Hey, I'm the translator. It was a pleasure working with Miracle Aligner on this one. I see there's some confusion about the English used. I mostly adhered to Orm's English, which is from the late 12th century. This is Early Middle English, only a few decades after the last Old English documents were written. Most people's perception of Middle English is heavily biased towards Chaucer, but many other Middle English writers existed, and Orm was one of them. They spanned several dialects and hundreds of years. Middle English is not a single definitive standard - it's a continuum of dialects within an approximate period of time. Different dialects could be quite distinctive. Orm's English does not look very much like Chaucer's English because it was several hundred years earlier, it had very little French influence, and Orm used his own phonetic spelling method for words (which is very convenient for modern linguists - we can know how it sounded!). But grammatically, Orm's English is much closer to Chaucer than to Beowulf. Referring to Orm's English as "Early Middle English", and Chaucer's English as "Late Middle English", does some justice to the difference. But it's worth remembering that terms like "Middle English" are convenient categories for modern scholars to use. Orm and Chaucer would not necessarily think of themselves as speaking the same language. I hope you enjoy the song!
Heyaa!!! The man himself haha. Thanks for clearing up the confusion dude :) I was struggling and doing a bad job of doing it myself XD Thank you so much again for all the work you put into helping me bring these covers to life.
@HrothgarLareow Thank you for explaining! :) (And for bringing Orm to my attention.) If you would be so kind, can you point me to more materials I can use if I want to learn?
My favorite part of these videos is the accounting for anachronisms, like swapping "bullet" for "arrow" to get "see how deep the arrow lies." Little changes like that really make these songs sound from an era long past.
... seems unnecessary though, since there's a word for bullet in Middle English, *bullet*, though it would at the time refer to a projectile for a sling, not for a firearm.
@@Atzya bow and arrow is closer to a gun and bullet to the intent of the song than a sling and shot, or early bullet. I'm wondering now if bullet, the word, comes from the use of bull metal as shot for a sling.
The 'bull' is colloquially still the centre of a target, often called 'the bull's eye' or 'bullseye', so perhaps bullet means 'the little thing that hits it's mark', or 'the accurate'?
@@stevetheduck1425 in this case it's derived from Old French 'boule', meaning 'ball' And your use of 'bull' there is really nonstandard. Nobody I know of has ever used it that way, anyway, and I haven't read of any such uses? Where are you from?
It's so cool seeing the words that have survived into modern English, such as "friend," "hill," and "little." Just to know that over 1,000 years later we're using the same exact words as our distant ancestors is chilling.
There’s a runic inscription in late Proto-Germanic/Early Proto-Norse, that when transliterated to the Latin alphabet has the word “after” totally unchanged.
You should check out the _History of English Podcast._ You will have that feeling over and over! I think it actually makes you more fluent to know the context and etymology.
As someone from germany who also speaks english and knows some middle high german (german literature studies in college ages back... don't ask), early middle english is really intriguing to me by account of how much I actually can understand. Also the interpretation of the song is awesome.
Yeah, it's amazing how similar the Germanic languages actually are despite surface appearances. I took a course in Old English in Grad school; those of us who'd studied German had a MUCH easier time of it than those who hadn't. One time we were stuck on a particular passage from Beowulf. Suddenly a girl let out a shriek and yelled, "Oh my god! It's German! Start from the beginning and pretend it's a funky dialect of German." We did that and suddenly we understood 3/4 of the text instead of 1/4. Later, when I was lucky enough to visit Iceland, Denmark, & Sweden briefly, I was surprised at how much simple text I could understand in context. Of course, that didn't help at all with understanding spoken language😅.
@ttaibe my native language is American English, but I'm in the early stages of learning Dutch. It was interesting that even with my limited Dutch, I saw/heard some commonalities.
I always love how much more similar the older versions of English sound to languages like Dutch. Unlike modern English I'd be able to understand quite a bit of this (spoken even more than sang) without being exposed to the language before. They always remind me of how close English and Dutch are related even though it might not seem that way (anymore)
This Englishman can say that modern Dutch or Nederlands is still similar to modern English, yet Danish somehow is closer in sound and 'cadence', for want of a better word. Knowing that many similar words exist and some sentences can be understood in many languages, such as 'the ship sailed up the stream', it shows were are closer than is often thought.
@@stevetheduck1425 As well as their shared roots and long history of linguistic exchange, English and Danish also have fellowship in that they are both the weird odd-ones-out in their respective branches of the Germanic family tree!
@@mortified776 What do you mean by “their respective branches”? They’re both part of the West Germanic branch. Unless you mean Ingvaeonic vs. Istvaeonic?
@@LEO_M1 I meant the West and North Germanic branches. OP was talking about English and Dutch but I was replying @stevetheduck1425's reply with respect to English and _Danish._
Before these songs, I never knew the English language had its awkward teenage-phase, where it cosplayed its own fan-fic about shipping together Latin and Swedish.
Our language went through several changes, starting with Old English/Ėnglisc where it was a mish mash of a west German dialect, Latin, Celtic and Norse all the way to the language we speak now. In Yorkshire, we use a lot of words unique to our particular dialect of English, which have their roots in Old English.
Once I was visiting England and as we crossed over into Wales suddenly Kate Bush came on the radio singing this song and I started singing along with her as I always do when I hear it. Well screeching along because I don't have her range. I might be able to sing t h is version but I don't know the words.
