Welcome By Thys Blissed Feest

For Christmas

 

Words and Music: Traditional English from the 15th Century

Source: Thomas Wright, Songs and Carols Now First Printed, From a Manuscript of the Fifteenth Century (London: The Percy Society, 1847), Song #68, 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: Welcome be this blessed feste (and the same retyped in Old Blackletter) from Bliss

O mervelous and blessed nativite off Goddes sonne in divinite.

Welcome by thys blissed feest
    Off Jesu Christ in trinite,
That is reformer off owre reste,
    Lovyng peace and charite.

In tyme off peace thys chyld was borne,
    As it was shewed in prophicye,
To save mankynd that was forlorn,
    Fore kyng off peace he is trulye.

Born mervelously he was,
    Full off blysse and divinite;
And she a mayd never the leese,
    And so was never noone but she.

In his byrth holy was knytt
    God and man in his degre,
Moder and mayd together were sett,
    Feith in mans hart ever to be.

Therfor praye we to that lord,
    And to his moder mayden fre,
To mak us wisse in wark and word,
    To praysse and plesse the Trinity.

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