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Sumer is icumen in, lhude sing cuccu. Groweth sed and bloweth med and springth the wode nu. Sing cuccu. Awe bleteth after lomb, lhouth after calve cu. Bulluc sterteth, bucke verteth, murrie sing cuccu. Cuccu, cuccu, wel singes thu cuccu, ne swik thu naver nu.
About the headline (FAQ)
See also Ezra Pound's comedic poem that was inspired by this one, Ancient Music.
Text Authorship:
- by Anonymous / Unidentified Author, 13th century [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , "Sumer is icumen in", c1280 [ chorus a cappella ], four part canon, also set in Latin [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Tansy Davies (b. 1973), "Re-greening", 2015, copyright © 2015 [ voices and orchestra ], Faber; Orchestra members that are not playing have to sing the choir part
Score: Faber [external link]  [sung text not yet checked] - by Cyril Meir Scott (1879 - 1970), "Sumer is icumen in", published 1913 [ voice and piano ], London : Elkin [sung text not yet checked]
The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:
- by (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "Finale", op. 44 no. 12 (1949) [ soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, mixed chorus, boys' chorus, and orchestra ], from Spring Symphony, no. 12
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, adapted from Volkslieder (Folksongs) [an adaptation] ; composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams.
- Also set in Latin, a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2003-11-02
Line count: 12
Word count: 45
Sommer ist ins Land gezogen singe laut, Kuckuck! Saat gedeiht und Wiese sprießt, und wieder grünt der Wald, Sing, Kuckuck! Mutterschaf blökt nach dem Lamm, die Kuh muht nach dem Kalb Jungstier regt sich, Bock bewegt sich1, fröhlich sing, Kuckuck! Kuckuck, Kuckuck, schön singst du, Kuckuck, verstumme nicht mehr nun.
About the headline (FAQ)
View text without footnotes1 Könnte auch mit „Bock entlädt sich“ übertragen werden oder derb: "der Bock furzt"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to German (Deutsch) copyright © 2017 by Bertram Kottmann, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.
Bertram Kottmann.  Contact: BKottmann (AT) t-online.de
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Based on:
- a text in English by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , 13th century
This text was added to the website: 2017-06-24
Line count: 12
Word count: 52
