Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo

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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo

by Unknown, J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (Editor)

3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 · rating details · 4,703 ratings · 110 reviews

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...more

Paperback, 158 pages

Published 1995 by HarperCollins (first published 1975)

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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo by Unknown

The History of the Kings of Britain by Geoffrey of Monmouth

Le Morte d'Arthur, Vol. 1 by Thomas Malory

Arthurian Romances by Chrétien de Troyes

Le Morte d'Arthur, Vol. 2 by Thomas Malory

Medieval Arthurian romance

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Nov 29, 2012 Meghan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sir Gawain was one of the books I studied in college that only received the perfunctory attention of desperate, late-night skimming before the class in which it was to be covered. Once I actually sat down to read it, I enjoyed it as the best chivalric romance I have yet to read. Sir Gawain's uncomplicated approach to his knightly duty, and his calm preparations for his certain death - green girdle aside - is beautiful. The translated poetry is pretty, and the adventure part is fun. The poem is a...more

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Feb 06, 2010 Laurele rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audible, books-read-in-2010, kindle

Such a lovely collection of fourteenth century gems! Sir Gawain is a delight, of course, as is this version of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, but it is Pearl that has swept me away.

I've heard about the Pearl Poet since high school, but for some strange reason had never read the Pearl Poet's Pearl. I'm reading it as a father's (or mother's) consolatory thoughts after losing a toddler daughter to death. The narrator runs his mind through the Scriptures, starting in Matthew and then going back to G...more

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Oct 27, 2009 Megan Larson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Megan by: TWTM

Shelves: children-and-ya, medieval-to-early-rennaisance, poetry

I was so excited to learn that I could study the Middle Ages and read Tolkien at the same time! It really is amazing how so many different works of literature are tied together somehow. I had been studying Arthur and his knights, and had read Tolkien's biography separately, to prepare myself to read the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In that biography I learned about Tolkien's interest in Middle-English as one of his favorite languages, and also of his enduring commitment to the Catholic faith and a...more I was so excited to learn that I could study the Middle Ages and read Tolkien at the same time! It really is amazing how so many different works of literature are tied together somehow. I had been studying Arthur and his knights, and had read Tolkien's biography separately, to prepare myself to read the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In that biography I learned about Tolkien's interest in Middle-English as one of his favorite languages, and also of his enduring commitment to the Catholic faith and all its doctrines. I believe those two things are both explanations for why he chose to focus on these three poems by an anonymous 14th century author, whose work can be compared to that of Chaucer.
Of these poems, Sir Gawain follows the Arthurian tradition in many aspects, except that of courtly love (which, let's face it, the Round Table would have been better off without). As evidenced in each of the three poems, this author's morality bound him to promote only that which he believed was honorable in the sight of God. That said, Sir Gawain (a very different Gawain than the one I encountered in The Once and Future King, by the way) still managed to be imperfect by making one "not-so-exalted" judgment, which benefited the story greatly. The "twist" at the end was very clever, and the alliterative style of the poetry itself was enjoyable. I understand, having read about Tolkien's insatiable perfectionism, why this translation must have been so difficult to submit to a publisher, and why his son Christopher ultimately had to finish editing it so it could be shared with the world. It represents what must have been a tremendous amount of work, but it turned out marvelously.
Pearl was also quite interesting, but in a different style and over very different subject matter. A man who loses his 2-year-old daughter has a "revelatory" dream where his daughter, now a "queen" in Heaven, explains many of the mysteries of life in Christ to her father. The doctrine is very blatantly Catholic in areas, with large portions reflecting a belief in Transubstantiation and the perpetual sacrifice of Christ, as well as the exaltation of Mary. However, much of the poem is directly based on Scripture (Revelation and the gospels, mostly) and offers some truly insightful thoughts that border on exposition. Someone might posit that this poem is really just a theological treatise "dressed up," but, even if it is, I really did find it stimulating and enjoyable, and even edifying. The style was different from "Sir Gawain," which did not rhyme except for a couplet now and then. I actually think I enjoyed the purely alliterative style of "Sir Gawain" better than "Pearl"'s alliteration-plus-rhyming. All the same, I'm sure this poem was a dream-come-true for Tolkien, since it would have had both academic and spiritual importance for him.
Sir Orfeo was short and sweet--its rhyming style was again different from the other two, but with the common thread of attention to alliteration, which was enjoyable. The tale was simpler than the others, with less development, but it was still a worthwhile read, emphasizing loyalty both within marriage and also to those in authority.
I think these poems are an excellent choice for a logic-stage student studying the middle-ages; there is much to be learned about the period, about its morality (and our own), and also about the art of poetry. (less)

