Book review: ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’ by Simon Armitage

This is a delightful modern translation of the classic 14th-century Middle-English chivalric poem by an unknown author. Simon Armitage’s approach is to remain true to the stylistic spirit of the original, rather than being constrained by a more literal interpretation. In particular, this means his translation is packed with alliteration on almost every line. While this might sound weird to modern readers, it retains much of the style of the original, and, once you get used to it, is remarkably compelling.

If you’ll pardon my less compelling alliteration, the poem tells the tale of a dreadful deal made in the court of King Arthur and the subsequent search by Gawain for a ghostly Green Knight to fulfil a foolhardy oath. There is errantry and feasting, hunting, butchery and seduction, and a final show-down in a mysterious green chapel.

I’ve written before of my delight at the unflattering namecheck received in this famous poem by my native ‘wyldrenesse of wyrale wonde þer bot lyte /
þat auþer god oþer gome wyth goud hert louied’, which Armitage renders far more comprehensibly as:

in the wilds of the Wirral, whose wayward people
both God and good men have quite given up on.

Nothing new there, then.

This is a wonderful translation. Do check it out.