 | Songs, Carols, and other Miscellaneous Poems, from the Balliol Ms. 354, Richard Hill's Commonplace book |  |
30. [The Jolly Shepherd Wat.]
Can I not syng but hoy,
Whan the joly sheperd made so mych joy.
1
The sheperd vpon a hill he satt,He had on hym his tabard & his hat,
His tarbox, hys pype & hys flagat;
Hys name was called joly, joly Wat;
For he was a gud herdis boy,
Vt hoy!
For in hys pype he made so mych joy.
Can I not syng but hoy,
Whan the joly sheperd made so mych joy.
2
The sheperd vpon a hill was layd,Hys doge to hys gyrdyll was tayd;
He had not slept but a lytill broyd,
But “Gloria in excelcis” was to hym sayd.
Vt hoy!
For in hys pipe he mad so myche joy.
Can I not syng but hoy,
Whan the joly sheperd made so mych joy.
3
The sheperd on a hill he stode,Rownd a-bowt hym his shepe they yode;
He put hys hond vnder hys hode,
He saw a star as rede as blod:
Vt hoy!
For in hys pipe he mad so myche joy.
17
Whan the joly sheperd made so mych joy.
4
“Now farwell Mall & also Will,For my love, go ye all styll
Vnto I cum agayn you till,
And euermore, Will, ryng well thy bell.”
Vt hoy!
For in his pipe he mad so mych joy.
Can I not syng but hoy,
Whan the joly sheperd made so mych joy.
5
“Now must I go þer Cryst was borne;Farewell! I cum a-gayn to morn.
Dog, kepe well my shep fro þe corn,
& warn well Warroke, when I blow my horn.”
Vt hoy!
For in hys pipe he made so mych joy.
Can I not sing but hoy,
Whan the joly sheperd made so mych joy.
6
Whan Wat to Bedlem cum was,He swet; he had gon faster than a pace;
He fownd Jhesu in a sympyll place,
Be-twen an ox & an asse.
Vt hoy!
For in his pipe he mad so mych joy.
Can I not syng but hoy,
Whan the joly sheperd made so mych joy.
7
The sheperd sayd a-non ryght:“I will go se yon farly syght,
Wher as þe angell syngith on hight
& the star þat shynyth so bryght,”
Vt hoy!
For in [his] pipe he made so mych joy.
Can I not sing but hoy,
Whan the joly sheperd made so mych joy.
18
8
“Jhesu! I offer to the here my pype,My scrype, my tarbox & my skyrte;
Home to my felowes now will I skype,
& also loke vnto my shepe.”
Vt hoy!
For in his pipe he mad so myche joy.
Can I not sing but hoy,
Whan the joly sheperd made so mych joy.
9
“Now farewell, myne own herdisman Wat!”“Ye, for God, Lady, even so I hat;
Lull well Jhesu in thy lape,
& farewell, Joseph wyth thy rownd cape!”
Vt hoy!
For in hys pipe he mad so myche joy.
Can I not sing but hoy,
Whan the joly sheperd made so mych joy.
10
“Now may I well both hope & syng,For I haue bene a[t?] Crystis beryng,
Home to my felowes now wyll I flyng;
Cryst of hevyn to his blis vs bryng!”
Vt hoy!
For in his pipe he mad so myche joy.
Can I not sing but hoy,
Whan the joly sheperd made so mych joy.
Explicit.
| Songs, Carols, and other Miscellaneous Poems, from the Balliol Ms. 354, Richard Hill's Commonplace book | |