1 Gauan gripped to his ax, and gederes hit on hyt,
2 Þe kay fot on þe folde he before sette,
3 Let him doun lytly lyt on þe naked,
4 Þat þe scharp of þe schalk schyndered þe
bones,
5 And schrank þur þe schyire grece, and schade hit in twynne,
6 Þat þe bit of þe broun stel bot on þe grounde.
7 Þe fayre hede fro þe halce hit to þe erþe,
8 Þat fele hit foyned wyth her fete, þere hit forth roled;
9 Þe blod brayd fro þe body, þat blykked on þe
grene; |
1 Gawain gripped his ax, and gathered it on high,
2 The left foot on the floor he sets forward,
3 Let him (the ax) alight (come down) swiftly on his bare skin (of
his neck),
4 So that the sharpness of the blade splinters the bones,
5 And sank through þe bright flesh, and split it in two,
6 Until the bite of the brown steel bit into the ground.
7 The fair head (fell) from the neck onto the earth,
8 So that this fellowship (of knights) rolled it with their feet, where
it rolled forth;
9 The blood sprayed from the body, so that it was speckled on the green*... |
