Out Of Youre Slepe Arise And Wake

For Christmas

Words: English Traditional from Arch. Selden Ms. B. 26, Bodleian Library, Oxford

Compare: Out Of Your Sleep Arise and Wake (Rickert; Alternate Title: Arise and Wake), with notes and sheet music.

Music: Not Stated

Source: E. K. Chambers and F. Sidgwick, eds., Early English Lyrics (London: A. H. Bullen, 1907), #LIX, p. 115.

Nowel, nowel, nowel, nowel, nowel, nowel !

Out of youre slepe arise and wake,
For God mankind now hathe itake
All of a maide without any make ;
    Of all women she berethe the belle. 5 

And throwe a maide faire and wis
Now man is made of full grete pris ;
Now angeles knelen to manes servis ;
    And at this time all this bifel.

Now man is brighter than the sonne ; 10
Now man in heven an hie shall wonne ;
Blessed be God this game is begonne
    And his moder emperesse of helle.

That ever was thralle, now is he free ;
That ever was smalle, now grete is she ; 15
Now shall God deme bothe thee and me
    Unto his blisse, if we do well.

Now man may to heven wende ;
Now heven and erthe to him they bende ;
He that was fo now is oure frende. 20
    This is no nay that I you telle.

Now blessed brother, graunte us grace,
A domes day to see thy face,
And in thy court to have a place,
    That we mow there singe nowel. 25

Note:

16. deme, judge.

Notes to #LIX, p. 350.

Seld. B. 26. Printed E.B.M., ii. 122 (facsimile, i. plate LX).

5, etc. 'Nowel' is added at the end of each verse.

11. 'wonne' is wanting in the MS.

Extended Citation:

E.B.M.
Sir John Stainer, ed., Early Bodleian Music. Sacred and Secular Songs together with other MS. Compositions in the Bodleian Library, Oxford : ranging from about a.d. 1185 to about a.d. 1505. With an Introduction by E. W. B. Nicholson, and Transcriptions into Modern Musical Notation by J. F. R. Stainer and C. Stainer. Volume Two of Two volumes (vol. 1, facsimiles, vol. 2, transcriptions), 1901, p. 107 (facsimile, i. plate XLVII).

Editor's Note:

Also occurs in two volumes edited by Richard Runciman Terry, with sheet music. See Rickert's Out Of Your Sleep Arise and Wake.

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