Which poem did J.R.R. Tolkien translate and publish in 1975 as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight?

J.R.R. Tolkien translated the Middle English poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, published in 1975.

The translation appeared posthumously in a volume that also included Tolkien’s versions of Pearl and Sir Orfeo. Tolkien had a professional interest in medieval English literature, and his work on the poem drew on his expertise in Middle English language, manuscript culture, and heroic storytelling.

The poem follows Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur’s court, as he accepts a supernatural challenge from the Green Knight. Tolkien’s translation made the difficult Middle English original more accessible to modern readers while preserving its alliterative energy. The work is sometimes confused with Pearl because both poems were translated by Tolkien and are associated with the same medieval manuscript tradition.