Squiër, come near, if it your willë be,
And say somewhat of love, for certes ye
Connë thereon3023 as much as any man.”
“Nay, Sir,” quoth he; “but such thing as I can,
With hearty will—for I will not rebel
Against your lust,3024—a tale will I tell.
Have me excused if I speak amiss;
My will is good; and lo, my tale is this.”
The Tale3025
Pars Prima
At Sarra, in the land of Tartary,
There dwelt a king that warrayed3026 Russie,
Through which there died many a doughty man;
This noble king was called Cambuscan,3027
Which in his time was of so great renown,
That there was nowhere in no regioún
So excellent a lord in allë thing:
Him lacked nought that longeth to a king,
As of the sect of which that he was born.
He kept his law to which he was y-sworn,
And thereto3028 he was hardy, wise, and rich,
And piteous and just, always y-lich;3029
True of his word, benign and honouráble;
Of his coráge as any centre stable;3030
Young, fresh, and strong, in armës desiroús
As any bachelor of all his house.
A fair persón he was, and fortunate,
And kept alway so well his royal estate,
That there was nowhere such another man.
This noble king, this Tartar Cambuscan,
Haddë two sons by Elfeta his wife,
Of which the eldest hightë Algarsife,
The other was y-callëd Camballó.
A daughter had this worthy king also,
That youngest was, and hightë Canacé:
But for to tellë you all her beautý,
It lies not in my tongue, nor my conníng;3031
I dare not undertake so high a thing:
Mine English eke is insufficient,
It mustë be a rhetor3032 excellent,
That couth his colours longing for that art,3033
If he should her describen any part;
I am none such, I must speak as I can.
And so befell, that when this Cambuscan
Had twenty winters borne his diadem,
As he was wont from year to year, I deem,
He let the feast of his nativity
Do cryë,3034 throughout Sarra his citý,
The last Idus of March, after the year.
Phoebus the sun full jolly was and clear,
For he was nigh his exaltatión
In Martë’s face, and in his mansión3035
In Aries, the choleric hot sign:
Full lusty3036 was the weather and benign;
For which the fowls against the sunnë sheen,3037
What for the season and the youngë green,
Full loudë sangë their affectións:
Them seemed to have got protectións
Against the sword of winter keen and cold.
This Cambuscan, of which I have you told,
In royal vesture, sat upon his dais,
With diadem, full high in his palace;
And held his feast so solemn and so rich,
That in this worldë was there none it lich.3038
Of which if I should tell all the array,
Then would it occupy a summer’s day;
And eke it needeth not for to devise3039
At every course the order of servíce.
I will not tellen of their strangë sewes,3040
Nor of their swannës, nor their heronsews.3041
Eke in that land, as tellë knightës old,
There is some meat that is full dainty hold,
That in this land men reck of3042 it full small:
There is no man that may reporten all.
I will not tarry you, for it is prime,
And for it is no fruit, but loss of time;
Unto my purpose3043 I will have recourse.
And so befell that, after the third course,
While that this king sat thus in his nobley,3044
Hearing his ministrelës their thingës play
Before him at his board deliciously,
In at the hallë door all suddenly
There came a knight upon a steed of brass,
And in his hand a broad mirrór of glass;
Upon his thumb he had of gold a ring,
And by his side a naked sword hangíng:
And up he rode unto the highë board.
In all the hall was there not spoke a word,
For marvel of this knight; him to behold
Full busily they waited,3045 young and old.
This strangë knight, that came thus suddenly,
All armed, save his head, full richëly,
Saluted king, and queen, and lordës all,
By order as they satten in the hall,
With so high reverence and óbservánce,
As well in speech as in his countenánce,
That Gawain3046 with his oldë courtesý,
Though he were come again out of Faerie,
Him couldë not amendë with a word.3047
And after this, before the highë board,
He with a manly voice said his messáge,
After the form used in his languáge,
Withoutë vice3048 of syllable or letter.
And, for his talë shouldë seem the better,
Accordant to his wordës was his cheer,3049
As teacheth art of speech them that it lear.3050
Albeit that I cannot sound his style,
Nor cannot climb over so high a stile,
Yet say I this, as to commúne intent,3051
Thus much amounteth3052 all that ever he meant,
If it so be that I have it in mind.
He said; “The king of Araby and Ind,
My liegë lord, on this solemnë day
Saluteth you as he best can and may,
And sendeth you, in honour of your feast,
By me, that am all ready at your hest,3053
This steed of brass, that easily and well
Can in the space of one day naturel
(This is to say, in four-and-twenty hours),
Whereso you list, in drought or else in show’rs,
Bearë your body into every place
To which your heartë willeth for to pace,3054
Withoutë wem3055 of you, through foul or fair.
Or if you list to fly as high in air
As doth an eagle, when him list to soar,
This samë steed shall bear you evermore
Withoutë harm, till ye be where you lest3056
(Though that ye sleepen on his back, or rest),
And turn again, with writhing3057 of a pin.
He that it wrought, he coudë3058 many a gin;3059
He waited3060 in any a constellatión,
Ere he had done this operatión,
And knew full many a seal3061 and many a bond.
This mirror eke,
