Christmas Song in Old English [God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen] | The Skaldic Bard
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
- Here is my translation, arrangement and performance of the traditional English Christmas song “God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen” in Old English. My wife joins me in the latter part of the song. The song in its bare form dates back to a manuscript from the 1650s. The subtitles show the Old English in the middle with the literal translation above and the original text below.
I love the note progression in this song and have always thought it would sound cool played in a more intense/slightly “dark” way, bringing the oomph out of those minor notes, which is what I have tried to do here. It makes me think of the gravity of the fact that the Saviour is born to free man from sin - not something to be taken lightly!
I have maintained the original ABCBDB rhyming scheme of the original song and tried to keep the meaning as close to the original as possible - all except for one anachronism in the original which wouldn’t work in Old English, namely the reference to Christmas being the holy tide “which all others doth deface”, as it is reckoned that Easter was considered the most important festival in mediaeval times.
Please leave a comment and like the video if you enjoyed it, it helps a lot!
Cheers!
Lyrics:
Lā, lēof! God blissiġe ēow,
Lo, sirs! May God gladden you,
ne bēo ēower mōd græġ,
let not your mood be grey,
forþām þe Crīst sē Hǣlend wōc
for Christ the Saviour was born
on Cristes mæssedæġ.
on Christmas Day.
Fram Dēofle ūs tō nerienne
To save us from the Devil
hwænne æcþ synna wǣġ.
when the weight of sin aches.
Lā! Þæt wæs blīþe willspell!
Lo! They were pleasant, welcome tidings!
Blīþe willspell!
Pleasant, welcome tidings!
Lā! Þæt wæs blīþe willspell!
Lo! They were pleasant, welcome tidings!
Of Gode Wealdendfæder
From God the Almighty Father
cwōm ān heofonengel
a heavenly angel came
þe sumum sċēaphierdum
who to some shepherds
bodode þæt willspell:
proclaimed those welcome tidings:
Þæt on Hlāfhūse wæs ġeboren
That in Bethlehem was born
Godbearn, ūre Strenġel.
The Son of God, our Ruler.
Lā! Þæt wæs blīþe willspell!
Lo! They were pleasant, welcome tidings!
Blīþe willspell!
Pleasant, welcome tidings!
Lā! Þæt wæs blīþe willspell!
Lo! They were pleasant, welcome tidings!
Þā sċēaphierdas þæs spelles
The shepherds at those tidings
mid hyġe fæġnodon.
in their hearts rejoiced.
And on unġewyderum
And in bad weather
heora ēowd beglidon.
abandoned their herd.
Tō Hlāfhūse þæt ċild tō findenne
To Bethlehem to find the child
þā ēodon.
they then went.
Lā! Þæt wæs blīþe willspell!
Lo! They were pleasant, welcome tidings!
Blīþe willspell!
Pleasant, welcome tidings!
Lā! Þæt wæs blīþe willspell!
Lo! They were pleasant, welcome tidings!
Þā hīe tō Hlāfhūse cwōmon
When they came to Bethlehem
þǣr þæt ċild āleġd wæs,
where the child was laid,
ġefundon Hine on binne
they found Him in a manger
þǣr oxan etaþ græs.
where oxen eat grass.
His mōdor for Him cnēowlode
His mother knelt before Him
biddende ǣwfæst.
praying with utmost piety.
Lā! Þæt wæs blīþe willspell!
Lo! They were pleasant, welcome tidings!
Blīþe willspell!
Pleasant, welcome tidings!
Lā! Þæt wæs blīþe willspell!
Lo! They were pleasant, welcome tidings!
Heriaþ nū ūrne Dryhten,
Praise now our Lord,
ġe þe ġeador sind hēr.
ye who are gathered here.
And mid sōþum frēondsċipe
And with true friendship
openiaþ fæþm ēowern’.
open your embrace.
Frēod him þe Cristes mæssen
Good will to those who Christmas
frēolsiaþ ǣġhwēr.
celebrate everywhere.
Lā! Þæt wæs blīþe willspell!
Lo! They were pleasant, welcome tidings!
Blīþe willspell!
Pleasant, welcome tidings!
