A Ballet Song of Mary

Her smock was of the holland fine,

Skinkled with colors three;

Her shawl was of the velvet blue,

The Queen of Galilee.

Her hair was yellow like the wex,

Like the silken floss fine-spun;

The girdle for her golden cloak

Was all in gold bedone.

She sat her down in her own bower place

And dressed herself her hair.

Her gold kemb in her braid she laid,

And a sound fell on the door.

He came within her own bower room

"Hail, Mary, hail!" says he;

"A goodly grace is on your head,

For the Lord is now with thee."

She folded down her little white hands

When Gabriel spoke again.

She set her shawl, the corners right,

For ceremony then.

"And the God will overshadow thee

And bring a holy sweven.

Fear not, fear not," then Gabriel said,

"Its the God of the good high heaven.

"And what must be born it will heal the sick;

Tt will make a goodly lear;

It will fettle men for christentie

And to keep holy gear."

Then up then rose this little maid

When Gabriel's word was said,

And out of the bower she ran in haste,

And out of the hall she is sped.

She is running far to Zachary's house-

"Ts this the way?" says she.

"A little maid in haste," they said,

"Has gone to the hills of Judee."

And what will be born it will ope their eyes;

It will hearten men in their stear;

It will fettle men for christentie

And to have holy gear.

It will scourge with a thong when those make gain

Where a humble man should be;

It will cast the witches from out of his saule

And drown them into the sea.

It will give men drink from the horn of the wind,

And give men meat from the song of a bird;

Their cloak they will get from the sheen of the grass,

And a roof from a singen word.

And when they come to the Brig o' Dread,

And they cry, "I fall! I'm afear!"

It will close their eyes and give them sleep

To heal them outen their lonesome cheer,

When they come to the Brig o' Dread.