Gabriel fram evene king sent to the maide sweete,
broute hir blisful tiding and fair he gan hir greete:
‘Heil be thu, ful of grace aright!
For Godes son, this heven-light,
for mannes love wil man become and take
fles of thee, maide bright,
manken free for to make of sen and devles might.’

Mildelich him gan andswere the milde maide thanne:
‘Wichewise sold ich bere a child withute manne?’
Th’ angel hir said, ‘Ne dred tee nout;
thurw tholigast sal been iwrout
this ilche thing warof tiding ich bringe;
al manken wurth ibout
thurw thine sweet childinge and ut of pine ibrout.’

Wan the maiden understood and th’ angels wordes herde,
mildelich with milde mood to th’ angel hie andswerde:
‘Ure lords thewe maid iwis
ich am, that heer aboven is.
Anentis me fulfurthed be thi sawe
that ich, sith his wil is,
a maid, withute lawe, of moder have the blis.’

Th’ angel went awei mid than al ut of hire sighte;
hire womb arise gan thurw th’ oligastes mighte.
In hir wes Crist bilok anon,
sooth God, sooth man in fles and bon,
and of hir fles ibore wes at time.
Warthurw us kam good won;
he bout us ut of pine and let him us for slon.

Maiden-moder makeles, of milce ful ibunde,
bid for us him that tee ches, at wam thu grace funde,
that he forgive us sen and wrake,
and clene of evri gelt us make,
and heven-blis, wan ur time to sterve,
us give, for thine sake,
him so heer for to serve that he us to him take.

Gabriel, sent from the king of heaven to the sweet maiden,
brought her happy news and greeted her courteously:
‘Hail be thou, full of grace indeed!
For God’s son, this light of heaven
for love of man will become man and take
flesh of thee, fair maiden,
to free mankind from sin and the Devil’s power.’

The gentle maiden then gently answered him:
‘In what way should I bear a child without a husband?’
The angel said to her, ‘Fear not;
for this very thing
whereof I bring news will be done by means of the Holy Spirit;
all mankind will be redeemed
by means of thy sweet child-bearing and brought out of torment.’

When the maiden understood and heard the angel’s words,
she answered the angel gently, with gentle spirit:
‘I am indeed the bondmaid
of Our Lord, who is above.
May thy saying concerning me be fulfilled,
that I, since it is his will, may as
a maiden, contrary to natural law, have the bliss of a mother.’

The angel went away with that altogether out of her sight;
her womb began to swell through the power of the Holy Spirit.
In her Christ was straightaway enclosed,
true God and true man in flesh and bone,
and was born of her flesh at due time.
Whereby good hope came to us;
he redeemed us from torment and let himself be slain for us.

Matchless maiden-mother, fully endowed with compassion,
pray for us to him who chose thee, in whose sight thou didst find
grace, that he forgive us sin and hostility
and make us innocent of every offence,
and when it our time is to die, is give us the bliss of heaven,
and grant us for thy sake
so to serve him here that he may take us to himself.