December Meme
Dec. 24th, 2014 09:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
la_samtyrToday's topic: Medieval Christmas carols
Please note that this lullaby carol is from the 14th century, so it *will not* sound like Shakespearean English; it's probably closer to the English spoken/written by Chaucer. I hope you enjoy it!
I have an unexpected errand to run but I'll try and copy the lyrics when I get home.
**The lyrics are now below the cut. The 14th century verse ahead of the modern translation. You will notice the spelling is very different. For one thing, the thorn [Þ] is used in place of 'th'; also, there is a stylized "3" that I could not figure out how to duplicate, so the numeral 3 takes its place. Also, "I" is pronounced as "E".
Lullay, lullay, lay, lay, lullay:
mi deere moder, sing lullay.
Lullay, lullay, lay, lay, lullay:
my dear mother, sing lullay.
~*~
Als I lay on 3oolis ni3t
alone in my longing
me Þou3t I saw a well fair si3t
a may hir child rokking.
As I lay on Christmas night,
alone in my desire, it seemed to me
I saw a very lovely sight,
a girl rocking her child.
~*~
Þe maiden wold wiÞouten song
hir child o sleep to bring;
Þe child him Þou3t sche ded him wrong
and bad his moder sing.
The maiden wanted to put her child
to sleep without singing;
to the child it seemed she wronged him
and he told his mother to sing.
~*~
'Sing nou, moder,' said Þe child,
'wat schal to me befall
heerafter wan I cum til eld,
for so doon modres all.
"Sing now, mother," said the child,
"what is to befall me
in the future when I am grownup,
for all mothers do that.
~*~
'Ich a moder, trewely,
Þat kan hir credel keep,
is wun to lullen luvely
and sing hir child o sleep.
"Every mother, truly,
who knows how to watch over her cradle,
is accustomed to lull lovingly
and sing her child to sleep.
~*~
'Sweete moder, fair and free,
be cause Þat it is so,
I pray Þee Þat Þou lulle me
and sing sumwat Þerto.'
"Sweet mother, fair and gracious,
since that it is so,
I pray you to lull me
and to sing something as well."
~*~
'Sweete sune,' said sche,
'weroffe schuld I sing?
Ne wist I nere yet more of Þee
but Gabriels greeting.
"Sweet son," said she,
"of what should I sing?
I never knew anything more about you
than Gabriel's greeting.
~*~
'He grett me goodli on his knee
and saide, "Hail, Marie!
Hail, full of grace, God is wiÞ Þee;
Þou beren schalt Messie."
"He greeted me courteously on his knee
and said 'Hail Mary!
Hail, full of grace, God is with thee;
thou shalt bear the Messiah.'
~*~
'I wundred michil in my Þou3t,
for man would I ri3t none.
"Marie," he saide, "dred Þee nou3t:
let God of heven alone.
"I wondered greatly in my mind,
for I by no means desired a husband.
'Mary,' he said, 'do not fear;
leave the God of Heaven to his ways.
~*~
"'Þe Holi Gost schal doon al Þis,"
he said wiÞouten wun,
Þat I schuld beren mannis blis
and Godis owne sun.
"'The Holy Ghost is to do all this,'
he said without delay,
that I should bear man's bliss
and God's own son.
~*~
'He saide, "Þou schalt bere a king
in king Davitis see;"
in al Jacobes wuniing
Þer loverd schuld he be.
"He said, "Thou shalt bear a king
in king David's seat;'
in all the house of Jacob
he should be lord.
~*~
'He said Þat Elizabeth,
Þat barain was bifore,
"a knave child conceyved hath --
to me leeve Þou Þe more."
"He said that Elizabeth,
who until then had been barren,
'has conceived a male child --
to give me the more credence.'
~*~
'I answered bleÞely,
for Þat his word me paid,
"Lo, Godis servant heer am I;
be et as Þou me said."
"I answered gladly,
for his words pleased me,
'Lo, I am here, God's servant;
be it as thou hast said to me.'
~*~
'Þer, als he saide, I Þee bare
on midewenter ni3t
in maidenhede wiÞouten kare
be grace of God almi3t.
"There, as he said, I bore you
on Midwinter Night,
in virginity without pain,
by the grace of almighty God.
~*~
'Þer schepperds waked in Þe wold
Þei herd a wunder mirÞ
of angles Þer, as Þeim Þei rold
Þe tiding of Þi birÞ.
"Where shepherds were watching in the
uplands they heard a wonderous song
of angels there, as they told them
the tidings of your birth.
~*~
'Sweete sune, sikirly,
no more kan I say,
and if I koude, fawn wold I,
to doon al at Þi pay.'
"Sweet son, assuredly
I can say no more,
and if I could, I would gladly,
to do everything as you wish."
~*~
Seteynly Þis si3t I say,
Þis song I herde sing,
als I me lay Þis 3oolis day
alone in my longing.
Certainly I saw this sight,
I heard this song sung,
as I lay this Christmas Day
alone in my desire.