Lā! Þæt wæs blīþe willspell!
Lo! They were pleasant, welcome tidings!
--
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Here is my translation, arrangement and performance of the traditional English Christmas song “God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen” in Old English. My wife joins me in the latter part of the song. The song in its bare form dates back to a manuscript from the 1650s. The subtitles show the Old English in the middle with the literal translation above and the original text below.
I love the note progression in this song and have always thought it would sound cool played in a more intense/slightly “dark” way, bringing the oomph out of those minor notes, which is what I have tried to do here. It makes me think of the gravity of the fact that the Saviour is born to free man from sin - not something to be taken lightly!
I have maintained the original ABCBDB rhyming scheme of the original song and tried to keep the meaning as close to the original as possible - all except for one anachronism in the original which wouldn’t work in Old English, namely the reference to Christmas being the holy tide “which all others doth deface”, as it is reckoned that Easter was considered the most important festival in mediaeval times.
Please leave a comment and like the video if you enjoyed it, it helps a lot! You could also help the channel by donating any amount here: www.buymeacoffee.com/theskaldicbard
Cheers!
Lyrics in the description.
This is absolutely beautiful love your translation, i was wondering if you could try one or even this same song in old norse? That is something that would blow me away since i love this song
Wasn't Easter more important in medieval times?
me and the boys marching up to Jorvik to give the Norse a proper seasons greetings.
So, since it was written down in the 1650s, does it mean that it's actually older?
Could you make an instrumental part so I could sing this song for a showstopper in my school? Would be awesome!
Oh, word. Your attempt at making this a better version is amazing. The “intense/dark” really worked especially in the second stanza.
God Bless’ee
This song cheered me up. Thank you 🙏🙏🙏
GREAT, I love the gutteral languages.
True and mighty England.
Bravo, sir.
I hope this doesn't sound weird, but this actually brought tears to my eyes, so beautiful
That's wholesome, thanks a lot for sharing!
blessed
And great hardship. But they say hardships strengthen the spirit, and improves the soul.
I'm going to start writing "Blithe Willspell" on my Christmas cards from next year! 😂
Anglo Saxon for "Bethlehem" (Hebrew "House of God") was "Hlafhuse" ("hus" as still in "husband," in Middle English "huswif," Modern English "hussy"), literally "loaf [of bread] ward[-en, guardian] house." Modern English "lord" comes from AS "hlafword" (loaf warden), and "lady" from "hlafdige (loaf dough digger, kneader).
Bethlehem means House of Bread in Hebrew
Yes, the gospel triumphs over the Anglo Saxons and raises them to the heavens, causing them to sing songs of salvation. Now watch it happen again!
Old English has a distinctive power that modern English simply doesn't have. This is the best version of this song that I have every had the pleasure of listening to. Merry Christmas all.
Well it is Germanic, so that makes sense
@gabrielaldworth7476 - possibly because for the common Brit nowadays, there's an exaggerated use of profanity (i.e. the _F-word_ ?)
@@peterlarsen7779 most definately
@@peterlarsen7779 And that's true here across the pond too! Ugh!
Yes, new English sucks, infact most of its words aren't English ie can be traced back through English's growth stages to Proto-Germanic. Because loan words are seen as a good thing and Latin is propped up as being superior.
Absolutely an amazing piece! This is being added to my family's Christmas playlist. My son loves listening to your music with me, and the brave little lad is only 5 yrs!
Haha, that''s amazing. Sounds like you have a little Bardling on your hands! Bless you all
He is going through the process of becoming an Angelo-Sachsen himself.
@lukefriesenhahn8186 eh, he'll stay an Irishman, thru and thru. We have family stretching back to the 700s in Munster
@@paulliston8561 Glad to hear your family has lots of recorded history. I'm a minor part Irish, Scottish, and British (Anglo) myself (~5-6%), but most of my ancestry comes from Holtlandt (Holland) where my family has history since 1400.
As someone who speaks modern English as my first language and studied German in school, this song really brings out how closely related Anglo-Saxon is to German.
Actually it's closer to Scandinavia than German.
