x
Close
Chapter 9
Songs
In spite of considerable losses of material in manuscripts and early prints, a surprisingly large number of early songs and lyrics have survived. The corpus must have been a very substantial one. And behind and beside it lay another: an equally large mass of oral songs, now almost totally lost to us, but which lived in the memories of contemporary literate poets. The heads of some clerks were probably filled with snatches of old songs, remembered from younger days or still heard in the communities in which they lived. They will sometimes refer to such songs in their sophisticated works: Chaucer makes his Pardoner sing ‘Come hider, love, to me’; Gavin Douglas quotes (among other examples) ‘the schip salis our the salt fame, Will bring thir merchandis and my lemman hame’. And, as we have already seen in the pages of this anthology, other ‘snatches’ are sometimes quoted by (usually hostile) preachers and moralists. A number are quoted below. Such snatches are probably the closest we can come to the lost corpus of early oral song. But many of the lyrics printed below are the work of clerks related in various degrees to the tradition of oral song. Some of these ‘popular lyrics’ are (as Greene described them, see below) popular ‘by destination’, intended for the use of an illiterate or partly-literate audience. The literary skill of the clerks and the quality of their imitations of the simple styles and forms of oral songs often make it very difficult to decide whether a lyric should be described as ‘popular’ or ‘learned’ and, if we decide to place it in the category of popular lyric (a category whose boundaries are not absolutely fixed), how closely it approximates to the oral song from which it came. Thus Greene, discussing the plough song (xiii), records numerous parallels in later folksong, but points out that the carol is ‘intended for more sophisticated performance, probably by choir-boys’, and concludes cautiously that ‘it is conceivable that a carol on this theme may be the result of a learned clerical composer’s interest in an air heard in the fields.’ Similarly, in the fine drinking song ‘Bryng us in good ale’ (xvi) he notes the ‘repeated formula with a portion changed with each repetition, an old device used by very elementary folk-poetry’ — and which allows improvisation. However, the repetition is quite artful, with the rejected items of food becoming a splendidly bizarre ensemble, and the accompanying (apparently explanatory) ‘asides’ are sometimes wonderfully fantastic. Could it be a clever imitation, and transformation, of the techniques of oral folk-poetry? ‘Performance’ seems to lie behind almost all the popular lyrics. Some of them are clearly dance songs; in nearly all of them we seem to hear the voice of the singer. They survive in a variety of forms. Perhaps the most distinctive is the ‘carol’, not yet limited to Christmas songs. The name derives from the French ‘carole’, a ring-dance, and the ideas of performance and entertainment continue to lurk even in the more sophisticated and literary examples. Characteristically the Middle English carol is a stanzaic poem, secular or religious, marked by a recurring ‘burden’ or refrain. Other forms of song are also found, and we see brief glimpses of sharp satire, and examples of popular talk (like the ducks that ‘slobber in the mere’, in xvi below), double entendre, and some entertaining rascals. But in general the popular lyric presents us with a rich and varied array of merry entertainment. Our selection attempts to give a sense of this. After a ‘welcome song’ delivered by a minstrel or a master of ceremonies, we move to a series of snatches of oral songs, then to the merriment of the festal season and throughout the year, and to various contemporary figures, pedlars ‘light of foot’, roving bachelors and an amorous priest, encounters between men and women; to some songs which seem to hover between children’s songs and erotic lyric, and to merry nonsense verse. We end with some religious popular lyrics, some of which show the same zest and merriment as their secular counterparts.
Snatches of Oral Songs
i)
Bon jowre, bon jowre a vous!º
good day to you
With ‘par la pompe’,º I say.
with ceremony
Is ther any good man here
That will make me any chere?º
entertainment
And if ther were, I wold cum nere
To witº what he woldº say.
know / would
A, will ye be wild?º
hard to catch
I trow ye will synge gay.º
merrily
Be gladly,º masters everychon!
joyful
To apposeº you onº by on;
question / one
Loo, this is he that will do the dede!
He temperethº his mowthº — therefore take hede.
tunes / voice
Syng softe, I say, lest yowr nose blede,
For hurt yowrself ye may.
But, by God that me bowght,º
redeemed
Your brest is so towght,º
congested
Tyll ye have well cowghtº
coughed
Ye may not therwith away.º
do away with it
Sir, what say ye with your face so lene?
Ye syng nother good tenowre, treble, ne mene.º
nor mean
Utter not your voice withoutº your brest be clene,º
unless / clear
For ye have not beº used
been
To no good sport nor play.
