Stanzas 14-15 (ll. 301-342): The Green Knight Taunts Arthur, who Responds to the Challenge Flashcards

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1
Q

“heredmen in halle”

as in

“All the heredmen in halle, the high and the lowe.” (l. 302)

A

“members of the household”

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2
Q

“renk on his rounce”

as in

“The renk on his rounce him riched in his sadel,” (l. 303)

A

“man on his horse”

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3
Q

“riched in his sadel”

as in

“The renk on his rounce him riched in his sadel,” (l. 303)

A

“turned himself in his saddle”

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4
Q

“runischly”

as in

“And runischly his red iyen he reled aboute,” (l. 304)

A

“fiercely”

(“reled” means ‘cast’; not enough to warrant its own card lol)

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5
Q

“Bende his bresed browes blykkande grene” (l. 305)

A

“furrowed his bushy, gleaming green eyebrows”

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6
Q

“for to wayte”

as in

“Wayved his berd for to wayte whoso wolde rise.” (l. 306)

A

“as he waited [for]”

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7
Q

“kepe him with carp”

as in

“When non wolde kepe him with carp, he coghed ful highe,” (l. 307)

A

“meet his challenge with [their] speech”

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8
Q

“And rimed him ful richly and ryght him to speke.” (l. 308)

A

“And impressively expanded his chest, and sat upright to speak.”

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9
Q

“That all the rous rennes of thurgh ryalmes so mony?” (l. 310)

A

“Of which all the [boasts of] renown run through so many places?”

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10
Q

“sorquydrye”

as in

“Where is now your sorquydrye and your conquestes,” (l. 311)

A

“pride”

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11
Q

“gryndellayk”

as in

“Your gryndellayk and your greme and your grete wordes?” (l. 312)

A

“fierceness”

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12
Q

“greme”

as in

“Your gryndellayk and your greme and your grete wordes?” (l. 312)

A

“anger”

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13
Q

“grete wordes”

as in

“Your gryndellayk and your greme and your grete wordes?” (l. 312)

A

“threats”

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14
Q

“overwalt”

as in

“Overwalt with a word of on wyes speche,” (l. 314)

A

“overthrown”

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15
Q

“For all dares for drede withoute dint schewed!” (l. 315)

A

“As everyone cowers with dread without any blow given!”

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16
Q

“greved”

as in

“With this he laghes so loude that the lord greved:” (l. 316)

A

“grew enraged””

17
Q

“schyre”

as in

“The blod schotte for schame into his schyre face” (l. 317)

A

“bright”

18
Q

“lere”

as in

“And lere;” (l. 318)

A

“cheeks”

19
Q

“Wex”

as in

“He wex as wroth as wynd,” (l. 319)

A

“grew”

20
Q

“as kene by kynde”

as in

“The kyng, as kene by kynde,” (l. 321)

A

“so brave by nature”

21
Q

“stif”

as in

“Then stod that stif man nere.” (l. 322)

A

“strong”

22
Q

“nice”

as in

“And sayd, ‘Hathel, by heven, thyn askyng is nice,” (l. 323)

A

“foolish”

23
Q

“And as thou foly has frayst, fynde thee behoves,–” (l. 324)

A

“And as you have sought foolishness, you shall find it,–”

24
Q

“gast”

as in

“I know no gome that is gast of thy grete wordes.” (l. 325)

A

“afraid”

(Note also: “grete wordes” means “threats” once again, as in l. 312)

25
Q

“upon Godes halve,”

as in

“Gif me now thy giserne, upon Godes halve,” (l. 326)

A

“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.)

26
Q

“And I schal baythen thy bone that thou boden habbes.” (l. 327)

A

“And I shall grant the demand that you have ordered.”

27
Q

“Lyghtly lepes he him to and laght at his hande;” (l. 328)

A

“Promptly Arthur leaps to the Knight, and seized [the axe] in his hand;”

(Reminder of the historic present)

28
Q

“fersly”

as in

“Then fersly that other freke upon fote lyghtes.” (l. 329)

A

“proudly”

29
Q

“upon fote lyghtes”

as in

“Then fersly that other freke upon fote lyghtes.” (l. 329)

A

“dismounts [his horse] onto his feet.”

30
Q

“And sturnely stures hit aboute, that strike with hit thoghte.” (l. 331)

A

“And fearlessly he, who intends to strike with it, swings it about [in practice].”

31
Q

“stod upon hyghte”

as in

“The stif man him before stod upon hyghte,” (l. 332)

A

“stood at [his full] height”

(Note “stif” means “strong” again.)

32
Q

“Herre then”

as in

“Herre then any in the house by the hed and more” (l. 333)

A

“Taller than”

33
Q

“sturne chere”

as in

“With sturne chere there he stod he stroked his berde,” (l. 334)

A

“unfazed expression”

34
Q

“countenaunce drye”

as in

“And with a countenaunce drye he drow doun his cote,” (l. 335)

A

“unmoving expression”

(Note: “cote” means “tunic”; recall his clothing as described earlier in the poem.)

35
Q

“No more mate ne dismayd for his mayn dintes
Then any burn upon bench had broght him to drynke
Of wyne” (ll. 336-38)

A

“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.”

36
Q

“con enclyne”

as in

“To the kyng he con enclyne:” (l. 340)

A

“did bow”

(Note: periphrastic past tense)

37
Q

“with sawes sene”

as in

“I beseche now with sawes sene” (l. 341)

A

“with clear words”

38
Q

“melly”

as in

“This melly mot be myne.” (l. 342)

A

“challenge”

(Lit. “melee”, or “combat”)