Reading Notes: An Adventure of Sir Gawaine

Sir Gawaine rode long without meeting any adventure, and from Pentecost to Michaelmas, nothing pleased him. However, at Michaelmas, he met Sir Ector de Maris and rejoiced greatly. They started talking and they noticed a hand appeared before them showing only until the elbow covered with red samite and was holding a burning candle. The hand vanished into the chapel.

They next heard a voice that said, "Knights full of evil faith and poor belief, these two things have failed you, and therefore you may not come to the adventure of the Holy Graal." The same voice told them a holy man they confessed their sins to said, "you have failed in three things: charity, fasting, and truth, and have been great murderers. But sinful as Sir Lancelot was, since he went into the quest he never slew man, nor shall, till he come into Camelot again. For he has taken upon him to forsake sin. And were he not so unstable, he should be the next to achieve it, after Galahad his son. Yet shall he die a holy man, and in earthly sinful men he has no fellow."

"Sir, you words makes it seem that our sins will not let us labour in that quest?" asked Gawaine.

"Truly," answered the voice, "there be a hundred such as you whom it will bring naught but shame." So Gawaine departed and followed Sir Ector, who had ridden on before.

An Adventure of Sir Gawaine by Andrew Lang.

Sir Gawaine. Source: Wikimedia Commons