Author: Ano Sensei
Format: Video
Subject Matter: carol, devotional verse, Marian poetry, Mary, medieval, religious, religious poetry, Virgin Mary
Structure: Carol form, Refrain
Related content:
- • I Synge of a Mayden – A Reading (Video)
Medieval English lyrics: "I syng of a mayden" (I sing of a maiden). Reading and analysis
This video offers a reading of the poem in its original Middle English, followed by a close analysis. Why dew rather than rain? Why April specifically? What is the significance of the threefold repetition — grass, flower, spray — and how does it reflect Christian doctrine? And what does "makeles" — matchless — really mean in the context of the final stanza?
The poem draws on Psalm 72, the symbolism of dew as a conventional image of the Holy Spirit, and the medieval calendar's retention of Roman dating — all woven into a lyric of extraordinary economy and grace.
0:00 Introduction
0:14 Reading (original text)
0:58 Reading (in modern English)
1:34 Commentary & analysis
If subtitles are not available in your language, please let me know and I will add them.
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6 Comments
Thank you so much for sharing this! I’m currently studying this poem for my English Literature course, and your pronunciation really helped me identify the metre and recognise its lyrical patterns. The medieval music in the background is also a plus 🙂 I also found the analysis on the double meaning in “makeless” particularly insightful. Keep doing what you do!
Thank you so much for your feedback! I particularly appreciate that last bit, since I’ve been getting drawn into other stuff recently. In the end, I think these videos are my core strength and, yes, I should keep on making them!
Thank you for this video! I saw this poem in my textbook and I was curious how it might have been pronounced originally. I never would have guessed about all the allusions! I didn’t know what “spray” was until you pointed it out. My textbook renders the “þ” as “d” in all cases, which was confusing, and your video helped clear that up also. Thanks again!
Thank you for the feedback! We can never be 100% sure of how things were pronounced in those days, but there are certain patterns that give a fairly clear indication. There are more videos about medieval literature here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzVb6yL_jY685kYpyhyIjJJnPz_1zrci8. I’ve been working on other things, but I hope to add a few more videos to the list before too long.
Thank you for your help with pronunciation and interpretation of the text! I will listen to it over and over so that I may perform it correctly as a song setting. One small caveat: I believe the Psalm referenced is actually Ps.72:6. Many thanks again!
Thank you for the feedback – and, in particular, for correcting the reference to the Psalms! Unfortunately, YouTube does not allow changes to be made to videos once posted, though I have changed it in the subtitles and added a note in the video details.