Confession | My gostly fader, I me confesse

My gostly fader, I me confesse

Language: English

My gostly fader, I me confesse,
First to God and then to you,
That at a window -- wot ye how? --
I stale a cosse of grete sweteness,
Which don was out avisèness;
But hit is doon, not undoon now.
My gostly fader, I me confesse
First to God and then to you.

But I restore it shall doutless 
Agein, if so be that I mow;
And that to God I make a vow
And elles I axè foryefness.
My gostly fader, I me confesse
First to God and then to you.

About the headline (FAQ)

Confirmed with Early English Lyrics: Amorous, Divine, Moral and Trivial, Chosen by E. K. Chambers & F. Sidgwick, Volume 12, London: A. H. Bullen, 1907, page 31. A note below the text reads: "cosse, kiss". This section of the anthology contains other English poems by Charles de Valois, Duc d'Orléans.

Note: in Selections from the English Poets. Dunbar Anthology, 1401-1508, ed. by Professor Edward Arber, London: Henry Frowde, 1901, page 122, there is a version of the poem with more modern spelling, as follows:

My ghostly father! I me confess,
  First to GOD and then to you,
  That at a window, wot ye how! 
I stole a kiss of great sweetness! 
Which done was out avisiness. 
But it is done; not undone now! 
  My ghostly... 
  First to... 
But I restore it shall doubtless 
Again, if so be that I mow! 
And that GOD I make a vow, 
And else I ask forgiveness. 
  My ghostly... 
  First to...

Text Authorship:

by Charles, Duc d'Orléans (1394 - 1465), no title [author's text checked 1 time 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 Benjamin Burrows (1891 - 1966), "The kiss", 1928, published 1978 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Geoffrey Bush (1920 - 1998), "Confession", 1970 [ baritone and piano ], from Five Medieval Lyrics, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
by Peter Warlock (1894 - 1930), "My gostly fader", 1918, published 1919 [ voice and piano and optional string quartet ] [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in English, [adaptation] ; composed by John Edmunds.
- Go to the text.

Researcher for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2003-10-19
Line count: 14
Word count: 91