Lullay, lullay, lay, lay, lullay: my dear mother, sing lullay. As I lay on Christmas night, alone in my desire, it seemed to me I saw a very lovely sight, a girl rocking her child. The maiden wanted to put her child to sleep without singing; to the child it seemed she wronged him, and he told his mother to sing. “Sing now, mother,” said the child, “what is to befall me in the future when I am grown up, for all mothers do that. “Every mother, truly, who knows how to watch over her cradle, is accustomed to lull lovingly and sing her child to sleep. “Sweet mother, fair and gracious, since that is so, I pray you to lull me and to sing something as well. “Sweet son,” said she, “of what should I sing? I never new anything more about you than Gabriel’s greeting. “He greeted me courteously on his knee and said ‘Hail, Mary! Hail, full of grace, God is with thee; thou shalt bear the Messiah.’ “I wondered greatly in my mind, for I by no means desired a husband. ‘Mary,’ he said, ‘do not fear; leave the God of heaven to his ways. “‘The Holy Ghost is to do all this,’ he said without delay, that I should bear man’s bliss and God’s own son. “He said, ‘Thou shalt bear a king in king David’s seat;’ in all the house of Jacob he should be the lord. “He said that Elizabeth, who until then had been barren, ‘has conceived a male child – give me the more credence.’ “I answered gladly, for his words pleased me, ‘Lo, I am here, God’s servant; be it as thou hast said to me.’ “There, as he said, I bore you on Midwinter Night, in virginity without pain, by the grace of almighty God. “Where shepherds were watching in the uplands they heard a wondrous song of angels there, as they told them the tidings of your birth. “Sweet son, assuredly I can say no more, and if I could, I would gladly, to do everything as you wish.” Certainly I saw this sight, I heard this song sung, as I lay this Christmas Day alone in my desire.