| 1 |
Joseph was an old man,
and an old man was he,
And he married Mary,
the Queen of Galilee. |
| 2 |
When Joseph was married,
and Mary home had brought,
Mary proved with child,
and Joseph knew it not. |
| 3 |
Joseph and Mary walked
through a garden gay,
Where the cherries they grew
upon every tree. |
| 4 |
O then bespoke Mary,
with words both meek and mild:
'O gather me cherries, Joseph,
they run so in my mind.' |
| 5 |
And then replied Joseph,
with words so unkind:
'Let him gather thee cherries
that got thee with child.' |
| 6 |
O then bespoke our Saviour,
all in his mother's womb:
'Bow down, good cherry-tree,
to my mother's hand.' |
| 7 |
The uppermost sprig
bowed down to Mary's knee:
'Thus you may see, Joseph,
these cherries are for me.' |
| 8 |
'O eat your cherries, Mary,
O eat your cherries now;
O eat your cherries, Mary,
that grow upon the bough.' |
| 9 |
As Joseph was a walking,
he heard an angel sing:
'This night shall be born
our heavenly king. |
| 10 |
'He neither shall be born
in housen nor in hall,
Nor in the place of Paradise,
but in an ox's stall. |
| 11 |
'He neither shall be clothed
in purple nor in pall,
But all in fair linen,
as were babies all. |
| 12 |
'He neither shall be rocked
in silver nor in gold,
But in a wooden cradle,
that rocks on the mould. |
| 13 |
'He neither shall be christened
in white wine nor red,
But with fair spring water,
with which we were christened.' |
| 14 |
Then Mary took her young son,
and set him on her knee:
'I pray thee now, dear child,
tell how this world shall be.' |
| 15 |
'O I shall be as dead, mother,
as the stones in the wall;
O the stones in the street, mother,
shall mourn for me all. |
| 16 |
'And upon a Wednesday
my vow I will make,
And upon Good Friday
my death I will take. |
| 17 |
'Upon Easter-day, mother,
my rising shall be;
O the sun and the moon
shall uprise with me. |
| 18 |
' The people shall rejoice,
and the birds they shall sing,
To see the uprising
of the heavenly king.' |
