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44. Gabriel's Greeting to Our Lady.
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75

44. Gabriel's Greeting to Our Lady.

[_]

Arundel MS. 248.

Gabriel, fram evene-king
sent to þe maide swete,
broute þire blisful tiding
And faire he gan hire greten:
‘heil be þu ful of grace a-rith!
for godes sone, þis euene lith,
for mannes louen
wile man bicomen,
and taken
fles of þe maiden brith,
man[n]ken fre for to maken
of senne and deules mith.’
Mildeliche im gan andsweren
þe milde maiden þanne:
‘Wichewise sold ichs beren
child with-huten manne?’
þangle seide, ‘ne dred te nout;’
þurw þoligast sal ben iwrout
þis ilche þing,
war-of tiding
ichs bringe,
al manken wrth ibout
þur þi swete chiltinge,
and hut of pine ibrout.’
Wan þe maiden understud
and þangles wordes herde,
mildeliche with milde mud
to þangle hie andswerde:

76

‘hur lordes þeumaiden iwis
ics am, þat her a-bouen is.
anenttis me,
fulfurthed be
þi sawe;
þat ics, sithen his wil is,
maiden, withhuten lawe
of moder, haue þe blis.
Þangle wente a-wei mid þan,
al hut of hire sithte;
hire wombe arise gan
þurw þoligastes mithe.
in hire was crist biloken anon,
Suth god, soth man ine fleas and bon,
and of hir fleas
iboren was
at time.
War-þurw us kam god won,
he bout us hut of pine
and let im for us slon.
Maiden, moder makeles,
of milche ful ibunden,
bid for hus im þat þe ches
at wam þu grace funde,
þat he forgiue hus senne and wrake,
and clene of euri gelt us make,
and eune blis,
wan hure time is
to steruen,
hus giue, for þine sake
him so her for to seruen
þat he us to him take.