@@johnbrereton5229
nope, old english shares more similarities to standard high german, frisian or even dutch than any other modern language, scandinavian germanic languages are north-germanic, whilst anglo-saxon was a member of the west-germanic family which happens to also include modern standard high german.
@@jet-it9crWeirdly enough the group whose name literally means “Christianized Saxons” (Saxony, Germany) have a pretty germanic language
@KriegCommisar Who?
An early christmas gift? I can't complain about this one, I love the quality you put in these! Maybe another christmas song?? 🤔
Got one more planned for this Advent ;-)!
@@SkaldBard I can’t wait!! Anything you are preparing is bound to be great for language-lovers like me!
Does taking English as a second language, count as taking 3 foreign language classes? Asking for a friend.
Awesome.
Слишком плохо говорю по английски, поэтому напишу по русски.
Ваш канал лучшее что со мной случалось в этом году, храни вас Бог.
Большое спасибо за Ваши очень добрые слова, да благословит Вас Бог. Счастливого Рождества, мой друг
I will be sincerely i don’t have the words to say how beautiful are all your creations but i must say never stop posting this wonderful songs!
Thank you so much! I don't intend to stop any time soon, especially with that level of encouragement :-)
Englaland 🏴.
@varalderfreyr8438Wessex
@@bronsonleach3573 it’s not a problem at all. Thanks for the history lesson I already know smart arse 😐.
@@bronsonleach3573who isn't english? Are you saying that the Anglo Saxons were not English?
@@bronsonleach3573 you don’t say 😐 no way we never knew but I would say 1500years is enough we come from north Europe/north west Europe and we’re still in northwest Europe. So ?
@@bronsonleach3573 you realise that the Celts invaded Britain too? Would you say Celts are not British? The Anglo Saxons ARE the English people. They are the people who created England as a nation, created the English language, culture, most of what makes England English comes from those people. They are the Angelcynn, they are English. To say they are not English because they did not originate in England is wrong as England did not exist before them except as a landmass.
СЛАВА ГОСПОДУ ИИСУСУ ХРИСТУ_!!! СЛАВА ХРИСТУ_!!! СЛАВА ОТЦУ и СЫНУ и СВЯТОМУ ДУХУ, и ныне и присно и во веки веков. Аминь. СЛАВА ГОСПОДУ ИИСУСУ ХРИСТУ_!!! ➕➕➕➕➕➕👑👑⛪⛪⛪⛪
Just discovered this... INSTANT SUBSCRIBE. Waes hael!
Would love to hear your rendition of Agni Parthene!
Oh wow, I would too!
My first ever singing video was Agni Parthene in Old Norse, but I've learnt a few things about recording since then so I might have to give it another go. Perhaps in Old English this time!
@@SkaldBard Oh, please yes!!
O, beautiful! I am very fond of the original song; this feels even more pronounced in the feeling of comradeship it vibes with. Thank you and have a blessed Christmastime!
Merry Christmas, friend! Thank you!
I can't belive this that we use to speak this in medevil times it's CRAZY
As a language, Anglo-Saxon, or Old English, was very different from modern English. The language flourished in England until the Norman conquest, when French became for a time the language of the court and of literature. English was thus left to everyday use and changed rapidly in the direction of the modern language.
Norman, member of those Vikings, or Norsemen, who settled in northern France (or the Frankish kingdom), together with their descendants. The Normans founded the duchy of Normandy and sent out expeditions of conquest and colonization to southern Italy and Sicily and to England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland
I do quite enjoy the literal translation; never understood why more people don't put it that way.
Fascinating and beautiful! I hear what sounds like German in there.
merry christmas good bard, play on!
((me coming to the realization that if i were ever to go back to Old England, I'd have to rely on my very spotty, weak Latin to talk to ANYONE))
As a Dane, it bears a striking resemblance to both Danish and Icelandic... 🤔
OMG, I WAS JUST WONDERING WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO UPLOAD A NEW SONG, AND THEN YOU DID. DAMN, GOD REALLY ANSWERED MY QUESTION. also merry christmas to you and your wife, my brother, God bless !
Speak of the Bard and he shall appear... Thank you and Merry Christmas, my friend!
