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JOSEPH Of grete mornyng may I me mene
And walke full werily be this way,
For nowe than wende I best hafe bene
Att ease and reste by reasonne ay.
For I am of grete elde,
Wayke and al unwelde,
Als ilke man se it maye.
I may nowder buske ne belde,
But owther in frithe or felde.
For shame what sall I saie,
That thusgates nowe on myne alde dase
Has wedded a yonge wenche to my wiff,
And may noght wele tryne over two strase?
Nowe, Lorde, how lange sall I lede this liff,
My banes er hevy als lede
And may noght stande in stede
Als kende it is full ryfe.
Now, Lorde, thou me wisse and rede,
Or sone me dryve to dede,
Thou may best stynte this striffe.
For bittirly than may I banne
The way I in the Temple wente,
Itt was to me a bad barganne,
For reuthe I may it ay repente.
For tharein was ordande
Unwedded men sulde stande
Al sembled at asent,
And ilke ane a drye wande
On heght helde in his hand,
And I ne wist what it ment.
In mange al othir ane bare I,
Itt florisshed faire and floures on sprede,
And thay saide to me forthy
That with a wiffe I sulde be wedde.
The bargayne I made thare,
That rewes me nowe full sare,
So am I straytely sted.
Now castes itt me in care,
For wele I myght everemare
Anlepy life have led.
Hir werkis me wyrkis my wonges to wete.
I am begiled, how wate I noght.
My yonge wiffe is with childe full grete,
That makes me nowe sorowe unsoght.
That reproffe nere has slayne me.
Forthy giff any man frayne me
How this thing might be wroght,
To gabbe yf I wolde payne me,
The lawe standis harde agayns me,
To dede I mon be broght.
And lathe methinketh, on the todir syde,
My wiff with any man to defame
And whethir of there twa that I bide,
I mon noght scape withouten schame.
The childe certis is noght myne;
That reproffe dose me pyne
And gars me fle fra hame.
My liff gif I shuld tyne,
Sho is a clene virgine
For me, withouten blame.
But wele I wate thurgh prophicie,
A maiden clene suld bere a childe,
But it is nought sho, sekirly,
Forthy I wate I am begiled.
And why ne walde som yonge man take her?
For certis I thynke over ga hir
Into som wodes wilde.
Thus thynke I to stele fra hir;
God childe ther wilde bestes sla hir,
She is so meke and mylde.
Of my wendyng wil I none warne,
Neverethelees it is myne entente
To aske hir who gate hir that barne,
Yitt wolde I witte fayne or I went.
All hayle, God be hereinne.
I PUELLA Welcome, by Goddis dere myght.
JOSEPH Whare is that yonge virgine,
Marie, my berde so bright?
I PUELLA Certis, Joseph, ye sall undirstande
That sho is not full farre you fra.
Sho sittis at hir boke full faste prayand
For you and us, and for all tha
That oght has nede.
But for to telle hir will I ga
Of youre comyng, withouten drede.
Have done, and rise uppe, dame,
And to me take gud hede:
Joseph, he is comen hame.
MARIA Welcome, als God me spede.
Dredles to me he is full dere,
Joseph my spouse, welcome er yhe.
JOSEPH Gramercy, Marie, saie what chere,
Telle me the soth, how est with thee?
Wha has ben there?
Thy wombe is waxen grete, thynke me;
Thou arte with barne, allas, for care.
A, maidens, wa worthe you
That lete hir lere swilke lare.
II PUELLA Joseph, ye sall noght trowe
In hir no febill fare.
JOSEPH Trowe it noght arme? Lefe wenche, do way.
Hir sidis shewes she is with childe.
Whose ist, Marie?
MARIA Sir, Goddis and youres.
JOSEPH Nay, nay,
Now wate I wele I am begiled,
And reasoune why?
With me flesshely was thou nevere fylid,
And I forsake it here forthy.
Say, maidens, how es this?
Tels me the sothe, rede I,
And but ye do, iwisse,
The bargayne sall ye aby.
II PUELLA If ye threte als faste as yhe can,
Thare is noght to saie theretill,
For trulye her come never no man
To waite her body with non ill
Of this swete wight.
For we have dwelt ay with hir still,
And was nevere fro hir day nor nyght.
Hir kepars have we bene
And sho ay in oure sight,
Come here no man bytwene
To touche that berde so bright.
I PUELLA Na, here come no man in there wanes,
And that evere witnesse will we,
Save an aungell ilke a day anes
With bodily foode hir fedde has he,
Othir come nane.
Wharfore we ne wate how it shulde be,
But thurgh the Haly Gaste allane.
For trewly we trowe this,
Is grace with hir is gane,
For sho wroght nevere no mys,
We witnesse evere ilkane.
