by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
I sing of a maiden
Language: English  after the Middle English
Available translation(s): FRE GER
I sing of a maiden
that is makèles:
King of all kings
to her son she ches.
He came al so stille
there his moder was,
As dew in Aprille
that falleth on the grass.
He came al so stille
to his moder bour,
As dew in Aprille
that falleth on the flour.
He came al so stille
there his moder lay,
As dew in Aprille
that falleth on the spray.
Moder and mayden
was never none but she;
Well may such a lady
Goddes moder be.
About the headline (FAQ)
Glossary
makèles = matchless
ches = chose
bour = bower
flour = flower
Text Authorship:
Based on:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "As dew in Aprille", op. 28 no. 5 (1942) [ treble chorus, solo voices, and harp ], from A Ceremony of Carols, no. 5 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by John Theodore Livingston Raynor (1909 - 1970), "I Sing Of A Maiden", op. 645 (1963) [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Theodore Livingston Raynor (1909 - 1970), "I Sing Of A Maiden", op. 664 (1965) [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Comme la rosée en avril", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Wie Tau im April", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Tom White
This text was added to the website: 2007-10-01
Line count: 20
Word count: 87
Wie Tau im April
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the English
Ich sing von der Jungfrau
einmaliger Art,
die Mutter des
Himmelskönigs ward.
Bei seiner Mutter
erschien er so still
wie ein Tau auf den
Auen im April.
In der Mutter Schoß
erschien er so still
wie ein Tau auf der
Blume im April.
In Mutters Kammer
erschien er so still
wie ein Tau auf den
Zweig fällt im April.
Mutter und Jungfrau
gebührte ihr allein:
Solch ein Frau kann wohl
Gottes Mutter sein.
Text Authorship:
Based on:
Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2015-07-26
Line count: 20
Word count: 73