This is amazingly powerful! Fantastic translation, fantastic singing, fantastic concept as a whole. As an amateur translator, I hope one day to be able to use my skills to create a presentation of language that's as moving as this. I know views/subscriber count aren't everything, but I nonetheless hope your work gets to be shared with many more people in the future.
Thanks for the lovely comment and high praise. All the best with your translation pursuits
Wes hal, Bard! Hu eart þu?
Sīe hal! Iċ eom ġesund. And þū? Blīþre Cristes mæssan wȳsċe iċ þē :)
@@SkaldBard Iċ mæġ wel. Gōd Crīstes mæsse sīe þē!
One day we will see cursive writing as ancient
And I was thinking that old Polish and modern Polish are different.
Only Skaldic can make a Christmas song sound this epic. Love it!
True man. :D
It's because it's sung in an epic language.
Clamavi de Profundis has an excellent rendition of this hymn too.
This feels immensely cool, you and your wife sing magnificently, the image of the mean bundle around the fire, the snow falling and light concentration. It all goes together so well! I look forward to all other old English covers you create =)
men, typo heh
Skaldic, I'm a pagan, but I really love your clips! You are really creative, I hope the gods take care of you,I'm hope that peace will happen between the pagans and the Christians one day, and that our gods will reconcile♥️
Will definitely be playing this for the company this Christmas!
Glædelig jul, folkens
This was fun. Thanks
This makes my heart glad. God rest ye merry, good bard!
Glad to hear it, friend. Merry Christmas!
i like that you can make a christmas song sound epic
I don’t know when I hear this song I think it should be sing by men with background of women chorus. This is the nicest version I’ve heard.
What a fantastic, excelent, beautiful, and fun version! My favourite carol! God bless you dearly and grant you graces (and verses!)
AEnlic 🏴
Ænglisc
SECOND best version of this song I've heard, next to Farya Faraji's version. Badass. We need more original or translated songs in the Anglo-Saxon TUNGAN!!
I really love the tune on this one, you simply must upload an instrumental version of it sometime!
I can understand the written version perfectly and understand a good amount of Old English spoken. I'm not sure if I'm just that familiar with linguistics or if it's just almost mutually intelligable with Modern English if you think the right way.
The ending "La þaet was bliþe wellspell" sounds like it could be "Lo, that was blithe and well-spell", meaning "Lo, here are blessings and happinedd".
simply magnificent
I got a 87% on my final literally just 4 minutes ago. Will listain to celebrate, W timing.
Total chad
My only real gripe is that I wish so badly that your voice was a bit clearer. But it may just be me, either way it sounds AMAZING!
Yep, planning to get some new equipment in the new year :-) thanks!
Based as always
English had it not been corrupted by the French language.
Would be able to us to mutually intelligibly understand German and Dutch dialects to varying dialectal degrees.
Either speak a romance language for romance speakers to understand or a Germanic language for our Germanic cousins.
Not this hybrid language.
I wish we preserved Old English purely.
English isn’t a hybrid. It is, in fact, still overwhelmingly Germanic. The vocab has been overly bloated by French loans, yes, but that’s almost all synonyms with more commonly used native words; or are scientific ones. Seriously, look up the most used words in English. From sounds of it you’ll be astonished by how many are native (though note a select few are changed in use in a way they wouldn’t have been due to French). Now, what’s not actually mentioned so much from Hastings? A: it shifted the standard English dialect into…not existing. But, it more or less went from West Saxon to Anglian. This changes the way some words would’ve been said (see: “sister” v. “swester” or “sword” v. “swerd”); B: it allowed English to be influenced by Old Norse to an unwelcome degree, and THAT is why English is so different from its fellow west German tongues. It is the biggest reason why our case and gender system eroded. Had it not been for this, English would be simpler than German, and more complex than Dutch.
@@tfan2222 let me put it my way.
Not Germanic enough for my liking.
@@noahtylerpritchett2682I agree. But I’m also tired of the idea that English isn’t “really” a Germanic language. It’s closer than many think.
I think English is only mutually intelligible with Scots.
@@skullwarrior4769Anglish is a linguistically pure English, sure. But to say it’s what we’d have if we’d won is a great overstatement.