As a native Irish speaker I was fascinated by this. Middle English seems to have been a mix of all the inhabitants of Britain. There are many Irish (Gaelic in anglo, Gaeilge in my own) words here in use. I'm sure there would have to also be Cymric, Brittonic, Cumbric, Cornish etc. as well as the newly arrived Germanic languages. This is a real eye opener. Well done to all and I look forward to seeing more of your content.
@@MrRicehard Think of it as 'thou', the letter 'þ' (thorn) simply makes the 'th' sound. It was lost from English quite late due to the printing press, as European presses didn't have the thorn and so it was substituted with a 'y', thus 'you' (and in the case of 'þe' being spelt as 'ye', when it is simply 'the' and meant to be pronounced as such). You're not wrong with the Norse comparison, while 'þ' was retained in English due to its older Anglo-Saxon heritage, rather than later Norse invasions, the letter only still exists today in Icelandic which is the most archaic of the languages descended from Old Norse.
@@treeaboo Thanks. That's some great info. I enjoy to sing 'Þat mælti mín móðir' in the shower. Although I only know the first verse off by heart so far. :)
I agree. While all of his videos are great, this feels the most special just because it's in Middle English. The lyrics make me feel like I'm looking into an old, dusty mirror. It's incredible how different the language is now, and a little depressing.
Hey, I'm the translator. I'm curious to know which words you found in common? English and Irish are distantly related, both being Indo-European languages; but many word similarities between them have been obscured by change over time. Furthermore, Old and Middle English borrowed very few words from the Welsh-related pre-English language, or from Irish. Of course, both England and Ireland had some Norse settlement during the Viking age, and English at least borrowed many words from Norse. So there's a possibility for some of those words to be in common.
This is one of nearly 60 covers of Kate's masterpiece. This is the greatest cover - ever - of Kate's masterpiece. I love the graphic of Kate in period clothing. I believe she would be highly impressed. Bravo!
@@averygroat4209 here is your evidence. The author uses the old romanization of their names so it says Chuang Tzu and Lao Tzu, but it is the same people I mentioned before: www.taoistic.com/fake-laotzu-quotes/fake-laotzu-quote-The_snow_goose_need_not_bathe.htm
I. was. *waiting*. for someone else to reference that!! and, barring the song, perhaps riding into battle with the Eleventh Lady by your side shall be enough to save you
This is my second listen to this song, it just gets better. More middle English covers please, the language is just so poetic. Full marks to you guys, this is just fabulous.
Appreciate the title change, Early Middle English is definitely a neglected stage in the language’s development, so it’s cool to see more good videos highlighting it.
Oh hell yeah this is brill. Kinda emotional anecdote: the night before this was released I properly sang in front of people for the first time after struggling for ages with being confident enough to, and I just wanna thank you for all that you sing here because I have loved listening to it all so much over the last 2 years.
As a German, hearing this is so interesting! I know English is a Germanic language and English and German have similar roots, but I could never quite grasp the concept. Hearing this and recognizing some words really helps. Lovely video!
I'm blow away with this! I particularly love how some words have linguistically not changed ("God" and "angel") while other words are completely unrecognizable. Language is awesome!
Angel changed though, you pronounce the g like latins do. In spanish its Ángel and portuguese its Ango, pronounced like the modern english 'g' in angel. If you would say Angel with the same g as in fin'g'er, than it would sound more germanic imo.
i'm so glad you work with actual translators and artists instead of relying on ai. really fun cover i loved your voice! instant subscribe after reading the intro to your video + the description box
It's weird to think that AS an English speaker, this is complete gibberish. I think etymology is fascinating and would love to hear how english has changed throughout the centuries.
There are bits that survive from every period. Check out the _History of English Podcast._ I think it actually makes you more fluent to know the context and etymology.
It's also funny which words have stay mostly the same. I was quite surprised when I listened to his cover of Never Gonna Give You Up in Old English and heard the word "understand". The evolution of language is so fascinating!
@DerekDerekDerekDerekDerekDerek While I recognize that this is a language, that is just as valid as any other. As a native speaker I recognize nothing from it. It sounds like a completely different language. Which is likley what the commenter meant.
The arrangement on this just blows me away. I was never a fan of the original's overproduced synth sound, and this version strips it down to something far more listenable to me. I especially like the way it makes the move from minor to major in the prechorus more dramatic - it sends shivers down my spine in a way the original never has.
This song was incredible in the original version, but your translation and performance gives it an incredible feeling of medieval fairy tale wonder. Stuff of legends so to say. Few will agree, but I actually like this more now than original.
Thanks for putting this out there. This may sound stupid but listening to this makes me think of my ancestoral roots and where we're at now. A sense of our history, something that so many people seem to hate now. It's hard to explain.
hypnotic! the sentence structure in middle english is so fascinating. pulling it forward makes modern english sound so quaint. "will you hear of the agreement that i do"
Hauntingly beautiful. It’s like ghosts from the past are singing to us. The instruments are stunning. I’m so blown away, I can’t think of enough words to describe how much I love this. I’m listening to your other tracks since hearing this. Wow…..❤
i love the collaboration behind this, the translation is so impressive and poetic, the instrumentals are great, the illustration is stunning and the vocals are gorgeous, the runs on the o:s sound so lovely!
@@the_miracle_aligner Astonishing, I was almost in tears! But are you sure it's Middle English and not Old English? From my schoolboy Chaucer, Middle English was not quite so impenetrable. I know they modernised the spelling and alphabet for school text books, but even so... {:o:O:}
@@the_miracle_aligner Ah, OK, that makes sense! Apparently, it's called Middle English not because it comes between Old and Modern English, but because Chaucer's dialect was Midlander English, rather than Northumbian, Kentish and so on. Any truth in that? Cheers! {:o:O:}
@@ansfridaeyowulfsdottir8095 don’t think so, Old/Middle/Modern is pretty standard way of periodizing languages, see for example Old/Middle German Old/Middle French, etc. People do refer to East-Midlands Middle English and West-Midlands Middle English dialects, but ‘Midlands’ is referring to the region and ‘Middle’ the era.
My wife and I, we watched this video so much, now we can read the characters in old English and sing the song, so we use it as a karaoke. That could only have happened in Taiwan.
This is bloody beautiful brilliant work me friend you have a talent wish we still spoke old English or early Middle English they our beautiful languages 🏴✊🏻👍🏻
I think my favorite thing about this video is how the localization part of the translation (adjusting words and phrases to the equivalents or closest matches used in the older language) actually reveals a deeper interpretation of the original lyrics. by hearing/reading a particular phrase reworded in a new way, it makes you consider other possible meanings of those lyrics! I had always interpreted the "is there so much hate for the ones we love" line to be about an external force, but the translation turns that to "how *we* hate our dear friends," clearly defining it as a personal emotion, and specifically the struggle of warring emotions about that person. Personally I still hold a little bit to my original interpretation but I LOVE the added layers of this new one! All that to say, thank you so much to everyone involved with this piece, giving me new appreciation for one of my favorite songs after over a decade of loving it!
I truly felt like I disappeared into the middle ages when I heard this. It gives that vibe of standing near a stone circle on a hillside and hearing the voices of medieval ghosts around you
I just wanted you to know, I listened to this so much, I learned it, and now my daughter wants me to sing her to sleep with it; her favourite part is "ya, ya, yo". Thank you, this goes a small way for me to teach her old and middle English as she gets older.
This is such a powerful thing. The song takes you on a journey to another place in yourself. I hope Kate Bush has heard this. I'm sure she would adore it
OHHHH, I'm at a loss for words. This the most beautiful, haunting piece of music I perhaps have ever heard. It takes me into another realm. It's so heartrending, it makes me want to weep......
Every once in a while, the algorithm throws me an absolute gem, and this is one of those times. I love everything about this. Instant subscriber. Thanks.
This cover sends shivers down my spine. It is beautifully haunting. I close my eyes and I am transported to medieval Britain. Your voice is amazing, and the work that must have gone into learning how to pronounce those words is impressive. You and your team have done an epic job!
I very much appreciate that the (modern) English lyrics you gave were a translation of the early Middle English lyrics, rather than just Bush's original lyrics. I watched a Latin version of Smells Like Teen Spirit the other day and was deeply disappointed that they didn't provide a translation of the Latin.
Just listened to this four times in a row and about to listen for the fifth time, i love it, i don't know why but i love the sound of old early english.
This makes my anglophilic little heart so happy. Very well done. Thank you for being that type of nerd who puts out incredible content like this that I absolutely never knew I needed but am immensely grateful to have experienced.
This is extraordinary. Kate Bush's music has been part of my world since her first album, which hit me like a ton of bricks. I am always wary of remakes because none of them do justice to her voice or artistry. This one does both and creates a new and breathtaking magic in its own right. I am speechless. Thank you.
Couldn't agree more... There is a definite charm to the fact that this cover at least feels like it extends the genius of Kate Bush into history... It kind of makes her timeless talent real.
it’s very interesting to me how much of the middle english is similar to words i know in danish or german. makes sense linguistically i suppose but it’s still fun to notice!
I love your channel, it's like connecting present and past. yes I copied and pasted this from the live chat. Edit: Can't wait till this comes out on Spotify.
It makes me wonder… Will people one day look back on our current English like we look on Middle English and think “Whoa! Is that what the earlier version of my language really sounded like?”
Interesting attempts have been done to 'future' the English language, based upon the things that have already happend, and for a while, it's still understandable. Arthur C Clarke believed that the recording and writing of modern English would slow linguistic drift, but it seems to accelerated, at least in some areas. Several languages now have an 'official' version and the one used on the streets. French and Norwegian for example.
@@stevetheduck1425 The situation in Norwegian is pretty interesting, but in short, all of the many different dialects ("street language") have equal standing; that is, you are expected to speak in your dialect in all situations, with two separate written languages: Bokmål, which modified danish writing to be closer to the Dano-Norwegian koine spoken in cities when Norway became independent, and Nynorsk, which was made by a linguist to reconstruct Norwegian writing by examining parts of dialects with minimal Danish influence. Importantly, nobody really speaks these written languages (skriftspråk). Despite the theoretically equal standing of all dialects, ones which lie closer to what is essentially spoken conservative/moderate bokmål can be perceived as higher status, but as far as I know this effect is lessening. Nevertheless, the unofficial standard spoken language taught to foreigners is essentially spoken conservative or moderate bokmål pronounced in the Oslo dialect. Also, using allowed optional ("radical") forms in writing which bring writing closer to some dialects can be a bit controversial sometimes. The whole situation has calmed down remarkably since the 1900's though, where the government was trying to merge Bokmål and Nynorsk into one "Samnorsk"; the language wars saga included a weatherman getting fired for saying sne instead of snø.