JOSEPH Thanne se I wele youre menyng is:
The aungell has made hir with childe.
Nay, som man in aungellis liknesse
With somkyn gawde has hir begiled,
And that trow I.
Forthy nedes noght swilke wordis wilde
At carpe to me dissayvandly.
We, why gab ye me swa
And feynes swilk fantassy?
Allas, me is full wa,
For dule why ne myght I dy?
To me this is a careful cas.
Rekkeles I raffe, refte is my rede,
I dare loke no man in the face,
Derfely, for dole why ne were I dede.
Me lathis my liff!
In Temple and in othir stede
Ilke man till hethyng will me dryff.
Was never wight sa wa,
For ruthe I all to ryff,
Allas, why wroght thou swa,
Marie, my weddid wiffe?
MARIA To my witnesse grete God I call,
That in mynde wroght nevere na mysse.
JOSEPH Whose is the childe thou arte withall?
MARIA Youres, sir, and the kyngis of blisse.
JOSEPH Ye, and hoo than?
Na selcouthe tythandis than is this,
Excuse tham wele there women can.
But, Marie, all that sese thee
May witte thi werkis ere wan:
Thy wombe allway it wreyes thee
That thou has mette with man.
Whose is it, als faire mot thee befall?
MARIA Sir, it is youres and Goddis will.
JOSEPH Nay, I ne have noght ado withall.
Neme it na more to me, be still.
Thou wate als wele as I
That we two same flesshly
Wroght never swilk werkis with ill.
Loke thou dide no folye
Before me prevely
Thy faire maydenhede to spill.
But who is the fader? telle me his name.
MARIA None but youreselfe.
JOSEPH Late be, for shame.
I did it nevere, thou dotist, dame, by bukes and belles,
Full sakles shulde I bere this blame aftir thou telles,
For I wroght nevere in worde nor dede
Thyng that shulde marre thy maydenhede
To touche me till.
For of slyk note war litill nede,
Yhitt for myn awne I wolde it fede,
Might all be still.
Tharfore the fadir tell me, Marie.
MARIA But God and yhow, I knawe right nane.
JOSEPH A, slike sawes mase me full sarye
With grete mornyng to make my mane;
Therfore be noght so balde
That no slike tales be talde,
But halde thee stille als stane.
Thou art yonge and I am alde,
Slike werkis yf I do walde,
Thase games fra me are gane.
Therfore, telle me in privité,
Whos is the childe thou is with nowe?
Sertis, ther sall non witte but we;
I drede the law als wele as thou.
MARIA Nowe grete God of his myght,
That all may dresse and dight,
Mekely to thee I bowe.
Rewe on this wery wight
That in his herte myght light
The soth to ken and trowe.
JOSEPH Who had thy maydenhede, Marie? Has thou oght mynde?
MARIA Forsuth, I am a mayden clene.
JOSEPH Nay, thou spekis now agayne kynde.
Slike thing myght nevere na man of mene,
A maiden to be with childe!
Thase werkis fra thee ar wilde,
Sho is not borne, I wene.
MARIA Joseph, yhe ar begiled:
With synne was I never filid,
Goddis sande is on me sene.
JOSEPH Goddis sande, yha Marie, God helpe,
Bot certis, that childe was nevere oures twa.
But womankynde gif tham list yhelpe,
Yhitt walde thei na man wiste ther wa.
MARIA Sertis, it is Goddis sande,
. . .
That sall I never ga fra.
JOSEPH Yha, Marie, drawe thyn hande,
For forther yitt will I fande,
I trowe not it be swa.
The soth fra me gif that thou layne,
The childebering may thou noght hyde;
But sitte stille here tille I come agayne,
Me bus an erand here beside.
MARIA Now, grete God he you wisse
And mende you of your mysse
Of me, what so betyde.
Als he is kyng of blisse,
Sende yhou som seand of this,
In truth that ye might bide.
JOSEPH Nowe, Lord God, that all thing may
At thyne awne will bothe do and dresse,
Wisse me now som redy way
To walke here in this wildirnesse.
Bot or I passe this hill,
Do with me what God will,
Owther more or lesse;
Here bus me bide full stille
Till I have slepid my fille.
Myn hert so hevy it is.
ANGELUS Waken, Joseph, and take bettir kepe
To Marie, that is thi felawe fest.
JOSEPH A, I am full werie, lefe, late me slepe,
Forwandered and walked in this forest.
ANGELUS Rise uppe and slepe na mare,
Thou makist her herte full sare
That loves thee alther best.
JOSEPH We, now es this a farly fare,
For to be cached bathe here and thare,
And nowhere may have rest.
