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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