Ok introduced to Bardcore by Canadian Hildegardvonblingin Born in the Scottish borders with Aberdonian connections and I'm comfortable with middle English, it's you who changed, not us lol. This is absolutely fabulous. Thanks you for joy, peace, and a resurgent love for our British history. Thank you parents and grand parents.
Bro, you are so talented. I honestly don’t know how you pull these off, but I’m always vibing to your covers. Keep up the good work man, you helped me gain an interest in ancient languages and for that I thank you. Much love from the UK, wish we still spoke this awesome language 😭
I love this - I'm a real Kate Bush fan. One thing though: Where you have "and so effortlessly, too" - I interpret that line from the song (with no problems) not as "effortlessly" but as "without any cares". It seems to be an indictment of whoever the song is addressed to - if she could swap places, she would leave without a care.
First time I've ever heard any version of this song, and I love it so much that I had to look up the subject matter. I think this is definitely going to become a fixture of my personal playlist from now on.
Hey, I'm the translator. It was a pleasure working with Miracle Aligner on this one.
I see there's some confusion about the English used.
I mostly adhered to Orm's English, which is from the late 12th century. This is Early Middle English, only a few decades after the last Old English documents were written.
Most people's perception of Middle English is heavily biased towards Chaucer, but many other Middle English writers existed, and Orm was one of them. They spanned several dialects and hundreds of years. Middle English is not a single definitive standard - it's a continuum of dialects within an approximate period of time. Different dialects could be quite distinctive.
Orm's English does not look very much like Chaucer's English because it was several hundred years earlier, it had very little French influence, and Orm used his own phonetic spelling method for words (which is very convenient for modern linguists - we can know how it sounded!). But grammatically, Orm's English is much closer to Chaucer than to Beowulf.
Referring to Orm's English as "Early Middle English", and Chaucer's English as "Late Middle English", does some justice to the difference. But it's worth remembering that terms like "Middle English" are convenient categories for modern scholars to use. Orm and Chaucer would not necessarily think of themselves as speaking the same language.
I hope you enjoy the song!
Heyaa!!! The man himself haha. Thanks for clearing up the confusion dude :) I was struggling and doing a bad job of doing it myself XD Thank you so much again for all the work you put into helping me bring these covers to life.
@HrothgarLareow Thank you for explaining! :) (And for bringing Orm to my attention.) If you would be so kind, can you point me to more materials I can use if I want to learn?
It was beautiful. I love the language of that time frame-at the viking influence, but before the french. Chills.
Thank you for this! Enjoyed the translation.
Sick work, Roger
My favorite part of these videos is the accounting for anachronisms, like swapping "bullet" for "arrow" to get "see how deep the arrow lies." Little changes like that really make these songs sound from an era long past.
I totally agree. I'm a total history nerd and this is incredible to listen to.
... seems unnecessary though, since there's a word for bullet in Middle English, *bullet*, though it would at the time refer to a projectile for a sling, not for a firearm.
@@Atzya bow and arrow is closer to a gun and bullet to the intent of the song than a sling and shot, or early bullet. I'm wondering now if bullet, the word, comes from the use of bull metal as shot for a sling.
The 'bull' is colloquially still the centre of a target, often called 'the bull's eye' or 'bullseye', so perhaps bullet means 'the little thing that hits it's mark', or 'the accurate'?
@@stevetheduck1425 in this case it's derived from Old French 'boule', meaning 'ball'
And your use of 'bull' there is really nonstandard. Nobody I know of has ever used it that way, anyway, and I haven't read of any such uses? Where are you from?
It's so cool seeing the words that have survived into modern English, such as "friend," "hill," and "little." Just to know that over 1,000 years later we're using the same exact words as our distant ancestors is chilling.
It's very interesting to me. 😀I love this song.
There’s a runic inscription in late Proto-Germanic/Early Proto-Norse, that when transliterated to the Latin alphabet has the word “after” totally unchanged.
God
You should check out the _History of English Podcast._ You will have that feeling over and over! I think it actually makes you more fluent to know the context and etymology.
I also found it interesting how some words survived with different meanings, like "silly" meaning "happy"
one of these days you’re getting sent back in time to become the greatest pop star of 1066 c.e.
Thats a horrifying thought, But Im down XD
@@the_miracle_aligner you're going to want to bring some hand sanitizer
There was once these big bands. Iron Maiden, Black Death and CharlesMagnum
@@Fr.O.G.he may need a bit more than that..
@@the_miracle_aligner Opa, você poderia fazer uma música só que em tupi antigo? Essa era a lingua que os meus ancestrais falavam aqui no Brasil
It’s just beautiful but somehow even sadder. It’s such a sad song to start with.
Yes beautifully rendered
As someone from germany who also speaks english and knows some middle high german (german literature studies in college ages back... don't ask), early middle english is really intriguing to me by account of how much I actually can understand.
Also the interpretation of the song is awesome.
