Poetry that makes you say, "Hmmm", part 2

This is my second in the series on poetry my wife and I listened at a Cantata Singers concert in early November.

This is the third poem in the Andrew Imbrie's work, Adam. Like the first poem, this one is also by an unknown author, noted, for reasons beyond my ken, as Anon.

A Baby is Born
A baby is born us bliss to bring;
A maiden I heard lullay sing:
“Dear son, now leave thy weeping,
Thy father is the king of bliss.”
“Nay, dear mother, for you weep I not,
But for thinges that shall be wrought
Or that I have mankind i-bought:
Was there never pain like it iwis.”
“Peace, dear son, say thou me not so.
Alas! That I should see this woe:
It were to me great heaviness.”
“My handes, mother that ye now see,
They shall be nailed on a tree;
My feet, also, fastened shall be:
Full many shall weep that it shall see.”
“Alas! Dear son, sorrow now is my hap;
To see my child that sucks my pap
So ruthfully taken out of my lap:
It were to me great heaviness.”
“Also, mother, there shall a spear
My tendere heart all to-tear;
The blood shall cover my body there:
Great ruthe it shall be to see.”
“Ah! Dear son, that is a heavy case.
When Gabriel kneeled before my face
And said, 'Hail! Lady, full of grace.'
He never told me nothing of this.”
“Dear mother, peace, now I you pray,
And take no sorrow for that I say,
But sing this song, 'By, by, lullay,'
To drive away all heaviness.

My wife and I both had that “Oh!” reaction to Mary's lines:

“Ah! Dear son, that is a heavy case.
When Gabriel kneeled before my face
And said, 'Hail! Lady, full of grace.'
He never told me nothing of this.”

The juxtaposition of the crucifixion with the annunciation is powerful and true. Like when my sister gave me a copy of Elie Wiesel's Night for Christmas with the inscription “This is why Christmas was necessary.”