Off The 5 Joyes Of Owr Lady

For Christmas.

Words and Music: Traditional English

Source: Thomas Wright, Songs and Carols Now First Printed, From a Manuscript of the Fifteenth Century (London: The Percy Society, 1847), Song #59, printed verbatim from a manuscript probably owned by a professional musician, and apparently written in the latter half of the fifteenth century, circa 1471-1485.

Compare: The Five Joys (Rickert)

Off the 5 joys of owr lady.
A, a, a, a, gaude celi domina.

Mary, for the love of the,
Glad and mery schal we be;
Whe schal syng unto the,
            Tua quinque gaudia.

The fyrst joy that came to the,
Was whan the aungel greted the,
And sayd. Mary, full of charyte,
            Ave, plena gracia.

The secund joye that was ful good,
Whan Goddes son tok flesch and blood;
Withowt Sorow and changyng of mood
            Enixa es puerpera.

The thyrd joy was ful of myght,
Whan Goddes son on rood was pyght,
Deed and buryed, and layd in syght,
            Surrexit die tercia.

The fourth joy was on Holy Thursday,
Whan God to heven tok hys way,
God and man withowten nay,
            Ascendit supra sydera.

The fyfth joy is for to come
At the dredful day of dome,
Whan he schal deme us al and some,
            Ad celi palacia.

Mary to serve, God gyve us grace,
And grete hyr with joys in every place,
To cum afor hyr sones face
            In seculorum secula.

---

Note from Wright:

Off the 5 joyes. There is a song on the same subject, and in the same style, in the Sloane MS., fol. 9, r⁰, but differing in the words with the exception of a phrase here and there.

Note:

Versions of this song on this web site:

• The Ferst Joye As I Zu Telle ("Joyes Fyve") (Sandys)

• The Ferste Joye, As I 3ou Telle (Wright, 1856)

• The Five Joys (Rickert)

• Off The 5 Joyes Of Owr Lady (Wright, 1847) (this page)

Another, different "five joys" song: The Five Joys of the Virgin (Wright, 1845)

Similar:

• The Seven Joys of Mary - Version 1 (Bramley & Stainer) (with sheet music)

• The Seven Joys Of Mary - Version 2 (Shaw and Dearmer) (with sheet music)

• The Seven Joys of Mary - RR Terry (with sheet music)

• The First Good Joy Our Mary Had (Sandys) (a.k.a. Joyes Seven; in total, 12 Joys - 7 from Sandys, 5 from Husk) (with sheet music and notes)

• The Seven Joys Of Mary (John Jacob Niles) (with note)

• The Ten Joys Of Christmas (Sharp) (with sheet music and note)

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