CHILD BALLAD XXIII
Dating to at least the 13th century, this is one of the oldest surviving songs in the English language. It is the twenty-third of Francis Child's 305 traditional ballads from England and Scotland.
Child discovered the song in the library of Trinity College and apparently had to do a bit of work to put it together. A quick glance at the original text and Child's 1882 transliteration reveals how much the English language has changed over time.
Original:
Hit wes vpon a scere Thorsday pat vre louerd aros,
Ful milde were the wordes he spec to Iudas:
Iudas, thou most to Iurselem oure mete for to bugge;
Thritti platen of seluer thou bere up o thi rugge.
Thou comest fer i the brode stret, fer in the brode strete,
Summe of thine cunesmen ther thou meist imete.
Imette wid is soster, the swikele wimon:
Iudas, thou were wrthe me stende the wid ston.
Transliteration:
It was upon a Scere Thursday that our lord arose,
Full mild were the words he spoke to Judas:
'Judas, thou must to Jerusalem our meat for to buy,
thirty platten of silver thou bear up on thy rug.
Thou comest far in the broad street, far in the broad street,
Some of thine kinsmen there thou mightest meet.'
Unusually, Judas is here presented not as evil but as a simpleminded and obedient follower. In the story, Jesus gives Judas thirty pieces of silver so he can buy dinner for the disciples. On the way he is distracted by his sister and then robbed. Rather than returning empty-handed, Judas opts to sell Jesus for the thirty coins so he can still buy the food as instructed.
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Sources:
English and Scottish Popular Ballads, Francis Child, Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin & Co, 1904
Ballads and Broadsides in Britain, 1500–1800. Patricia Fumerton; Anita Guerrini; Kris McAbee, Ashgate Publishing, 2010
Child discovered the song in the library of Trinity College and apparently had to do a bit of work to put it together. A quick glance at the original text and Child's 1882 transliteration reveals how much the English language has changed over time.
Original:
Hit wes vpon a scere Thorsday pat vre louerd aros,
Ful milde were the wordes he spec to Iudas:
Iudas, thou most to Iurselem oure mete for to bugge;
Thritti platen of seluer thou bere up o thi rugge.
Thou comest fer i the brode stret, fer in the brode strete,
Summe of thine cunesmen ther thou meist imete.
Imette wid is soster, the swikele wimon:
Iudas, thou were wrthe me stende the wid ston.
Transliteration:
It was upon a Scere Thursday that our lord arose,
Full mild were the words he spoke to Judas:
'Judas, thou must to Jerusalem our meat for to buy,
thirty platten of silver thou bear up on thy rug.
Thou comest far in the broad street, far in the broad street,
Some of thine kinsmen there thou mightest meet.'
Unusually, Judas is here presented not as evil but as a simpleminded and obedient follower. In the story, Jesus gives Judas thirty pieces of silver so he can buy dinner for the disciples. On the way he is distracted by his sister and then robbed. Rather than returning empty-handed, Judas opts to sell Jesus for the thirty coins so he can still buy the food as instructed.
PREVIOUS // NEXT
Sources:
English and Scottish Popular Ballads, Francis Child, Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin & Co, 1904
Ballads and Broadsides in Britain, 1500–1800. Patricia Fumerton; Anita Guerrini; Kris McAbee, Ashgate Publishing, 2010
