双语故事:高文爵士与绿衣骑士

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.

高文爵士是亚瑟王的外甥。在英国传说里，他一般被描绘成一个勇敢、忠实可靠的骑士。
据说，在亚瑟王和圆桌骑士在卡米洛举行的新年宴会上，一位身着绿衣、骑着绿马的高大骑士走进大厅，手里拿着一把巨斧。他向骑士们提出挑战，问他们当中有谁敢于用斧头将他的头砍下。但谁要砍他的头，就须答应一年后在脖子上同样挨一斧。众骑士中只有高文接受了这一挑战，一斧砍下绿衣骑士的头。骑士把头捡起来，骑马走了。

不久以后，高文爵士便出发寻找绿衣骑士，去接受那许下的一斧。他历尽千辛万苦，终于在圣诞节来到一座漂亮的城堡，受到城堡主人的款待。高文答应多住几日，直到元旦，因为城堡主人告诉他绿衣骑士就住在附近。城堡主人与高文商定，他每天去打猎，高文留在城堡里，每天晚上交换当天各自得到的东西。

城堡主人连续三天去打猎，早出晚归，而高文在城堡里却要抵御漂亮女主人的诱惑。女主人头一天给他一个吻，第二天给他两个吻，第三天给他三个吻，外加一条有魔力的腰带，系上它可刀枪不入。每天晚上高文用得来的吻交换主人猎杀的野兽，但在第三天晚上他把腰带留下了。他想自己不久会去挨那一斧，有腰带保护，也许能免受伤害。这样，他违背了自己的誓言。

元旦当天，他如约来到绿衣骑士的住所，伸出脖子。绿衣骑士先虚晃了一下斧头，高文略缩了一下头，受到嘲笑。高文又气又羞，催促绿衣骑士赶紧动手。绿衣骑士又虚晃了一下，这次高文纹丝未动，受到夸赞。第三斧头落下去，只使高文受了轻伤。这时绿衣骑士向他说明了一切。其实绿衣骑士正是城堡主人变化成的。头两斧没有使高文受伤，是因为头两天他很诚实，第三斧伤了他，是因为他私藏了腰带。高文听罢羞愧万分，把腰带丢给绿衣骑士。但绿衣骑士原谅了他，并把腰带赠给他做礼物。

题外话：这个故事由14世纪末的一个无名氏用诗体写成，全诗2500余行，是英国文学中的名作。中世纪的骑士道，在这个故事里可见一斑。