Religion
Adam Lay Ybounden
From Sloane MS 2593
Adam lay i-bowndyn,
bowndyn in a bond,
Fowre thowsand wynter
thowt he not to long;
And al was for an appil,
an appil that he tok,
As clerkes fyndyn wretyn
in here book.
Ne hadde the appil take ben,
the appil taken ben,
Ne hadde never our lady
a ben hevene qwen.
Blyssid be the tyme
that appil take was!
Therfore we mown syngyn
Deo gracias.
Codex Note
A fifteenth-century carol: Adam, bound in limbo for four thousand winters, ‘thowt he not to long’, since without the apple there would have been no Mary to be queen of heaven; hence ‘Deo gracias’. Text from Frank Sidgwick, Popular Ballads of the Olden Time, second series (1904).
Cite this poem
MLA
Anonymous (Middle English). “Adam Lay Ybounden.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-middle-english/17/.
Chicago
Anonymous (Middle English). “Adam Lay Ybounden.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-middle-english/17/.
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