I. ii Christmas in Camelot

[gawainandthegreenknight]

The king lay at Camelot upon Christmas
With many loving lords, ladies of the best;
All these rich brothers of the Round Table
With right rich revels and reckless mirth
There tourneyed; true knights full many a time
Jousted full joyfully; these gentle knghts
Then returned to the court to dance and sing carols;
For there the feast was held for full fifteen days,
With all the meat and the mirth that men could devise,
Such gleaming glee, glorious to hear:
Loud singing by day, dancing by night;
All was high and happy in halls and chambers
With lords and ladies as pleased them best;
With all the joy of the world they dwelt there assembled:
The most famous knights under Christ's self
And the loveliest ladies that ever had life
And he the comeliest king that ever held court;
For all these fair folk were in their first age
on earth,
The happiest under heaven,
With their high-willed king;
To name a better host
Today were a hard thing.

While New Year was so young that it was newly come,
That day double portions on the dais were served.
When the king was come with knights unto his hall,
The chanting in the chapel drew to an end;
Loud was the cry of clerks and choir:
Nowell! celebrated anew, its name named often.
And then those rich knights rushed to give gifts;
They displayed their gifts on high, held them in hand,
Debated busily about those gifts;
Ladies laughed full loud though they had lost,
And he that won was not wroth, that may ye well trow!
All this mirth they made until mealtime,
When they had washed, worthily they went to their seats,
The best knight always seated above as was seemly,
When Guenevere in gay attire appeared in their midst
Standing on the shining dais, ornamented all about:
Fine sendal silk beside her, a canopy overhead
Of abundant tapestry from Toulouse and Tars
That were embroidered and beaded with the best gems
That might be proven of high price, with pennies to buy
Today;
The comeliest to be seen
There glanced with eyes of grey;
That he's beheld a fairer queen
No man with truth can say.

But Arthur would not eat till all were served,
He was so jolly in his joy, and somewhat childlike,
He took his life lightly, loving little
Either to lie long abed or to long sit still:
So busy were his young blood and his wild brain.
And also another manner moved him too:
That he nobly had vowed that he would never eat
Upon such a holiday before he were advised
Of some adventurous thing, an unknown tale
Of some great marvel that he might hear,
Of his ancestors, or of arms, or of other adventures,
Or some warrior besought him of some certain knight
To join with him in jousting in jeopardy to lay
Lordly life for life, both in love with another,
As fortune would favour them, the fairer to have.
This was the king's countenance when he was at court
At each fair feast among his free people
in the hall:
Therefore, of face so fair,
He sits strong in stall;
Full early in that New Year,
Much mirth he makes with all.

Thus there stands in the high seat the strong king himself,
Talking of trifles before the high table;
There good Gawain was placed beside Guenevere,
And Agravayn of the Hard Hand on the other side sits:
Both the king's nephews and full trusty knights.
Bishop Baudoin above is at the head of the table
And Ywain, Urien's son, eats with him:
All these were placed on the dais and worthily served,
And afterwards many trusty warriors at the sideboards.
Then the first course comes with the blaring of trumpets
With many bright banners hanging from them;
A rumble of drums with the noble pipes;
Wild warbles awaken the echoes far and wide,
That many a heart rises high at their sound.
With that they bring dainties: rare and costly meats,
The fields' fresh bounty, and on so many dishes
That there's hardly enough space before the people
To set the silver that holds the savouries
On the cloth;
Each, laughing, served himself
As he liked, nothing loth;
Each two had dishes twelve,
Good beer and bright wine both.