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nydus/Sir Gawain and the Green KnightPublic

A knight accepts a supernatural challenge and faces tests of honesty, loyalty, and honor.

Page 14 of 124
Table of Contents

Introduction

  • × / × / × e.g. | through reálms so mány
  • × / × / e.g. | at Gáwain’s hánds
  • / × × / e.g. | Árthur my náme

A third rhythm, rare except in the second verse, is the “rising-falling” or circumflex × ×/\×, e.g. :

| with a wróth clàmour

or

| by the búrn sìde

It makes a charming variation from the other two.

Long lines. Many lines have three stresses in the first verse. These I have usually simplified; when retained they have the stresses marked, unless the punctuation shows the caesura, e.g. :

And mány a bírd unblíthe on the bare twigs sitting.

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