Twelve Days of Carols, 1: Welcome, Yule

It may be Boxing Day, but I haven't begun to exhaust the supply of carols I had wanted to post this year - and so I think I'll post a carol for each of the twelve days of Christmas. I missed the first day because this bright idea only occurred to me about half an hour ago, but we'll keep going until Epiphany day and that will give us twelve in all...

And so, this is the fifteenth-century carol 'Welcum, Yole', which bids welcome to each of the twelve days of Christmas:

Welcum, Yole, in glod aray,
In worchip of the holeday!

Welcum be thou, Heven Kyng,
Welcum, ibore in hon mornyng,
Welcum, to thee now wil we syng;
Welcum, Yole, forever and ay!

Welcum be thou, Mare myld,
Welcum be thou and thi child,
Welcum, fro the fynd thou us schilde;
Welcum, Yole, forever and ay!

Welcum be ye, Steven and Jone,
Welcum, childern everechone,
Wellcum, Thomas marter, alle on;
Welcum, Yole, forever and ay!

Welcum be thou, good New Yere,
Welcum, the xii days efere,
Welcum be ye all that bene here;
Welcum, Yole, forever and ay!

Welcum be ye, lord and lady,
Welcum be ye, al this cumpane,
Fore Yolis love, now makis mere!
Welcum, Yole, forever and ay!


This carol survives in the sole manuscript which preserves the carols of John Audelay (Bodleian MS. Douce 302), and so might be by him, though it's not really in his style. It serves as an introduction to a series of carols for each of the feast-days after Christmas - Stephen, John, the Holy Innocents, Thomas Becket, and the Circumcision of Christ. Audelay seems to have been a methodical fellow! You can read all the carols here.

This is Parry's setting of 'Welcum, Yole', sung with irresistable glee:




A modernised version of the text:

Welcome, Yule, in glad array,
In honour of the holy day!

Welcome be thou, Heavenly King,
Welcome, born in one morning,
Welcome, to thee now will we sing;
Welcome, Yule, forever and ay!

Welcome be thou, Mary mild,
Welcome be thou and thy child,
Welcome, from the fiend thou us shield;
Welcome, Yule, forever and ay!

Welcome be ye, Steven and John,
Welcome, children every one,
Welcome, Thomas martyr alone;
Welcome, Yule, forever and ay!

Welcome be thou, good New Year,
Welcome, the twelve days in fere, [all together]
Welcome be ye all that be here;
Welcome, Yule, forever and ay!

Welcome be ye, lord and lady,
Welcome be ye, all this company,
For Yule's love, now make merry!
Welcome, Yule, forever and ay!