poem of the week: The Cuckoo Song

The Cuckoo Song

     Sing, cuccu, nu. Sing, cuccu.
     Sing, cuccu. Sing, cuccu, nu.

Sumer is i-cumen 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.
     Wel singes thu, cuccu.
     Ne swik thu naver nu!

via guardian.co.uk

This poem has stayed with me since my first English lit course in university and now it's the poem of the week from The Guardian. See the link above for a delightful consideration of its variations.

Filed under: Literary Tagged: poem of the week