Yeah, it's amazing how similar the Germanic languages actually are despite surface appearances. I took a course in Old English in Grad school; those of us who'd studied German had a MUCH easier time of it than those who hadn't. One time we were stuck on a particular passage from Beowulf. Suddenly a girl let out a shriek and yelled, "Oh my god! It's German! Start from the beginning and pretend it's a funky dialect of German." We did that and suddenly we understood 3/4 of the text instead of 1/4.
Later, when I was lucky enough to visit Iceland, Denmark, & Sweden briefly, I was surprised at how much simple text I could understand in context. Of course, that didn't help at all with understanding spoken language😅.
Same as a Dutch person who knows English. The combined language knowledge helps a great deal. Especially if you don't " think" but read aloud.
@@ak5659 I've lived in Sweden for a couple years, my native language is completely different, and even I pick out so many words
@ttaibe my native language is American English, but I'm in the early stages of learning Dutch. It was interesting that even with my limited Dutch, I saw/heard some commonalities.
The Germanic origins of the language are much more obvious. I immediately noticed the middle english 'climb' is sounds like the German 'Steigen',.
The Lady Catherine de Copse is one of my favorite bards from the old days of the 1280's.
I always love how much more similar the older versions of English sound to languages like Dutch. Unlike modern English I'd be able to understand quite a bit of this (spoken even more than sang) without being exposed to the language before. They always remind me of how close English and Dutch are related even though it might not seem that way (anymore)
This Englishman can say that modern Dutch or Nederlands is still similar to modern English, yet Danish somehow is closer in sound and 'cadence', for want of a better word.
Knowing that many similar words exist and some sentences can be understood in many languages, such as 'the ship sailed up the stream', it shows were are closer than is often thought.
@@stevetheduck1425 As well as their shared roots and long history of linguistic exchange, English and Danish also have fellowship in that they are both the weird odd-ones-out in their respective branches of the Germanic family tree!
@@stevetheduck1425 Ha! I've always thought this about Danish! It's a little like cheating, learning it.
@@mortified776
What do you mean by “their respective branches”?
They’re both part of the West Germanic branch.
Unless you mean Ingvaeonic vs. Istvaeonic?
@@LEO_M1 I meant the West and North Germanic branches. OP was talking about English and Dutch but I was replying @stevetheduck1425's reply with respect to English and _Danish._
Before these songs, I never knew the English language had its awkward teenage-phase,
where it cosplayed its own fan-fic about shipping together Latin and Swedish.
I've heard it said (I believe by Howard Tayler) that English got its start as a bad habit shared by Norman soldiers and Anglo-Saxon prostitutes.
Our language went through several changes, starting with Old English/Ėnglisc where it was a mish mash of a west German dialect, Latin, Celtic and Norse all the way to the language we speak now. In Yorkshire, we use a lot of words unique to our particular dialect of English, which have their roots in Old English.
This comment made me laugh out loud!
As a language nerd and lover of the original song, this gave me chills and tears in my eyes. Great job!
Once I was visiting England and as we crossed over into Wales suddenly Kate Bush came on the radio singing this song and I started singing along with her as I always do when I hear it. Well screeching along because I don't have her range. I might be able to sing t h is version but I don't know the words.
As a native Irish speaker I was fascinated by this. Middle English seems to have been a mix of all the inhabitants of Britain. There are many Irish (Gaelic in anglo, Gaeilge in my own) words here in use. I'm sure there would have to also be Cymric, Brittonic, Cumbric, Cornish etc. as well as the newly arrived Germanic languages. This is a real eye opener. Well done to all and I look forward to seeing more of your content.
The way 'you' is said makes me think of Norse.
@@MrRicehard Think of it as 'thou', the letter 'þ' (thorn) simply makes the 'th' sound. It was lost from English quite late due to the printing press, as European presses didn't have the thorn and so it was substituted with a 'y', thus 'you' (and in the case of 'þe' being spelt as 'ye', when it is simply 'the' and meant to be pronounced as such).
You're not wrong with the Norse comparison, while 'þ' was retained in English due to its older Anglo-Saxon heritage, rather than later Norse invasions, the letter only still exists today in Icelandic which is the most archaic of the languages descended from Old Norse.
@@treeaboo Thanks. That's some great info. I enjoy to sing 'Þat mælti mín móðir' in the shower. Although I only know the first verse off by heart so far. :)
I agree. While all of his videos are great, this feels the most special just because it's in Middle English. The lyrics make me feel like I'm looking into an old, dusty mirror. It's incredible how different the language is now, and a little depressing.
Hey, I'm the translator. I'm curious to know which words you found in common?
English and Irish are distantly related, both being Indo-European languages; but many word similarities between them have been obscured by change over time. Furthermore, Old and Middle English borrowed very few words from the Welsh-related pre-English language, or from Irish.
Of course, both England and Ireland had some Norse settlement during the Viking age, and English at least borrowed many words from Norse. So there's a possibility for some of those words to be in common.
This is one of nearly 60 covers of Kate's masterpiece. This is the greatest cover - ever - of Kate's masterpiece. I love the graphic of Kate in period clothing. I believe she would be highly impressed. Bravo!
Yeah, I think she'd love it!
What I would not give to hear Kate herself record some of her biggest songs in Middle English after hearing this!
I do wonder if this is the kind of thing that Kate would return to her older material for! Wouldn't that be just amazing? 😊
@@Secretgeek2012 I could envision Kate singing "This Woman's Work" and "Never Be Mine" in this fashion. It would be mind-blowingly awesome.
