The full incipit for this beautiful carol, unknown to English-speaking choirs, is Najswietzsa Panienka po swiecie chodzila. Of the several versions of this and other carols beginning with the opening two words I have chosen the haunting, probably Silesian, version in Cyfrowa Bibliotheca Polskiej Piosenki (Collected Library of Polish Folk Songs). The original consists of a dialogue between Mary and a poor peasant (Bibically, innkeeper), which I have translated as a narrative which contains all the elements of the original while avoiding, I hope, its tedious repetitiveness. Ideal for Christmas or later Advent. The harmonies are mine, hinting at the occasional similarities between this carol and klezmer songs.