Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl and Sir Orfeo
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- Create Date：2021-07-24 09:51:21
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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Summary
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Pearl are two poems by an unknown author written in about 1400。 Sir Gawain is a romance， a fairy-tale for adults， full of life and colour; but it is also much more than this， being at the same time a powerful moral tale which examines religious and social values。
Pearl is apparently an elegy on the death of a child， a poem pervaded with a sense of great personal loss: but， like Gawain it is also a sophisticated and moving debate on much less tangible matters。
Sir Orfeo is a slighter romance， belonging to an earlier and different tradition。 It was a special favourite of Tolkien's。 The three translations represent the complete rhyme and alliterative schemes of the originals。
The three translations represent the complete rhyme and alliterative schemes of the originals， and are uniquely accompanied with the complete text of Tolkien's acclaimed 1953 W。P。 Ker Memorial Lecture that he delivered on Sir Gawain。
Pearl is apparently an elegy on the death of a child， a poem pervaded with a sense of great personal loss: but， like Gawain it is also a sophisticated and moving debate on much less tangible matters。
Sir Orfeo is a slighter romance， belonging to an earlier and different tradition。 It was a special favourite of Tolkien's。 The three translations represent the complete rhyme and alliterative schemes of the originals。
The three translations represent the complete rhyme and alliterative schemes of the originals， and are uniquely accompanied with the complete text of Tolkien's acclaimed 1953 W。P。 Ker Memorial Lecture that he delivered on Sir Gawain。
Reviews
John Damon Davis
，
An absolutely phenomenal work by both the original author and Tolkien's translation。 The original author masterfully tells a driving narrative full of complex themes and compelling tension all in a story that is uniquely completely fae and completely Christian。 Translating a middle English work， I'm sure， is always a bit of a challenge， considering the fact that an English speaking audience can somewhat read the original。 Yet Tolkien's loyalty to both the narrative and the original alliteration An absolutely phenomenal work by both the original author and Tolkien's translation。 The original author masterfully tells a driving narrative full of complex themes and compelling tension all in a story that is uniquely completely fae and completely Christian。 Translating a middle English work， I'm sure， is always a bit of a challenge， considering the fact that an English speaking audience can somewhat read the original。 Yet Tolkien's loyalty to both the narrative and the original alliteration and poetry is marvelous to behold。 During my read through I contrasted his translation with another and consistently preferred Tolkien。 。。。more
Colby Mcmurry
，
Tolkien's life as a philologist and professor of literature shines through in this collection。 His work makes these ancient works come to life with vibrancy; each poem reveals the magic behind the language。 My favorite would have to be the "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight，" but truly all three are entertaining pieces of poetry and great examples of what the medieval period has to offer。 Truthfully， some of the writing can be a bit dry， but again the diction of each poem does more than redeem thi Tolkien's life as a philologist and professor of literature shines through in this collection。 His work makes these ancient works come to life with vibrancy; each poem reveals the magic behind the language。 My favorite would have to be the "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight，" but truly all three are entertaining pieces of poetry and great examples of what the medieval period has to offer。 Truthfully， some of the writing can be a bit dry， but again the diction of each poem does more than redeem this shortcoming。 A high recommendation from me to any fans of Tolkien and literature in general。 。。。more
George
，
This was my first introduction to the world of Arthur - at least， in a literary sense - and it inspired in me a passion for the subject。 Tolkien's translation is beautiful and retains the literary character of the original text， particularly in its use of alliteration to achieve the melodious quality of the words （which， given that the story has its roots in the oral tradition， is particularly appreciated）。 This was my first introduction to the world of Arthur - at least， in a literary sense - and it inspired in me a passion for the subject。 Tolkien's translation is beautiful and retains the literary character of the original text， particularly in its use of alliteration to achieve the melodious quality of the words （which， given that the story has its roots in the oral tradition， is particularly appreciated）。 。。。more
