Adam lay ibowndyn

For Christmas

Words and Music: English Traditional

This carol requires the installation of the "Junicode" font for best display. You can obtain a copy of this font from Old English at the University of Virginia, or right click here, and then select "Save File As" to save a copy of the zipped file to your computer. See notes in F A Q.

Source: Thomas Wright, Songs and Carols from a Manuscript in the British Museum of the Fifteenth Century (London: Printed by Richards for The Warton Club, 1856), Hymn #XXVIII, pp. 32-33.

Adam lay i-bowndyn,

    bowndyn in a bond,

Fowre thowsand wynter

    thowt he not to long ;

And al was for an appil,

    an appil that he tok,

As clerkes fyndyn wretyn

    in here book.

Ne hadde the appil take ben,

    the appil taken ben,

Ne hadde never our lady

    a ben hevene quen.

Blyssid be the tyme

    that appil take was !

Therfore we mown syngyn

    Deo gracias.

Versions of this carol  on this web site include:

• Adam lay i-bowndyn  (Wright, 1856) (This Page)

• Adam lay ybounden (Rickert)

• Adam lay ibounden (Chambers & Sidgwick)

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