Out of your sleep (Anon. c. 1450)
Nowel!
Nowel! Nowel!
Nowel!
Nowel! Nowel!
Out of your
slepe arise and wake,
For God
mankind nowe hath itake,
All of a
maide without eny make,
Of all women
she bereth the belle,
Nowel!
And thorwe a
maide, faire and wis,
Now man is
made of full grete pris:
Now angelis
knelen to mannis servis;
And at this
time all this befell,
Nowel!
Now man is
brighter than the sonne;
Now man in
Heven on hie shall wone;
Blessed be
God, this game is begonne,
And his moder
Emperesse of helle,
Nowel!
That ever was
thralle, now is he free;
That ever was
smalle, now grete is she;
Now shall God
deme bothe thee and me
Unto his
blisse, if we do well,
Nowel!
Now man may
to Heven wende,
Now Heven and
erthe to him they bende:
He that was
foo, now is our frende.
This is no
nay that I yowe telle,
Nowel!
Now blessed
brother, graunte us grace
A Domesday to
se thy face,
And in thy
courte to have a place,
That we mow
there singe, “Nowel”,
Nowel!