Summer is a-coming in,
Loudly sing, Cuckoo!
Groweth seed and bloweth mead,
And springeth wood anew,
Sing, Cuckoo!

13th-century English song

[Cuckoos don’t tend to be green, but this one reflects the color of summer. The above quotation is from “Sumer Is Icumen In,” a 13th-century Middle-English part-song, or round. It is one of the oldest part-songs still in existence. To view the notation and hear the song performed, click on this link.]