Sir, what say ye with your fat face?
Me thynkith ye shuld bere a very good bace.º
maintain bass
To a pot of good ale or ipocras,º
sweet spiced wine
Ye loke lyke lede,º
lead
Ye wast mycheº bred
waste much
Evermore from day to day.
Now will ye see wher he stondith behynde?
Iwis,º brother, ye be unkind;
indeed
Stond forth, and wast with me som wyndº
breath
For ye have ben called a synger ay.º
always
The worst in this contrey.
ii)
Of every kuneº tre,
kind (of)
The hawethorn blowet suotes[t]º
blossoms most sweetly
My lemmonº she shal boe,º
lover / be
The fairest of e[very] kinne,
iii)
Al nistº by the rose, rose
night
Al nist bi the rose I lay,
Dar[st]º ich noust the rose stele,
dared
Ant yet ich bar the flourº away.
I took the flower (= maidenhood)
iv)
Sevenystº fulle, sevenist fulle.
seven nights
Sevenistes fulle ant a day.
Welleº was hire mete,º
excellent / food
The primeroleº ant the,
primrose
Welle was hire dryng,º
drink
The cheldeº water of the,
cold
Welle was hire bour,º
dwelling
The rede rose an te,º
the
v)
For of saynte charite,º
holy charity
vi)
Me thingkitº thou art so lovely,
seems
That sikirliº it were mi detº
certainly / death
Thi companie to lete.º
give up
vii)
Westron wynde when wyll thow blow?
The smalleº rayne downe canº rayne.
fine / does
Cryst, yf my love wer in my armes
viii)
Sing, cuccu nu! Sing cuccu!
Sing, cuccu! Sing, cuccu nu!
Lhudeº sing, cuccu!
loudly
Groweth sed and blowethº medº
blossoms / meadow
And springth the wodeº nu.
wood
Aweº bleteth after lomb,
ewe
Lhouthº after calveº cu,
lows / calf
Bulluc sterteth,º bucke vertethº
leaps / farts
Ne swik thu naverº nu!
do not ever cease
Christmas and New Year
ix)
Make we mery both more and lasseº
high and low
For now ys the tyme of Crystymas.
Lett no man cum into this hall —
Grome,º page, nor yet marshall,º
servant / steward
But that sum sport he bring with all,
For now ys the tyme of Crystmas.
Yff that he say he can not syng,
Sum oder sport then lett hym bring,
That yt may please at thys festyng,
For now ys the tyme of Crystmas.
Yff he say he can nowght do,
Then for my love aske hym no mo —
But to the stokesº then let hym go,
stocks
For now ys the tyme of Crystmas.
x) The Boar’s Head
Po, po, po, po,º
(a barnyard call for pigs)
Love braneº and so do mo.º
brawn / more
At the begynnyng of the mete
Of a borys hed ye schal hete,º
eat
And in the mustard ye shal wete,º
dip
And ye shal syngyn or ye gon.
Wolcum be ye that ben here,
And ye shal have ryth gud chere,
And also a ryth gud fare,
And ye shal syngyn or ye gon.
For ye shal syngyn ryth anon;
Hey yow fast, that ye had don,
And ye shal syngyn or ye gon.
xi) The Holly and the Ivy
For Holy must have the mastry,
Holy berith beris, beris rede ynowgh;º
very
The thristilcok,º the popyngay,º daunce in every bow,
cock thrush / parrot
Welaway, sory Ivy, what fowles hast thow
But the sory howlet,º that syngith, ‘How, how.’
owl
Ivy berith beris as black as any slo;
Ther commeth the woode-colverº and fedith her of tho,º
wood-pigeon / those
She liftith up her tayll and she cakesº orº she go —
craps / before
She wold not for hundred poundes serve Holy soo.
Holy and his mery men, they can daunce in hall,
Ivy and her jentyll women can not daunce at all,
But lyke a meyny of bullokkes in a waterfall,
Or on a whotº somers day, whan they be mad all.
hot
Holy and his mery men sytt in cheyres of gold;
Ivy and her jentyll women sytt withowtº in fold,º
outside / on the ground
With a payre of kybidº helis cawght with cold —
chilblained
So wold I that every man had that with Yvy will hold.
xii)
What cher? Gud cher, gud cher, gud cher!
Be mery and glad this gud New Yere.