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Jan 29, 2008 Antoine rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: rabid Tolkien fans, who have already read the Penguin translation

Shelves: waring-canon, books-i-have-taught, problem-translations

Though I yield to none as a Tolkien fan, and (as he also did with Beowulf) Tolkien "wrote the book" on the Gawain Poet, I find that this translation is not a clear lens through which to view the original poem. It seems almost as if Tolkien was unwilling to drag the poem all the way into modern English, or was trying to preserve some elements of the distinctive midlands dialect in which it was written. Either the way, the results are difficult and challenging; one feels it might almost be better...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Jacob Aitken added it · review of another edition

This book was an amazing retelling of the Gawain tradition. Earlier legends--the Vulgate Grail and Le Morte D'Arthur--portray Gawain as a sensate, reprobate man. He is concerned only with vainglory and possibly women. The author of this poem, however, portrays Gawain as a Christian knight who is concerned for Chivalric purity and the honor of his king.

The poem itself represents some of the best of Anglo-Saxon poetry. The author captures the hypnotic power of "bardic" poetry. Tolkien is sensitiv...more

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Mar 29, 2013 Anthony J. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

J.R.R. Tolkien, best known as the author of The Lord of the Rings, was also an ardent scholar and professor of Anglo-Saxon literature, and his academic exploits produced some of the best translations of medieval works into modern English that are in publication today. "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" is an extremely entertaining and intentionally humorous Arthurian legend that also provides the reader, perhaps unintentionally, with a satirical view of chivalry and societal values in medieval En...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Nathan Miller rated it 3 of 5 stars

The book is actually three poems written in the late Middle Ages and translated from Middle English by Tolkien.

The first follows Sir Gawain, one of the knights of Arthur's Round Table, as he undertakes a quest to find the home of the Green Knight. As one might expect, there's quite a bit about valor, honor, chivalry, and moral fiber.

The second concerns a vision by a man who's recently buried his young daughter, whom we're meant to understand was maybe two years old when she died. He's mourning a...more

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Oct 04, 2011 Nick rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. In the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien, Boromir is a character who tries to take the evil One Ring and use it for “good”. He tries to take the Ring from the rightful Ring-bearer, Frodo, who wishes to destroy it, and scares him away. It is too late, but Boromir realizes his mistake soon. The minions of evil, who wish to reclaim the Ring, Orcs, surround Boromir as he tries to buy time for Frodo’s escape. Boromir is killed, b...more In the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien, Boromir is a character who tries to take the evil One Ring and use it for “good”. He tries to take the Ring from the rightful Ring-bearer, Frodo, who wishes to destroy it, and scares him away. It is too late, but Boromir realizes his mistake soon. The minions of evil, who wish to reclaim the Ring, Orcs, surround Boromir as he tries to buy time for Frodo’s escape. Boromir is killed, but enables Frodo to escape, after realizing his mistake at the cost of his own life.

Just like Boromir, Gawain in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight uses a green girdle given to him as a gift of protection. However it ends up hurting him more in a way. For the first time, with protection, Gawain flinches towards death. Thus, no longer being brave, the girdle is no longer able to protect him – as it protects the courageous. So Gawain is left with a scar, which may have also been the fate of Boromir’s home, Gondor, if he tried to protect his people with an object really loyal to none unless they are loyal to the object’s cause – the Ring for power and evil, and the girdle for bravery.

Gawain must go out on a quest to face the Green Knight’s challenge, crossing all sorts of difficult terrain on his own, with no company at all but his horse, “Till anon here came near unto Northern Wales.”

