Update: Read again! This time, it's the Norton Critical edition edited and translated by Marie Borroff.

It gives a more archaic feel compared to the O’Donoghue edition which replicates the high language of Middle English.

Moreover, this Norton edition includes a plethora of useful and insightful supplementary essays.

It is highly recommended for the student who is interested in the wider context of Arthurian and/or 14th century literature.

Note: Read the Penguin edition translated by Bernard O'Donoghue.

Super-duper worried for the cute talking fox in the trailer for The Green Knight. Godspeed, Reynard!

O'Donoghue's translation strikes a good balance between fidelity and readability.

It comes with helpful explanatory end notes for some trickier lines.

It's nice and lean - just the poem, an intro, and a few notes.

It's great if you simply want a short text of the poem without any extra frills.

Surprisingly, into this funky little poem!

Yes, reading multiple stanzas of Middle English poetry about a boar hunt truly tested me as a person.

The language and the archaic expressions were at times quite challenging to decipher.

However, there were parts of it that were so incredibly fun and intriguing.

The vivid descriptions of the hunt, the actions of the hunters, and the wild boar itself painted a captivating picture in my mind.

It made me realize that sometimes culturally iconic texts are indeed very good.

They offer a unique window into the past, allowing us to experience the thoughts, feelings, and values of people from a bygone era.

Now, I understand the hype surrounding such works of literature.

They have the power to transport us to another time and place, and to expand our understanding of the human experience.

The story is indeed interesting enough.

However, God, Gawain is so annoying. For fuck's sake, man! You said you were sorry and you gave back the damn girdle.

Do you really have to hang your head in shame for the rest of your days?

If you're going to be ashamed of something, it should be that gross misogynistic rant at the end of the poem.

It seems that Gawain's excessive self-blame is almost unnecessary.

He has already taken responsibility for his actions by returning the girdle.

But instead of moving on, he chooses to wallow in self-pity and shame.

This behavior not only makes him seem weak but also detracts from the overall appeal of the story.

Perhaps if he could have learned from his mistake and grown as a person, the story would have had a more positive and inspiring ending.

As it stands, however, his continued shame is just another aspect of the story that leaves the reader feeling a bit frustrated.

Wow.

AMAZINGLY ALLITERATIVE LINES LAYERED WITH LOVELY LANGUAGE!

I was truly captivated while thoroughly enjoying analyzing it. Everything in this piece was so brilliantly connected. The storyline was filled with twists and turns galore, keeping me on the edge of my seat.

It had valuable morals, alliteration that added a touch of magic, and a wonderful use of "Bob-and-wheels" which provided just the right amount of rhyme without being excessive. The pace was wonderfully varied, alternating between excitement and moments of epiphany.

The narrative was incredibly gripping, making it a real page-turner. It was a perfect blend of entertaining, suspenseful, and descriptive elements all rolled into one.

I even experienced second-hand embarrassment and mudita because the descriptions were so vivid. It made me question the idea that books aren't as lifelike as movies. No, it couldn't be just my imagination. This piece truly brought the story to life in a remarkable way.

145th book of 2023.

Goodreads didn't appreciate my attempt to differentiate the translations of this work. Initially, I delved into Armitage's translation. Just a few days ago, I completed reading the Burrow edited, yet not translated, version of the poem. It was quite a challenge to obtain a copy of the poem that wasn't rendered into modern English. Eventually, I discovered a copy in the basement of a library. Although its cover was unattractive, it was precisely what I desired. The edits to the text were merely standardizations of letters. Otherwise, it remained original. As a comparison to the original text and Armitage's translation, I have selected one of the passages where the Green Knight and his steed are described.

