The Cuckoo Song
Anonymous Middle English lyric
Sumer is
ycomen in,
Loude sing
cuckou!
Groweth seed and bloweth
meed,
And springth the
wode now.
Sing cuckou!
Ewe bleteth after lamb,
Loweth after calve cow,
Bulloc
sterteth,
bucke verteth,
Merye sing cuckou!
Cuckou, cuckou,
Wel singest thou cuckou:
Ne
swik thou never now!
Notes
meed: the
Emperor Norton says "The
meadow blossoms"; Mr
Webster is more general.
wode: Wood, as in
forest
bleteth:
Bleats
Loweth: Makes a
mooing noise, as in "the
lowing
kine". Mr.
Woody Allen informs us that "
kine are hard to come by".
sterteth: Leaps; "starts", startle, etc.
verteth: Farts
ne: I'm taking this as "nor"; you may take it however you please.
swik: Cease