Cuckoo Song

As a way of introduction to the beginning of the General Prologue of The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer, here's a post about a poem somewhat similar in tone to it.

Sumer is icumen in,
Lhude sing cuccu!
Groweth sed, and bloweth med,
And springth the wude nu-
Sing cuccu!

Awe bleteth after lomb,
Lhouth after calve cu;
Bulluc sterteth, bucke verteth,
Murie sing cuccu!

Cuccu, cuccu, well singes thu, cuccu:
Ne swike thu naver nu;
Sing cuccu, nu, sing cuccu,
Sing cuccu, sing cuccu, nu!

Read a translation of the text here.

You can sing it, too...

Read a bit about it.

You might also want to compare it with some newer variations on the theme:

• Rudyard Kipling's
• T.S. Eliot's beginning of the Waste Land
• or his buddy's parody of the Cuckoo poem, as more applicable in this season of dark November:

Winter is icumen in,
Lhude sing Goddamm,
Raineth drop and staineth slop,
And how the wind doth ramm!
Sing: Goddamm.
Skiddeth bus and sloppeth us,
An ague hath my ham.
Freezeth river, turneth liver,
Damn you, sing: Goddamm.
Goddamm, Goddamm, 'tis why I am, Goddamm,

So 'gainst the winter's balm.
Sing goddamm, damm, sing Goddamm,
Sing goddamm, sing goddamm, DAMM.

(Ezra Pound)