And all graythed in grene this gome and his wedes:
A strayt cote ful streght that stek on his sides,
A mery mantyle above, mensked withinne
With pelure pured apert, the pane ful clene
With blithe blaunner ful bryght, and his hode both,
That was laght fro his lokkes and layd on his schulderes,
Heme wel-haled hose of that same grene
That spend on his sparlyr, and clene spures under
Of bryght gold upon silk bordes barred ful rich,
And scholes under schankes there the schalk rides;
And all his vesture verayly was clene verdure,
Both the barres of his belt and the blithe stones
That were richly rayled in his aray clene,
Aboute himself and his sadel upon silk werkes.
That were to tor for to telle of trifles the halve
That were enbrawded above with bryddes and flyes,
With gay gaudi of grene, the gold ay inmyddes.
The pendauntes of his payttrure, the proud cropure,
His molaynes and all the metail anamayld was then,
The stiropes that he stode on stayned of the same,
And his arsouns all after and his athel skyrtes,
That ever glemered and glent all of the grene stones.
The fole that he ferkes on fyne of that ilk,
Sertayn,
A grene horse grete and thik,
A stede ful stuf to strayne,
In brayden brydel quik,
To the gome he was ful gayn.

-

And his gear and garments were green as well:
a tight-fitting tunic, tailored to his torso,
and a cloak to cover him, the cloth fully lined
with smoothly shorn fur clearly showing, and faced
with all-white ermine, as was the hood,
worn shawled on his shoulders, shucked from his head.
On his lower limbs his leggings were also green,
wrapped closely round his calves, and his sparkling spurs
were green-gold, strapped with stripy silk,
and were set on his stockings, for this stranger was shoeless.
In all vestments he revealed himself veritably verdant!
From his belt-hooks and buckle to the baubles and gems
arrayed so richly around his costume
and adorning the saddle, stitched onto silk.
All the details of his dress are difficult to describe,
embroidered as it was with butterflies and birds,
green beads emblazoned on a background of gold.
All the horses's tack - harness-strap, hind-strap,
the eye of the bit, each alloy and enamel
and the stirrups he stood in - were similarly tinted,
and the same with the cantle and skirts of the saddle,
all glimmering and glinting with the greenest jewels.
And the horse: every hair was green, from hoof
to mane.
A steed of pure green stock.
Each snort and shudder strained
the hand-stitched bridle, but
his rider had him reined.

126th book of 2023.

This is a remarkable, poetic, and vivid translation by Armitage. I am quite familiar with the story, so my focus was truly on the translation and the poetic liberties taken. It was well worth it. Even the journeying segments of the poem are exquisitely written. I have several other translations lying around that I will read shortly and then return here to compare them. This is an outstanding starting point.

This was absolutely wild, to be honest.

I don't know what to think of it, but it sure was a ride.

It was like a crazy adventure that took me on a journey through a strange and wonderful world.

Also, all I could picture the Green Knight as was that green dude from like the green beans or whatever frozen vegetable it is.

This definitely added a layer of hilarity to an already bizarre story.

The combination of the strange and the comical made it a truly unique experience.

I found myself laughing out loud at times, while also being completely captivated by the strange events unfolding before my eyes.

It was a story that I will not soon forget, and one that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a wild and crazy read.

Once in a while, I find myself in need of a chivalrous read. You know, the kind that involves "striving to protect the helpless, safeguarding your woman, and slaying the evil guy or beast or both!" However, this particular book wasn't quite what I had expected.

There is indeed chivalry within its pages, and there is a woman as well, but there isn't really an "evil" guy. Instead, there is a magical man who teaches Gawain about honesty in a rather strange way.

This is a short novel, yet it is filled with content. I'm not sure how to review it without giving away spoilers. In short, Gawain is the youngest of King Arthur's knights. At a Christmas banquet, a green dude rides his horse right through the banquet hall door, demanding to challenge the king and his knights. Arthur agrees to take on the challenge, but the other knights also want to face the dude in his booger green attire. Sir Gawain steps up to the plate, and oddly enough, the man allows him to cut off his head. Yup, so much for a challenge! But then the man gets up, takes his severed head, and walks out. So now we know how the Legend of Sleepy Hollow really begins!

