雙語故事:高文爵士與綠衣騎士

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Sir Gawain was Arthur’s nephew. In English stories, he is always described as a brave, honest and loyal knight.

According to the story, King Arthur and his Round Table Knights were holding their New Year’s banquet at Camelot when a tall knight dressed in green and riding on a green horse came in, holding a huge axe in his hand. He challenged a knight to cut his head off on condition that the knight agreed to have his head cut off a year after. Gawain accepted the challenge and cut off the Green Knight’s head.. The knight picked up his head and rode away.

Soon after that, Gawain set off to look for the Green Knight to receive his cut. After going through many strange adventures, on Christmas Eve Gawain came upon a beautiful castle where he was well entertained. He agreed to stay on till New Year’s Day since he was told that the Green Knight lived nearby. The lord of the castle made an agreement with Gawain that each day he himself would go hunting, and Gawain stay in the castle, and in the evening they would exchange what they had got during the day.

For three days the lord went hunting but Gawain had to resist the temptation of the beautiful lady of the castle, who gave him one kiss on the first day, two on the second, and on the third day three kisses and a girdle which had magic power and would save his life. Each evening Gawain exchanged the kisses with his host for animals killed in the hunt; but on the third evening he kept the girdle, thinking that it would protect him when he met the Green Knight and received the cut. In this way he broke his promise.

On the New Year’s Day, Gawain was brought to the Green Knight. He bent over for the cut he had promised to accept. The Green Knight raised his axe and brought it down, but he stopped himself at the last moment, for Gawain had moved a little because of fear. The Green Knight laughed at him. Gawain got ashamed and angry and urged the Green Knight to finish his job quickly. The Green Knight lifted his axe to cut, but again held it in the air. He praised Gawain for not moving this time. The third time the Green Knight made a slight cut in Gawain’s neck. Then he explained that he was the lord of the castle in a different form, and that the cut in the neck had been made because Gawain was full of shame and threw the girdle away. But the Green Knight forgives him and gave him the girdle as a gift.

高文爵士是亞瑟王的外甥。在英國傳說裏，他一般被描繪成一個勇敢、忠實可靠的騎士。
據說，在亞瑟王和圓桌騎士在卡米洛舉行的新年宴會上，一位身着綠衣、騎着綠馬的高大騎士走進大廳，手裏拿着一把巨斧。他向騎士們提出挑戰，問他們當中有誰敢於用斧頭將他的頭砍下。但誰要砍他的頭，就須答應一年後在脖子上同樣挨一斧。衆騎士中只有高文接受了這一挑戰，一斧砍下綠衣騎士的頭。騎士把頭撿起來，騎馬走了。

不久以後，高文爵士便出發尋找綠衣騎士，去接受那許下的一斧。他歷盡千辛萬苦，終於在聖誕節來到一座漂亮的城堡，受到城堡主人的款待。高文答應多住幾日，直到元旦，因爲城堡主人告訴他綠衣騎士就住在附近。城堡主人與高文商定，他每天去打獵，高文留在城堡裏，每天晚上交換當天各自得到的東西。

城堡主人連續三天去打獵，早出晚歸，而高文在城堡裏卻要抵禦漂亮女主人的誘惑。女主人頭一天給他一個吻，第二天給他兩個吻，第三天給他三個吻，外加一條有魔力的腰帶，繫上它可刀槍不入。每天晚上高文用得來的吻交換主人獵殺的野獸，但在第三天晚上他把腰帶留下了。他想自己不久會去挨那一斧，有腰帶保護，也許能免受傷害。這樣，他違背了自己的誓言。

元旦當天，他如約來到綠衣騎士的住所，伸出脖子。綠衣騎士先虛晃了一下斧頭，高文略縮了一下頭，受到嘲笑。高文又氣又羞，催促綠衣騎士趕緊動手。綠衣騎士又虛晃了一下，這次高文紋絲未動，受到誇讚。第三斧頭落下去，只使高文受了輕傷。這時綠衣騎士向他說明了一切。其實綠衣騎士正是城堡主人變化成的。頭兩斧沒有使高文受傷，是因爲頭兩天他很誠實，第三斧傷了他，是因爲他私藏了腰帶。高文聽罷羞愧萬分，把腰帶丟給綠衣騎士。但綠衣騎士原諒了他，並把腰帶贈給他做禮物。

題外話：這個故事由14世紀末的一個無名氏用詩體寫成，全詩2500餘行，是英國文學中的名作。中世紀的騎士道，在這個故事裏可見一斑。