Stanzas 14-15 (ll. 301-342): The Green Knight Taunts Arthur, who Responds to the Challenge Flashcards
“heredmen in halle”
as in
“All the heredmen in halle, the high and the lowe.” (l. 302)
“members of the household”
“renk on his rounce”
as in
“The renk on his rounce him riched in his sadel,” (l. 303)
“man on his horse”
“riched in his sadel”
as in
“The renk on his rounce him riched in his sadel,” (l. 303)
“turned himself in his saddle”
“runischly”
as in
“And runischly his red iyen he reled aboute,” (l. 304)
“fiercely”
(“reled” means ‘cast’; not enough to warrant its own card lol)
“Bende his bresed browes blykkande grene” (l. 305)
“furrowed his bushy, gleaming green eyebrows”
“for to wayte”
as in
“Wayved his berd for to wayte whoso wolde rise.” (l. 306)
“as he waited [for]”
“kepe him with carp”
as in
“When non wolde kepe him with carp, he coghed ful highe,” (l. 307)
“meet his challenge with [their] speech”
“And rimed him ful richly and ryght him to speke.” (l. 308)
“And impressively expanded his chest, and sat upright to speak.”
“That all the rous rennes of thurgh ryalmes so mony?” (l. 310)
“Of which all the [boasts of] renown run through so many places?”
“sorquydrye”
as in
“Where is now your sorquydrye and your conquestes,” (l. 311)
“pride”
“gryndellayk”
as in
“Your gryndellayk and your greme and your grete wordes?” (l. 312)
“fierceness”
“greme”
as in
“Your gryndellayk and your greme and your grete wordes?” (l. 312)
“anger”
“grete wordes”
as in
“Your gryndellayk and your greme and your grete wordes?” (l. 312)
“threats”
“overwalt”
as in
“Overwalt with a word of on wyes speche,” (l. 314)
“overthrown”
“For all dares for drede withoute dint schewed!” (l. 315)
“As everyone cowers with dread without any blow given!”
“greved”
as in
“With this he laghes so loude that the lord greved:” (l. 316)
“grew enraged””
“schyre”
as in
“The blod schotte for schame into his schyre face” (l. 317)
“bright”
“lere”
as in
“And lere;” (l. 318)
“cheeks”
“Wex”
as in
“He wex as wroth as wynd,” (l. 319)
“grew”
“as kene by kynde”
as in
“The kyng, as kene by kynde,” (l. 321)
“so brave by nature”
“stif”
as in
“Then stod that stif man nere.” (l. 322)
“strong”
“nice”
as in
“And sayd, ‘Hathel, by heven, thyn askyng is nice,” (l. 323)
“foolish”
“And as thou foly has frayst, fynde thee behoves,–” (l. 324)
“And as you have sought foolishness, you shall find it,–”
“gast”
as in
“I know no gome that is gast of thy grete wordes.” (l. 325)
“afraid”
(Note also: “grete wordes” means “threats” once again, as in l. 312)
“upon Godes halve,”
as in
“Gif me now thy giserne, upon Godes halve,” (l. 326)
“in God’s name”
(Lit. translates to “by God’s behalf”–a more modern rendering would be the idiomatic “in God’s name”.)
(Also note the repetition of “giserne” from earlier in the poem, meaning “battleaxe” again.)
“And I schal baythen thy bone that thou boden habbes.” (l. 327)
“And I shall grant the demand that you have ordered.”
“Lyghtly lepes he him to and laght at his hande;” (l. 328)
“Promptly Arthur leaps to the Knight, and seized [the axe] in his hand;”
(Reminder of the historic present)
“fersly”
as in
“Then fersly that other freke upon fote lyghtes.” (l. 329)
“proudly”
“upon fote lyghtes”
as in
“Then fersly that other freke upon fote lyghtes.” (l. 329)
“dismounts [his horse] onto his feet.”
“And sturnely stures hit aboute, that strike with hit thoghte.” (l. 331)
“And fearlessly he, who intends to strike with it, swings it about [in practice].”
“stod upon hyghte”
as in
“The stif man him before stod upon hyghte,” (l. 332)
“stood at [his full] height”
(Note “stif” means “strong” again.)
“Herre then”
as in
“Herre then any in the house by the hed and more” (l. 333)
“Taller than”
“sturne chere”
as in
“With sturne chere there he stod he stroked his berde,” (l. 334)
“unfazed expression”
“countenaunce drye”
as in
“And with a countenaunce drye he drow doun his cote,” (l. 335)
“unmoving expression”
(Note: “cote” means “tunic”; recall his clothing as described earlier in the poem.)
“No more mate ne dismayd for his mayn dintes
Then any burn upon bench had broght him to drynke
Of wyne” (ll. 336-38)
“No more distracted or dismayed at the mighty blows [Arthur was practicing] than [he would have been if] any man upon the benches had brought him some wine to drink.”
“con enclyne”
as in
“To the kyng he con enclyne:” (l. 340)
“did bow”
(Note: periphrastic past tense)
“with sawes sene”
as in
“I beseche now with sawes sene” (l. 341)
“with clear words”
“melly”
as in
“This melly mot be myne.” (l. 342)
“challenge”
(Lit. “melee”, or “combat”)
