“I syng of a mayden”

“I syng of a mayden” is a Middle English poem, perfectly suited to the Christmas season, that was written around AD 1400.  I give you, first, the original.  You’ll understand most of it if you pay close attention.  But I’ve followed that up with a modern English version, just in case:

I syng of a mayden
That is makeles,
king of alle kinges
to here sone che chees.

He cam also stille
Ther his moder was
As dew in Aprylle,
That fallyt on the gras.

He cam also stille
To his modres bowr
As dew in Aprylle,
That falleth on the flowr.

He cam also stille
Ther his moder lay
As dew in Aprylle,
That falleth on the spray.

Moder & mayden
Was nevere noon but she:
Well may swich a lady
Godes moder be.

And here’s a modern English version of it:

I sing of a maiden
That is matchless,
King of all kings
For her son she chose.

He came as still
Where his mother was
As dew in April
That falls on the grass.

He came as still
To his mother’s bower
As dew in April
That falls on the flower.

He came as still
Where his mother lay
As dew in April
That falls on the spray.

Mother and maiden
There was never, ever one but she;
Well may such a lady
God’s mother be.

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This is a fantastic, spectacular, absolutely wonderful idea:

“LDS Church unveils charity vending machines on Temple Square”

I hope that it’s wildly successful, and that it spreads.

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This is really good news:

“Fabulous Gift for Book of Mormon Fans: Watch Lehi in Arabia for Free”

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Today (Saturday) is Day #2 of the “Light the World” campaign.  The theme for today is “I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink.”

Here’s a link to a video for today’s theme:

https://www.mormon.org/gclid=EAIaIQobChMIz4Hm9ubs1wIVi8JkCh3sEAohEAAYASAAEgJJBvD_BwE&cid=99119766&ef_id=Whe0SgAABFhVfFIV:20171203023357:s

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This afternoon, with two neighbor couples, we attended the annual “Celebration of Christmas” program put on by the BYU School of Music.  Featuring the BYU Singers, the BYU Concert Choir, the Men’s Chorus, the Women’s Chorus, and the BYU Philharmonic, it’s been part of our Christmas tradition for many years.  This year, the program also featured Joshua Lindsay, a new member of the vocal performance faculty in the School of Music.

A video was shown at the concert, just prior to the intermission, of BYU’s combined choirs performing “Wishes and Candles” by the late Stephen Paulus (1949-2014).  You can watch it here; it runs 3:40 minutes:

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Here’s a video of BYU’s combined choirs and its Philharmonic Orchestra from last year, performing “O Come, All Ye Faithful”:

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Or, alternatively, here’s an audio recording of BYU’s two a cappella groups (Noteworthy, the women’s ensemble, and Vocal Point, the men’s ensemble) performing “O Come, All Ye Faithful”: