Adam lay ybounden | Adam lay ybounden

by Anonymous / Unidentified Author

Adam lay ybounden

Language: English

Our translations: FRE GER

Adam lay ybounden,
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 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!

Available sung texts: ← What is this?

• B. Britten • J. Ireland

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Text Authorship:

by Anonymous / Unidentified Author ( 15^th century ) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

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):

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