This exquisite little book (10cm square) was made by the late Anne Irwin and demonstrates perfect Foundational combined with versals. When I suggested you decide on your direction , it need not be citations for the Queen. This is also formal work of a fabulous quality and perhaps less daunting!
The caps saying "Anonymous" are about 1mm in height.
Versals are difficult to master, but are beautiful to look at. The Ramsey Psalter would have been written only 250 years before this poem was created, so this style of calligraphy would have probably still been contemporary.
SUMER IS A CUMEN IN
Lude sing cuccu!
Groweth sed and bloweth med,
And springeth the wude nu-
Sing cuccu
Awe bleteth after lomb
Lhouth after calve cu;
Bullue stereth, bucke vereth
Murie sing cuccu!
Cuccu, cuccu, well singes the, cuccu:
Ne swike thu naver nu:
Sing cuccu, nu, sing cuccu,
Sing cuccu, sing cuccu, nu!
Translation anyone? So far I have figured that there is this little cuckoo that sings loudly to announce summer and it is very persistent and possibly annoying (ne swike thu naver nu)?
(Whoops yesterday, - for the first early readers, & subscribers, they sneaked a peek at today's blog. I pressed the wrong button!)
Dear Lynn, This from Wikipedia (which is why I send a yearly donation ). Modern English
ReplyDeleteSummer has come in,
Loudly sing, Cuckoo!
The seed grows and the meadow
blooms
And the wood springs anew,
Sing, Cuckoo!
The ewe bleats after the lamb
The cow lows after the calf.
The bullock stirs, the stag farts,
Merrily sing, Cuckoo!
Cuckoo, cuckoo, well you sing,
cuckoo;
Don't ever you stop now,
Sing cuckoo now. Sing, Cuckoo.
Sing Cuckoo. Sing cuckoo now!
Bev
see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumer_Is_Icumen_In
(all so lyrical apart from "the stag farts")
ReplyDeleteBev
Anne's work was always utterly gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing these photos. Lin.
Fran
x
We are going to miss her - I'm so delighted to have two of her little books.
Delete