Apologies, I had sent this once before [Was: An early "cock"?]

Joel S. Berson Berson at ATT.NET
Thu Jun 29 12:48:54 UTC 2006


Mea culpa!  I had sent this song to the list earlier.  A short term
memory lapse.

Joel

The following anonymous poem/song is alleged to come from the 14th
century (others allege 15th).  Does it?  Would it qualify as =
"penis", for which the earliest OED2 citation is 1618?  Or is it too
ambiguous?  Or has it simply not been found in any writing of
sufficiently early date?

Joel--who is amused at the vision of gentil old ladies hearing this
sung at a concert of early music.

Courtesy of someone (else) with an interest in such things:

>"I Have a Gentil  Cock"
>___________________
>I have a gentil  cock
>croweth me day
>he doth me risen early
>my matins for to  stay
>
>I have a gentil cock
>comen he is of great
>his comb is of  red coral
>his tail is of jet
>
>I have a gentil cock
>comen he is  of kind
>his comb is of red sorrel
>his tail is of inde
>
>his legs  be of azure
>so gentil and so small
>his spurs are of silver white
>into  the wortewale
>
>his eyes are of crystal
>locked all in amber
>and  every night he pertcheth him
>in my lady`s chamber"

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