I was inspired by the snow to make a video about a song I’ve been excited about this winter! “Mirie it is while sumer ilast” is the earliest known secular song in the English language. Written down sometime in the first half of the 13th century, it was found miraculously on a flyleaf added to a Book of Psalms created in the late 12th century. We have the melody, and one verse. This song is all about the hardships of winter, and remembering the pleasantness of summer. The author laments the harsh weather, the long hours of darkness, hunger and sorrow.
Here are the original words in Middle English:
[M]Irie it is while sumer ilastwith fugheles song
oc nu necheth windes blast
and weder strong.
Ei ei what this nicht is long
And ich with wel michel wrong.
Soregh and murne and [fast].
Translation:
Merry it is while summer lasts
with bird song
but now, close by, the winds blast
and the weather is strong.
Oh, oh! This night is long
And I also am done much wrong.
Sorrow and mourn and go without food.
Due to deterioration of the flyleaf and the ambiguity of the notation due to inexact penmanship, there is no way to have a completely accurate interpretation of the “Mirie it is…”
What I perform here is based on the interpretation of Ian Pittaway, who has done a great deal of work wrestling with the various interpretive possibilities of the song. You can read a detailed essay about his work with “Mirie” here: https://earlymusicmuse.com/mirie-it-is-while-sumer-ilast/
I take just a few purposeful liberties with the melody, most specifically singing the last few notes of the verse differently than interpreted by Pittaway.
Also- definitely take my Middle English pronunciation with a grain of salt! I haven’t studied Middle English pronunciation (now I want to as a result of making this video!). My use of “ch” as in “nicht” for example, should probably be more like the German “ich,” amongst other things.
Enjoy!
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