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, translated by J.R.R. Tolkien is a book for good readers who want a story translated in Tolkien’s “older but finer” style of writing. Along with some copies come the stories Pearl and Sir Orfeo, both fine stories as well. They all have their own interests. Sir Gawain has an “Odyssey-like” style of going on a long journey to complete an important task. Pearl is about a jeweler who loses his most precious pearl and finds there is something more to objects than what is just on the surface. Sir Orfeo is about a king who goes into exile after the death of his queen, but finds a new joy – music, and goes on an adventure of his own. Above all, these books would satisfy Tolkien fans, Old English literature fans, and would be suited towards advanced readers.
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Jul 10, 2011 Bettie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: radio-4, poetry, summer-2011

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

This is a program explaining the poem and manuscript art - http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/...

blurb - 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight' is one of the landmarks of medieval English literature and we know of it because a small manuscript survived from the 14th century. Now catalogued in the British Library as 'Cotton Nero A x', the manuscript includes three other poems, thought to by the same poet. One is a masterpiece. This is 'Pearl' and in this documentary Julian May brings it out from the...more

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Sep 28, 2011 David Sarkies rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure

This middle English poem is said by some to be the greatest poem of the Middle English literature, however it does have to compete with The Canterbury Tales for that title, something that I am not going to go into since I have not have the chance to read Chaucer's work at this stage. However, this poem, while the earliest copy exists on a manuscript dating back to 1400 AD, probably has its origins much earlier than that. The actual author of this poem is unknown (and my suspicions is that it is...more This middle English poem is said by some to be the greatest poem of the Middle English literature, however it does have to compete with The Canterbury Tales for that title, something that I am not going to go into since I have not have the chance to read Chaucer's work at this stage. However, this poem, while the earliest copy exists on a manuscript dating back to 1400 AD, probably has its origins much earlier than that. The actual author of this poem is unknown (and my suspicions is that it is like The Odyssey, it that it was a oral poem what was written down at a later date, and then copied and the version that we have is the earliest version of this copied text). The manuscript also contains two other poems, the Pearl and Sir Orfeo (both of which Tolkien translates in this text as well).
While the poem begins in King Arthur's court, during a feast, the opening stanza goes back to the founding of England. It appears (and I noted that Holinshed, the English Chronicler from whom Shakespeare used as a source for some of his plays) also puts the origin of the British people to Troy. The story is that after Troy fell, Aeneas fled to Italy where he founded a colony, and from that colony Romulus and Remus came, who went on to found Rome (or at least Romulus, since Remus was killed by his brother). However, one of Aeneas' general's, Brutus, was not happy with the location, so he left which some followers, sailed around the Britain, defeated the Giants, and founded the British people. This of course is all legend, and there is no historical or archeological evidence to support this ever actually happening.
Anyway, that is beside the point. The poem itself was a popular poem at this time, and tells the story of Sir Gawain who, at the feast, meets the challenge of the Green Knight. The Knight enters the feast and the challenge is that if somebody where to strike him, then they must meet him at the Green Chapel in a year and a day and also be struck. Sir Gawain decides to take up the challenge and lops off his head. However the Green Knight simply picks it up and walks out, telling him that he will see him in a year and a day. So Sir Gawain travels the land and comes to the castle of Sir Bertilak who invites him in. Bertilak goes out on a hunting trip and says to Sir Gawain that if he gives him the proceeds of the hunt, Sir Gawain must give him whatever he got that day. While Bertilak is out, his wife attempts to seduce Gawain, who resists the temptations, and the first two times he is given a kiss, and the last time he is given a girdle which will protect him from harm. Gawain honours his agreement to Bertilak (with the exception of the Girdle) and then goes out to meet the Green Knight. After the battle, it turns out that the Green Knight is Bertilak.
This poem has a lot of imagry and symbolism in it which will simply take way too long to explore the subtleties of (and for those who are interested, I'll simply refer you to Wikipedia). However, one of the major themes in this poem is chivilry, which is a medieval code of honour for knights. One of the major aspects his honesty and keeping one's words. Gawain does demonstrate his honour by keeping is word to Bertilak (and the Green Knight) however he does fail with the girdle. This is interesting because he keeps the girdle for protection when he meets the Green Knight. We also notice that he honours the marriage vows by resisting Bertilak's wifes advances, even though each advance becomes progressively stronger. Some have suggested that the advances of Bertilak's wife reflects Bertilak's hunting trips, as the animals Bertilak hunts become progressively more aggressive.
Another aspect is nature verses civilisation with the Green Knight (and in turn Bertilak) representing nature and Camelot representing civilisation. The Green Knight's entrance to the feast is a reflection of the chaos of nature bursting into the order of civilisation, and Sir Gawain stands up to attempt to tame nature. However, considering the time this poem was written (the Dark Ages) it is also looking back to a more civilised time (despite doubts as to the actual existence of King Arthur's court). The time in which this poem was composes was a time of lack of law and there is, in a way, a longing for the better times.
In this particular work, there are two other poems which I will briefly mention. The first is The Pearl, which is an allegorical dialogue between a knight and a woman about the kingdom of heaven. This poem has a lot of biblical images (which includes the Pearl, a symbol that Christ uses in one of his parables to describe the beauty and value of the kingdom of heaven). The Knight had the pearl, but lost it, and is worried that in losing the pearl, he has also lost access to the kingdom of heaven. Some have suggested that the Pearl is probably representing a loved one, such as a child, but I think the allegory in this poem is deeper than that.
The final poem, Sir Orfeo, is a retelling of the Greek story of Orpheus in the underworld (and this is very clear in that Sir Orfeo is a form of Orpheus). The poem is set in Winchester, however in the poem it is also called Thrace (the location in Greece of the original Orpheus myth). In this poem, though, instead of traveling to the underworld to rescue is beloved, he travels to the Faerie world where his beloved has disappeared. However, in all forms, this poem is the same as the Greek legend.(less)

