A Ballad of Our Lady (Ave Maria, gracia plena)

A Ballad of Our Lady (Ave Maria, gracia plena)

Hale, sterne superne, hale in eterne,
In Godis sicht to schyne!
Lucerne in derne for to discerne
Be glory and grace devyne;
Hodiern, modern, sempitern,
Angelicall regyne!
Our tern inferne for to dispern,
Helpe, rialest rosyne.
Ave Maria, gracia plena!
Haile, fresche floure femynyne!
Yerne us guberne, virgin matern,
Of reuth baith rute and ryne.Haile, yhyng, benyng, fresche flurising!
Haile, Alphais habitakle!
Thy dyng ofspring maid us to syng
Befor His tabernakle.
All thing maling we doune thring
Be sicht of His signakle,
Quhilk King us bring unto His ryng
Fro dethis dirk umbrakle.
Ave Maria, gracia plena!
Haile, moder and maide but makle!
Bricht syng, gladyng our languissing
Be micht of thi mirakle.Haile, bricht be sicht in Hevyn on hicht!
Haile, day sterne orientale!
Our licht most richt in clud of nycht
Our dirknes for to scale.
Hale, wicht in ficht, puttar to flicht
Of fendis in battale!
Haile, plicht but sicht! Hale, mekle of mycht!
Haile, glorius Virgin, hale!
Ave Maria, gracia plena!
Haile, gentill nychttingale!
Way stricht, cler dicht, to wilsome wicht
That irke bene in travale.

Hale, qwene serene! Hale, most amene!
Haile, hevinlie hie emprys!
Haile, schene unseyne with carnale eyne!
Haile, ros of Paradys!
Haile, clene bedene ay till conteyne!
Haile, fair fresche flour delyce!
Haile, grene daseyne! Hale, fro the splene,
Of Jhesu genitrice!
Ave Maria, gracia plena!
Thow baire the Prince of Prys;
Our teyne to meyne and ga betweyne
As humile oratrice.

Hale, more decore than of before,
And swetar be sic sevyne,
Our glore forlore for to restore
Sen thow art qwene of Hevyn!
Memore of sore, stern in aurore,
Lovit with angellis stevyne;
Implore, adore, thow indeflore,
To mak our oddis evyne.
Ave Maria, gracia plena!
With lovingis lowde ellevyn.
Quhill store and hore my youth devore,
Thy name I sall ay nevyne.

Empryce of prys, imperatrice,
Bricht polist precious stane;
Victrice of vyce, hie genitrice
Of Jhesu, Lord Soverayne:
Our wys pavys fro enemys
Agane the Feyndis trayne;
Oratrice, mediatrice, salvatrice,
To God gret suffragane!
Ave Maria, gracia plena!
Haile, sterne meridiane!
Spyce, flour delice of Paradys
That baire the gloryus grayne.

Imperiall wall, place palestrall,
Of peirles pulcritud;
Tryumphale hall, hie trone regall
Of Godis celsitud;
Hospitall riall, the Lord of all
Thy closet did include;
Bricht ball cristall, ros virginall,
Fulfillit of angell fude.
Ave Maria, gracia plena!
Thy birth has with His blude
Fra fall mortal originall
Us raunsound on the Rude.

William Dunbar
Latest posts by William Dunbar (see all)