~~fini~~
Please note that this lullaby carol is from the 14th century, so it *will not* sound like Shakespearean English; it's probably closer to the English spoken/written by Chaucer. I hope you enjoy it!
I have an unexpected errand to run but I'll try and copy the lyrics when I get home.
**The lyrics are now below the cut. The 14th century verse ahead of the modern translation. You will notice the spelling is very different. For one thing, the thorn [Þ] is used in place of 'th'; also, there is a stylized "3" that I could not figure out how to duplicate, so the numeral 3 takes its place. Also, "I" is pronounced as "E".
Lullay, lullay, lay, lay, lullay:
mi deere moder, sing lullay.
Lullay, lullay, lay, lay, lullay:
my dear mother, sing lullay.
~*~
Als I lay on 3oolis ni3t
alone in my longing
me Þou3t I saw a well fair si3t
a may hir child rokking.
As I lay on Christmas night,
alone in my desire, it seemed to me
I saw a very lovely sight,
a girl rocking her child.
~*~
Þe maiden wold wiÞouten song
hir child o sleep to bring;
Þe child him Þou3t sche ded him wrong
and bad his moder sing.
The maiden wanted to put her child
to sleep without singing;
to the child it seemed she wronged him
and he told his mother to sing.
~*~
'Sing nou, moder,' said Þe child,
'wat schal to me befall
heerafter wan I cum til eld,
for so doon modres all.
"Sing now, mother," said the child,
"what is to befall me
in the future when I am grownup,
for all mothers do that.
~*~
'Ich a moder, trewely,
Þat kan hir credel keep,
is wun to lullen luvely
and sing hir child o sleep.
"Every mother, truly,
who knows how to watch over her cradle,
is accustomed to lull lovingly
and sing her child to sleep.
~*~
'Sweete moder, fair and free,
be cause Þat it is so,
I pray Þee Þat Þou lulle me
and sing sumwat Þerto.'
"Sweet mother, fair and gracious,
since that it is so,
I pray you to lull me
and to sing something as well."
~*~
'Sweete sune,' said sche,
'weroffe schuld I sing?
Ne wist I nere yet more of Þee
but Gabriels greeting.
"Sweet son," said she,
"of what should I sing?
I never knew anything more about you
than Gabriel's greeting.
~*~
'He grett me goodli on his knee
and saide, "Hail, Marie!
Hail, full of grace, God is wiÞ Þee;
Þou beren schalt Messie."
"He greeted me courteously on his knee
and said 'Hail Mary!
Hail, full of grace, God is with thee;
thou shalt bear the Messiah.'
~*~
'I wundred michil in my Þou3t,
for man would I ri3t none.
"Marie," he saide, "dred Þee nou3t:
let God of heven alone.
"I wondered greatly in my mind,
for I by no means desired a husband.
'Mary,' he said, 'do not fear;
leave the God of Heaven to his ways.
~*~
"'Þe Holi Gost schal doon al Þis,"
he said wiÞouten wun,
Þat I schuld beren mannis blis
and Godis owne sun.
"'The Holy Ghost is to do all this,'
he said without delay,
that I should bear man's bliss
and God's own son.
~*~
'He saide, "Þou schalt bere a king
in king Davitis see;"
in al Jacobes wuniing
Þer loverd schuld he be.
"He said, "Thou shalt bear a king
in king David's seat;'
in all the house of Jacob
he should be lord.
~*~
'He said Þat Elizabeth,
Þat barain was bifore,
"a knave child conceyved hath --
to me leeve Þou Þe more."
"He said that Elizabeth,
who until then had been barren,
'has conceived a male child --
to give me the more credence.'
~*~
'I answered bleÞely,
for Þat his word me paid,
"Lo, Godis servant heer am I;
be et as Þou me said."
"I answered gladly,
for his words pleased me,
'Lo, I am here, God's servant;
be it as thou hast said to me.'
~*~
'Þer, als he saide, I Þee bare
on midewenter ni3t
in maidenhede wiÞouten kare
be grace of God almi3t.
"There, as he said, I bore you
on Midwinter Night,
in virginity without pain,
by the grace of almighty God.
~*~
'Þer schepperds waked in Þe wold
Þei herd a wunder mirÞ
of angles Þer, as Þeim Þei rold
Þe tiding of Þi birÞ.
"Where shepherds were watching in the
uplands they heard a wonderous song
of angels there, as they told them
the tidings of your birth.
~*~
'Sweete sune, sikirly,
no more kan I say,
and if I koude, fawn wold I,
to doon al at Þi pay.'
"Sweet son, assuredly
I can say no more,
and if I could, I would gladly,
to do everything as you wish."
~*~
Seteynly Þis si3t I say,
Þis song I herde sing,
als I me lay Þis 3oolis day
alone in my longing.
Certainly I saw this sight,
I heard this song sung,
as I lay this Christmas Day
alone in my desire.
~~fini~~
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Date: 2014-12-24 05:20 pm (UTC)Happy Christmas!
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Date: 2014-12-25 03:38 am (UTC)Merry Christmas!
*hugs*
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Date: 2014-12-25 05:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-12-25 02:25 pm (UTC)