Into The World This Day Did Come

For Christmas

Words: English Traditional from the Hill Ms.
Compare: Into This World, This Day Did Come (Rickert)
In To This World This Day Dide Com (Flügel)

Music: Not Stated

Source: Jessie L. Weston, ed., Old English Carols from the Hill MS. [Balliol College MS. 354] Translated by Jessie L. Weston. (London: David Nutt, 1911), Carol #XVII, p. 31.

I pray you be merry and sing with me
In worship of Christ's Nativitie !

1. Into the world this day did come
Jesu Christ both God and Man,
Master and Servant was He in One,
And born of the Virgin Mary !
        I pray you, etc.

2. He who was rich, and ne'er knew need,
He came to this world in right poor weed
To make us men, who were poor indeed,
Rich for ever and, aye, truly !
        I pray you, etc.

3. A stable His chamber, a manger bed,
With never a pillow beneath His head,
With Maiden's milk that Babe was fed,
Poorly was clad God Almighty !
        I pray you, etc.

4. A noble lesson to us He taught,
All wordly riches to set at naught,
And pray that we may at last be brought,
Where riches be everlastingly !

I pray you be merry and sing with met
In worship of Christ's Nativitie !

Editor's Note:

Weston's apparent source was Ewald Flügel, ed., “Liedersammlungen des XVI Jahrhunderts, Besonders Aus Der Zeit Heinrichs VIII. III. 6. Die lieder des Balliol Ms. 354,” in Eugen Einenkel, ed., Anglia - Zeitschrift für englische Philologie enthaltend Beitrage zur Geschlicht der englischen Sprache und Literatur. Band XXVI. (Halle: Max Niemeyer, 1903), pp. 260-261. This work is available at both Internet Archive and Google Books.

See also Roman Dyboski, ed. Songs, Carols and Other Miscellaneous Poems from the Balliol MS. 354, Richard Hill’s Commonplace Book. Early English Text Society Extra Series No. CI (London: Published for the Early English Text Society by Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., Ltd., 1907, issued in 1908), p. 83. Over 103 songs of great variety, including 62 "sacred songs and carols." Available at Internet Archive and Google Books.

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