“Gawain,” said the green one, “may God thee guard! + 

Thou art welcome, I wis, good wight, to my place, + 

And hast timed thy travel as true man should. + 

Thou knowest the covenants we accorded together; + 

At this time twelvemonth thou tookest thy dues, + 

And now at this New-Year thou needs must requite. + 

Today in this dale we shall deal by ourselves, + 

Here is none to say nay, knock as we like. + 

Unhasp now thy helmet, and have here thy pay, + 

And resist me no more than thyself I resisted + 

When thou severedst my head at a single stroke.” + 

“Nay,” quoth Gawain, “by God, that gave to me life, + 

I shall grudge thee not a grain any grame that befalls; + 

But mind thee! one stroke! and quite still shall I stand, + 

Nor resist any wise, work how thou wilt, + 

unfair. + 

He bent his neck and bow’d, + 

And show’d the nape ail bare; + 

He look’d like man uncow’d, + 

For death he had no care. + 