Lyrics & Knowledge Personal Pages Record Shop Auction Links Radio & Media Kids Membership Help
The Mudcat Cafesj



User Name Thread Name Subject Posted
Bruce Origins: Serving Girl's Holiday (16) RE: Serving Girl's Holiday 11 Sep 97


This is difficult enough without my misspelling, let's try again.

Rossell Hope Robbins, Secular Lyrics of the 14th and 15th Century

[thorns given as cap. P, and yoghs as cap. Z]

29. The Serving Maid's Holiday
Caius Coll. Cambridge MS. 383

[Chorus] Wybbe ne rele ne spynne yc ne may.
ffor ioyZe Pat it is holyday.

Al Pis day ic han souZt,
spyndul ne werue ne wond y nouZt;
To myche blisse ic am brout
aZen this holyday.
Wybbe &c.

All vnswope ys owre vleth,
& owre fyre ys vnleth,
Oure ruschen ben vnrepe Zeth,
azen Pis hy halyday.

yc moste feschun worton In;
Predele my kerchef vndur my khyn;
leue iakke, lend me a pyn
To Predele me Pis holiday.

Now yt draweP to Pe none
& al my cherrus ben vndone;
y moste a lyte solas mye schone
to make hem dowge Pis holyday.

y moste mylkyn in Pis payl;
Outh me bred al Pis schayl
Zut is Pe dow vndur my nayl
as ic knad Pis holyday.

Iakke wol brynge me onward in my wey,
WyP me desyre for te pleyZe;
Of my dame stant me non eyZe

an neuer a god haliday.

Iacke wol pay for my scoth
a sonday atte Pe ale-schoth;

iacke wol sowse wel my Proth

euery god haliday.

sone he wolle take me be Pe hand,
& he wolle legge me on Pe lond,
Pat al my buttockus ben of sond,
opon Pis hye holyday.

In he pult & out he drow,
& euer yc lay on hym y-low;
'by godus deth, Pou dest me wow
vpon Pis hey holyday!'

sone my wombe began to swelle
as greth as a belle;
durst y nat my dame telle
Wat me betydde Pis holyday.

[Note: Robbins corrected some words spelled incorrectly in the MS. In his notes Robbins translates 'Outh me bred al Pis schayl' as 'I ought to spread out all this bowl [full of dough].']


Post to this Thread -

Back to the Main Forum Page

By clicking on the User Name, you will requery the forum for that user. You will see everything that he or she has posted with that Mudcat name.

By clicking on the Thread Name, you will be sent to the Forum on that thread as if you selected it from the main Mudcat Forum page.

By clicking on the Subject, you will also go to the thread as if you selected it from the original Forum page, but also go directly to that particular message.

By clicking on the Date (Posted), you will dig out every message posted that day.

Try it all, you will see.