This is a wonderful old song, very simple, yet somehow bringing up a picture of the unchanging Spring as it came those centuries ago to the river meadows of the silver Thames, that stretched away from Reading’s mighty Abbey, then a comparatively modern building, little more than a hundred years old. And some young brother, at work in the fields perhaps, overjoyed to see the sun and the green leaves again, finding expression of his joy in song and music. To-day you may still find many remains of that stately Abbey at Reading, which became one of the richest in the land. Its inner gateway still stands and its guest house, as well as many ivy clad ruins of its other buildings. And Reading, for all its busy modern life retains much of its old-world atmosphere in its fine churches and queerly named streets. And here, too, you will find, in the Museum, relics of Roman Britain unequalled in England, for to Reading have been brought the treasures excavated at Roman Silchester a few miles away, the buried city sometimes called the British Pompeii. The neighbourhood of Reading teems with objects of natural beauty and historic interest, which more than repay the examination of the visitor to this, at first sight, rather modest modern red brick country town. Reading has seen in its time a very full share of England’s history and romance. [Illustration: Original manuscript (six voices) of “Sumer is icumen in”.] NOTE.--The original composition of “Sumer is icumen in” took six persons to sing it. The modernised version given on the next page is for a solo voice with pianoforte accompaniment. In it the old wording has been slightly modernised, the only archaic word occurring being “sterteth” which means “frisketh,” and “verteth” now an obsolete term indicating to go to the vert or the greenwood. “Sumer is icumen in” means literally: Summer has come in. The old version with the ancient notation, English and Latin words, and instructions as to singing, shows very much the form of the original 13th century manuscript. [Illustration: _Newer version of song (one voice). Page 1 of 2._] [Illustration: _Newer version of song (one voice). Page 2 of 2._] SUMMER IS ICUMEN IN. Joyously and with a good swing. Sum-mer is i-cum-en in Loud-ly sing cuc-koo. Grow-eth seed and blow-eth mead, And springs the wood-land new. Sing cuc-koo. Ewe now bleat-eth af-ter lamb, Low-eth af-ter calf the cow. Bull-ock stert-eth. Buck now vert-eth, Mer-ri-ly sing, Cuc-koo! Cuc-koo! Cuc-koo! Thou sing’st well Cuc-koo, Nor cease thou ne-ver now! [Illustration: _Ruins of Chapter House, Reading Abbey._]