‘Lyft up your hartes and be glad
In Crystes byrth’, the angell bad;
Say eche to oder for hys sake,
I tell you all with hart so fre,
Ryght welcum ye be to me,
Be glad and mery, for charite —
The gudman of this place in fereº
in company, together
You to be mery he prayth you here,
And with gud hert he doth to you say,
Merriment, of various kinds, throughout the Year
xiii) God speed the Plough
The merthe of alle this londe
Maketh the gode husbondeº
farmer
With eryngeº of his plowe.
ploughing
Iblessyd be Cristes sondeº
grace
That hath us sent in honde
Merthe and joye ynowe.º
in plenty, much
The plowe goth mony a gateº
path
That maketh men to swete,º
sweat
God spede the plowe alº day.
every
Browne Morel and Goreº
names of the horses (or oxen)
Drawen the plowe ful soreº
laboriously
With a shefeº or more
sheaf
Whan men bygynne to sowe,
Ful wel here corne they knoweº
judge
Howe ever Janyverº blowe,
January
God spede the plowe allway!
Whan men begynneth to wedeº
weed
The thystle fro the sede,
God leteº hem wel to spedeº
grant / prosper
And longe gode lyfe to lede,
All that for plowemen pray.
xiv)
We ben chapmenº light of fote,
pedlars
The fowle weyis for to fle,
We berynº abowtyn non cattes skynnys,
carry
Pursis, perlis,º sylver pynnis
pearls
Smale wympelesº for ladyis chynnys;
elegant head-dress
Damsele, beyº sum ware of me.
buy
I have a poket for the nonys,º
for the occasion
Therine ben tweyneº precious stonys;
two
Damsele, hadde ye asayid hem onys;
Ye shuld the rathereº gon with me.
sooner
I have a jelyfº of Godes sonde,º
jelly / grace
Withoutyn fytº it can stonde;
feet
It can smytyn and haght non honde;º
hath no hand
Rydº yourself quat it may be.
guess
I have a powder for to selle,
Quat it is can I not telle —
It makit maydenys wombys to swelle;
Therof I have a quantyte.
Drinking Songs
xv)
How,º butler, how! Bevis a towt!º
hey! / drink to all!
Fill the boll, jentill butler, and let the cup rowght!º
go round
Jentill butler, bell amy,º
fine friend
Fyll the boll by the eye,º
to the brim
That we may drink by and by.º
one and all
With how, butler, how! Bevis a towt!
Fill the boll, butler, and let the cup rowght!
Here is meteº for us all,
food
Both for gret and for small —
I trowº we must the butler call,
believe
With how, butler, how! Bevis a towt!
Fill the boll, butler, and let the cupe rowght!
I am so dry I cannot spek,º
speak
I am nere choked with my meteº —
food
I trow the butler be aslepe.
With how, butler, how! Bevis a towght!
Fill the boll, butler, and let the cup rowght!
Butler, butler, fill the boll,
Or elles I beshreweº thy noll!º
curse / head
I trow we must the bell toll.º
ring
With how, butler, how! Bevis a towght!
Fill the boll, butler, and let the cup rowght!
Iff the butlers name be Water,º
Walter (apparently so pronounced)
I wold he were a galow-claper,º
gallows-bird
But ifº he bryng us drynk the rather.º
unless / sooner
With how, butler, how! Bevis a towght!
Fill the boll, butler, and let the cup rowght!
xvi)
Bryng us in good ale, and bryng us in good ale,
Fore owr blyssyd lady sak, bryng us in good ale.
Bryng us in no browne bred, fore that is mad of brane,º
bran
Nor bring us in no whyt bred, fore therin is no game,º
pleasure
But bryng us in good ale.
Bryng us in no befe,º for ther is many bonys,
beef
But bryng us in good ale, for that goth downe at onys,
And bryng us in good ale.
Bryng us in no bacon, for that is passing fate,º
fat
But brynge us in god ale, and gyfe us inoughtº of that,
plenty
And bryng us in good ale.
Bryng us in no mutton, for that is often lene,
Nor bryng us in no trypys, for thei be syldom clene,
But bryng us in good ale.
Bryng us in no eggys, for ther ar many schelles,
But bryng us in good ale, and gyfe us nothyng ellys,
And bryng us in good ale.
Bryng us in no butter, for therin ar many herys,º
hairs
Nor bryng us in no pygges flesch, for that wyl mak us borys,
But bryng us in good ale.
Bryng us in no podynges,º for therin is al gotesº blod.
black pudding / goats’
Nor bring us in no veneson, for that is not for our gode,
But bring us in good ale.
