The king himself and als the quene,
And other knightes albidene,
And al that saw that dede that day
Held al with the yonger may,
And to the king al thai bisoght,
Whether the elder wald or noght,
That he sold evin the landes dele,
And gif the yonger damysele
The half, or els sum porciowne,
That sho mai have to warisowne,
And part the two knightes in twyn;
For sertis, thai said, it war grete syn
That owther of tham sold other sla,
For in the world is noght swilk twa.
When other knightes said thai sold sese,
Tham self wald noght assent to pese.
Al that ever saw that batayl
Of thair might had grete mervayl,
Thai saw never under the hevyn
Twa knightes that war copled so evyn.
Of al the folk was none so wise
That wist whether sold have the prise ;
For thai saw never so stalworth stour;
Ful der boght thai that honowr.
Grete wonder had sir Gawayn
What he was that faght him ogain,
And sir Ywain had grete ferly
Wha stode ogayns him so stifly.
On this wise lasted that fight
Fra midmorn unto mirk night,
And by that time, i trow thai twa
War ful weri and sare alswa;
Thai had bled so mekil blode
It was grete ferly that thai stode,
So far thai bet on bak and brest,
Until the sun was gon to rest,
For nowther of tham wald other spar,
For mirk night thai than namar,
Tharfor to rest thai both tham yelde,
Bot, or thai past out of the felde,
And kissed so, ful fele sithe,
Than war thai both glad and blithe;
In armes so thai stode togeder,
Unto the king com ridand theder,
And fast he covait forto her
Of thir knightes what thai wer,
And whi thai made so mekil gamyn
Sen thai had so foghten samyn.
Ful hendli then asked the king
Wha had so sone made saghteling
Betwix tham thai had bene so wrath,
And aither haved done other scath?
He said, I wend ye wald ful fain
Aither of yow have other slayn,
And now ye er so frendes der.
Sir king, said Gawain, ye sal her;
For unknawing and hard grace,
Thus have we foghten in this place;
I am Gawayn, yowr awin nevow,
And sir Ywayn faght with me now;
When we war ner weri, i wys,
Mi name he frayned and i his,
When we were knawin, sone gan we sese;
Bot, sertes, sir, this es no lese,
Had we foghten forth a stownde,
I wote wele i had gone to grounde,
By his prowes and his mayne,
I wate for soth i had bene slayne.
Thir wordes menged al the mode,
Of sir Ywain als he stode:
Sir, he said, so mot i go,
Ye kn[a]w yowr self it es noght so.
Sir king, he said, withowten fail,
I am overcumen in this batayl.
Nai, sertes, said Gawain, bot am i.
Thus nowther wald have the maistri.
Bifor the king gan aither grant
That himself was recreant;
Than the king, and hys menyè
Had bath joy and grete petè,
He was ful fayn thai frendes wer,
And that thai war so funden in fer.
The kyng said, Now es wele sene
That mekil luf was yow bitwene.
He said, sir Ywain, welkum home,
For it was lang sen he thar come.
He said, I rede ye both assent
To do yow in my jujement,
And i sal mak so gude ane ende,
That ye sal both be halden hende.
Thai both assented sone thartill,
To do tham in the kynges will,
If the maydens wald do so.
Than the king bad knyghtes two
Wend efter the maydens bath,
And so thai did ful swith rath,
Bifor the kyng when thai war broght,
He tald unto tham als him thoght:
"Lystens me now, maydens hende,
Yowr grete debate es broght til ende,
So fer forth now es it dreven
That the dome most nedes be gifen,
And i sal deme yow als i can."
The elder sister answerd than,
Sen ye er king that us sold wer,
I pray yow do to me na der.
He said, I wil let for na saw,
Than said the king, Withowten fail,
For the luf of that batayl,
Al sisters that sold efter bene
Sold part the landes tham bitwene.
Than said the king to sir Gawain,
And als he prayed sir Ywain,
Forto uulace thair riche wede,
And tharto had thai bath grete nede.
Als thai thus-gate stod and spak,
The lyown out of the chamber brak,
Als thai thair armours sold unlace,
Come he rinand to that place,
Bot he had, or he come thar,
Soght his mayster whide-war.
And ful mekil joy he made,
When he his mayster funden hade.
On ilka side than might men se
The folk fast to toun gan fle,
So war thai ferd for the liowne,
When thai saw him theder bown.
Syr Ywain bad tham cum ogayn,
And said, Lordinges, for sertayn,
Fra this beste i sal yow wer,
So that he sal dy yow no der;
And, sirs, ye sal wele trow mi sawes,
We er frendes and gude felaws;
He es mine, and i am his,
For na tresor i wald him mys.
When thai saw this was sertain,
Than spak thai al of sir Ywaine:
This es the knight with the liown,
That es halden of so grete renown;
This ilk knight the geant slogh,
Of dedis he es doghty inogh.
Then said sir Gawayn sone in hi,
Me es bitid grete velani ;
I cri the mercy, sir Ywayne,
That i have trispast the ogayn ;
Thou helped mi sister in hir nede,
Evil have i quit the now thi mede ;
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