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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)
Glossarymakèles = matchless
ches = chose
bour = bower
flour = flower
Text Authorship:
- by Anonymous / Unidentified Author [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Middle English by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , first published c1400
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
Je chante une jeune fille qui est sans égale : Le roi des rois comme fils elle choisit. Il vint si doucement, là où sa mère était, comme la rosée en avril qui tombe sur l'herbe. Il vint si doucement, vers la petite maison de sa mère, comme la rosée en avril qui tombe sur la fleur. Il vint si doucement, là où sa mère était allongée, comme la rosée en avril qui tombe sur la branche. Mère et vierge, il n'y jamais d'autre qu'elle ; Une telle dame peut bien Être la mère de Dieu.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to French (Français) copyright © 2015 by Guy Laffaille, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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Based on:
- a text in English by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist
Based on:
- a text in Middle English by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , first published c1400
This text was added to the website: 2015-08-16
Line count: 20
Word count: 94