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Jan 16, 2012 Jesse Whitehead rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Tolkien has become synonymous with fantasy literature in the last twenty years. His fame and reputation in that regard are well deserved. His fantasy work has been badly copied and misinterpreted by authors and artists and game designers nearly since its inception.

For many years before he wrote The Hobbit and the subsequent works of fantasy Tolkien was one of the foremost scholars on medieval literature and philology. Philology is the study of the structure, historical development and relationsh...more Tolkien has become synonymous with fantasy literature in the last twenty years. His fame and reputation in that regard are well deserved. His fantasy work has been badly copied and misinterpreted by authors and artists and game designers nearly since its inception.

For many years before he wrote The Hobbit and the subsequent works of fantasy Tolkien was one of the foremost scholars on medieval literature and philology. Philology is the study of the structure, historical development and relationships of languages and Tolkien was the best English language philologist.

Much of his work can be seen in the Oxford English Dictionary, which is so extensive it takes up multiple volumes.

Slightly more accessible to the average reader is his work of translation. He didn’t translate foreign languages into English he translated medieval English into modern English.

Translating poetry is a monumental undertaking that requires vast skill and understanding of words. Not only must the original intent of the poetry be maintained but the rhyming scheme and alliterative style of the verses and lines also must be consistent with the original.

When people read, even silently they affect a certain rhythm. The mind takes a breath pause after a certain number of syllables and certain sounds connect together better than others. All of these things are part of writing poetry so that the person reading it will read it the way the poet intended. That is to say, the poet can control the pace and feeling of the story with the words and syllables and sounds that he/she chooses to use.

Tolkien’s translation is excellent. I don’t know enough about poetry to say much more than that.

What I can say is that the stories told in each of these poems is spectacular. Gawain heads out on an epic quest expecting to find the test of his bravery and characters and finds instead that it is his morals being challenged.

Pearl is either about a man who has lost a young daughter and grieves for her, a man who has lost his new wife, or a man who is writing metaphorically about his religious feelings. I feel certain that the only people who don’t see the first interpretation as obvious are the people who do not have children of their own.

Sir Orfeo is a fourteenth century retelling of the King Orpheus myth and told brilliantly.

If you’ve ever wondered where Tolkien got some of his inspirations then look no further. Sir Gawain refers to England as Middle Earth several times throughout the poem and there is much of this tragic hero in Aragorn.