K。L。 Middleton
，
If you'd like to read my thoughts about this book， you can find them at https://theunapologeticbookworm。com/2。。。。 If you'd like to read my thoughts about this book， you can find them at https://theunapologeticbookworm。com/2。。。。 。。。more
Captain Packrat
，
Sir Gawain was interesting， though slow in places。 Pearl was a real drag。 Sir Orfeo was quite enjoyable。
Faith
，
3。5。 Weird （in a good way） at points but sightly boring at others。
Joel
，
Three stars for Gawain， which has some great language but gets bogged down in the middle and ends with a lesson about chivalry that doesn’t quite play today。Two stars for Pearl， which likewise has beautiful words but is ultimately a dry theological debate which I found uninteresting as a non-believer。Four stars for Sir Orfeo！ It is much more exciting than the other two and has a more satisfying ending。 It’s shorter， too， which probably helps。All in all it averages out to three， but it does make Three stars for Gawain， which has some great language but gets bogged down in the middle and ends with a lesson about chivalry that doesn’t quite play today。Two stars for Pearl， which likewise has beautiful words but is ultimately a dry theological debate which I found uninteresting as a non-believer。Four stars for Sir Orfeo！ It is much more exciting than the other two and has a more satisfying ending。 It’s shorter， too， which probably helps。All in all it averages out to three， but it does make want to revisit Tolkien’s poetry。 I tried reading The Lays of Beleriand when I was in high school， but I didn’t have the patience or focus for epic poetry back then。 I think I’d appreciate it more now。 。。。more
Martina
，
È una mia tendenza quella di apprezzare di più le opere minori di un certo autore piuttosto che il suo bestseller。 È successa questa cosa anche con Tolkien: non sono un'appassionata de "Il signore degli anelli " e di tutti i libri ambientati nella Terra di Mezzo， mentre questo libretto l'ho apprezzato di più， complice anche la sua sinteticità。 Mi piace lo stile evocativo di Tolkien， riesce a creare delle atmosfere epiche assolutamente uniche。 Questo libro è una raccolta di 3 poemetti medioevali È una mia tendenza quella di apprezzare di più le opere minori di un certo autore piuttosto che il suo bestseller。 È successa questa cosa anche con Tolkien: non sono un'appassionata de "Il signore degli anelli " e di tutti i libri ambientati nella Terra di Mezzo， mentre questo libretto l'ho apprezzato di più， complice anche la sua sinteticità。 Mi piace lo stile evocativo di Tolkien， riesce a creare delle atmosfere epiche assolutamente uniche。 Questo libro è una raccolta di 3 poemetti medioevali che il Professore ha tradotto e riadattato al pubblico: "Sir Gawain e il Cavaliere Verde"; "Perla" e "Sir Orfeo"。 Fra i tre， "Sir Orfeo" è quello che ho preferito: non è una semplice riscrittura del mito di Orfeo ed Euridice， ma un vero e proprio retelling che "trapianta" la coppia leggendaria nell'Inghilterra medioevale。 Orfeo ed Euridice non sono più， rispettivamente， un arpista greco e una ninfa dei boschi， come nel mito originale， ma una coppiandi sovrani inglesi。 Euridice non muore per il morso di una serpe ma viene rapita dal Re di Faerie， il mondo fatato ispirato alle leggende e al folklore celtico。 Anche il finale è completamente diverso， ma non aggiungo altro per non fare spoiler。 Questo mito è uno dei miei preferiti di tutta la mitologia greca e vederlo rivisitato in chiave celtica， una cultura che io amo profondamente， è stato un sogno ad occhi aperti， l'ho letto con grande gusto。 Secondo per gradimento， "Sir Gawain e il Cavaliere Verde"， poemetto incentrato sulla figura di Gawain， un Cavaliere della Tavola Rotonda， e su un episodio in particolare: la sfida ingaggiata con un misterioso cavaliere completamente verde。 Adoro il ciclo Arturiano， per me è sempre una garanzia， e mi è piaciuta molto l'ambientazione medievale cortese costruita ad arte dalla penna di Tolkien。 Invece non mi è piaciuto per niente "Perla"， un poemetto che racconta la visione mistica di un uomo afflitto， il meno "narrativo" fra i tre componimenti。 Molto bello anche l'approfondimento dedicato ai vari simboli del "Sir Gawain"， accurato e interessante ， scritto in modo piacevole e scorrevole。 。。。more
Ashwini Abhyankar
，
I enjoyed it a lot but I think it's not really my cup of tea。 At least， for now。 Who knows， I might become obsessed with anything King Arthur related in the future。 I enjoyed it a lot but I think it's not really my cup of tea。 At least， for now。 Who knows， I might become obsessed with anything King Arthur related in the future。 。。。more
Tim Doyle
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Nostalgic of sophomore year English class。
Gregory
，
Fun to read Tolkien's translation of these poems and enjoy the literature that influenced him。 Fun to read Tolkien's translation of these poems and enjoy the literature that influenced him。 。。。more
Mitch Milam
，
TOP TIER MEDIEVAL CONTENT！
Brock Mclaughlin
，
Essential reading。
Branden
，