Bryng us in no capons flesch, for that is often der,
Nor bring us in no dokesº flesch, for thei slober in the mer,º
ducks’ / pond
But bring us in good ale.
Amorous Encounters; Men and Women
xvii)
O Lord, so swettº Ser John dothe kys
sweetly
At every tyme when he wolde pley;
Off hymselfe so plesant he ys,
I have no powre to say hym nay.
Ser John love[s] me and I love hym,
The more I love hym the more I maye,
He says, ‘swett hart, cum kys me trym.’º
nicely
I have no powre to say hym nay.
Ser John to me is proferyng
For hys pleasure right well to pay,
And in my box he puttes hys offryng —
I have no powre to say hym nay.
Ser John ys taken in my mousetrappe;
Fayne wold I have hemº bothe nyght and day;
him
He gropith so nyslye abought my lape,
I have no po[w]re to say hym nay.
Ser John gevyth me relyusº rynges
glittering
With pratyº pleasure for to assay,º
sweet / try
Furres off the finest with othyr thynges —
I have no powre to say hym nay.
xviii)
How, hey! It is non les:º
lie
I dar not seyn quan che seygh ‘Pes!’º
speak when she says peace! (be quiet!)
Yyngº men, I warne you everychon,
young
Eldeº wy[v]ys tak ye non,
old
For I myself [at hom have on] —
I dar not seyn quan che seyght, ‘Pes!’
Quan I cum fro the plow at non,º
noon
In a reven dychº myn mete is don,º
cracked dish / put
I dar not askyn our dame a sponº —
spoon
I dar not seyn quan che seyght, ‘Pes!’
Che takyt a staf and brekitº myn hed
breaks
And doth me rennynº under the ledº —
run / cauldron
I dar not seyn quan che seyght ‘Pes!’
If I aske our dame fleych,º
meat
Che brekit myn hed with a dych,
‘Boy, thou art not worght a reych!’º
worth a rush (= a thing of no value)
I dar not seyn quan che seyght ‘Pes!’
Yf I aske our dame chese,
‘Boy,’ che seyght, al at ese,º
quite unmoved
‘Thou art not worght half a pese!’º —
pea
I dar not seyn quan che seyght ‘Pes!’
xix)
Hogyn cam to bowersº dore,
chamber
Hogyn cam to bowers dore,
He tryld upon the pynº for love,
rattled at the latch
He tryld upon the pyn for love,
Up she rose and let hym yn,
Up she rose and let hym yn,
She had a-wentº she had worshippedº all he[r] kyn,
thought / honoured
She had a-went she had worshipped all her kyn,
When thei were to bed browght,
When thei were to bed browght,
The old chorle he cowld do nowght,º
nothing
The old chorle he cowld do nowght,
‘Go ye furth to yonder wyndow,
Go ye furth to yonder wyndow,
And I will cum to you withyn a throw’,º
while
‘And I will cum to you withyn a throw.’
Whan she hym at the wyndow wyst,º
knew
Whan she hym at the wyndow wyst,
She tornedº owt her ars and that he kyst,
put
She torned owt her ars and that he kyst,
‘Ywys,º leman,º ye do me wrong,
indeed / sweetheart
Ywys, leman, ye do me wrong,
Or elles your breth ys wonder strong’,
‘Or ells your breth ys wonder strong’,
xx)
‘Say me, viitº in the brom,º
creature / broom
Teche ne wouº I sule donº
how / must act
That min hosebondeº
husband
Me lovien wolde.’º
should
‘Holde thine tunkeº stille
tongue
And haweº al thine wille.’
have
Miscellaneous Songs
xxi)
I have a gentil co[k],º
cock
Crowyt me [the] dayº
daybreak
He dothº me rysyn erly,
causes
Comyn he is of gret;º
distinguished family
His comb is of red [c]orel,º
coral
His tayil js of get.º
jet
Comyn he is of kynde;º
high lineage
His comb is of red corel,
His tayl is of inde.º
indigo
His legges ben of asor,º
azure
So geintil and so smale;º
slender
His sporesº arn of sylver qwytº
spurs / shining silver
Into the wortewale.º
roots
His ey[e]nº arn of cristal,
eyes
Lokynº al in aumbyr;º
set / amber
And every nyght he perchitº hym
perches
xxii)
And neweº is begunne;
newly
Swychº another gardyn
such
In the myddis of my gardyn
Is a peryrº set,
pear-tree
And it wele non per bernº
bear
But a per jenet.º
early-ripening pear
The fairest mayde of this toun
For to gryffyn her a gryfº
insert a shoot, graft
Quan I hadde hem gryffidº
planted
Alle at her wille,º
as she wished
Che dede in fille.º
she poured out
And be that day xx wowkesº
weeks
Che seyd it was a per Robert,º
‘Robert’ pear
Nonsense Verse, sometimes used for satire, sometimes simply for enjoyment
xxiii)
Whan netilles in winter bere rosis rede,
And thornys bere figges naturally,
And bromesº bere appylles in every mede,º
brooms / meadow
And lorellesº bere cheris in the croppisº so hie,
laurels / top branches
And okysº bere dates so plentuosly,
oaks
And lekesº geve hony in ther superfluens,º
leeks / superabundance
Than put in a woman your trust and confidens.
