Omnes gentes plaudite

For Christmas

Words and Music: English Traditional
Compare: Omnes Gentes Plaudite (Rickert)

Note: Because Middle English contains letters not found in modern English, I've used a special font, "Junius Modern," created by Professor Peter S. Baker, Professor of English, University of Virginia, on this page.  You can obtain a copy of this font from his website 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).  This font must be downloaded and installed before this page will display accurately.

Source: Thomas Wright, Songs and Carols from a Manuscript in the British Museum of the Fifteenth Century (London: Printed by Richards for The Warton Club, 1856), Hymn XXVII, p. 32.

Omnes gentes plaudite.

I saw myny bryddis setyn on a tre ;

He tokyn here fley3t and flowyn away,

With, Ego dixi, have good day !

Many qwyte federes ha3t the pye :—

I may noon more syngyn, my lyppis arn so drye.

Manye qwyte federis ha3t the swan :—

The more that I drynke, the lesse good I can.

Ley stykkys on the fer, wyl mot is brenne ;

3eve us onys drynkyn er we gon henne.

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