Stanzas 16-18 (ll. 343-416): Gawain Takes up the Challenge Flashcards
“bow”
as in
“Bid me bow fro this bench and stande by yow there,” (l. 344)
“move”
“That I withoute vilany”
as in
“That I withoute vilany myght voyde this table,” (l. 345)
“So that I, without discourtesy”
“And that my lege lady liked not ille,” (l. 346)
“And if it did not displease my sovereign mistress”
(‘That’ is sometimes conditional)
“soth knowen”
as in
“For me think hit not semely, as hit is soth knowen,” (l. 348)
“widely acknowledged”
(Lit. “known for a fact”)
“hevened”
as in
“There such an askyng is hevened so high in your sale,” (l. 349)
“raised”
“talenttyf”
as in
“Thagh ye yourself be talenttyf, to take hit to yourselven,” (l. 350)
“more than willing”
(Lit. “eager”)
“That under heven, I hope, none hawerer of wille,” (l. 352)
“none in the world more courageous, I think,”
(“That” is construed with “bold” from the line above)
“Ne better bodyes on bent there baret is rered.”
“Nor [are there] better men on the field where battle is raised”
(Key words: “bent” means field, “baret” means battle [see “baret that lofden” earlier in poem], “rered” means raised.)
“I wot”
as in
“I am the wakkest, I wot, and of wyt feblest,” (l. 354)
“I know”
(Note: “wyt” is “wit” in this line)
“And lest lur of my life, who laytes the sothe.” (l. 355)
“And my life (would be) the least loss, [if] anyone wants to know the truth.”
Bot for as much as ye are myn em I am only to prayse:” (l. 356)
“But I am only to [be] praised insomuch as you are my uncle.”
(Note: “em” is uncle.)
“No bounte bot your blod”
as in
“No bounte bot your blod I in my body knowe.” (l. 357)
“No worth but your blood [relationship to me]”
(Note: sentence order should be 357b-357a; reverse the line halves.)
“And sithen this note is so nice”
as in
“And sithen this note is so nice that not hit yow falles,”
“And since this affair is so foolish”
(Note: c.f. “nice” with l. 323)
“falles”
as in
“And sithen this note is so nice that not hit yow falles,”
“properly befall you”
“frayned it at yow”
as in
“And I have frayned it at yow first, foldes hit to me.”
“sought it from you”
“Bout blame.” (l. 361)
“[Nevertheless] be blameless.”
“Riche togeder con roun,” (l. 362)
“Noble men did whisper together,”
(Note: periphrastic past tense; also adj. for n.)
“thay redden all same” (l. 363)
“they all advised the same:”
“ryd”
as in
“To ryd the kyng with crowne” (l. 364)
“relieve [of responsibility]”
“radly”
as in
“And he ful radly up ros and riched him fayre,” (l. 367)
“promptly”
“riched him fayre”
as in
“And he ful radly up ros and riched him fayre,” (l. 367)
“made his way [to Arthur] calmly”
“And he luflyly hit him laft”
as in
“And he luflyly hit him laft and lyfte up his hande” (l. 369)
“Which Arthur left to him kindly”
“‘kepe thee, cosyn,’ quoth the kyng, ‘that thou on kyrf sette;” (l. 372)
“Make sure, nephew,” says the king, “that you make one cut;”
“redes him right” (l. 373)
“give him what he wants”
“That thou schal bide the bur that he schal bede after.” (l. 374)
“That you will endure the blow that he delivers after.”
“And he baldly him bides, he bayst never the helder” (l. 376)
“And the Knight boldly stands ready; Gawain was no more disconcerted [for that].”
“Refourme we our forwardes ere we ferre passe.” (l. 378)
“Let us rehearse the terms of our agreement before we go any further.”
“ethe”
as in
“First I ethe thee, hathel, how that thou hattes
That thou me telle truly as I tryst may.” (ll. 379-80)
“First I command you, knight to tell me what you are called; you should tell me truthfully, so that I may trust you.”
(Note: “That” can become conditional)
“That bede thee this buffet”
as in
“That bede thee this buffet, whatso befalles after,” (l. 382)
“Who offers you this blow”
“With what weppen so thou wilt, and with no wye elles
On lyve.” (ll. 384-85)
“With whatever weapon you please, and from no other man alive.”
“so mot I thryve” (l. 387)
“so may I prosper”
(a common asseveration at the time)
“As I am ferly fayn
This dint that thou schal drive.” (ll. 388-89)
“because I am wonderfully pleased that you [are the one who] shall deliver this strike.”
“fonge at thy fyste”
as in
“That I schal fonge at thy fyste that I have frayst here;” (l. 391)
“receive from your hand”
“that I have frayst here”
as in
“That I schal fonge at thy fyste that I have frayst here;” (l. 391)
“that which I have requested here”
“And thou has redily rehersed by resoun ful true
Clanly all the covenaunt that I the kyng asked,–” (ll. 392-93)
“And you have appropriately rehearsed, with truthful speech, all the terms of our agreement that I asked the king fully”
“siker”
as in
“Save that thou schal siker me, segge by thy trauthe,” (l. 394)
“promise”
(Note: “siker” as adj. means ‘trusty’; as v. it means ‘trust’, or ‘promise’.)
“trauthe”
as in
“Save that thou schal siker me, segge by thy trauthe,” (l. 394)
“oath”
“sech”
as in
“That thou schal sech me thyself whereso thou hopes” (l. 395)
“seek”
“fech thee such wages”
as in
“I may be founde upon folde, and fech thee such wages” (l. 396)
“yourself get [dealt] such promises”
“wale”
as in
“‘Where schuld I wale thee?’ Quoth Gawan. ‘Where is thy place?” (l. 398)
“find”
“I wot never where thou wones, by Him that me wroghte,” (l. 399)
“I do not know where you reside, by Him that made me,”
“how thou hattes”
as in
“Bot tech me truly thereto and tell me how thou hattes,” (l. 401)
“how you are named”
(Note the awkward phrasal structure)
“ware”
as in
“And I schal ware all my wit to wynne me thider,–”
“use”
“If I thee telle truly, when I the tappe have
And thou me smothely has smyten, smartely I thee teche
Of my house and my home and myn owne name,–” (ll. 406-08)
“If I tell you truly, when I have [taken] the tap and you have fairly struck me, I [will] inform you clearly of my house and my home and my own name,–”
(Note: “tappe” could be used in replacement of “dint” or another common word for alliterative purposes, but it could also suggest that the knight is taking a mocking tone, belittling Gawain to taunt him.)
“frayste my fare”
as in
“Then may thou frayste my fare and forewardes holde.” (l. 409)
“seek me out”
“forewardes holde”
as in
as in
“Then may thou frayste my fare and forewardes holde.” (l. 409)
“uphold the terms of the agreement.”
(Note the usage of ‘forewardes’ earlier in the poem.)
“And if I spende no speche, then spedes thou the better,
For thou may leng in thy londe and layte no ferre.” (ll. 410-11)
“And if I expend no speech, then your luck is all the better, for you may remain in your land and seek no further.”
“Bot slokes!” (l. 412)
“But enough!”
“Ta now”
as in
“Ta now thy grym tole to thee” (l. 413)
“Now take”
“thou cnokes”
as in
“And let se how thou cnokes.” (l. 414)
“you strike”
“for sothe”
as in
“Gladly, sir, for sothe,” (l. 415)
“indeed”