Whan whiting walk in forestes hartesº for to chase,
harts
And heryngesº in parkys hornys boldly blowe,
herrings
And flowndersº morehennesº in fennes embrace.
flounders / moor-hens
And gornardesº shote grengeseº owt of a crossebowe,
gurnards / goslings
And rolyonsº ride in hunting the wolf to overthrowe,
fish
And sperlyngesº rone with speris in harness to defenceº
smelts / for protection.
Than put in a woman your trust and confidence.
Whan sparowys bild chirches and stepulles hie,
And wrennes cary sakkes to the mylle,
And curlews cary clothesº horsis for to drye,
cloths
And se-mewes bryng butter to the market to sell,
And wod-dowesº were wod-knyffesº theves to kyll,
wood-pigeons / hunting knives
And griffonsº to goslynges don obedience —
vultures
Than put in a woman your trust and confidence.
Whan crabbis tak wodcokesº in forestes and parkes,
woodcocks
And haris ben taken with swetnes of snaylis,
And [cammels in the ayer tak swalows and larkes],
And myse mowe corn with wafeyyngº of ther taylis,
waving
Whan dukkes of the dunghill sekº the Blod of Hayles,
seek
Whan shrewdº wyffes to ther husbondes do non offens —
shrewish
Than put in a woman your trust and confidence.
xxiv)
I wyll have the whetston and I may.º
if I can
I sawe a doge sethyngº sowseº
boiling / pork for pickling
And an ape thechyngº an howse
thatching
And a podyngº etyng a mowse;
sausage
I will have the whetston and I may.
I sawe an urchinº shapeº and sewe
hedgehog / cut out cloth
And another bake and brewe,
Scowre the pottes as they were newe;
I will have the whetston and I may.
I sawe a codfysshe corn sowe
And a worm a whystyll blowe
And a pyeº tredyng a crow;
magpie
I will have the whetston and I may.
I sawe a stokfyssheº drawing a harrow
dried fish
And another dryveyng a barrow
And a saltfysshe shotyng an arrow;
I will have the whetston and I may.
I sawe a bore burdeyns bynd
And a froge clewensº wynd
balls of yarn
And a tode mustard grynd;
I will have the whetston and I may.
I sawe a sowe bere kyrchers to wasshe,
The second sowe had an hege to plasshe,º
weave
The thirde sowe went to the barn to thr[a]sshe;
I will have the whetston and I may.
I sawe an ege etyng a pye —
Geve me drynke, my mowth ys drye,
Ytt ys not long sythº I made a lye;
since
I will have the whetston and I may.
Religious Songs (a brief selection)
xxv)
Nou gothº sonne under wod,º
goes / wood
Me reweth,º Marie, thi faire rode.º
I pity / face
Nou goth sonne under tre,
Me reweth, Marie, thi sone and the.
xxvi)
Adam lay ibowndyn, bowndyn in a bond,
Fowre thousand winter thowt he not to long.
And al was for an appil, An appil that he tok,
As clerkes fyndyn wretyn, wretyn in here bok
Ne hadde the appil take ben, the appil take ben,
Ne hadde never our Lady aº ben hevene qwen.
have
Blyssid be the tyme that appil take was,
Therfore we mownº syngyn ‘Deo gratias !’º
may / thanks be to God
xxvii)
Widº herte suitheº milde
with / very
That godº that thou havest idon me
good
Thou ard god and suete and briht,
Ofº alle otheir icoren;º
above / chosen
Of the was that suete withº
sweet creature
That was Jesus iboren.º
born
Maide milde, biddiº the
I pray
That thou er[e]ndieº me
intercede for
To habben Godis milce.º
mercy
Moder, [thou] loke one me
Rest and blisse [gef] thou me,
Mi levedi, thenº ic deye.
when
xxviii)
Can I not syng but ‘hoy’,
Whan the joly shepherd made so mych joy.
