"How Christ Shall Come"

An enigmatic Middle English lyric poem

Dear bookish friend,

For sheer pleasure, I’ve been going through the collection of fourteenth-century religious lyrics gathered and edited by Carleton Brown for Oxford University Press (first published in 1923). I wanted to share one with you today that I found both beautiful and mysterious. Originally from Merton College Manuscript 248, this little lyric is from the collection of Bishop John Sheppey (d. 1360). Sheppey was Bishop of Rochester and a Benedictine monk, and some of his sermons and miscellany survive in this manuscript. Brown provided the poem with the editorial title, “How Christ Shall Come.” I’ve transcribed the Middle English on top, and have made a translation for you on the bottom:

I sayh hym with ffless al bi-sprad                He cam vram Est.
I sayh hym with blod al by-ssad                   He cam vram West.
I sayh that manye he with hym brou3te     He cam vram sou3.
I sayh that the world of hym ne rou3te.      He cam vram north.

"I come vram the wedlok as a svete spouse, thet habbe my wif with me in-nome.
I come vram vi3t a staleworthe kny3t, thet myne vo habbe ouercome.
I come vram the chepyng as a Riche chapman, thet mankynde habbe ibou3t.
I come vram an vncouthe londe as a sely pylegrym, that ferr habbe i-sou3t."

I saw him with flesh all adorned                 He came from East.
I saw him with blood all shed                      He came from West.
I saw that many with him he brought        He came from South.
I saw that the world took no heed of him  He came from North.

"I come from wedlock as a sweet spouse, that have my wife embraced.
I come as a stalwart knight, that have my foe overcome.
I come from the market as a rich merchant, that have bought mankind.
I come from a strange land as a simple pilgrim, that have searched long and far."

Isn’t that just lovely and strange? Let’s break it down a little bit.