Stanzas 10-11 (ll. 203-249): The Green Knight Begins to Speak

Question 1

“Whether”

as in

“Whether had he no helme ne hauberghe nauther” (l. 203)

Answer 1

“However”

Question 2

“Pysan”

as in

“Ne no pysan ne no plate that pented to armes” (l. 204)

Answer 2

“Metal collar”

Question 3

“plate that pented to armes”

as in

“Ne no pysan ne no plate that pented to armes” (l. 204)

Answer 3

“plates that belonged to armour”

Question 4

“Ne no schaft ne no schelde to schowve ne to smyte.” (l. 205)

Answer 4

“No spear nor a shield to thrust or pierce.”

Question 5

“holyn bobbe”

as in

“Bot in his on hand he had a holyn bobbe” (l. 206)

Answer 5

“sprig of holly”

Question 6

“That is grettest in grene when greves are bare,” (l. 207)

Answer 6

“Which is [one of] the greenest things [to be seen] when groves are bare”

Question 7

“unmete”

as in

“And an axe in his other, a huge and unmete” (l. 208)

Answer 7

“extraordinary”

(Note that the second half of this line needs to precede the first in a prose translation, i.e. “And in his other, a huge and extraordinary axe”)

Question 8

“A spitous sparthe to expoun in spelle, whoso myghte:” (l. 209)

Answer 8

“A grim battleaxe to describe with words, whosoever might try!”

Question 9

“The hed of an elnyerde the large lanthe hade,” (l. 210)

Answer 9

“The head [of the axe] was the full length of an ell-rod”

Question 10

“grayn”

as in

“The grayn all of grene stele and of gold hewen” (l. 211)

Answer 10

“spike [atop the axe]”

(Lit. “projection”– one can imagine that there is a spike that juts out the top of the axe as a result. I have rendered it this way, although other translators take it to mean the socket or casing that holds the blade in place.)

Question 11

“The bitte burnist bryght, with a brod egge” (l. 212)

Answer 11

“The blade, with a long cutting edge, [was] brightly polished”

Question 12

“wel schapen to schere”

as in

“As wel scahpen to schere as scharpe rasores;” (l. 213)

Answer 12

“well adapted to cut”

Question 13

“stele”

as in

“The stele of a stif staf the sturne hit by gripped” (l. 214)

Answer 13

“shaft”

Question 14

“sturne”

as in

“The stele of a stif staf the sturne hit by gripped” (l. 214)

Answer 14

“strong man”

(Note: adj. for n. again)

Question 15

“yrn”

as in

“That was wounden with yrn to the wandes ende” (l. 215)

Answer 15

“iron”

Question 16

“to the wandes ende”

as in

“That was wounden with yrn to the wandes ende” (l. 215)

Answer 16

“for the full length of the staff”

Question 17

“in gracious werkes”

as in

“And all bigraven with grene in gracious werkes,” (l. 216)

Answer 17

“with elegant designs”

Question 18

“A lace lapped aboute, that louked at the hede
And so after the halme halched ful ofte,
With tried tasseles thereto tached inoghe
On botouns of the bryght grene brayden ful riche.” (ll. 217-220)

Answer 18

“A lace cord wound about, and was fastened at the head [of the axe]; also, entwined very often along the handle were fine tassels, plentifully attached on buttons of the [same] bright green [that were] fashioned very splendidly.”

(Conjugation is the challenge here; word translation is doable)

Question 19

“heldes him in”

as in

“This hathel heldes him in and the halle entres,” (l. 221)

Answer 19

“makes his way in”

(Note: verbs of motion are often reflexive in middle English; that is, they are often directed at the subject: “I make my way”, as opposed to “I go”.)

Question 20

“Drivande”

as in

“Drivande to the high dese, dut he no wothe.” (l. 222)

Answer 20

“heading straight”

(Lit. “driving”; try to convey that same force of motion in his movement)

Question 21

“dut he no wothe.”

as in

“Drivande to the high dese, dut he no wothe.” (l. 222)

Answer 21

“he feared no danger.”

Question 22

“Haylsed”

as in

“Haylsed he never one, bot high he overloked.” (l. 223)

Answer 22

“Greeted”

Question 23

“warp”

as in

“The first word that he warp, ‘Where is,’ he sayde,” (l. 224)

Answer 23

“uttered”

Question 24

“gyng”

as in

“The governour of this gyng? Gladly I wolde” (l. 225)

Answer 24

“household”

Question 25

“And reled hem up and doun” (l. 229)

Answer 25

“And swept them up and down [the rows of diners]”

Question 26

“He stemmed and con studie” (l. 230)

Answer 26

“He pondered and did try to work out”

(Note: You must retain the periphrastic past tense of “con studie”. Periphrastic literally means ‘indirect’; here, then, it means you form the past tense by adapting the present tense with a preceding word.)

Question 27

“walt”

as in

“Who walt there most renoun.” (l. 231)

Answer 27

“Possessed”

Question 28

“For uch man had mervayl what hit mene myghte
That a hathel and a horse myght such a hue lache”
(ll. 233-234)

Answer 28

“For each man marvelled [at] what it might mean that a man and his horse might take such a colour”

Question 29

“As grow”

as in

“As grow grene as the gresse and grener hit semed,” (l. 235)

Answer 29

“As to be”

Question 30

“aumayl”

as in

“Then grene aumayl on gold glowande bryghter” (l. 236)

Answer 30

“enamel”

(Note: Remember in this line that the second half of the line should precede the first in a prose rendering.)

Question 31

“All studied that there stod and stalked him nerre
With all the wonder of the world what he work schulde.” (ll. 237-238)

Answer 31

“All that stood there crept closer to him, and pondered with all the wonder of the world [as to] what he should do.”

(Note: word order can be a bit strange here; note in a response that it is difficult to render it in prose whilst maintaining line continuity.)

Question 32

“fele sellyes”

as in

“For fele sellyes had thay sene, bot such never ere”

Answer 32

“many marvels”

Question 33

“arwe”

as in

“Therefore to answare was arwe mony athel freke” (l. 241)

Answer 33

“afraid”

Question 34

“steven”

as in

“And all stouned at his steven and stone-stille seten” (l. 242)

Answer 34

“voice”

Question 35

“swoghe sylence”

as in

“In a swoghe sylence thurgh the sale riche” (l. 243)

Answer 35

“trance-like silence”

Question 36

“sale riche”

as in

“In a swoghe sylence thurgh the sale riche” (l. 243)

Answer 36

“splendid hall”

Question 37

“As all were slypped on slepe so slaked her lotes
In hye.” (ll. 244-45)

Answer 37

“Their words had died away as if they had all slipped into sleep at once.”

Question 38

“doute”

as in

“I deme hit not all for doute” (l. 246)

Answer 38

“fear”

Question 39

“Bot let him that all schuld loute
Cast unto that wye.” (ll. 248-49)

Answer 39

“But [they] let he that all should bow to speak to that man.”

(Note: tricky word here is “loute”, meaning “bow to”.)