Miri It Is

May 28, 2011 Blog, Culture, Medieval, Music, Poetry Print Page

 

The poem Miri It Is is one of the oldest surviving examples of Middle English.  While Old English is distinctly Germanic and almost completely indecipherable to a speaker of Modern English, Middle English, while still difficult to understand, is recognizably English.

Written around 1225 AD by an unknown author, the poem uses the changing seasons as a metaphor for his relationship.  In the Summer (the good times of the relationship), things are great, but with the coming of Winter (the ending of the relationship and him feeling wronged by it), bad weather and long nights arrive.
 
In Middle English:

Miri it is while summer ilast
With fugheles song
Oc nu neheth windes blast
And weder strong
Ei, ei! What this nicht is long
And ich with wel michel wrong
Soregh and murn and fast

 

In Modern English:

Merry it is while summer lasts
With birds songs,
But now draws near the wind’s blasts
And harsh weather.
Alas, alas! How this night is long!
And I, most unjustly wronged,
Sorrow and mourn and fast.

 

This verse has been put to music many times; everything from folk metal to traditional instruments.  Below is one of my favorite versions:

 


 

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About Nathanael Strickland

Nathanael Strickland is the owner and chief editor of FaithandHeritage.com. He was born in Dallas, TX, grew up in upstate SC, and now resides in SE TX. He received both his BS in Political Science with a minor in Economics and his MBA from Clemson University and now works in project management, SEO, and web design. He has ancestors who fought with the patriots in the American Revolution, with the Texans at the Alamo, and with the Confederacy in the War for Southern Independence. You can reach him by email at editor [at] faithandheritage.com.

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  • http://tsarlazar.wordpress.com Tsar Lazar

    That’s awesome. I love folk metal and am looking for many more examples of Folk Metal dealing with Northern European cultures.

    I’ve enjoyed some of your blog posts btw.

  • Martin

    Medieval English has a very special beauty to it, as a German speaker it’s possible to decipher even the older forms. Here’s another example of middle (?) English I found, an old psalm: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhrcBNC6we8

    • http://faithandheritage.com Nathanael Strickland

      That’s indeed beautiful, Martin. I’m pretty sure that that is Middle English. Here’s an example of Old English: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Wl-OZ3breE