He travelled north into the mountains
Out beyond the maps of men
And as the snow grew ever deeper
Bitterly he missed his friends
Camps he struck in lonely hollows
Or in the echoing mountain pass
Driving sleets put out his fires
While his horse pawed down for grass
He fought with trolls, he fought with goblins
His sword grew dented, armour dimmed
The fine red silk his friends had given
Snapped and raveled in the wind
At every lonely farmhouse stopped he
Each hovel in that ragged land
And asked the way to the Green Chapel
From every maid, and every man
It seemed to him he would not find it
At night he hoped, and dawn he cried
For it was coming close to Christmas
And it seemed the Green Knight lied
For none had heard of the Green Chapel
None could help him on his road
Yet how could he go back and say so
He would be as a failure known
Then on Christmas Eve he saw it
Stumbling down an icy slope
A valley green where spring still lingered
His heart beat fast with fear and hope
"At least, we'll have a warmer Christmas"
He told Steadfast, rubbed her ear
She nickered, tossed the fraying velvet
Ribbons in her braided hair
On grassy knoll there, in the valley
A castle stood, a homey place
Small but built of brightest limestone
and grass grew green around its base
"Let's go then, Steadfast," murmured Gawain
He squared his shoulders, raised his head
He thought it might be the Green Chapel
He rode up full of pride and dread
______
Better without the punctuation, I think? The line breaks are doing most of that work.
This is fun, and I'm learning from it. I will have to find someone with good ears to read it for me -- or to me -- because while the accentual meter is working for me, but I don't think it's working for everyone, and I'm not sure why not.
For those just joining us, a Green Knight compendium:
Even though I know the story, I keep coming back, to see how YOU will tell the next bit. I can't wait to meet the beautiful lady of the castle, and hear how Gawain reacts to her. Brava! Brava!
You're right about the meter; there are lines where it jars. Examples are the first lines of the first and fourth verses of this instalment. But most of it works for my ear.
I like the lack of punctuation. Works for me.
Thrive!
O