Sumer is Icumen In: An 800-year-old English folk song heralding the beginning of spring
What bird songs, for you, herald the beginning of summer? For me, here in Southern Appalachia, the calls of the towhees arriving from the gulf coast tell me that the warm months are at hand. These beautiful orange, black and white birds have a distinct “drink-your-tea!” call that always delights the ears. For much of Europe (and for who knows how long) the call of the cuckoo has embodied the advent of summer. The European cuckoo migrates massive distances, often overwintering in North Africa, then making his way back to northern climes around April. There’s a Scottish saying that goes “In the month of April the Gowk (cuckoo) comes over the hill in a shower of rain.” And so, it’s a delight to know that one of the oldest surviving secular songs in the English language is about the cuckoo’s call and the delightful scenes of summer!
“Sumer is Icumen In” (linked in the video above) is a Medieval English folk song dating back to the mid-13th century. It’s thought to be just slightly “newer” (at least in manuscript form), than “Mirie it is while Sumer Ilast” the oldest known secular song in English- which interestingly, is also a season-themed song, as it’s a lament of winter! “Sumer” is a Medieval English round- or “rota”- with a bass phrase that layers on itself to create a two-voiced round, while a more extensive melody on top also rounds for as many as four voices. “Sumer” is written in the Wessex dialect of Middle English, and is part of a manuscript found in Reading Abbey, in the county of Berkshire in southeast England. This song is the only material in the manuscript written in Middle English: the rest of the texts are in Latin and French.
This cheery Medieval song paints a picture of the world awakening into summer. In the wilds, the trees and bushes are coming into leaf, and the meadows are blossoming over with flowers. Newborn lambs and calves are being chased by their mothers, the bull is prancing and goats are farting (or, stags are cavorting- scholars argue over this). Again and again, throughout the round, the cuckoo is encouraged to merrily sing his song. Meanwhile, the “pes” or bass phrase, evokes the signature call of the cuckoo: “Sing cuccu nu! Sing cuccu!” Here's a translation in Modern English:
Summer has arrived,
Loudly sing, cuckoo!
The seed is growing
And the meadow is blooming,
And the wood is coming into leaf now,
Sing, cuckoo!
The ewe is bleating after her lamb,
The cow is lowing after her calf;
The bullock is prancing,
The billy-goat farting, [or "The stag cavorting”]
Sing merrily, cuckoo!
Cuckoo, cuckoo,
You sing well, cuckoo,
Never stop now.
Pes: Sing, cuckoo, now; sing, cuckoo;
Sing, cuckoo; sing, cuckoo, now!
I love songs like this one that give us a glimpse of the summer sounds, sights, smells and textures that enraptured people close to 800 years ago. This song contains a joy and humor that translates instantly, endearing us to people we are separated from by nearly a millennia.
If this song touches you, you’ll probably enjoy learning folk songs, ballads and chants of Midsummer with me in a couple weeks’ time. In “Praise the Sun & Turn the Wheel: Midsummer Songs and Ceremony,” we’ll be exploring some of the beloved songs of this vibrant holiday from Ukraine, Lithuania, Cornwall, and more.
This holiday is both ancient and new: Some of the folk customs of this day originate in pre-Christian times, and yet the holiday itself, set to the feast day of St. John the Baptist, didn’t emerge until the middle ages (we’ll explore this more in our class). Thus, the songs of Midsummer are a fun mix of animist, pagan, romantic and religious (well, sort of- you’ll see!).
In the spirit of the ever-evolving nature of this holiday, we’ll be singing traditional folk songs alongside newer chants and layered songs to evoke the power and practices of the solstice. Join me to praise St. John’s Wort, send power to the sun, set wheels of fortune aflame, and more!
