Stanzas 8-9 (ll. 151-202): Description of the Green Knight and his Horse

Question 1

“graythed”

as in

“And all graythed in grene this gome and his wedes:” (l. 151)

Answer 1

“arranged”

(Note it can also be ‘set’, as it is earlier in the fitt.)

Question 2

“gome”

as in

“And all graythed in grene this gome and his wedes:” (l. 151)

Answer 2

“man”

Question 3

“wedes”

as in

“And all graythed in grene this gome and his wedes:” (l. 151)

Answer 3

“clothes”

Question 4

“A strayt cote ful streght”

as in

“A strayt cote ful streght that stek on his sides”

Answer 4

“A tight, close-fitting tunic”

Question 5

“Heme wel-haled hose of hue the same grene,
That spenned on his sparlyr . . .” (ll. 157-158a)

Answer 5

“Snug-fitting stockings, firmly drawn up and of the same green hue [as his body], stuck to his calves . . .”

(Note changing ‘sparlyr’ singular to plural)

Question 6

“And scholes under schankes there the schalk rides.” (l. 160)

Answer 6

“And the man rides without shoes on his legs.”

Question 7

“vesture”

as in

“And all his vesture verayly was clene verdure” (l. 161)

Answer 7

“Clothing”

Question 8

“verayly”

as in

“And all his vesture verayly was clene verdure” (l. 161)

Answer 8

“truly”

(Literally translates to “verily”, but convert to modern English prose)

Question 9

“clene verdure”

as in

“And all his vesture verayly was clene verdure” (l. 161)

Answer 9

“pure green”

Question 10

“richely rayled”

as in

“That were richely rayled in his aray clene” (l. 163)

Answer 10

“splendidly set out”

(Also note, in this line ‘clene’ may translate to ‘elegant’ again, or ‘perfect’ perhaps)

Question 11

“Aboute himself and his sadel upon silk werkes,–” (l. 164)

Answer 11

“embedded into the silkwork around himself and his saddle”

Question 12

“That were to tor for to telle of trifles the halve
That were embrawded above, . . .” (ll. 165-166a)

Answer 12

“It would be too difficult to tell of [even] half the ornamental details that were embroidered on the surface [of his clothes] . . .”

Question 13

“With gay gaudi of grene, the gold aye in-myddes.” (l. 167)

Answer 13

“With splendid green beadwork, with gold amidst it everywhere.”

(Note: ‘aye’ translates to ‘always’, or ‘everywhere’ in this case)

Question 14

“The pendauntes of his payttrure, the proude cropure,
His molaynes and all the metail enaumayld was thenne,”
(ll. 168-69)

Answer 14

“The pendants [hanging] from his [horse’s] poitrel, the noble crupper, the metal pieces forming the bit and all the [other] metalwork [on his saddle] was enamelled,”

Question 15

“arsouns”

as in

“And his arsouns all after and his athel skyrtes,” (l. 171)

Answer 15

“The uptilted parts of the saddle”

Question 16

“athel skyrtes”

as in

“And his arsouns all after and his athel skyrtes,” (l. 171)

Answer 16

“fine saddle flaps”

Question 17

“fole”

as in

“The fole that he ferkes on fyne of that ilke” (l. 173)

Answer 17

“horse”

Question 18

“ferkes”

as in

“The fole that he ferkes on fyne of that ilke” (l. 173)

Answer 18

“rides”

Question 19

“A stede ful stif to strayn” (l. 176)

Answer 19

“A steed very difficult to control”

Question 20

“In brayden brydel quik” (l. 177)

Answer 20

“lively in a well-fashioned bridle”

Question 21

“ful gayn”

as in

“To the gome he was ful gayn” (l. 178)

Answer 21

“fully obedient”

Question 22

“gay”

as in

“Wel gay was this gome gered in grene” (l. 179)

Answer 22

“splendid”

Question 23

“of his horse sute”

as in

“and the hayre of his hed of his horse sute;” (l. 180)

Answer 23

”. . . matched that of his horse”

Question 24

“Fayr fannande fax umbe-foldes his schulderes;” (l. 181)

Answer 24

“Fair fanning hair enfolds his shoulders”

Question 25

“much”

as in

“A much berd as a busk over his brest henges” (l. 182)

Answer 25

“great”

(Note: ‘much’ is a general intensive, like our ‘great’ or ‘large’; it depends on the context it is used within.)

Question 26

“busk”

as in

“A much berd as a busk over his brest henges” (l. 182)

Answer 26

“bush”

Question 27

“highliche”

as in

“That with his highliche hayre that of his hed reches” (l. 183)

Answer 27

“impressive”, or “remarkable”

Question 28

“reches”

as in

“That with his highliche hayre that of his hed reches” (l. 183)

Answer 28

“extends”

(Note: Means ‘reaches’ more literally, but here a more appropriate translation is ‘extends’)

Question 29

“Was evesed all umbe-torne above his elbowes,
That half his armes thereunder were halched in the wyse
Of a knightes capados that closes his swyre;” (ll. 184-86)

Answer 29

“Was trimmed all around, just above his elbows, so that half of his arms underneath were enfolded in the manner of a knight’s poncho that covers his neck”

(Words of importance: ‘evesed’ is ‘trimmed’; ‘halched’ is ‘enfolded’; ‘wyse’ is ‘way’, or ‘manner’; ‘swyre’ is ‘neck’)

Question 30

“Swyre”

as in

“Of a knightes capados that closes his swyre” (l. 186)

Answer 30

“neck”

Question 31

“Wel cresped and cemmed”

as in

“Wel cresped and cemmed, with knottes ful mony,” (l. 188)

Answer 31

“Well curled and combed”

Question 32

“Folden in with fildore”

as in

“Folden in with fildore, aboute the fayre grene” (l. 189)

Answer 32

“Interwoven with gold thread”

Question 33

“Aye a herle of the hayre, an other of golde;” (l. 190)

Answer 33

“One strand of its hair, [then] another of gold”

Question 34

“The tayl and the toppyng twynnen of a sute” (l. 191)

Answer 34

“The tail and the crest form a pair in their matching style”

Question 35

“dok”

as in

“Dubbed with ful dere stones as the dok lasted” (l. 193)

Answer 35

“Bunch of hair”

Question 36

Sithen throwen with a thwong, a thwarle knot alofte” (l. 194)

Answer 36

“After, [the hair] is tied with a cord [into] a twisted knot on the top [of his head]”

Question 37

“sale”

as in

“Was never sene in that sale with sight ere that tyme” (l. 197)

Answer 37

“hall”

Question 38

“He loked as layt so lyght” (l. 199)

Answer 38

“He looked as bright as lightning”

Question 39

“Under his dintes drye.” (l. 202)

Answer 39

“Survive under his blows/attacks”