Read it.
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Jan 19, 2011 Sandra rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arthurian-legend, classics, tolkien-and-related, in-english, short-stories, read-in-2011, medieval, library-books

In this book we can find Tolkien's translations for 3 older poems: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl and Sir Orfeo.

Storywise, my favourite of the three was without a doubt the story of Sir Gawain. This story is one of my favourites in the Arthurian Legend. It was just a shame that the translation occasionally seemed a little.. wonky. The sentence structure was off, and the metrum was just all over the place! Pearl & Sir Orfeo were a much better translation in that aspect, especially Pea...more

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Dec 26, 2012 Richard Barlow rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: grad-school

An interesting book that we'll be using this coming semester in school. Tolkien's translation of copies three poems by unknown author, the copies dating from around 1400. The three poems being Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo. The bulk of the book is taken up with the translation of Sir Gawain, which is always a great story for those of you familiar with it in other forms. This poem is interesting in both style, original language and form predates that used by Chaucer. There...more

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Apr 16, 2013 Ginelle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

a collection of poems by an unknown medieval poet and translated by Tolkien. "Gawain" follows one of King Arthur's knights as he endeavors to fulfill a Christmas game (more like a challenge)against the unearthly Green Knight. It is pretty easy to follow , and is a great story about chivalry and temptations.
"Pearl" is a dream in which the father is reunited briefly with his dead daughter in heaven. It's a little hard to follow at times, but it definitely describes the expected emotions.
"Orfeo" fo...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Meagan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: tolkien, arthurian, read-in-2013

I loved Tolkien's translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. It was so alike the one that you would find in your English book in college (or high school) which made it that much more enjoyable. The story was recognizable but some of the aspects were removed. The format was different and most time was spent on the little details, like the King gutting and killing all of the animals that he shared with Sir Gawain.

I couldn't finish The Pearl. It was tedious and dull. I had never read it befor...more

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Nov 01, 2010 Alex Barclay rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First, I'd like to preface by saying that I've only read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight translated by J.R.R. Tolkien, and not Pearl or Sir Orfeo (although I'd like to check them out at some point). This was the only mention of Tolkien's translation, so I'll be using this edition for the time being.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the timeless tale everyone hears it is, displaying proper manner in the court as well as placing high emphasis on the importance of honor and nobility. Sir Gawain ta...more

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Mar 14, 2010 Nikki rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arthurian, myth-legend-saga-etc, medieval-literature, classics, poetry

Tolkien's translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight comes with two more translations, one probably by the Gawain-poet, Pearl, and one by another anonymous poet, Sir Orfeo. I've said a lot about Sir Gawain in my reviews of other translations, so I'll keep my comments on this translation short. It's lovely and lyrical, as magical as one would expect, but it's less accessible than it could be. Tolkien didn't fully bring it into modern language. If that's your thing, then it's no barrier to enj...more

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Jul 27, 2009 Lydia rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For a connoisseur of English literature, it was profitable. For a disciple of chivalry, it was disappointing. While I was able to make allowances for the primitive caliber of story-telling, the idea that a beautiful woman trying to seduce the hero, Sir Gawain, was still virtuous, gracious, and courteous, turned my stomach. I probably would have enjoyed it a bit more but for that.

Sir Gawain is full of inconsistencies and contradictions, but we are still informed that he is "virtuous, like refine...more

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Mar 16, 2009 Max Maxwell rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: People interested in the heritage of English literature

