Poetry Review: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Gawain Poet, Passus I,

Passus I, Stanza 1, Lines 1 through 19:

Modern English:
Since the siege and the assault was ceased at Troy
The walls breached and burnt down to brands and ashes,
The knight that had knotted the nets of deceit
Was impeached for his perfidy, proven most true,
It was high-born Aeneas and his haughty race
That since prevailed over provinces, and proudly reigned
Over well-nigh all the wealth of the West Isles.
Great Romulus to Rome repairs in haste;
With boast and with bravery builds he that city
And names it with his own name, that it now bears.
Ticius to Tuscany, and towers raises,
Langobard in Lombardy lays out homes,
And far over the French Sea, Felix Brutus
On many broad hills and high Britain he sets,
most fair.
Where war and wrack and wonder
By shifts have sojourned there,
And bliss by turns with blunder
In that land’s lot had share.

Summary:
The poem begins with a reference to when the “siege and assault was ceased at Troy” (1). The poet places the reign of King Arthur in a broad historical perspective which includes the fall of Troy. The poem makes reference to the “knight that had knotted the nets of deceit” (3). The deceitful knight is Antenor, who in Virgil’s “Aeneid” is a trusted counselor, but who appears as a traitor in later versions of the Troy story. Antenor is referenced here as a traitor to Troy, and was “impeached for his perfidy” (4). The word “perfidy” means deceitfulness, untrustworthiness, breach of faith or of a promise, betrayal of trust and treachery. Antenor was impeached due his deceitfulness and treachery.

The rulers of the West Isles were “high-born Aeneas and his haughty race” (5). The term “high-born” means born in a high rank of society, or of noble birth. The term “haughty race” means the race considered themselves high in their estimation, lofty and disdainful in feeling or demeanor, proud, arrogant, and supercilious when it came to their disposition their action and speech. They “prevailed over provinces, and proudly reigned” (6). The word “prevail” means to become very strong, to gain vigor or force, and to increase in strength over provinces, a country, territory, district, or region, a region of the earth or of a continent, included are the inhabitants of such a region or a nation. The word “reign” means to hold or exercise the sovereign power or authority in a state, to rule or govern as king or queen, sometimes in restricted sense, to hold the royal office without being actual ruler, to have a limited or nominal sovereignty. The ruled “Over well-nigh all the wealth” (7). The term “well-nigh” means very nearly, almost wholly or entirely all the wealth.

In accordance with medieval notions of history, the poet visualizes Aeneas, son of the king of Troy, and his descendants, as founding a series of western kingdoms to which each gives his name. We are told what “Romulus is to Rome” (8). “Ticius is to Tuscany” (11). “Langobarb is to Lombardy” (12). This westward movement ends with the crossing of the “French Sea” or British Channel (13). Felix Brutus, the great-grandson of Aeneas, is to “Britain” (14). This Brutus, whom the poet calls felix or fortunate, is not to be confused with the Marcus Brutus of Roman history. They are all founders of great cities, who were then honored by having the cities named after them.

Rome, Tuscany, Lombardy and Britain are locations “Where war and wrack and wonder” (16)/ “By shifts have sojourned there” (17). The term “wrack and wonder” means retributive punishment, vengeance, revenge and wonder, astonishment. By shifts, a beginning or movement towards progress, have sojourned, a place of temporary stay, there, the city or region. In Rome, Tuscany, Lombardy and Britain war and retributive punishment and astonishment by migration towards have traveled.

“Bliss by turns with blunder” (18)/ “In that land’s lot had share” (19). The contrasting words “bliss” means to give joy or gladness, while “blunder” means confusion, bewilderment, trouble, disturbance and clamor. In the new region, the experience was either joy or disturbance. A “lot” is an object, normally a piece of wood, which was used in a widely diffused ancient method of deciding disputes regarding the division of property. Each lot or piece of wood bears the special mark of a person to whom the land is to be their claim. The claim was determined by an appeal to the divine agency supposed to be concerned in the results of chance. The word “share” means the part or portion of the land which is allotted or belongs to an individual, when distribution is made.