Say, what arte thou, telle me this thyng?
ANGELUS I, Gabriell, Goddis aungell full even,
That has tane Marie to my kepyng
And sente es thee to say with steven
In lele wedlak thou lede thee;
Leffe hir noght, I forbid thee,
Na syn of hir thou neven,
But tille hir fast thou spede thee
And of hir noght thou drede thee,
It is Goddis sande of heven.
The childe that sall be borne of her,
Itt is consayved of the Haly Gast.
Alle joie and blisse than sall be aftir
And to al mankynde nowe althir mast.
Jesus his name thou calle,
For slike happe sall hym fall
Als thou sall se in haste.
His pepull saffe he sall
Of evyllis and angris all
That thei ar nowe enbraste.
JOSEPH And is this soth, aungell, thou saise?
ANGELUS Yha, and this to taken right,
Wende forthe to Marie thy wiffe alwayse:
Brynge hir to Bedlem this ilke nyght.
Ther sall a childe borne be,
Goddis Sone of heven is hee,
And man ay mast of myght.
JOSEPH Nowe, Lorde God, full wele is me
That evyr that I this sight suld see;
I was never ar so light.
For for I walde hir have thus refused
And sakles blame that ay was clere,
Me bus pray hir halde me excused
Als som men dose with full gud chere.
Saie, Marie, wiffe, how fares thou?
MARIA The bettir, sir, for yhou.
Why stande yhe thare? Come nere.
JOSEPH My bakke fayne wolde I bowe
And aske forgifnesse nowe,
Wiste I thou wolde me here.
MARIA Forgiffnesse, sir, late be for shame;
Slike wordis suld all gud women lakke.
JOSEPH Yha, Marie, I am to blame,
For wordis lang are I to thee spak.
But gadir same nowe all oure gere,
Slike poure wede as we were,
And prike tham in a pak.
Till Bedlem bus me it bere,
For litill thyng will women dere.
Helpe up nowe on my bak.
|
mourning; speak; (see note); (t-note)
by
(i.e., I’d rather have)
age
Weak; feeble
every man
move easily; stay
wood
in this way; old days; (t-note)
step; straws
bones; lead
place
perceived; in every way
(t-note)
soon
stop
curse; (see note)
shame
assembled as agreed
each one
Up high
knew
Among; one; (t-note)
bloomed
repent; sore
(i.e., in trouble)
conflict
A single
doings cause me; cheeks
know
(see note)
disgrace nearly
if; question
(t-note)
talk
death I might
loath
which of these two
escape
reproof causes me pain
makes; from home
if; lose
know
wouldn’t; (see note)
(i.e., to forsake her); (see note)
woods
steal away from
shield; slay
tell
intention
made her (pregnant with); child
know; before
lady
very far from you; (t-note)
book; (see note)
those; (t-note)
(t-note)
Doubtless
are you; (t-note)
how is it
Who
woe do you deserve
let her learn such lore
believe
no [moral] weakness
harm; Leave
(t-note)
I know well
defiled
(see note)
advise
pay for
here came; (t-note)
shame
(t-note)
lady
walls
once
none
know
(t-note)
believe
His grace is with her; (t-note)
sin
trick
know
irrational
speak; deceivingly
chatter; so
feign
of woe
dole
sorrowful
rave; (i.e., my peace is compromised)
Unhappily
I loathe
place
Each man to scorn; drive
man so [full of] woe
(i.e., am wounded [in heart])
error (sin); (t-note)
how
No more marvelous
(i.e., these)
see
sinful
betrays
Name
together carnally
secretly
Let
you talk foolishly; books
innocent
such business
feed
kept quiet
(t-note)
such words amaze; sorry
moan; (t-note)
bold
told
stone; (t-note)
old
would (be willing to) do
gone; (t-note)
know
undertake; do
Have compassion; unhappy man
know; trust
memory
nature
no; (i.e., assert)
mad
think
defiled
message; seen
together; (t-note)
if they desire; (t-note)
Yet; know; woe; (t-note)
[line missing, see note]
(t-note)
(i.e., stop talking)
go; (t-note)
(t-note)
if; conceal
direct
error
message
(t-note)
undertake
Direct
But before
Either
must; abide
slept
(t-note)
fast
sir, let
Worn out with wandering and walking
the very best of all
wondrous matter
pursued both
(see note)
taken
is; voice
true wedlock
Leave
No sin; speak
to
message from
the very most
happening to him
save
afflictions
surrounded
rightly
Bethlehem; same; (see note)
most
before
For since; (t-note)
innocent
hold
(t-note)
hear
let
long (inappropriate) previously
together
poor clothes; wear; (see note)
press; into
carry
trouble
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