Wolcum be thu, hevene kyng

For Christmas

Words and Music: Traditional English
(From the MS. Sloane, No. 2593, fol. 79, r^o, written about the time of Henry VI.)

Source: Thomas Wright, Specimens of Old Christmas Carols Selected from Manuscripts and Printed Books (London: The Percy Society, 1841)

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.

Wolcum õol, thu mery man,
In worchepe of this holy day.

Wol be thu, hevene kyng,
Wolcum, born in on morwenyng,
Wolcum, for home we xal syng,
                            wolcum õol.

Wolcum be õe, Stefne and Jon,
Wolcum, Innocentes everychon,
Wolcum, Thomas marter on,
                            wolcum õol.

Wolcum be õe, good newe õere,
Wolcum, tweltye day both in fere
Wolcum, seyntes lef and dere,
                            wolcum õol.

Wolcum be õe, Candylmesse,
Wolcum be õe, qwyn of blys,
Wolcum bothe to more and lesse,
                            wolcum õol.

Wolcum be õe that arn here,
Wolcum, alle, and mak good chere,
Wolcum, alle, another õere,
                            wolcum õol.

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Copies of this carol on this web site:

• Wolcum Be Thu, Hevene Kyng (Ritson, Ancient Songs, 1790)

• Wolcu zol thu mery ma (Wolcü be þu heuene kyng; William Sandys, 1833)

• Wolcum be thu, hevene kyng; Thomas Wright, 1841) (this page)

• Welcü Yole In Good Array (Welcü be þ^u heue kyng; William Sandys, 1852)

• Wolcum, Yole, Thou Mery Man (Wolcum be thou, hevene king; Chambers & Sidgwick, 1907)

• Welcome Yule (Welcome be thou, Heaven-King; Edith Rickert, 1910)

• Welcome Yule (Welcome be thou, heaven-king; Charles L. Hutchins, 1916)

• Welcum, Yole, In Glod Aray (Welcum be thou, Heven Kyng; Richard Greene, 1962)

Also found in 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 LXVII, pp. 93-94.

Note:

• Feast day of St. Stephan the First Martyr is December 26; See: Hymns to St Stephen

• Feast day of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist is December 27; See: Hymns To St. John The Evangelist

• Feast day of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs, is December 28; See: The Hymns Of The Holy Innocents

• Feast day of St. Thomas, Bishop and Martyr is December 29;

• January 1 is the Octave of Christmas, and the start of the New Year;

• Twelfth Day is Epiphany, January 6;

• Candlemas (the blessing of the candles) is February 2; See: Candlemas

• The Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary is February 2.

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