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[Bodleian MS. Eng. poet. e. 1. ff. 17v-18v.]
XV cent
Thys endrys nyghth1
I saw a syghth,
A starre as bryght as day;
And ever among
A maiden song,
'Lullay, by by, lullay.'
This lovely lady sat & song,
& to hyr chylde sayd:
"My sone, my broder, my fader der,2
Why lyest thou thus in hays?
My swete byrd,
Thus it ys betyde,
Thou thu be kyng veray;3
But, nevertheles,
I wyll not ces4
To syng 'By by, lullay.'"
The chyld than spak in hys talkyng,
& to hys moder sayd:
"I be kydde for kyng5
In crib though I be layd;
For aungells bryght
Done to me lyght;6
Thu know'st it ys no nay;7
And of that syght
Thu may'st be kyght8
To syng, 'By by, lullay.'"
"Now, swet son, syn thu art king,9
Why art thu layd in stall?
Why ne thu ordende thy beddyng10
In sum gret kynges hall?
Me thynkyth it is ryght
That kyng or knyght
Shulde ly in good aray,
And than among,
Yt war no wrong
To syng 'By by, lullay.'"
"Mary moder, I am thy chyld,
Thogh I be layd in stall;
Lords & dukes shal worshyp me,
& so shall kynges all.
Ye shall well se
That kynges thre
Shal come ye xıı day.
For thys behest
Yefe me thy brest11
& syng, 'By by, lullay.'"
"Now tell, swet son, I the pray,
Thu art me love & dere:
How shuld I kepe the to thy pay,12
& mak the glad of chere?
For all thy wyll
I wold fullfyll—
Thu wotyst13 full well, in fay;14
& for all this
I wyll the kys,
& syng, 'By by, lullay.'"
"My der moder, whan tyme it be,
Thou take me up on loft
& set me up on thy kne
& handyll me full soft;
And in thy arme
Thu hyl me warme,15
& kepe nyght and day.
If I wepe
& may not slepe,16
Thou syng, 'By by, lullay.'"
"Now, swet son, syn it is so,
That all thyng is at thy wyll;
I pray the grant to me a bone,17
Yf it be both ryght and skyll:18
That chyld or man,
That wyl or can
Be mery upon my day,—
To blyse hem bring,19
& I shal syng,
'Lullay, by by, lullay.'"
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1. this endrys nyghth, the other night.
2. der, dear. Her list of son, brother, father is a rhetorical device
similar to "my sun, moon, and stars"—a list of all she loves, so as
to say, "my everything, my most beloved."
3. veray, verily, truly.
4. ces, cease.
5. kydde for kyng, acknowledged or proclaimed as king; cf. 'kīthen.'
6. done to me lyght, down to me alighted.
7. it is no nay, there is no denying it.
8. kyght, caught.
9. syn, since.
10. why ne thu ordende, why did you not ordain (command).
11. yefe, give.
12. pay, liking.
13. wotyst, knowest.
14. in fay, i' faith, truly.
15. hyl, hold.
16. may not, cannot.
17. bone, boon, favor.
18. skyll, reasonable.
19. blyse, bliss; heaven.
Transcription from the manuscript, glosses, and layout by Anniina Jokinen.
Manuscript photographs ©2012 by Daniel Wakelin at Flickr.
Jokinen, Anniina, ed. "Middle English Lyrics: By, By, Lullay."
Luminarium. Online Resource.
7 Nov 2022. [Date you accessed this article].
<http://www.luminarium.org/medlit/medlyric/bybylullay.htm>
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