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: Selections from the English Poets. Dunbar Anthology, 1401-1508, ed. by Professor Edward Arber, London: Henry Frowde, 1901, page 122, has a version of the poem with more modernized 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...
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.
Researcher for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2003-10-19
Line count: 14
Word count: 91