Mervele noȝt, Josep, on Mary mylde
Words and Music:
Traditional English
(From MS. Addit. 5665, fol. 8, r0)
Source: Thomas Wright, Specimens of Old Christmas Carols Selected from Manuscripts and Printed Books (London: The Percy Society, 1841)
Compare:
Meruele Nozt, Iosep,
On Mary Mylde (William Sandys, with notes)
Marvel Not, Joseph, On Mary Mild
(Edith Rickert)
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.
Mervele noȝt, Josep, on Mary mylde;
Forsake hyr not, they she be with chylde.
I, Josep, wonder how this may be,
That Mary wex gret when y and she
Ever have levyd in chastité;
If she be with chylde, hit ys not by me.
Mervelle not, Joseph.
The holy gost, with mercifulle disstens,
In here hathe entryd wythowte offens,
God and man conceyved by hys presens,
And she virgyn pure wythowte violens.
Mervelle not, Joseph.
What the angelle of God to me dothe say,
I, Joseph, muste and wille umble obay,
Ellys prively y wolde have stole a-way,
But now wille y serve here tille that y day.
Mervelle not, Josep.
Josep, thow shalt here mayde and moder fynde,
Here sone redemptor of alle mankynde,
Thy fore-faderes of paynes to unbynde;
Therefor must not this mater in thy mynde.
Mervelle not.
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