Off A Rose, A Louely Rose
For Christmas
Words: English Traditional from the Balliol Ms. 354, folio 220b.
Source: 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. 232-233.
Off a rose, a louely rose
And of a rose I syng a song!
1. Herkyn to me both olde & yonge,
how a rose began to spryng,
A fayerer rose to my lykyng
sprong yer neuer inkynges londe.
2. VI braunches are on yat rose beme,
They be both bryght and shene.
The rose ys called mary hevyn quenem
Of her bosum a blossum spronge.
3. The fyrst branch was of gret myght,
That spronge on crystmas nyght!
The sterne shon over bedlem bryght
yat men myght se both brode &
longe.
4. The ijde braunch was of gret honowr,
yat was sent from hevyn towr!
blessyd be yat fayer flowr,
breke it shall the fendes bondes!
5. The thyrd braunch wyde sprede,
ther mary lay in her bede,
The bryngt strem iij kynges lede
to bedlem yet yat branch yei fond.
6. The iiijth sprong in to hell,
the fendes bost for to fell,
ther myght no sowle yer in dwell
blessid be yat tyme yat branch gan
spryng!
7. The Vth braunch was fayer in fote,
yat sprong to hevyn tope & rote,
yet to dwell & be owr bote
& yet ys sene in priestes hondes.
8. The VIth braunch by & by,
yt ys the V Ioyes of mylde mary!
Now cryst saue all this cumpany,
& sende vs gud lyff & long!
Editor's Note:
In many cases, the "y" character was printed instead of the Thorne (ž) character. "yat" thus should be "žat," which we would transliterate as "that."
Editor's Note:
Other versions of this carol on this website:
-
Lestenyt, Lordynges, Bothe Elde and 3ynge (Wright, 1836 & 1856, from Sloane 2593) (Burden: Of a rose, a lovely rose)
-
Of A Rose, A Lovely Rose (Chambers & Sidgwick, 1907 from
Lyth and lystyn, both old and young (Wright, 1847, from
Of A Rose, A Lovely Rose (Rickert, 1914 from
Off A Rose, A Louely
Rose (Flügel, 1903 from Balliol Ms. 354) (First line: Herkyn to me both
olde & yonge) [This page]
Hearken To Me
Both Old And Young, (Pollard, 1903, from Balliol MS 354) (Burden: Of A
Rose, A Lovely Rose)
Hearken To Me Both Old And Young (Weston, 1911, from the Balliol MS 354)
(Burden: All of a Rose, a lovely Rose)
There are other carols on this web site with similar first lines or burdens, although they have very separate themes and lyrics, including:
- This Rose is
Railed on a Ryse, Text Source: Edith Rickert, Ancient English
Christmas Carols: 1400-1700 (London: Chatto & Windus, 1914), p. 11, from
Ms. Selden B 26, folio 9v.
- Text and Sheet Music from Richard Runciman Terry, Two Hundred Folk Carols (London: Burns Oates & Washbourne Limited, 1933), Carol #176, pp. 10-11.
- Text and Sheet Music from Sir Richard Runciman Terry, A Medieval Carol Book: The Melodies Chiefly from MMS. in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, and in the Library of Trinity College, Cambridge (London: Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd., 1932), Carol #5, pp. 10-11.
"Listen, Lordings, Both Great and Small" (Burden: A, a, a, a, Nunc gaudet ecclesia):
-
Lestenyt3, lordynges, bothe grete and smale (Wright, 1856)
-
Listeneth, lordings, both great and small (Rickert, 1914)
"Listen, Lordings, both leve and dear" (Nowell, -ell, both Old and Young):
-
Nowel el bothe eld and õyng - Thomas Wright (Wright, 1841)
-
Nowell, Ell, Both Old and Ying (Rickert, 1914)
"Listen, Lordings, Both More and Less" (Burden: Puer nobis natus est de Virgine Maria)
-
Be glad, lordynges, be ye more and lesse (Thomas Wright, 1841)
-
Lystenyt, lordyngs, more and lees (Wright, 1845)
-
Puer Nobis Natus Est (First line: Be glad, lordinges, bethe more and lesse,) (Chambers & Sidgwick, 1907)
-
Be Glad, Lordings, Be Ye More and Less (Rickert, 1916)
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