Child's Ballads/23
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Bonnie Annie, no. 24→ |
| For more information, see Wikipedia: Judas (ballad). |
[edit] Judas (Child's version)
Text from The English and Scottish popular ballads, Sir Francis James Child, 1882, Volume I, pp 243-244, (slightly reformatted). Child gives the source as "MS. B 14, 39, of the 13th century, library of Trinity College, Cambridge, as printed in Wright & Halliwell's Reliquae Antiquae, I, 144."
Child did not have access to the original and followed the version printed in Wright & Halliwell, which contains some errors. Child notes "In the absence of the original manuscript, I have thought it better to change Wright's s in [certain] instances to h."
HIT wes upon a Scere-thorsday that ure loverd aros;
Ful milde were the wordes he spec to Judas.
‘Judas, thou most to Jurselem, oure mete for to bugge;
Thritti platen of selver thou bere up othi rugge.
‘Thou comest fer ithe brode stret, fer ithe brode strete;
Summe of thine tunesmen ther thou meiht imete.’
. . . . .
Immette wid is soster, the swikele wimon.
‘Judas, thou were wrthe me stende the wid ston,
For the false prophete that tou bilevest upon.’
‘Be stille, leve soster, thin herte the tobreke!
Wiste min loverd Crist, ful wel he wolde be wreke.’
‘Judas, go thou on the roc, heie upon the ston;
Lei thin heved imy barm, slep thou the anon.’
Sone so Judas of slepe was awake,
Thritti platen of selver from hym weren itake.
He drou hymselve bi the cop, that al it lavede a blode;
The Jewes out of Jurselem awenden he were wode.
Foret hym com the riche Jeu that heihte Pilatus:
‘Wolte sulle thi loverd, that hette Jesus?’
‘I nul sulle my loverd [for] nones cunnes eihte,
Bote hit be for the thritti platen that he me bitaihte.’
‘Wolte sulle thi lord Crist for enes cunnes golde?’
‘Nay, bote hit be for the platen that he habben wolde.’
In him com ur lord Crist gon, as is postles seten at mete:
‘Wou sitte ye, postles, ant wi nule ye ete?
[‘Wou sitte ye, postles, ant wi nule ye ete?]
Ic am ibouht ant isold today for oure mete.’
Up stod him Judas: ‘Lord, am I that . . .?
‘I nas never othe stude ther me the evel spec.’
Up him stod Peter, and spec wid al is mihte,
. . . . . .
‘Thau Pilatus him come wid ten hundred cnihtes,
Yet ic wolde, loverd, for thi love fihte.’
‘Still thou be, Peter, wel I the icnowe;
Thou wolt fursake me thrien ar the coc him crowe.’
[edit] Judas (original)
Text from Richard Axton, "Interpretations of Judas in Middle English literature", in Religion in the Poetry and Drama of the Late Middle Ages, ed. Piero Boitani and Anna Torti (Cambridge, 1990). Axton derives this from the original copy. The significance of the ".ii." marks within the text are unclear. The use of the thorn letter from Middle English (equivalent to th) is retained, however V and I have been amended to U and J where called for by modern English orthography. A small lacunae is represented by "[...]"; elsewhere it is suggested that the missing word may be "freke" (man).
Hit wes upon a scereþorsday pat vre louerd aros, Ful milde were þe wordes he spec to Judas: 'Judas, þou most to Jurselem oure mete for to bugge; Þritti platen of seluer þou bere up o þi rugge. Þou comest fer i þe brode stret, fer in þe brode strete, Summe of þine cunesmen þer þou meist imete.' Imette wid is soster, þe swikele wimon: 'Judas, þou were wrþe me stende þe wid ston, .ii.
For þe false prophete þat tou bileuest upon.' 'Be stille, leue soster, þin herte þe tobreke! Wiste min louerd Crist, ful wel he wolde be wreke.' 'Judas, go þou on þe roc, heie upon þe ston, Lei þin heued i my barm, slep þou þe anon.' Sone so Judas of slepe was awake, Þritti platen of seluer from hym weren itake. He drou hymselue bi þe top, þat al it lauede ablode. Þe iewes out of Jurselem a wenden he were wode. Fforet hym com þe riche ieu þat heiste Pilatus: 'Wolte sulle þi louerd þat hette Jesus?' 'I nul sulle my louerd for nones cunnes eiste, Bote hit be for þe þritti platen þat he me bitaiste.' 'Wolte sulle þi lord Crist for enes cunnes golde?' 'Nay, bote hit be for þe platen þat he habben wolde.' In him com ur lord gon as is postles seten at mete: 'Wou sitte ye, postles, ant wi nule ye ete? .ii.
Ic am iboust ant isold today for oure mete.' Vp stod him Judas: 'Lord, am I þat [...]? I nas neuer o þe stude þer me þe euel spec.' Vp him stod Peter ant spec wid al is miste: "Þau Pilatus him come wid ten hundred cnistes, .ii.
Yet ic wolde, louerd, for þi loue fiste!' 'Stille þou be, Peter, wel I þe icnowe. Þou wolt fursake me þrien ar þe coc him crowe.'
[edit] Rough translation:
It was upon a Scere-Thursday [Maundy Thursday] that our lord arose, Very gentle were the words he spoke to Judas: "Judas, thou must go to Jerusalem our food for to buy, thirty pieces of silver thou [should] take up on thy back. Thou comest far in the broad street, far in the broad street, Some of thy kinsmen there thou might meet."
He came across his sister, the treacherous woman: "Judas, thou were worthy that I should stone thee with stones, For the false prophet that thou believe in." "Be silent, beloved sister, thy heart thee break! If my lord Christ knew, he would be very angry."
"Judas, go thou on the rock, high upon the stone, Lay thine head in my lap, sleep thou for a while." As soon as Judas awakened from sleep, thirty pieces of silver were from him taken [i.e., missing].
He pulled himself by his hair, that his head was all bathed in blood. The Jews from Jerusalem thought he was mad.
Before him came the rich Jew called Pilatus: "Would thee sell thy lord that is called Jesus?" "I would not sell my lord for any kind [of price], But for the thirty pieces that he entrusted to me."
"Would thee sell thy lord for any kind of gold?" "Nay, but it be for the pieces that he would want [returned]."
In came our lord as the apostles sat at food [i.e., at the table]: "How sit you, and why do you not eat? I am bought and sold today for our food."
Up stood him Judas: "Lord, am I that [...]? I was never in a place where evil was spoken of you." Up him stood Peter and spoke with all his might: "Though Pilatus he comes with ten hundred knights, Yet I would, lord, for the love of you fight!" "Be silent, Peter, I know thee well. Thou will forsake me thrice before the cock crows."
