Copy Book Archive

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight A knight issues a bizarre challenge to King Arthur and his court.

In two parts

?1375
Music: Ralph Vaughan Williams

© Nachosan, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 3.0. Source

About this picture …

The ruins of Pendragon Castle in Cumbria, named after the supposed father of King Arthur, Uther Pendragon. © Nachosan, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Part 1 of 2

One New Year’s Eve, a knight rode into King Arthur’s hall. He was green, all over, and he made a strange offer.

ONE New Year’s Eve, a knight rode into King Arthur’s hall. His clothes and armour were all green; even his skin was green.

Anyone who wished, cried the strange knight, could take one free swing at him with an axe — provided that he could then do the same in return.

Sir Gawain at once agreed. He seized the axe, and with one triumphant blow swept off the green knight’s head.

But the smile was wiped from Sir Gawain’s face when the green knight picked up his head, mounted his horse, and rode away, stopping only to summon Gawain to the Green Chapel in a year and a day, to fulfil his side of the bargain.

So it was that, the following autumn, Sir Gawain set out to find the Green Chapel, and learn his fate.

Jump to Part 2

Précis

A strange green knight challenged Sir Gawain to take one swing at him with an axe, provided the kinght could do the same in return. Gawain beheaded the knight, who then picked up his own head and rode off, reminding Sir Gawain that he must fufil his side of the bargain. (51 / 60 words)

Part Two

© Steve Daniels, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0. Source

About this picture …

The state bedroom in Penrhyn Castle in north Wales. Queen Victoria is reputed to have stayed here.

SIR Gawain’s search for the Green Chapel took him to north Wales, where he was hospitably received by Bertilak de Hauptdesert, the lord of a lonely castle.

Bertilak took Gawain hunting, but first extracted a promise from him. Bertilak would give Gawain any prize he won that day, if Gawain would do the same.

More hospitable still was the Lady Bertilak. Three times she tried to seduce her guest, and three times Gawain won a kiss upon the cheek from her.

True to his Quest, however, he let it go no further; and true to his promise to Bertilak, he passed on each prized, chaste kiss.

He did not, however, pass on the little token of love she pressed on him. True, he refused a golden ring, but he relented at a girdle of green cloth, which he tied around his waist, concealed beneath his clothing.

Copy Book

Précis

Gawain’s quest led him to a lonely castle, whose lord and lady received him kindly. The lord made Gawain promise to give him any prize he won in the day’s hunting, and Gawain dutifully passed on three chaste kisses received from the lady. But he kept secret from her husband a token of her love, a green girdle. (58 / 60 words)

Suggested Music

1 2 3

Household Music (Three Preludes on Welsh Hymn Tunes)

2: St. Denio (Scherzo; Allegro vivace)

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)

Performed by the Northern Sinfonia, directed by Richard Hickox.

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Transcript / Notes

The hymn as originally written by Walter Chalmers Smith (1824-1908) in 1867 ran as follows:

1. IMMORTAL, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessèd, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, thy great Name we praise.

2. Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, thou rulest in might;
Thy justice like mountains high soaring above
Thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love.

3. Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;
But of all Thy rich graces this grace, Lord, impart
Take the veil from our faces, the vile from our heart.

4. All laud we would render; O help us to see
’Tis only the splendour of light hideth Thee,
And so let Thy glory, Almighty, impart,
Through Christ in His story, Thy Christ to the heart.

The last two verses are generally no longer sung, but are replaced with these:

3. To all life thou givest—to both great and small;
In all life thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
And wither and perish—but nought changeth thee.

4. Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;
All laud we would render: O help us to see
’Tis only the splendour of light hideth thee.

By Walter Chalmers Smith

Rhosymedre (Three Preludes on Welsh Hymn Tunes)

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)

Performed by the Northern Sinfonia, directed by Richard Hickox.

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Serenade to Music

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)

Performed by the Northern Sinfonia, directed by Richard Hickox.

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