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