The Cuckoo Song ("Sumer is ycomen in")

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

The oldest (1240 AD) mechanically printed song in the english language. Translation (from Middle English) follows:

Summer has come,
Loudly sing cuckoo!
Groweth seed and blooms mead
And springs the wood now.
Sing cuckoo!

Ewe bleats after lamb,
Lows after calf the cow,
Bullock starts, buck farts;
Merrily sing cuckoo!
Cuckoo! cuckoo!
Well sing thou cuckoo.
Cease thou never now!

Sing cuckoo now, Sing cuckoo!
Sing cuckoo, Sing cuckoo now!