Goddys Sonne Is Borne

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 #67, 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: Blessed be that lady bright (Rickert) and Blessed Be That Lady Bright (Chambers and Sidgwick)

Also found in William Sandys, Christmas-tide, Its History, Festivities and Carols, With Their Music (London: John Russell Smith, 1852), pp. 228-9.

Blyssid be that lady bryght,
That bare a chyld off great myght,
Withouten peyne, as it was right,
            Mayd mother Marye.

Goddys sonne is borne, his moder is a maid
Both aftur and beforne, as the prophyey said,
                    With ay;
            A wonder thyng it is to se,
            How manden and moder on may be;
            Was there noone but she,
                    Maid moder Marye.

The great lord of heaven owr servant is becom,
Thorow Gabriels stevyn, owr kynd have benom,
                    With ay;
            A wonder thyng it is to se,
            How lord and servant on may be;
            Was ther never nonne but he,
                    Born off maid Marye.

Two sons togyther they owght to shyne bryght;
So did that fayer ladye, whan Jesu in hir light,
                    With aye;
            A wonder thyng is fall,
            The lord that bought fre and thrall,
            Is found in an assis stall,
                    By his moder Mary.

The sheperdes in her region thei lokyd into heaven,
Thei se an angell commyng down, that said with myld steven,
                    With aye;
            Joy be to God almyght,
            And pece in yerth to man is dyte,
            Fore God was born on Chrismes nyght
                    Off his moder Marye.

Thre kynges off great noblay, what that chyld was born,
To hym they tok the redy way, and kneled hym beforn,
                    With ay;
            These iij. kynges cam fro fare,
            Thorow ledyng of a stare,
            And offered hym gold, encence, and mure,
                    And to hys moder Mary.

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