by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
Adam lay ybounden
Language: English
Available translation(s): FRE GER
[Adam lay ybounden]1,
Bounden in a bond,
Four thousand winter
Thought he not too long;
And all was for an apple,
An apple that he took,
As clerkës finden
Written in their book.
Né had [one]2 apple taken been,
The apple taken been,
Né had never Our Lady
A been Heaven's Queen.
Blessèd be the time
That apple takèn was.
Therefore we moun singen:
Deo gratias!
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)
1 Britten: "
Deo gracias! Deo gracias!/ Adam lay ybounden"
2 Ireland: "the"
Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Henk Badings (1907 - 1987), "Adam lay ybounden", from Drie geestelijke liederen, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "Deo gracias", op. 28 no. 10 (1942) [ treble chorus, solo voices, and harp ], from A Ceremony of Carols, no. 10 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Benjamin Burrows (1891 - 1966), "Adam lay ybounden", 1928 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by John (Nicholson) Ireland (1879 - 1962), "Adam lay ybounden", 1956 [ SATB chorus a cappella ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Peter Warlock (1894 - 1930), "Adam lay ybounden", 1922, published 1923 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Bertram Kottmann) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 66
Adam lag gebunden
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the English
Adam lag gebunden,
gebunden in der Sünd’,
vier tausend Winter
ihm nicht zu lange sind;
All dies für einen Apfel,
den Apfel, den er brach,
wie in den Schriften
ist zu lesen nach.
Wär er nicht gebrochen worden,
von ihm gebrochen worden,
dann wär’ Unsere Liebe Frau
nie Himmelskönigin geworden.
Gesegnet sei die Zeit,
da er ihn brach und aß.
Darob wir können singen:
Deo gratias!
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2015-01-09
Line count: 16
Word count: 66