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Historical Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by W.S. Merwin $22.00 / Knopf / 2002 Ranking after Lancelot, Galahad, and Percival among the knights of the Round Table in terms of fame, Gawain has been unfairly maligned in Arthurian legend. Possessed neither of Lancelot's skill at the game of courtly love nor gifted with the spiritual inspiration that allowed Percival to win the Holy Grail, Gawain has often been characterized as something of a brute. The Middle English poem "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," however, paints a rather different picture, and receives honorable treatment at the hands of Pulitzer poet W.S Merwin. This new translation of the authoritative text, produced by EV Gordon and JRR Tolkien in 1925, treads the delicate line between readability and accuracy. The elegance and beauty of the original poem's language, its sophistication in terms of plot and characterization, and its strong moral theme all come through clearly here. At the same time, it is evident that these qualities are present in the original poem and require no touching up from Merwin. The translation is also enjoyable, simply as a rousing adventure. A major part of Merwin's accomplishment is his refusal to take sides in or even acknowledge the implicit debate between Pagan and Christian raised by the text. Instead, he sets out to render the story on its own terms. The Gawain who emerges is the embodiment of chivalry, a brave and stalwart adventurer who resists his host's wife's attempts at seduction with adroitness. Yet even for Gawain, the choice between life and honor is a difficult one, and it is a testament to Merwin's skill as a translator that this portion of the story, like the rest of it, rings true.     Merwin has also included Gordon and Tolkien's rendition alongside his own, so that one can read the translation, then attempt to muddle through the Middle English on the facing page. In doing so, it is easy to see both Merwin's loyalty to his source and his achievement in rendering this important poem comprehensible to the modern reader. —Genevieve Williams

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