As I described above, the beginning of the story is extremely bizarre, but the story itself is a good one. Once in a while, I truly enjoy a story that has a moral lesson to impart. In the knight's code, one of the most sacred honors is honesty. This book effectively demonstrated the importance of what it means to be an honest knight and to always tell the truth. I loved how the message was that truth is always beautiful, even though it might sting at first, but it always brings about healing.

4.25/5

I had the pleasure of reading Tolkien's translation, and it was truly beautiful.

Tolkien's work is renowned for its meticulous attention to detail and his ability to bring the text to life.

The way he translated the words and phrases was not only accurate but also filled with a certain charm and elegance.

His understanding of the language and the cultural context in which the original text was written is evident throughout the translation.

Each sentence seems to have been carefully crafted, and the overall effect is a translation that reads like a work of art in its own right.

I was completely captivated by Tolkien's translation and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in experiencing the beauty of the original text in a new and wonderful way.

It is a testament to Tolkien's skill as a translator and his love for the source material.

Overall, it was a truly remarkable reading experience that I will not soon forget.

For what it's worth, this is truly such an outstanding story!

It not only imparts a wonderful moral message regarding chivalry and honor but also delves into human weakness, highlighting the fact that we all have our flaws and misgivings.

It is a highly creative and magical tale. The descriptions are simply lovely, and one can easily tell that it was meticulously written.

What would have enhanced my enjoyment even more is if I were reading a translation. However, since this was a reading assignment for university, we had to translate it ourselves.

And as this was my first encounter with medieval English, it was indeed a rather challenging process. It somewhat diminished the fun of reading it a little, but this is a personal experience and by no means a criticism of the work itself.

Overall, despite the difficulties in translation, the story still manages to captivate and engage, leaving a lasting impression.

Wer auch immer das geschrieben hat, hat gekocht.

This simple sentence implies that whoever has written something has also engaged in cooking. It could suggest a connection between the act of writing and the activity of cooking. Maybe the person who wrote this was inspired by their cooking experiences or perhaps they were simply making a random observation.

It's interesting to think about what kind of person might have written this. Was it a writer who also enjoys cooking as a hobby? Or was it someone who was reflecting on the different aspects of their life and noticed the common thread of cooking and writing?

Regardless of who wrote it, this sentence invites us to consider the relationship between these two seemingly different activities. It makes us wonder if there are any similarities or overlaps between the creative process of writing and the art of cooking.

Perhaps both require a certain amount of skill, imagination, and attention to detail. Maybe they both allow us to express ourselves and create something unique.

In conclusion, while this sentence may seem short and simple, it has the potential to spark our curiosity and make us think about the connections between different aspects of our lives.

Yes, I have read yet another edition of this poem.

It was a truly captivating experience. The words seemed to dance off the page, enchanting my mind and soul.

As I delved deeper into the verses, I discovered new meanings and interpretations, which only added to the allure of the poem.

After finishing it, I felt a sense of fulfillment and decided to log it on Goodreads.

This not only allows me to keep track of the books and poems I've read but also gives me a platform to share my thoughts and feelings with others.

Logging it on Goodreads makes me feel better about myself, as it serves as a reminder of my literary journey and the progress I've made in my reading.

It also gives me the motivation to continue exploring new works and expanding my literary horizons.

I'm excited to see what other wonderful poems and books await me in the future.

What an absolutely eloquent poem!

I chose Audi and was thus able to hear both modern English and old English.

The poet had a remarkable and strong grasp of alliteration, which made the flow of the poem just beautiful.

The description in the poem is truly outstanding and puts some modern poetry to shame.

One can vividly imagine the sounds of the axe heads and the beauty of the lady's shoulders.

It was so vivid and gory that I couldn't help but read it twice.

Each line seems to paint a picture in my mind, and the use of language is simply masterful.

This poem is a true gem that showcases the power and beauty of language.

I am truly impressed by the poet's talent and ability to create such a captivating piece of work.

I look forward to reading more of their poetry in the future.