Recommended to Max by: My mother; my Teaching English prof, Michael Amey

Shelves: medieval, literature, poetry, 50-book-challenge-2009-failed-48

Some time in the first half of the first Anno Domini millennium, English appeared on the scene as a distinct language, descended from the Germanic family of Indo-European languages, and still bearing striking resemblance to its parent (cf. words like "rice" for kingdom, traced back to the German "reich" for the same, as in "the Third Reich"). Since then it has gone through four distinct phases. Old English (O.E.), lasting from the language's inception until the Norman invasion of 1066, was the l...more Some time in the first half of the first Anno Domini millennium, English appeared on the scene as a distinct language, descended from the Germanic family of Indo-European languages, and still bearing striking resemblance to its parent (cf. words like "rice" for kingdom, traced back to the German "reich" for the same, as in "the Third Reich"). Since then it has gone through four distinct phases. Old English (O.E.), lasting from the language's inception until the Norman invasion of 1066, was the language of Beowulf . Middle English (M.E.), lasting from 1066 until some time in the 1500s, was essentially a hybrid of Norman French and Old English (more on this phase in a bit). Finally, Modern English came about. This was, in its first phase, the language of Shakespeare and Marlowe, and is still comprehensible today, aside from typographical and grammatical differences. By this point, English had lost all traces of inflection, and word order was more reliable as a guide to what might be going on in a given sentence. Our second phase of Modern English, the language of Charles Dickens and, for that matter, Stephen King, started in about 1800, and is marked by widespread standardization across large geographic areas.

I bring all this up for background on the following points: to better illustrate what Tolkien has done with the text, and to better illustrate what the text was originally like. The latter is that it was written in Middle English, the same "language" that Chaucer wrote in. Of course, Chaucer's English was London, upper-middle-class English, and it bares a much stronger resemblance to our modern English for this. Today, lines like

Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote
And bathed every veyne in swich licour,
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;

are hardly inpenetrable; we know that the gist is April has come, and that it rains in April, and that this is good for plants, because March is dry and cold, and that flowers will grow (in April)—it just sounds a lot prettier in the M.E.! However, people might not agree about the following!:

SIÞEN þe sege and þe assaut watz sesed at Troye,
Þe bor3 brittened and brent to bronde3 and askez,
Þe tulk þat þe trammes of tresoun þer wro3t
Watz tried for his tricherie, þe trewest on erþe:
Hit watz Ennias þe athel, and his highe kynde,
Þat siþen depreced prouinces, and patrounes bicome
Welne3e of al þe wele in þe west iles.

Those are the opening lines of the alliterative poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a retelling of a traditional Arthurian legend by The Pearl Poet, a technically-anonymous author lost to time but for his works. Assuming a familiarity with the character thorn (Þ), and familiarity with the word "sithen," the first line easily becomes "When the siege and the assault was ceased at Troy," again assuming the reader overcame the resemblance of the M.E. "sesed" to our "seized." After that, it breaks down: what are those things that look like threes? "brittened" and "brent"... are these, uh, past-tense verbs? and what's "askez"? asks? who's asking?—and so on. That's because there were no agreed-upon forms in the 1400s, and The Pearl Poet's dialect was more rural and more traditional than Chaucer's. Unless you're willing to take night classes, a modern translation is nigh on essential. That's where Tolkien comes in.

What Tolkien has done is provided a translation from the M.E. of The Pearl Poet to the Modern English of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. Here's J.R.R.'s son, Christopher, in the preface to the translation:

On the one hand, he undoubtedly sought an audience without any knowledge of the original poems; he wrote of his translation of Pearl: "The Pearl certainly deserves to be heard by lovers of English poetry who have not heard by lovers of English poetry who have not the opportunity or the desire to master its difficult idiom. To such readers I offer this translation."

The only thing is that many today struggle with the "difficult idiom" of Shakespeare himself, this being the idiom into which Gawain has been translated. These people might check out a slightly more modern translation, but why not just work at it? Tolkien may have left in these three Medieval poems words like "barbican," "ellwand," "weasand," "popinjays," and "heathenesse," but the poem's tone, alliterative scheme, and rhyming schemes are strengthened thus—this not always being so, as my review of The Decameron will attest to when it's finished. Besides, there is an explanation of the meter of the first two poems, as well as a glossary of difficult words for all. Gawain and its ilk are excellent poems, and you owe it to yourself to check them out.
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Dec 16, 2008 D.J. Edwardson rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is a worthwhile read, though not spectacular. Some of the language is quite rich and beautiful (I particularly enjoyed the archaic vocabulary), however the story and narratives often seem too flat and merely symbolic to really bring the words to life. While the Gawain poem is interesting, a great deal of time is spent on courtly conventions and customs of the day. Again, these are interesting, but they hardly make for a rich and compelling tale.

