Christ, there is a swarm of bees outside,
Fly hither, my little cattle,
In blest peace, in God's protection,
Come home safe and sound.
Sit down, sit down, bee,
St. Mary commanded thee.
Thou shalt not have leave,
Thou shalt not fly to the wood.
Thou shalt not escape me,
Nor go away from me.
Sit very still,
Wait God's will!
Medieval People by Eileen Power (1963)
Notes and Sources/ CHAPTER II/ THE PEASANT BODO
9. Old High German charm written in a tenth-century hand in a ninth-century codex containing sermons of St. Augustine, now in the Vatican Library. Brawne, Althochdeutsches Lesebuch (fifth edition, Halle, 1902), p. 83.
