Winter is icumen in,

View south up the Cassi Creek valley toward the TN/NC border. Image at 1030 this morning. This is the first morning this year we’ve seen snow on the high peaks.

Sumer Is Icumen In" is a traditional English round, and possibly the oldest such example of counterpoint in existence. The title might be translated as "Summer has come in" or "Summer has arrived".

In Middle English, the song doth appear as:

Sumer is icumen in,

Lhude sing cuccu!

Groweþ sed and bloweþ med



And springþ þe wde nu,

Sing cuccu!

Awe bleteþ after lomb,

Lhouþ after calue cu.

Bulluc sterteþ, bucke uerteþ,

Murie sing cuccu!

Cuccu, cuccu, wel singes þu cuccu;



Ne swik þu nauer nu.

Pes:

Sing cuccu nu. Sing cuccu.

Sing cuccu. Sing cuccu nu!



I can recall sitting in an English literature lecture while a professor waxed poetic about this poesy. The more he waxed, the more my attention waned. This being prior to the widespread presence of Renaissance festivals throughout the land, I saw little need to learn the ditty in Middle English, in Latin, or even in modern English. Which latter task I had once essayed at command of a High School Teacher of grim visage and little humor. This done, I did recite it boldly back to her and then proceed to let it leave my recall for the nonce.

Then, reading for pleasure other than for grade, I encountered this amusing parody which may be found in "Ancient Music" by American Poet, Ezra Pound (Lustra collection, 1913-1915):

Winter is icumen in,

Lhude sing Goddamm,

Raineth drop and staineth slop,

And how the wind doth ramm!

Sing: Goddamm.

Skiddeth bus and sloppeth us,

An ague hath my ham.

Freezeth river, turneth liver,

Damm you; Sing: Goddamm.

Goddamm, Goddamm, 'tis why I am, Goddamm,

So 'gainst the winter's balm.

Sing goddamm, damm, sing goddamm,

Sing goddamm, sing goddamm, DAMM.



Today’s bit of culture is brought to you the frost on the windows of the Pathfinder, the slick patches on the deck, Gloria, wrapped warmly in a fetching blue fleece pullover, and the overnight low of 31.46 F recorded at 0655 this morning. There was frost on the ground all the way to the end of our routine waling route today.

Actually, I love parodies of this nature. In order to do a good parody, one has to understand the nature of the original. Failing this, all parodies fall horribly short of clever and manage only to reach ineptitude. Good parodies I’ve read include the Harvard Lampoon’s “Bored of the Rings” and MacBird! a notorious 1967 counterculture drama by Barbara Garson that accused President Lyndon Johnson (Macbeth) and First Lady Lady Bird Johnson (Lady Macbeth) of criminal responsibility for the Kennedy assassination..

Given the political upheaval of 1967, the still escalating VietNam war, and Johnson’s history as a maker of kings, but not a king, a man obsessed by power and willing to exercise it at every opportunity; there was more than a little willingness on the part of left leaning folks to at least wonder about a kernel or two of truth in the comparisons.

From a distance of decades, such accusations seem far from likely today. All the key players are now dead. The once despised LBJ became far more palatable after he was followed in office by Nixon, Reagan, and G. W. Bush. Each of these men damaged both the nation and the presidency more than the ones before. There was a comedy movie made about the final Nixon days. Reagan died of Alzheimer’s’ disease but had written a funeral act for himself that was frankly embarrassing and greatly overdone in scope and time. Bush, the younger, and his self-appointed vice President, Cheney, started an illegal war based upon lies, handed no-bid contracts to Cheney’s friends, and nearly destroyed the global economy while handing billions to financial houses without restraint or accountability just before leaving office.

We could use a good parody or three. But the destruction of the Presidency, the sale of the nation to corporations, ignoring the Constitution, illegal wars, depleting the life-savings of millions of citizens, and encouraging the off shoring of most of our jobs are not topics that lend their selves to humor, parody or not.

So we are stuck with Pound today. The fact of an El Nino winter, potentially colder and wetter than average, is upon us and will require good movies, music, books, and good meals to help us avoid valley fever. Going to dances will help, too.

We’re lucky. Since moving here we’ve been able to find well-made, durable, warm winter clothes. Our wood stove will put out surprising amounts of heat. We may not work for L.L. Bean, but we could stitch together a fair parody of their catalogs. Of course, we both like the clothing styles they sell. So no parody there either.

The next two nights are forecast to be warmer. I’d really like to get the lawn mowed once more but that will require letting the ground dry out a bit.

The creek is much lower today. It is back to ca. Monday’s flow rate and depth.

Notice how much more of the bank is exposed to air, how the creek appears narrower than before.

The same observations apply to the image above. More exposed bank, less wide appearance.

Dinner tonight will be Ravioli. Time to begin the search for a restaurant in Asheville for the 1st of November.

In any language you care to use,

Wyntr is icumin in,