Physical Description

134  for barely had the horns finished blowing their breath
135  and with starters just spooned to the seated guests,
136  a fearful form appeared, framed in the door:
137  a mountain of a man, immeasurably high,
138  a hulk of a human from head to hips,
139  so long and thick in his loins and his limbs
140  I should genuinely judge him to be a half-giant,
141  or a most massive man, the mightiest of mortals.
142  But handsome too, like any horseman worth his horse,
143  for despite the bulk and brawn of his body
144  his stomach and waist were slender and sleek.
145  In fact in all features he was finely formed
146      it seemed.
147      Amazement seized their minds,
148      no soul had ever seen
149      a knight of such a kind—
150      entirely emerald green.

151  And his gear and garments were green as well:
152  a tight-fitting tunic, tailored to his torso,
153  and a cloak to cover him, the cloth fully lined
154  with smoothly shorn fur clearly showing, and faced
155  with all-white ermine, as was the hood,
156  worn shawled on his shoulders, shucked from his head.
157  On his lower limbs his leggings were also green,
158  wrapped closely round his calves, and his sparkling spurs
159  were green-gold, strapped with stripy silk,
160  and were set on his stockings, for this stranger was shoeless.
161  In all vestments he revealed himself veritably verdant!
162  From his belt-hooks and buckle to the baubles and gems
163  arrayed so richly around his costume
164  and adorning the saddle, stitched onto silk.
165  All the details of his dress are difficult to describe,
166  embroidered as it was with butterflies and birds,
167  green beads emblazoned on a background of gold.
168  All the horse's tack—harness-strap, hind-strap,
169  the eye of the bit, each alloy and enamel
170  and the stirrups he stood in—were similarly tinted,
171  and the same with the cantle and the skirts of the saddle,
172  all glimmering and glinting with the greenest jewels.
173  And the horse: every hair was green, from hoof
174      to mane.
175      A steed of pure green stock.
176      Each snort and shudder strained
177      the hand-stitched bridle, but
178      his rider had him reined.

179  The fellow in green was in fine fettle.
180  The hair of his head was as green as his horse,
181  fine flowing locks which fanned across his back,
182  plus a bushy green beard growing down to his breast,
183  and his face-hair along with the hair of his head
184  was lopped in a line at elbow-length
185  so half his arms were gowned in green growth,
186  crimped at the collar, like a king's cape.
187  The mane of his mount was groomed to match,
188  combed and knotted into curlicues
189  then tinselled with gold, tied and twisted
190  green over gold, green over gold ...
191  The fetlocks were finished in the same fashion
192  with bright green ribbon braided with beads,
193  as was the tail—to its tippety-tip!
194  And a long, tied thong lacing it tight
195  was strung with gold bells which resounded and shone.
196  No waking man had witnessed such a warrior
197  or weird war-horse—otherworldly, yet flesh
198      and bone.
199      A look of lightning flashed
200      from somewhere in his soul.
201      The force of that man's fist
202      would be a thunderbolt.

203  Yet he wore no helmet and no hauberk either,
204  no armoured apparel or plate was apparent,
205  and he swung no sword nor sported any shield,
206  but held in one hand a sprig of holly—
207  of all the evergreens the greenest ever—
208  and in the other hand held the mother of all axes,
209  a cruel piece of kit I kid you not:
210  the head was an ell in length at least
211  and forged in green steel with a gilt finish;
212  the skull-busting blade was so stropped and buffed
213  it could shear a man's scalp and shave him to boot.
214  The handle which fitted that fiend's great fist
215  was inlaid with iron, end to end,
216  with green pigment picking out impressive designs.
217  From stock to neck, where it stopped with a knot,
218  a lace was looped the length of the haft,
219  trimmed with tassels and tails of string
220  fastened firmly in place by forest-green buttons.