@@alexandradevreux-swift1742 why did you have eto say that? Now I have this longing to hear her sing those songs. XD
Very nice, the Middle English gives the song almost a haunting feel, especially with the interments.
The snow goose need not to bathe itself in snow to make itself white, neither do you need to do anything to be yourself
Wait why have I heard this before?
@@averygroat4209Because it sounds absolutely ridiculous, maybe? Lmfao
@@averygroat4209it is a misquotation from the writings of Zhuangzi that is often misattributed to Laozi.
@@hessanscounty3592 I am choosing to believe you random youtube commenter dont you be misleading me now
@@averygroat4209 here is your evidence. The author uses the old romanization of their names so it says Chuang Tzu and Lao Tzu, but it is the same people I mentioned before:
www.taoistic.com/fake-laotzu-quotes/fake-laotzu-quote-The_snow_goose_need_not_bathe.htm
This song will save you from Baron Vecna.
I. was. *waiting*. for someone else to reference that!!
and, barring the song, perhaps riding into battle with the Eleventh Lady by your side shall be enough to save you
@@thesewinggeekmiri9029
She is Seelie, by God. Praise be.
This has got to be one of the best bardcore covers I've ever heard.
This is my second listen to this song, it just gets better. More middle English covers please, the language is just so poetic. Full marks to you guys, this is just fabulous.
Someone please make at least an hourlong loop of this? 8 would be best so I can sleep to it! PLS HALP!
Appreciate the title change, Early Middle English is definitely a neglected stage in the language’s development, so it’s cool to see more good videos highlighting it.
I may have just stumbled upon my favourite rendition of this song…Thank you for creating this utter masterpiece.
One of only credible sounding Bardcore tracks I've ever heard. I really don't think we can overstate how excellent this is.
Oh hell yeah this is brill.
Kinda emotional anecdote: the night before this was released I properly sang in front of people for the first time after struggling for ages with being confident enough to, and I just wanna thank you for all that you sing here because I have loved listening to it all so much over the last 2 years.
@@ColinIdrisWilliams-hl2nz Everybody’s somebody. Thank you so much for your kind words:)
It took me 57 years to find the confidence to sing in front of people. It's wonderful isn't it?
It feels weird seeing people old enough to be my grandmother/father in youtube comments 😂
As a German, hearing this is so interesting! I know English is a Germanic language and English and German have similar roots, but I could never quite grasp the concept. Hearing this and recognizing some words really helps. Lovely video!
I'm blow away with this!
I particularly love how some words have linguistically not changed ("God" and "angel") while other words are completely unrecognizable. Language is awesome!
Angel changed though, you pronounce the g like latins do.
In spanish its Ángel and portuguese its Ango, pronounced like the modern english 'g' in angel.
If you would say Angel with the same g as in fin'g'er, than it would sound more germanic imo.
Old English and early Middle English our a beautiful language brilliant video 🏴✊🏻👍🏻
i'm so glad you work with actual translators and artists instead of relying on ai. really fun cover i loved your voice! instant subscribe after reading the intro to your video + the description box
Yeah I totally agree, I don't think we should be using ai at all, but it definitely shouldn't be used for something like this.
It's weird to think that AS an English speaker, this is complete gibberish. I think etymology is fascinating and would love to hear how english has changed throughout the centuries.
There are bits that survive from every period. Check out the _History of English Podcast._ I think it actually makes you more fluent to know the context and etymology.
No way you think its complete gibberish? Hyperbole?
It's also funny which words have stay mostly the same. I was quite surprised when I listened to his cover of Never Gonna Give You Up in Old English and heard the word "understand". The evolution of language is so fascinating!
@DerekDerekDerekDerekDerekDerek
While I recognize that this is a language, that is just as valid as any other. As a native speaker I recognize nothing from it. It sounds like a completely different language. Which is likley what the commenter meant.
@@FluffyDragonDrawing Quite a lot of the words are recognisable though, so it seems pretty clear that this is an ancestor of modern english.
I would pay so much (too much) of my money to hear more covers in this era and style. Its amazing.
There are lots of others, though not in Middle English like this one. But "Paint it Black" and "Holding out for a hero" are great
The arrangement on this just blows me away. I was never a fan of the original's overproduced synth sound, and this version strips it down to something far more listenable to me. I especially like the way it makes the move from minor to major in the prechorus more dramatic - it sends shivers down my spine in a way the original never has.
This song was incredible in the original version, but your translation and performance gives it an incredible feeling of medieval fairy tale wonder. Stuff of legends so to say. Few will agree, but I actually like this more now than original.
I agree on all counts :). Oddly I can't help feeling this is somehow more deeply Kate Bush than the original!
Agreed
Thanks for putting this out there. This may sound stupid but listening to this makes me think of my ancestoral roots and where we're at now. A sense of our history, something that so many people seem to hate now. It's hard to explain.
Forsooth, tis a banger.
hypnotic! the sentence structure in middle english is so fascinating. pulling it forward makes modern english sound so quaint. "will you hear of the agreement that i do"
Please do more old english and middle English covers. They are amazing and just get better with each one you do
Hauntingly beautiful. It’s like ghosts from the past are singing to us. The instruments are stunning.
