Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo

148 Pages·1975·3.42 MB·English

by  J. R. R. Tolkien

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