho eret herefionrke ee,p inwgi tmh y generianlt entfioornt sh e bookI,h avree sttreidmc ysetlofa v erbyr ifeafc tualn otoen t het ext. Sincae p rimaoryb jeocftt hester anslawtaisot nhsec losper eservation oft hem etreosft heo riginaIlt sh,o ugthhta tth eb ooks houlcdon tafiorn , thosweh ow anti ta,n a ccouonftt hev esreo-rfmso fS irG awiaann dP earl. Thes ectioSn irCo na wiai11sc omposferdmo drafmtasd ef or,b utn ot used int,h ei ntroductotroyt htea lbkr oadocfta hsett rsa nslna;at nidot haotn thev esreo-rfmo fP earflro mo thetinrp ublisnhoetde Tsh.e riesv erlyi ttle int hesaec cuont(sa nd notthhianitgsa m attoerfo piniotnh)a itsn oti n my fathero'wsn w ords. Iti si nevittahbalitent huuss inmga teriwarltitse antdi fferetnitm easn d ford ifferpeunrtp ostehser esuslhto unldo tb ee ntirheolmoyg enoeusb;u t its eemetdom eb ettteora ccetphti cso nsqueencteh anno tt ou set hem at all. Ath idse atmhy f athehra dn otfi nalldye cidd oent hfeo rmo fe verliyn e int het ranslatInic ohnosoi.sn gb etweceonm petig nversiIoh nasv ter ied throughtooud te termhiinslet aesitnt entioann,d t hahta si nm ostc ases beedni scoverwaibtflhae ri c ertainty. Att hee ndo ft heb ookI havep rovidae sdh ort gloOsns tahrely a.s t pagwei lble f ounds omev erstersa nastlebdy m y fathferorm am edieval Englipsohe m.H e calltehde m' Gawain'Lse ave-takcielnagr'lw,yi t h 1 Peareldi,t beydE . V. GoOxrfdoornd, 1p9aJghe xsi -:a:i'xF:o rma nd Puorpse'. 8 Preface referetnotc hee p assaignSe i rG awaiwnh erGea wailne avtehsec astolfe SiBcrr tilatko g ot ot het ryasttt heG reeCnh apeTlh.eo riginpaole mh as noc onnectiwoint Shi Gra waint;h ev erstersa nslaarteie nfd a ctth e first threset anzaansd,t hel asotf,a somewhlaotn gpeore mf ounadm onga grouopf f ourteenth-lcyerniwtciustrr hye fraiinnts h Vee rnomna nuscript int heB odleiLainb rary at Oxford. ChrisTtoolpkiheenr 9 CONTENTS Preface 7 Introduction 13 SirG awaiann dt hGer eeKnnig ht 25 Pearl 89 SiOrrf eo 12.3 Glossary 138 Appendixo nV erse-forms 12.4 Gawai1Le na'v e-taking 149