Sir! I am overawed!
I have been to your site a few times before, but I just today found “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”, “Niew Englalond” and “Brothers of the North Sea” and I am truly overawed!
I just bought you my first cuppa, but hope to do many more.
Wæs hæl, Sir! Wæs hæl!
REA Chicago
Thank you brother
way better then the original lol :D
I enjoyed this musical piece. Thank you very much.
But I must ask, how do you manage to translate the normal English words into Old English? Do you visit any sites or perhaps own some documents or even dictionaries of your own?
Would you like to comment on the accuracy of websites that are made to translate words into old languages (be it Old English, Norse, Latin, etc.)?
Of course since I'm not English this will never happen, however if someone were to name their child an Old English name or word, would it be considered bizarre in today's England?
Sorry for asking weird questions :D
Anyway, I once again wish to show my gratitude for this. I am not that (if, at all) knowledgeable on old languages, it simply piqued my interest. Your music is really nice.
Hi there, I consult various sources containing corpora of Old English texts and try to find attested collocations (i.e. words and phrases that are recorded as being used in sequence contemporaneously), which I adapt into translations to fit the meaning I'm looking for. One of the most challenging (but fun) aspects is doing that while making sure it rhymes, naturally with the grammar intact. On occasion when I can't find an attested collocation, I'll use collocations of cognates that exist in other languages of the same family, in this case Germanic languages such as Old Norse or Medieval German. It requires a lot of reading of surviving texts and playing around until something works.
I would definitely not recommend using anything that claims to be an automatic translator or gives words with no context or usage notes. If you find a word that you like the look of, I recommend searching for it in a corpus dictionary to find attestations in context to ensure it means what you think/hope it means.
As for naming children, it would be somewhat bizarre to have a child called Æþelstan for example, but some Old English names have survived and are still used, such as Alfred.
Thanks for the intrigue anyway and Merry Christmas :-)
@@SkaldBard Thank you for your input. Currently waiting for it to snow where I am, Merry Christmas to you too!
This song is making me want to learn Old English, again. Damn.
I know that feeling. One of these days…
Saudações do Brasil 🇧🇷!
Bro just keeps delivering banger after banger
Sounds Germanic/Norse/Celtic all in one.
I like it!!
No celtic
С Рождеством Христовым! ♱♱♱♰♱♱♰♱♱♱
when i hear this song i am transported to the golden age, the middle ages is a time of honor, dignity and courage
And this is when we spoke Pictish.
Un grandioso trabajo, amigo. Qué Dios te bendiga a ti y a tu familia. Saudos desde España.
Great job, my friend. God bless you and your family. Greetings from Spain
Як завжди чудово. Хай сбереже нас усіх Бог.
Нехай Господь вас благословить. Дякую за добрі слова. Щасливого Різдва!
Sigh. 40 years after my first attempt, and I still wanna learn OE.
Lo, ja thæ timen oude Angalisch.
Currently sad that some letters in Old English are unavailable on key-boards.
Edit: I have since then discovered Icelandic; æ, ð, þ.
These are fantastic. Would you be willing to upload a version of your songs somewhere with just the singing? Like muting all the non-vocal channels?
I think Old English sounds magical but I'm somewhat hard of hearing and it's unfortunately clearer for me to hear the syllables on a laptop speakers than headphones. Speech and background noise sort of turns into a blur.
Beautiful!!! Thank you!!! ❤
Saxons💪
Amazing!
Many thanks 👍
True England. 🏴☦️👑
O tidings of comfort and joy! One of my favourite Christmas songs, especially in Annie Lennox' magical version. Thanks for that, Old English is touchingly fitting here.
Hey, there's a really beautiful Christmas poem by Kipling, it has an Old English theme, too. There it goes:
Eddi, priest of St. Wilfrid
In his chapel at Manhood End,
Ordered a midnight service
For such as cared to attend.
But the Saxons were keeping Christmas,
And the night was stormy as well.
Nobody came to service,
Though Eddi rang the bell.
'Wicked weather for walking,'
Said Eddi of Manhood End.
'But I must go on with the service
For such as care to attend.
