Gawain and the Green Knight

I. Prologue

Sir Gawain went out to fight
the cruel and terrible Green Knight
in armour shining in the morning light:

Brazen armour, crafted with skill,
and hewn for a purpose, with a will;
and clean and clear, for the kill;

Iron armour, heavy and hard,
to protect the valiant knight and his ward,
pursuing the foe o'er the greensward;

Golden armour, crowning the head
of the man who swore ere a year had fled,
either he or his foe, one would be dead.

Gawain riding out in the morning.

On a huge steed, appearing hewn
from stones from mountains of the moon,
Greyish, earthish, rippling flesh,
of spirited might and movements mesh.
Solitary stallion amid the herd,
Gawain discovered this Incarnate Word
Aloof and above his fellow kind,
seeking a master of similar mind.
When the two met, a battle ensued,
to see who would conquer, who would be subdued.
The knight took the contest, but not with ease,
for many times he was down on his knees,
In the dust, and prone, but up again soon,
to finally conquer this beast of the moon.

And now, both are one in the morning.

Following up was a mere vagabond:
a tagalong squire,
of no great desire,
and holding no fire
for the life of a knight like Gawain:

Of challenging evil that grips certain lond:
to wander ere lost,
no matter the cost,
defeating the host
of oppressors and those out for gain.

But merely to sing full many a song:
of wonder of life,
evading all strife,
and shunning the knife
that takes men's lives, he said, in vain.

This meager swain boasted a meager steed too:
one gentle and kind,
an unusual find.
Both followed behind
the rock hewn horse and Gawain.

And they all travelled out in the morning.

For Gawain sought his foe.