I’m so blown away, I can’t think of enough words to describe how much I love this.
I’m listening to your other tracks since hearing this.
Wow…..❤
PS I love the artwork too. It reminds me very much of the artist Mucha.
i love the collaboration behind this, the translation is so impressive and poetic, the instrumentals are great, the illustration is stunning and the vocals are gorgeous, the runs on the o:s sound so lovely!
good job as always! ❤
Ehyaaa Sir Stan, thank you soooo much as always
@@the_miracle_aligner
Astonishing, I was almost in tears!
But are you sure it's Middle English and not Old English? From my schoolboy Chaucer, Middle English was not quite so impenetrable. I know they modernised the spelling and alphabet for school text books, but even so...
{:o:O:}
@@ansfridaeyowulfsdottir8095 heya dude, it's actually Early Middle English, like in The Ormulum.
@@the_miracle_aligner
Ah, OK, that makes sense!
Apparently, it's called Middle English not because it comes between Old and Modern English, but because Chaucer's dialect was Midlander English, rather than Northumbian, Kentish and so on. Any truth in that?
Cheers!
{:o:O:}
@@ansfridaeyowulfsdottir8095 don’t think so, Old/Middle/Modern is pretty standard way of periodizing languages, see for example Old/Middle German Old/Middle French, etc.
People do refer to East-Midlands Middle English and West-Midlands Middle English dialects, but ‘Midlands’ is referring to the region and ‘Middle’ the era.
My wife and I, we watched this video so much, now we can read the characters in old English and sing the song, so we use it as a karaoke. That could only have happened in Taiwan.
Me too 😂 (but I'm alone)
I'm sure you had some puzzled looks. Lol
There's something about the artwork on this video that makes it that much better? And the song already rules.
This is bloody beautiful brilliant work me friend you have a talent wish we still spoke old English or early Middle English they our beautiful languages 🏴✊🏻👍🏻
Amazing!!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥❤️❤️❤️
I think my favorite thing about this video is how the localization part of the translation (adjusting words and phrases to the equivalents or closest matches used in the older language) actually reveals a deeper interpretation of the original lyrics. by hearing/reading a particular phrase reworded in a new way, it makes you consider other possible meanings of those lyrics! I had always interpreted the "is there so much hate for the ones we love" line to be about an external force, but the translation turns that to "how *we* hate our dear friends," clearly defining it as a personal emotion, and specifically the struggle of warring emotions about that person. Personally I still hold a little bit to my original interpretation but I LOVE the added layers of this new one! All that to say, thank you so much to everyone involved with this piece, giving me new appreciation for one of my favorite songs after over a decade of loving it!
I truly felt like I disappeared into the middle ages when I heard this. It gives that vibe of standing near a stone circle on a hillside and hearing the voices of medieval ghosts around you
Beautiful
I just wanted you to know, I listened to this so much, I learned it, and now my daughter wants me to sing her to sleep with it; her favourite part is "ya, ya, yo". Thank you, this goes a small way for me to teach her old and middle English as she gets older.
Adorable. Thanks for sharing
Beautiful.
I love Kate and this is a fantastic take on one of her best songs.
This is such a great way to illustrate linguistic development to a wide audience.
Good thing Kate Bush wasn't born ahead of her time. I'm certain she'd be considered a witch with her beauty, vocals, and deep lyrics...
An amazing cover. I love the artwork using Kate Bush pulling the Hill and Friends to her heart.
This song is pure magic. Many thanks to the entire team working on this!
This is such a powerful thing. The song takes you on a journey to another place in yourself. I hope Kate Bush has heard this. I'm sure she would adore it
Kate Bush's original is about trading places with a man.
This song might be what happens if that man was a man from Henry I's time
OHHHH, I'm at a loss for words. This the most beautiful, haunting piece of music I perhaps have ever heard. It takes me into another realm. It's so heartrending, it makes me want to weep......
Every once in a while, the algorithm throws me an absolute gem, and this is one of those times. I love everything about this. Instant subscriber. Thanks.
This cover sends shivers down my spine. It is beautifully haunting. I close my eyes and I am transported to medieval Britain. Your voice is amazing, and the work that must have gone into learning how to pronounce those words is impressive. You and your team have done an epic job!
What a beautiful language - it feels like I almost understand it even though I don't.
I very much appreciate that the (modern) English lyrics you gave were a translation of the early Middle English lyrics, rather than just Bush's original lyrics. I watched a Latin version of Smells Like Teen Spirit the other day and was deeply disappointed that they didn't provide a translation of the Latin.
Just listened to this four times in a row and about to listen for the fifth time, i love it, i don't know why but i love the sound of old early english.
This makes my anglophilic little heart so happy.
Very well done. Thank you for being that type of nerd who puts out incredible content like this that I absolutely never knew I needed but am immensely grateful to have experienced.
This is the best piece on your channel so far
Can you please make more old or Middle English translations for modern songs! I
Love it!
That spoke to my ancestral heart.
Alright this will definitely be used as a tavern performance in a future DnD session :D
What an amazing work!
Absolutely lovely! Kudos for the clever handling of the anachronisms!
Better than the original! Old/Middle English truly is a beautiful language, and thank you for helping keep it alive!
This is absolutely wonderful, thank you! Especially as I've been a huge Kate Bush fan since the mid 70's. Can't wait to hear more, please....