The altar-lamps were lighted, -
An old marsh-donkey came,
Bold as a guest invited,
And stared at the guttering flame.
The storm beat on at the windows,
The water splashed on the floor,
And a wet, yoke-weary bullock
Pushed in through the open door.
'How do I know what is greatest,
How do I know what is least?
That is My Father's business,'
Said Eddi, Wilfrid's priest.
'But - three are gathered together -
Listen to me and attend.
I bring good news, my brethren!'
Said Eddi of Manhood End.
And he told the Ox of a Manger
And a Stall in Bethlehem,
And he spoke to the Ass of a Rider,
That rode to Jerusalem.
They steamed and dripped in the chancel,
They listened and never stirred,
While, just as though they were Bishops,
Eddi preached them The Word,
Till the gale blew off on the marshes
And the windows showed the day,
And the Ox and the Ass together
Wheeled and clattered away.
And when the Saxons mocked him,
Said Eddi of Manhood End,
'I dare not shut His chapel
On such as care to attend.'
Terrific, I love this!
Most of all, I adore your singing of songs in Old English. You are definitely the first here! These words cannot get out of my head, they are so unforgettable!
Must be similar to old Saxon
AMEN!
Old English sounds really different than Middle English. Props for the hard dedication to fluently speak it. I really to hope to hear more Latin and I recommend to try Sumerian or even Egypt. The Ancient Egyptian flutes that were used gives a really mystical desert atmospheric vibe. Great work Skald! Can’t wait to hear the next one!
Beautiful. Blessed Advent.
that was beautiful
Greetings.
Got back just in time! have been gone for a while because of my studies. Awesome Christmas special skald, this goes to my Christmas playlist for sure. Keep enchanting listeners with your magical melody!
it's basically Viking/ Anglo saxon! wiilldddd stuff
Fascinating!!
This is such a damn masterpiece, I hope you make more. I keep on sharing this song to people, cus I want it to have the attention it deserves
Thanks so much for the support, my friend - really helps the channel. God bless you!
How fun!!!!❤
Old English certainly sounds lovely.
By any chance, can you upload an a capella too? This is the best musical rendition online too and we sing this every year kn our Sherlock Holmes Society
Ok so “God rest you merry Gentlemen” set to old English. This Protestant carol definitely didn’t exist when old English was spoken. And their carols wouldn’t have lasted through the Norman invasion, Latin conquest, and reformation.
🤓
Merry rizzmas,and have a happy mew year.
🏴❤️
Erin go bragh
As a Northumbrian, this oddly hits home 🏴
You, good sir, are amazing. My heart lives in the middle ages and fantasy worlds most often, and this is beautiful. This fills my desire for something Medieval but also Christmas... Bravo! I would love to hear more classic carols translated to the old languages. Old English and Old Norse both sound as beautiful as Latin and should be more known.
Once again, beautiful work! A new regular in my holiday mix for sure! Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
Amazing hearing this song for the first time. My Gosh😍😯 Stunning, captivating. Best Christmas song I’ve ever heard. I never would have thought the Middle Ages had taste! Enchanting, I can imagine dancing around a campfire. 🎄🥹🥳🔥😂
Amazing!
Gōde Geole, Bard sē Grēata!
Blīþre Crīstes mæssan!
I know its technically a fictional song.
But Tolkien took ALOT of inspiration from old Anglo saxon mythology and culture.
Would it be possible that you might consider doing one of his songs in old norse?
Seconding this. Plus, Tolkien was quite devout and viewed his work as an author as an opportunity to glorify God by engaging in what he dubbed 'subcreation' (the created being imitating the Creator by being creative himself). So, covers of his work would be in keeping with the spirit of Skaldic Bard's channel even if not strictly historical in scope.
Yes, like the one the dwarves sing at bag end in the hobbit!
I've got a song suggestion, would you be interested in doing a cover of Herr Mannelig in Old English? It sounds beautiful in Swedish, but i'd love to hear it in my ancestral tongue.
Hm, interesting! I've got it planned for Old Norse but I suppose it'd be appropriate in Old English too, I'll have a think! Cheers for the suggestion