Saturday Rave: Saint Stephen was a clerk

 This poem was written in the 1300s or 1400s. In it St Stephen is a servant of King Herod, who...but you can read the story yourself.

The story is actually all wrong, because according to the bible St Stephen was still living after the death of Jesus. It's still a good poem, though, and it's one especially for today, the Feast of St Stephen.

(Wode means mad, and brede meaning raving mad. Sooth is truth, and weede are clothes. Christus natus est means Christ is born.)

Saint Stephen was a clerk

In King Herod's hall,

And served him of bread and cloth

As every king befalle

Stephen out of kitchen came

With boar's head on hand,

He saw a star was fair and bright

Over Bethlehem stande

He cast down the boar's head

And went into the hall

I forsake thee, Herod

And thy werkes all.

I forsake thee, Herod

And thy werkes all,

There is a child in Bethlehem born

Is better than we all.

What aileth thee, Stephen?

What is thee befalle?

Lacketh thee either meat or drink

In King Herod's hall?

Lacketh me neither meat ne drink

In King Herod's hall

There is a child in Bethlehem born

Is better than we all.

What aileth thee, Stephen?

Art wode, or thou 'ginnst to brede?

Lacketh thou either gold or fee

Or any rich weede?

Lacketh me neither gold nor fee

Ne none rich weede

There is a child in Bethlehem born

Shall helpen us at our need

That is all so sooth, Stephen,

All so sooth, I'wys,

As this capon crowe shall

That li'th here in my dish.

That word was not so soon said,

That word in that hall

The capon crew Christus natus est

Among the lordes all.

Riseth up, my tormentors,

By two, and all by one

And leadeth Stephen out of this town,

And stoneth him with stones.

Tooken them Stephen

And stoned him in the way

And therefore is his even

On Christe's own day.

Word To Use Today: capon. A capon is a neutered cockerel. The Old English form of this word was capun and the Latin was cāpō, from the Greek koptein, cut off.