Read this mostly because the A24 film Green Knight comes out this summer based on this and I was intrigued by the version translated by Tolkien。 Super weird story that probably could be studied for some deeper meaning about honor， sexuality， and masculinity but honestly just too strange for me to really get in to。
pj
，
no rating and no review。 i literally have Zero opinion about this。
Alvin
，
Disclaimer that I only read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight， and only because of the upcoming movie。 It was surprisingly interesting and easy to follow！ I feel like I can kinda see where A24 would go with the adaptation， but it also all feels really。。。tame？ idk I guess we'll see。 Just Dev Patel saying a lot of alliterative lines。And I might read the other two poems in this later， but we'll see。 Disclaimer that I only read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight， and only because of the upcoming movie。 It was surprisingly interesting and easy to follow！ I feel like I can kinda see where A24 would go with the adaptation， but it also all feels really。。。tame？ idk I guess we'll see。 Just Dev Patel saying a lot of alliterative lines。And I might read the other two poems in this later， but we'll see。 。。。more
Alexis Newkirk
，
This was a really interesting read prior to David Lowery’s film adaptation。 The introduction by Christopher Tolkien helped to set the stage for the history behind the story and explained the immense work behind the translation from Middle English。 The translation itself was well done keeping the alliterative verse and was an interesting story with heavy Christian messaging。 I’m interested to see what is kept and adapted into the film version。
Issy O
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This is like my 4th time with this book and it’s just great。 The ridiculousness is 👌🏻。
Daryll
，
Classic storytelling， for better or worse。
David Holmes
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a very fascinating and engaging piece of Medieval Literature。 I am a sucker for anything Arthurian， so I knew I would like the story。 The language and way in which it is written is absolutely beautiful， and Tolkien's translation made the story feel old yet understandable。Even though I really enjoyed it， it wasn't until the end that I truly understood why it is held in such high esteem。 The revelation that the Green Knight is the lord which Gawain has been stayi Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a very fascinating and engaging piece of Medieval Literature。 I am a sucker for anything Arthurian， so I knew I would like the story。 The language and way in which it is written is absolutely beautiful， and Tolkien's translation made the story feel old yet understandable。Even though I really enjoyed it， it wasn't until the end that I truly understood why it is held in such high esteem。 The revelation that the Green Knight is the lord which Gawain has been staying with was fascinating and gave a new light and life to his time at the castle。 I do believe that Gawain was right to be so hard on himself。 The ideals and pursuits of Arthur's knights are to be as holy as possible。 Their measuring stick of a good Knight is not Arthur， Lancelot， or Gawain but Jesus himself。 However， I do believe that the round table's reaction to Gawain is good。 While he must strive to be as holy as possible， he must also realize that he cannot and eventually move on to other duties。 。。。more
Iris
，
just the sir gawain poem
Will Clemmons
，
Read the Green Knight in anticipation of the upcoming movie。
Jon Beadle
，
Good
Nikola Pavlovic
，
Retko kada， ili gotovo upste， nekoj Tolkinovoj knjizi ne dajem ocenu manju od 5 zvezdica。 Ipak jedino sto mi u ovoj kompilaciji prevoda kvari utisak je delo Pearl。 Necu objasnjavati zasto， neka to ostane ostane mala tajna i upitnik za one koji se odluce da procitaju ovu knjigu。 Zato Sir Gawain and the Green Knight i Sir Orfeo zasluzuju dosta pohvala。 I mada su to dva moze se reci plaha， koliritna， gotovo dela za razbibrigu bogat jezik i prelepa rima cine ih veoma prvlacnim za citanje i u mom sad Retko kada， ili gotovo upste， nekoj Tolkinovoj knjizi ne dajem ocenu manju od 5 zvezdica。 Ipak jedino sto mi u ovoj kompilaciji prevoda kvari utisak je delo Pearl。 Necu objasnjavati zasto， neka to ostane ostane mala tajna i upitnik za one koji se odluce da procitaju ovu knjigu。 Zato Sir Gawain and the Green Knight i Sir Orfeo zasluzuju dosta pohvala。 I mada su to dva moze se reci plaha， koliritna， gotovo dela za razbibrigu bogat jezik i prelepa rima cine ih veoma prvlacnim za citanje i u mom sada vec secanju mame sirok osmeh。 。。。more
Nancy
，
Well， that was heavy。As languages age， they all getabbreviated。 So reading something in an older form of english is like running a marathon when you usually take a pleasant stroll。
J
，
liked Sir Orfeo the most， maybe because it was the shortest。。。。
Jennifer deBie
，
