I've chosen this jolly Carol because it's about food and drink and making a noise - Christmas almost as we know it. It dates from the late 15th-century, and is probably the work of a Franciscan monk, James Ryman.

Advent fare in those times seems to have been Lenten in style, and though the fishy fast sounds more gut-churning than life-threatening, our poor Epicurean monk was clearly desperate for some decent ale and pickled pork (souse). I like his sparky sarcasm, his directness of expression, and the way the piety at the end has as hearty a quality as the earlier gluttony. The whole skip and swing of the piece suggest it would have been set to a lively melody. Perhaps it formed part of a mummers' play, with Advent and Christmas as two of the characters, Advent being set upon and firmly kicked out at the end of the penultimate stanza?

Farewell! Advent

Farewele! Advent, Christemas is come, Farewele! Fro us both alle and some.

With paciens thou hast us fed, And made us go hungrye to bed; For lak of mete we were nigh ded - Farewele fro us both alle and some.

While thou haste be within oure house, We ete no puddings ne no souse, But stinking fish not worthe a louse - Farewele fro us both alle and some.

There was no freshe fish, ferre ne nere, Salt fish and salmon was too dere; And thus we have had hevy chere - Farewele fro us both alle and some.

Thou hast us fed with plaices thin, Nothing on them but bone and skin; Therefore oure love thou shalt not win - Farewele fro us both alle and some.

With muskills gaping afture the mone Thou hast us fed at night and none But ones a wike, and that too sone - Farewele fro us both alle and some.

Oure brede was browne, oure ale was thin, Oure brede was musty in the bin, Oure ale soure or we did begin - Farewele fro us both alle and some.

Thou art of grete ingratitude Good mete fro us for to exclude: Thou are not kinde but verey rude - Farewele fro us both alle and some.

This time of Christes feest natal We will be mery, grete and small, And thou shalt goo oute of this hall - Farewele fro us both alle and some.

Advent is gone, Christmas is come, Be we mery now, alle and some! He is not wise that will be dume In ortu Regis omnium.

Notes: fro: from both alle and some: one and all paciens: patience souse: pickled pork muskilles: mussels mone: moon none: noon wike: week, or, before feest natal: birthday in ortu Regis omnium: at the birth of the King of all

Seven stanzas have been omitted between stanzas eight and nine.

From Medieval English Lyrics: A Critical Anthology Ed. R.T.Davies, Faber & Faber, 1963.

Reminder: When you're fed up with the festive souse and ale, there's our 'Poem of the Week' Poetry Competition to enter. What better brain-exercise - less exhausting than going for a jog and more exciting than Extreme Sudoku (or so I imagine, as someone who studiously avoids both).

Here are the rules again. The subject is FRUIT, and the title should be Sole Fruit or Soul Fruit. The poem can be in any style or form, between 4 and 14 lines long. The word "last" should appear in the first line. The poem should also contain the following: one archaic word, one rhetorical figure, one proverb, and either a word beginning CY... or a word ending...ADE. The closing date is December 30th, and one entry is allowed per person.

The winning poem will be chosen by popular vote, and will star as 2008's first Poem of the Week. You can savour the wonderful variety of entries posted so far by clicking here - please post new poems in the same place.

Merry Christmas to both alle and some!