Wednesday, July 9, 2014

The Slaying in the Night



(Sir Gawain and the Green Knight)





The Green Knight came back from war
       His armor low, his spoils high:
Trunks of silk and weeping wives,
Gold and wine and precious oils.

There was one that did not weep
But laughed in the Great Knight’s face,
And between the Lady and the Knight
He stood in a warrior’s stance.

Her Hair, a golden-light yellow
In which two knights sank;
Her frame was contoured just right,
At which all women dreamed.

Her lips were crimson red; her eyes
Likened to the sea, bluish-green
She wore a see-through gown,
One that all could dream…!

And at the feast and by her course
No man—save, Sir Gawain dared
And from the distance, men-in-arms
Stood their ground, and starred.

Florencia made a hard stand;
And all knew of her charms,
She held her knight, rigid tight,
The Green Knight in her loving arms.

Soon to counsel the bitter stood,
Florencia and knight to knight;
Who bade Florencia to follow him?
Gawain’s valor rang!

With long faced anger, Gawain stood,
Then with sword in hand he struck
(Face to face, in a warrior’s stance):
The Green Knight, through and through!

There was lost hope in this dismay,
With slash and steel and words,
For his sword, like lard melted through
And killed Florencia as well…

363


Note: here is the poetic version of the long version, which has 53-stanzas, and tells the story in full, of Florencia, Gawain, and the Green Knight’s romance, as told in “Sir Gawain, and the Ghost of the Green Knight.”  This shorter poetic version called, “Conte de Green Knight” was written on the Platform, in Huancayo, Peru, 7-9-2007, No: 1901 /reedited 6-2009, Lima, Peru name change
To “Conte de Green Knight and the Dark Seraph” Reedited a second time, 9-2010 (reviewed for publication 1-2011)