It's an utter shame that few Tolkien fans don't know about his translation work。 It's an even greater shame that fewer still know about his gorgeous work on Sir Orfeo， a medieval adaptation of one of the oldest myths in Western tradition。The Gawain translation still stands as one of the best around， and the Pearl translation is beautiful， but Sir Orfeo is where Tolkien's love of language and intimate understanding of rhyme and meter shines。 A solid text for scholars and utterly readable for casu It's an utter shame that few Tolkien fans don't know about his translation work。 It's an even greater shame that fewer still know about his gorgeous work on Sir Orfeo， a medieval adaptation of one of the oldest myths in Western tradition。The Gawain translation still stands as one of the best around， and the Pearl translation is beautiful， but Sir Orfeo is where Tolkien's love of language and intimate understanding of rhyme and meter shines。 A solid text for scholars and utterly readable for casual fans both of medieval poetry and fantasy writ large， these three poems make a superb grouping all in one， easily found place。 。。。more
Caleb Johnstone
，
One of the many works of J。R。R。 Tolkien published posthumously， Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a necessary addition to the libraries of readers of Tolkien and of medieval English literature。 It falls within the scope of the Arthurian legends， following the journey of the virtuous Sir Gawain as he embarks on a quest taking him far from Camelot。 I originally acquired this book following my reading of Tolkien’s translation of Beowulf （which is the best translation of the epic poem I have ever r One of the many works of J。R。R。 Tolkien published posthumously， Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a necessary addition to the libraries of readers of Tolkien and of medieval English literature。 It falls within the scope of the Arthurian legends， following the journey of the virtuous Sir Gawain as he embarks on a quest taking him far from Camelot。 I originally acquired this book following my reading of Tolkien’s translation of Beowulf （which is the best translation of the epic poem I have ever read）。 I looked for other work and translations done by Tolkien， and to my joy found several within the Arthurian literary cycle。 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a 14th century chivalric romance written by an unknown author， and one of the best known Arthurian stories。 Within his translation of the poem， Tolkien’s goal was to interpret the poem for the general reader without losing the narrative skill or the poetic style of the original。 Early translations of the text relied heavily on the original form of being written in alliterative verse， as well as the unfamiliar vocabulary and grammar of the author’s English dialect， both of which are difficult to engage with for those unaccustomed to it。 It was Tolkien’s expertise in the poetic style， translation from and within Old English， and writing that allowed him to translate a “difficult” poem so that it could be enjoyed by many， not just experts on the subject。 tSir Gawain is a joy to read， though not written to be as easy to consume as contemporary storytelling。 As someone who has engaged with only limited work （academic transitions， not retellings） from the medieval period， this book was an enjoyable read， though not a casual one。 Written in the style of medieval literature， the reader must be attentive to fully engage with the text， but I imagine anyone reading translations of Tolkien’s will be more than mindful。 It is “。。。a romance， a fairy-tale for adults， full of life and colour。”I picked up Sir Gawain and the Green Knight for one reason， and walked away thankful for many more。 My suggestions for prospective readers would be to approach it one of two ways。 The first would be to read the text， then read the Preface and Introduction for commentary， and finally reread the text and translation with the commentary in mind。 This method gives the reader the opportunity to enter without expectations， and allows them to be purely influenced by the text and Tolkien’s translation。 The other method for reading this book would be to read the Preface and Introduction first， then reading the poems。 This gives the reader the intent of the translations going in， as well as context within the light of the history of the text。 I thoroughly enjoyed the three poems in this book， each for their own reasons。 They are worth reading as an appreciator of the Arthurian literary cycle and British mythology， or as students of the larger body of Tolkien’s work。 It is likewise worth reading as a student of English literature and poetry， as the craft displayed by Tolkien’s translations are masterful， and able to be appreciated by the general reader as well as the studied reader。 It is an enriching read that requires thought and focus， and rewards it with a beautiful and timeless work of literature。 Check out my website， writerinwhite。com， for my further thoughts and review of the book。 I post book reviews along with other storytelling and writing content weekly。 。。。more
Benjamin Fairbrother
，
Excellent。
Edy Gies
，