Source: Henry Poulaille, Bible Des Noëls Anciens (“Club Des Éditeurs, Édition Nouvelle,” c 1958), pp. 61-63.

1. Noël nouvelet, Noël chantons icy;
Dévotes gens, rendons à Dieu mercy;
Chantons Noël pour le roy nouvelet,

Noël nouvelet,
Noël chantons icy!

2. Quand m'esveilly et j'eus assez dormy
Ouvris mes yeux, vis un arbre fleury
Dont il issait un bouton vermeillet,

Noël nouvelet,
Noël chantons icy!

3. Quand je le vis, mon cœur fut resjouy
Car grande clarté resplendissait de luy
Comme le soleil qui luit au matinet

Noël nouvelet,
Noël chantons icy!

4. D'un oysillon après le chant j'ouy
Qu'aux pasteurs disait : « Partez d'icy
En Bethléem trouverez l'agnelet »

Noël nouvelet,
Noël chantons icy!

5. En Bethléem, Marie et Joseph vy
L'asne et le bœuf, l'enfant couché parmy
La crèche était au lieu d'un bercelet

Noël nouvelet,
Noël chantons icy!

6. L'estoile vint qui le jour esclaircy
Et la vy bien d'où j'estois départy
En Bethléem les Trois Roys conduisait

Noël nouvelet,
Noël chantons icy!

7. L'un portait l'or et l'autre myrrhe aussi
Et l'autre encens que faisait bon senty
Le Paradis semblait, le jardinet

Noël nouvelet,
Noël chantons icy!

8. Quarante jours, la nourrice attendy
Entre les bras de Siméon rendy
Deux tourterelles dedans un panneret

Noël nouvelet,
Noël chantons icy!

9. Quand Siméon le vit, fit un haut cry
Voice mon Dieu, mon sauveur Jésus-Christ
Voicy celui qui joie au peuple met!

Noël nouvelet,
Noël chantons icy!

10. Un prestre vint don't je fus esbahy
Que les paroles hautement entendy
Puis les mussa dans un petit livret

Noël nouvelet,
Noël chantons icy!

11. Et puis me dit « Frère, crois-tu cecy?
Si tu y crois aux cieux sera ravy
Si tu n'y crois, va d'enfer au gibet »

Noël nouvelet,
Noël chantons icy!

12. Voicy mon Dieu, mon Sauveur Jésus-Christ
Voicy celui qui gloire au peuple met
En trente jours fut Noël accomply

Noël nouvelet,
Noël chantons icy!¹

13. Et trente jours fut Noël accomply
Par douze vers sera mon chant finy
Par chaque jour j'en ai fait un couplet

Noël nouvelet,
Noël chantons icy!

Footnote:

1. M. Lemeignen, dans sa version, omet le neuvieme couplet et l'avant-dernier y est remplace par celui-ci:

Et l'autre jour je songeais en mon lict
Que je voyais ung enfant si petit
Qui s'appelait Jésus de Nazareth
Noël nouvelet.

Ce texte est vraisemblablement posterieur au notre.

Cited source for this text is Grande Bible des Noëls, tant vieux que nouveaux, Troyes, 1721.

Additional Note in Bible Des Noëls Anciens, p. 63:

    Ce Noël figure dans le Manuscrit, Arsenal 3653, qui date de 1487-1490, « S'ensuyvent certains ditèz et chansons faictes en lhonneur de la Nativité Jhésu Christ. » (Je n'ai pu voir ce manuscrit qui avait été évacué pendant la guerre.)

    Villon aimait ce Noël et l'on en aurait retrouve une copie de sa main dans les papiers qu'il laissa.

Notes

Keyte and Parrott, The New Oxford Book of Carols (1992) contains 13 French verses, with a corresponding 13 English verses; see Carol 188. They note that nouvelet comes from the same root as noël, and that both denote "news" or "newness." This was a New Year's carol, as opposed to a Christmas carol, with versions dating to the early 1500s. Numerous versions have been found, largely inconsistent.  They took their version from the 1721 Grande Bible des noëls, taunt vieux que nouveaus. Even so, they made alterations to several of the French verses, according to their notes, which contain additional material to which the reader is referred.

English translations appeared as early as the 17th and 18th centuries; translations are still being made as recently as 1998.

The tune itself, in a Dorian mode, echoes in its first five notes the Marian hymn Ave, Maris Stella Lucens Miseris.

Translations include:

• Christmas Comes Anew (Ehret and Evans, The International Book of Carols (Fort Lauderdale, FL: Walton Music Corp., 1963); there may also be public domain versions under this name, however, I have not yet located one.
• Noel Nouvelet, Sing We A New Noel (Translator Unknown)
• Noël nouvelet, sing we this new Noël (Keyte and Parrott, The New Oxford Book of Carols (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992).
• Noel! A New Noel!
• Noel, Noel, Noel (Translation by Mrs. K. W. Simpson, circa 1930)
• Nowell, Sing Nowell (Translation by John Rutter, copyright 1969; see Carols for Choirs 2: 50 Christmas Carols for Christmas and Advent (London: Oxford University Press, 1970)
• Sing We Now
• Sing We Now Of Christmas: Version 1 and Version 2. Traditional English, Translator Unknown, circa 17th or 18th Century, plus numerous contemporary versions under the same name, including those by Laurence Stith (1965), Randy Vader (1994), and Ken Bible (1998).

Note: Some links open at a new site; all open in a new window.

The tune has also been used for other hymns, including:

• Now The Green Blade Rises (A 1928 Easter hymn by English priest John Macleod Campbell Crum (1872-1958), a beautiful hymn that likens Christ to the growing grain.)
• Welcome, Happy Morning! (Words by Venantius Fortunatus, c. 530-609, Translated by John Ellerton, 1826-1893.)
• Godhead Here In Hiding (A translation of Adoro Te Devote, A meditation on the blessed sacrament; Words by Thomas Aquinas; Translation by Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J.)
• Hidden God, devoutly I adore Thee (A translation of Adoro Te Devote, A meditation on the blessed sacrament; Words by Thomas Aquinas; Translation: Unknown)
• With All The Powers My Poor Soul Hath (A translation of Adoro Te Devote, A meditation on the blessed sacrament; Words by Thomas Aquinas; Translation by Richard Crashaw, adapted by John Austin.)

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As is always the case, the rendering of a particular text is dependent upon the religious beliefs of a particular denomination; expect variations.

This tune was also the basis of Marcel Dupre's (1886-1971) organ composition, Variations sur un vieux noël ("Variations on a French Noel").

Please note that it has been more than 40 years since my courses of French in high school and college. My fluency was never high, and it has not increased over the years. I am unable to provide any translation. Sorry.

Sources:

• Percy Dearmer, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Martin Shaw, eds., The Oxford Book of Carols (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1928).

• Walter Ehret and George K. Evans, eds., The International Book of Carols (Fort Lauderdale, FL: Walton Music Corp., 1963).

• Hugh Keyte and Andrew Parrott, eds., The New Oxford Book of Carols (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992).

• Erik Routley, The English Carol (New York: Oxford University Press, 1959).

• Erik Routley, The University Carol Book (Brighton: H. Freeman & Co., 1961).

• William E. Studwell, The Christmas Carol Reader (New York: Harrington Park Press, 1995)

• The Baptist Hymnal (Nashville: Convention Press, 1991)

• The Book of Hymns (Nashville: The United Methodist Publishing House, 1964)

• The Hymnal 1982 (New York: The Church Hymnal Corporation, 1982)

• The Lutheran Book of Worship (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1978