Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

• "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" is a famous medieval epic poem, written in the 14th century by "Anonymous." It narrates in crystalline verse the strange tale of a green knight who rudely interrupts the Round Table festivities one Yuletide, casting a pall of unease over the company and challenging one of their number to a wager. The virtuous Gawain accepts and then decapitates the intruder with his own axe. Gushing blood, the knight reclaims his head, orders Gawain to seek him out a year hence, and departs. Next Yuletide, Gawain dutifully sets forth. His quest for the Green Knight involves a winter journey, a seduction scene in a dream-like castle, a dire challenge answered, and a drama of enigmatic reward disguised as psychic undoing.

There are numerous editions available, including Dover and Penguin, so take your pick!

NOTE Readers have given high marks to the Simon Armitage translations (Norton publisher):