The Annunciation: Ecce ancilla domini

Dorchester Abbey, Oxfordshire

"Ecce ancilla domini,"
Seid tho virgin withouten vice,
When Gabriell hur gret graciously,
That holy pinakell preved of price,
"Of thee schall springe a full swete spice."
Then seid the meydon full mildely,
"And sithen I am of so litill of price,
Ecce ancilla domini."

"Heil be thou, gracious withouten gilte,
Meydon borne alderbest!
Within thy body schall be fulfilled
That all these prophetes han preched so preste;
God will be borne within thy brest."
Then seide tho meydon full mildely,
"To me he schall be a welcome geste;
Ecce ancilla domini."

Bot when sche sawe an angell bright,
Sche was aferde in all her thoght,
And of his speche elles wonder sche might.
Then seide tho angell, "Drede thee noght!
A blestful tithinge I have thee broght."
Then seide tho meydon full mildely,
"As God will, so be it wroght;
Ecce ancilla domini."

That angell seide, "Conceive thou schalt
Within thy body bright
A childe that Jesu schall be called,
That is grate Goddes son of might.
Thou art his tabernakull idight."
Then seide tho meydon full mildely,
"Sethen he seide never ayeyns right,
Ecce ancilla domini."

"Call him Jesu of Nazareth,
God and mon in on degree;
Right as mon schall suffur dethe
And regne in David dignite.
A blestfull worde he sende to thee."
Then seide tho meydon full mildely,
"He schall be dere welcum to me;
Ecce ancilla domini."

"Bot with mannes mode never I mette;
Now, lorde, how schall I go with childe?"
Then seide tho angell that her grett,
"With none suche thou schalt be filede:
The holy goste will in thee bildon."
Then seide tho meydon full mildely,
"As God wille, so be it done,
Ecce ancilla domini."

When tho angell was vanesched awey,
Sche stode al in hur thoght,
And to herselfe sche can sey,
"All Goddes wille schall be wroght;
For he is well of all witte,
As witnesses welle his story."
At that worde knot was knitte:
"Ecce ancilla domini."

 
Medieval stained glass from St Winnow, Cornwall

This beautiful poem about the Annunciation comes from a fifteenth-century manuscript, Edinburgh, National Library of Scotland, MS Advocates 19.3.1. Here's a modernised version:

"Ecce ancilla domini,"
Said the virgin without a vice,
When Gabriel her greeted graciously,
That holy pinacle of proven price,
"From thee shall spring a full sweet spice."
Then said the maiden full mildly,
"Then since I am so little of price, [so lowly]
Ecce ancilla domini."

"Hail be thou, gracious without guilt,
Of all maids born the very best!
Within thy body shall be fulfilled
What all the prophets have preached so preste; [eagerly]
God will be born within thy breast."
Then said the maiden full mildly,
"To me he shall be a welcome guest;
Ecce ancilla domini."

But when she saw an angel bright,
She was afraid in all her thought,
And of his speech well wonder she might.
Then said the angel, "Dread thee naught!
A blessed tiding I have thee brought."
Then said the maiden full mildly,
"As God wills, so be it wrought;
Ecce ancilla domini."

That angel said, "Conceive thou shalt
Within thy body bright
A child who Jesu shall be called,
Who is great God's own son of might.
Thou art his tabernacle idight." [made]
Then said the maiden full mildly,
"Since he said never else but right,
Ecce ancilla domini."

"Call him Jesu of Nazareth,
God and man in one degree;
He as a man shall suffer death
And reign in David's dignity.
A blessed word he sends to thee."
Then said the maiden full mildly,
"He shall be dearly welcome to me;
Ecce ancilla domini."

"But with man's dealings never I met;
Now, lord, how shall I go with child?"
Then said the angel who her gret, [greeted]
"With nothing such shalt thou be defiled:
The Holy Ghost will in thee dwell."
Then said the maiden full mildly,
"As God wills, so be it done,
Ecce ancilla domini."

When the angel was vanished away,
She stood all in her thought,
And to herself she then did say,
"All God's will shall be wrought;
For he is well of all witte, [the source of all wisdom]
As witnesses well his story."
At that word the knot was knit:
"Ecce ancilla domini."

I think the last verse is my favourite: 'at that word the knot was knit' is a wonderful way of expressing what happened at the crucial moment of Mary's consent, the moment when heaven and earth, man and God are knit together in the tiny 'knot' of a child in Mary's womb. But the whole thing is exquisite, with some especially skillful use of alliteration. To make a dialogue of a fairly brief Biblical scene, the poet has given Mary some lovely lines to say in response to the angel: "To me he shall be a welcome guest" and "He shall be dearly welcome to me" are both beautiful.

For more Middle English Annunciation poems, see also 'Nu this fules singet', 'Gabriel fram evene king', 'There is a floure', and lots more here.

BL Arundel 302, f. 139v