The sheperd upon a hill he satt,
He had on hym his tabardº and his hat,
cloak
Hys tarbox, hys pype, and hys flagat;º
flask
Hys name was called Joly, Joly Wat,
For he was a gud herdesº boy.
shepherds’
For in hys pype he made so mych joy.
The sheperd upon a hill was layd,
Hys dogeº to hys gyrdyll was tayd,º
dog / tied
He had not slept but a lytill br[a]ydº
while
But ‘Gloria in excelsis ’º was to hym sayd.
Glory in the Highest
For he was a gud herdes boy,
For in his pype he mad so mych joy.
The sheperd on a hill he stode;
Rownd abowt hym his shepe they yode;º
went
He put hys hond under hys hode;º
hood
He saw a star as rede as blod.
For he was a gud herdes boy,
For in his pype he mad so mych joy.
‘Now farwell Mall, and also Will;
For my love go ye all styllº
quietly
Untoº I cum agayn you till,º
until / back to you
And evermore, Will, ryng well thy bell.’
For he was a gud herdes boy,
For in his pipe he made so mych joy.
‘Now must I go therº Cryst was borne;
where
Farwell, I cum agayn tomorn;
Dog, kepe well my shepe fro the corn,
And warn well, Warroke,º when I blow my horn.’
Wat’s dog, or his ‘boy’
For he was a gud herdes boy,
For in his pype he made so mych joy.
The sheperd sayd anon right,º
immediately
‘I will go se yon farlyº syght,
wondrous
Wheras the angell syngith on hight,º
loudly
And the star that shynyth so bright,’
For he was a gud herdes boy,
For in his pipe he made so mych joy.
Whan Wat to Bedlemº cum was,
Bethlehem
He swetº — he had gon faster than a pace.º
was sweating / walking-pace
He fownd Jesu in a sympill place
Between an ox and an asse.
For he was a gud herdes boy,
For in his pipe he mad so mych joy.
‘Jesu, I offer to the here my pype,
My skyrte,º my tarbox, and my scrype;º
kilt / bag
Home to my felowes now will I skype,º
hasten
And also loke untoº my shepe.’
see to
For he was a gud herdes boy,
For in his pipe he mad so mych joy.
‘Now, farewell, myne own herdsman Wat,’
‘Ye, for God, lady, even so I hat.º
am called
Lull well Jesu in thy lape
And farewell, Joseph, wyth thy rownd cape.’º
round cap
For he was a gud herdes boy,
For in hys pipe he mad so mych joy.
‘Now may I well both hopeº and syng,
dance
For I have bene a Crystes beryng.º
birth
Home to my felowes now wyll I flyng.º
hurry
Cryst of hevyn to his blis us bryng!’
For he was a gud herdes boy,
For in his pipe he mad so myche joy.
xxix)
‘Lullay, myn lykyng,º my dere sone, myn swetyng,
beloved
Lullay, my dere herte, myn owyn dere derlyng.’
I saw a fayr maydyn syttyn and synge;
Sche lullyd a lytyl chyld, a swete lording.º
lord
That echeº Lord is that that made alle thinge;
same
Of alle lordis he is Lord, of all kynges Kyng.
Ther was mekylº melody at that chyldes berthe;
great
Alle thoº that wern in hevene blys, they made mekyl merth.
those
Aungele[s] bright, thei song that nyght and seydyn to that chyld,
‘Blyssid be thou, and so be sche that is bothe mek and myld.’
Prey we now to that chyld, and to his moder dere,
Grawnt hem his blyssyng that now makyn chere,º
joy
xxx)
Mery hyt ys in May morning
And by a chapel as y came,
Mett y wythe Jesu to chyrchewardº gone,
towards church
Petur and Pawle, Thomas and Jhon,
And hys desyplysº everychone.º
disciples / every one
Sente Thomas the bellys ganeº ryng,
did
And Sent Collasº the Mas gane syng;
Nicholas
Sente Jhon toke that swete offering,
And by a chapell as y came.
Owre Lorde offeryd whate he wollde,º
wished
A challesº off ryche rede gollde,
chalice
Owre Lady the crowne off hyr mowldeº —
from her head
The sonº owte off hyr bosom schone.
sun
Sent Jorge, that ys owre Lady knyghte,
He tende the tapyrysº fayre and bryte,
lit the tapers
To myn ygheº a semley syghte —
eyes
And by a chapell as y came.