My version of the book also included Pea...more

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Dec 02, 2012 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

Sir Gawain only
I finished this some time ago and forgot to write a review, so out of necessity I'll focus on what sticks in the mind after reading this poem. The most interesting thing about the poem, and the reason I like it so much, is what a nuanced character Gawain while remaining an ideal knight. He's very brave and honorable, yet he's also afraid. I really like the moment after he gets nicked by the axe at the end and immediately leaps back, slams down his helmet, and gets ready to fight,...more

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Nov 26, 2007 Benjermin rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: all lovers of medieval literature

It is common knowledge that Tolkien was a linguist by trade, that is to say, for 20 years he taught Semiotics at Oxford. Somewhat less well-known is the fact that for 20 years prior, he taught Anglo-Saxon grammar and literature, also at Oxford.

The poem of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is so wonderfully unusual that it demands a master's understanding of both the language and the cultural implications. Based on Tolkien's credentials, it seems he is better prepared than most!

Clearly, no one will...more

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Mar 13, 2013 Lief rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really like Tolkien's translation of _Sir Gawain and the Green Knight_ because he took the effort to not only translate it into understandable English, but he also went through the trouble of trying to keep the translation as poetic as the original. This particular volume is good, as well, because it does contain both "Pearl" and "Sir Orfeo," neither of which I had encountered previously. "Pearl" is a fascinating account of a dream had by the the narrator after his two-year-old daughter passed...more

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Sep 13, 2008 Summers rated it 3 of 5 stars

Interesting to read from the view of the 15th Century. We've come a long way, not all for the good, but definitely some for the good. (How do they talk of nobility and chastity when he sends his wife to seduce the knight to test his honor -- and then all they talk about is his honor in refusing her????)

PEARL was very sweet and touching. Not that everything they said was scripturally correct, but the spirit of the lesson was definitely in the right place. You can feel the barrenness of the fathe...more

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Jun 16, 2011 Jien rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really must give credit to the unknown original author for writing such amazing verses. However, Tolkien also should get tremendous credit, his translation was marvelous to read. He managed to maintain alliterative and rhyming structures despite the drastic change in languages between the original and modern english. Even the appendix was interesting to read, he described the older alliterative style (not based on first letters) which he used beautifully in this book.

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Aug 04, 2011 Amy rated it 2 of 5 stars

I only read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. After reading it, I want to read a synopsis just to make sure I understood everything that happened (that is, the English is often difficult to comprehend, at least for one such as me unaccustomed to reading middle(?) English). Two sections focused on the gutting of a deer that I wasn't too fond of as well, but it was an interesting and short read (around 88 pages by this book's printing).

I would have read the other two poems if I had time, but alas,...more

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May 24, 2009 Mark Adderley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: medieval-literature

This is a superb translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, designed, it seems, for reading aloud. At least, it sounds nice when you do. Tolkien preserves some of the technical jargon from chivalry, but he excelled at alliterative verse, and thus this translation shines! It's printed with his translations of the Middle English poems Pearl, probably by the same author as SGGK, and Sir Orfeo, a medieval version of the Orpheus myth with a happy ending.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Patience, Pearl Verse Translations

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Aug 15, 2011 Nathan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-literature, history, reviewed-2011

This is a beautiful translation of the old English poems "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight", "Pearl", and "Sir Orfeo". The lack of an introduction or any historical context makes this a less than useful stand alone edition of the translated works for the scholar, but read for enjoyment, it's hard to get a better translation.

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May 01, 2013 Gretchen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

once you finally get through it all, it's pretty good. But the story itself is so hard to read because the translation is more exact and true to old english, that you almost have to plow through the entire thing or meticulously read each line to be sure you understand the general idea.

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Feb 01, 2013 Dave Maddock rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: poetry, mythology

Tolkien's translations are masterfully done. His command of the English language and poetics is evident. I wish they'd release his translation of Beowulf already! The content of "Pearl" I found rather tedious, although technically pleasing.

Update: Be sure to read Tolkien's essay on Gawain in The Monsters and the Critics too.

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