Stanzas 1-4 (ll. 1-84): Introduction and New Years in Arthur's Court

Question 1

“riches him swythe”

as in

“Fro riche Romulus to Rome riches him swythe” (l. 8)

Answer 1

“swiftly turned his path”

(Note the difficulties of translating “swythe”: it can mean swiftly, but also is used to as a general intensive, to intensify the degree of the preceding word.)

Question 2

“brittened and brent to brondes and askes”

as in

“The burgh brittened and brent to brondes and askes” (l. 2)

Answer 2

“Smashed to pieces and burnt to embers and ashes”

(In a response, note the difficulties of translating “brondes”)

Question 3

“Ful skete has skyfted synne” (l. 19)

Answer 3

“has very swiftly shifted [between each other] since that time.”

Question 4

“Bolde bredden thereinne baret that lofden,
In mony turned tyme tene that wroghten.” (ll. 21-22)

Answer 4

“Bold men were bred there, who loved battle and wrought trouble over many revolving years.”

(Note that “Bolde” is an adjective used in place of a noun. Also note that the “-en” ending on “lofden” indicates that it relates to plural.)

Question 5

“ferlyes”

as in

“Mo ferlyes on this folde haf fallen here ofte” (l. 23)

Answer 5

“Wonders”

Question 6

“hendest”

as in

“Aye was Arthur the hendest, as I have herde telle.” (l. 26)

Answer 6

“most gracious”

Question 7

“Forthy an aunter in erde I attle to schewe,
That a selly in sight summe men hit holden
And an outtrage aventure of Arthures wonderes.” (ll. 27-29)

Answer 7

“Therefore, I intend to make known an event that some men consider a marvel to the eyes and a prodigious adventure amongst the wonders of Arthur’s reign.”

Question 8

“as tite”

as in

“I schal telle it as tite, as I in toun herde” (l. 31)

Answer 8

“promptly”

Question 9

“As hit is stad and stoken
In stori stiffe and stronge,
With lele lettres loken
In londe so has ben longe.” (l. 33-36)

Answer 9

“[In the same form] as it is set and embedded in a firm and solid record, secured with honest words, [and] as it has long been in this land.”

(Note the difficulties in converting the bob and wheel into prose.)

Question 10

“Rekenly”

as in

“Rekenly of the Rounde Table all tho rich brether,” (l. 39)

Answer 10

“Worthily”

Question 11

“With rich revel aryght and rechlesse mirthes.” (l. 40)

Answer 11

“With really splendid festivities and uninhibited merriment.”

Question 12

“by tymes ful mony,”

as in

“There tournayed tulkes by tymes ful mony” (l. 41)

Answer 12

“frequently”

Question 13

“jolily”

as in

“Justed ful jolily these gentyle knightes” (l. 41)

Answer 13

“keenly”, or “vigorously”

Question 14

“kayred”

as in

“Sithen kayred to the court caroles to make.” (l. 43)

Answer 14

“made their way”, or “returned”

Question 15

“caroles to make”

as in

“Sithen kayred to the court caroles to make.” (l. 43)

Answer 15

“to perform songs and ring dances”

Question 16

“glam and gle”

as in

“Such glam and gle glorious to here” (l. 46)

Answer 16

“cries of revelry and music”

Question 17

“hap upon high”

as in

“All was hap upon high in halles and chambres” (l. 48)

Answer 17

“of the highest good fortune”

Question 18

“as levest hem thoghte”

as in

“With lordes and ladies, as levest hem thoghte.” (l. 49)

Answer 18

“doing as they pleased”

Question 19

“With all the wele of the world they woned there samen,” (l. 50)

Answer 19

“With all the joy in the world, they stayed there together.”

Question 20

“kyd”

as in

“The most kyd knightes under Crystes selven” (l. 51)

Answer 20

“renowned”

Question 21

“comlokest”

as in

“And he was the comlokest kyng that the court holdes” (l. 53)

Answer 21

“most respectable”, or “fairest”

Question 22

“in her first age”

as in

“For all was this fayre folk in her first age” (l. 54)

Answer 22

“in their youth”, or “in the prime of their lives”

Question 23

“On sille,” (l. 55)

Answer 23

“in the hall”

Question 24

“hapnest”

as in

“The hapnest under heven” (l. 56)

Answer 24

“most blessed”

Question 25

“Kyng highest man of wille;” (l. 57)

Answer 25

“The king [is] the man of the highest will”, or “Their king a man most determined”

Question 26

“Hit were now gret nye to neven
So hardy a here on hille.” (ll. 58-59)

Answer 26

“It would be [of] great difficulty now to name so formidable an army in any stronghold.”

Question 27

“yep”

as in

“While New Yere was so yep that hit was newe comen,” (l. 60)

Answer 27

“fresh”

Question 28

“douth”

as in

“That day double on the dese was the douth served.” (l. 61)

Answer 28

“company”

Question 29

“Fro”

as in

“Fro the kyng was omen with knightes into the halle,” (l. 62)

Answer 29

“Once”, or “From the time that”

Question 30

“nayted onewe”

as in

“‘Nowel!’ nayted onewe, nevened ful ofte;” (l. 65)

Answer 30

“cried out once again”

Question 31

“to reche hanselle”

as in

“And sithen riche forth runnen to reche hanselle,” (l. 66)

Answer 31

“to give new-years’ gifts”

Question 32

“Yeyed yeres-yiftes on high, yelde hem by hande,” (l. 67)

Answer 32

“Called out ‘New Years’ Gifts!’ loudly, and handed them over,”

Question 33

“Worthily”

as in

“When thay had waschen worthily thay wenten to sete,” (l. 72)

Answer 33

“Properly”

Question 34

“The beste burn aye above, as hit best semed” (l. 73)

Answer 34

“The best man [seated] higher up [the table], as was most fitting”

Question 35

“graythed in the myddes”

as in

“Quene Guenore ful gay graythed in the myddes,–” (l. 74)

Answer 35

“Set in the middle [of the high table]”

Question 36

“Dressed on the dere dese, dubbed all aboute,
Smal sendal bisides, a selure her over,
Of tried tolouse, of tars, tapites inoghe,
That were embrawded and beten with the best gemmes
That myght be proved of pris with penies to bye
In day” (ll. 75-80)

Answer 36

“Dressed on the great table [that was] adorned decoratively all around her, with fine silken [curtains] besides her [and] a canopy over her, made from plenty of excellent fabrics from Toulouse and Tharsia that were embroidered and inlaid with the best gems that money could buy (by a skilled valuation any day).”

Question 37

“Comlokest”

as in

“The comlokest to discrye” (l. 81)

Answer 37

“Most beautiful”

(Remember that the meaning here is different to when it was used to describe Arthur earlier!)

Question 38

“There glent with iyen gray;” (l. 82)

Answer 38

“There [Guinevere] glanced with [her] grey eyes”

Question 39

“A semloker that ever he sye
Soth myght no man say.” (ll. 83-84)

Answer 39

“No man can ever say that he has seen anything more pleasing to the eye.”