This is extraordinary. Kate Bush's music has been part of my world since her first album, which hit me like a ton of bricks. I am always wary of remakes because none of them do justice to her voice or artistry. This one does both and creates a new and breathtaking magic in its own right. I am speechless. Thank you.
Couldn't agree more... There is a definite charm to the fact that this cover at least feels like it extends the genius of Kate Bush into history... It kind of makes her timeless talent real.
You said it all for me, thank you. Heard this for the first time, and have instantly subscribed. Joyous music. Thank you SO much!
it’s very interesting to me how much of the middle english is similar to words i know in danish or german. makes sense linguistically i suppose but it’s still fun to notice!
Love it! It's like someone asked Kate Bush to perform in Mirkwood or Lothlorien.
Really, Hrothgar? This is wonderful! Please do give us more.
Absolutely delightful as always! Thank you so much for your hard work!
This may not be the coolest thing ever on UA-cam, but it comes close! 🎉
This was great! It'd be really cool to hear a cover like this for "Wuthering Heights"
ooooo yes
Yes absolutely!
I have no idea how I got here - but that is incredible, flowing, lryical and haunting somehow. Thankyou.
If I were to be transported back to that time, there would be no place on this planet that would understand the language I speak now.
I love your channel, it's like connecting present and past.
yes I copied and pasted this from the live chat.
Edit: Can't wait till this comes out on Spotify.
Ty so much!!!
I keep coming back to listen to this - it is so beautiful!!!
By far my favorite cover you've done. Amazing work.
I bet Kate Bush would love this version of her song.
I was thinking absolutely the same thing.😊 I love
Kate Bush and at the same time, It's lovely to hear this song in a lower tone as well..
😊
Amazing as always ❤
Agreed, utterly amazing, as always! 👏👏👏
This is a dang masterpiece.
I love that song and getting to hear this classical recreation of it is friggin joyous.
It makes me wonder…
Will people one day look back on our current English like we look on Middle English and think “Whoa! Is that what the earlier version of my language really sounded like?”
Interesting attempts have been done to 'future' the English language, based upon the things that have already happend, and for a while, it's still understandable.
Arthur C Clarke believed that the recording and writing of modern English would slow linguistic drift, but it seems to accelerated, at least in some areas.
Several languages now have an 'official' version and the one used on the streets. French and Norwegian for example.
Undoubtedly
If we survive long enough, definitely.
@@stevetheduck1425noticible in Brazilian Portuguese. And Welsh although literary Welsh is catching up.
@@stevetheduck1425 The situation in Norwegian is pretty interesting, but in short, all of the many different dialects ("street language") have equal standing; that is, you are expected to speak in your dialect in all situations, with two separate written languages: Bokmål, which modified danish writing to be closer to the Dano-Norwegian koine spoken in cities when Norway became independent, and Nynorsk, which was made by a linguist to reconstruct Norwegian writing by examining parts of dialects with minimal Danish influence.
Importantly, nobody really speaks these written languages (skriftspråk). Despite the theoretically equal standing of all dialects, ones which lie closer to what is essentially spoken conservative/moderate bokmål can be perceived as higher status, but as far as I know this effect is lessening. Nevertheless, the unofficial standard spoken language taught to foreigners is essentially spoken conservative or moderate bokmål pronounced in the Oslo dialect. Also, using allowed optional ("radical") forms in writing which bring writing closer to some dialects can be a bit controversial sometimes.
The whole situation has calmed down remarkably since the 1900's though, where the government was trying to merge Bokmål and Nynorsk into one "Samnorsk"; the language wars saga included a weatherman getting fired for saying sne instead of snø.
Truly incredible. Love the odd recognisable word
This is brilliant. One of my favourite Bardcore covers so far. Well done to everyone involved in creating this x
This literally made my week. Thanks so much to all contributors.
Just brilliant as usual for all those who collaborated.
This is such a great song choice for this kind of cover! The instrumentation / arrangement is great, and you sang it beautifully!
Absolutely beautiful.
I can't get enough of this. It's marvelous.
Ok introduced to Bardcore by Canadian Hildegardvonblingin Born in the Scottish borders with Aberdonian connections and I'm comfortable with middle English, it's you who changed, not us lol. This is absolutely fabulous. Thanks you for joy, peace, and a resurgent love for our British history. Thank you parents and grand parents.
Bro, you are so talented. I honestly don’t know how you pull these off, but I’m always vibing to your covers. Keep up the good work man, you helped me gain an interest in ancient languages and for that I thank you. Much love from the UK, wish we still spoke this awesome language 😭
This would be a hit in the olden times
Good Sire, we need more songs in Middle English. This sounds beautiful.. mesmerising
I love this - I'm a real Kate Bush fan. One thing though: Where you have "and so effortlessly, too" - I interpret that line from the song (with no problems) not as "effortlessly" but as "without any cares". It seems to be an indictment of whoever the song is addressed to - if she could swap places, she would leave without a care.
I feel like I just had an ancestral memory unlocked
This is just so fantastically cool.
The amount of work that went into creating this is incredible. Thank you so much for sharing!
That picture is amazing. It makes me feel things.
First time I've ever heard any version of this song, and I love it so much that I had to look up the subject matter. I think this is definitely going to become a fixture of my personal playlist from now on.
That's genuinely beautiful.