Tempus adest floridum, surgent namque flores

Keeping a wood fire for the winter (and sometimes for autumn and spring) means collecting the winter fuel in the summer. Yonder peasant simply cannot wait until the Feast of Stephen. Fortunately we are blessed with a goodly number of admirers of King Wenceslas who help to add to our woodstore during the year.

It turns out that that the tune for Good King Wenceslas is taken from a 13th century spring song from Finland. The Christmas lyrics were written in the 19th Century.

Tempus adest floridum, surgent namque flores
Spring has now unwrapped the flowers, day is fast reviving,

Vernales in omnibus, imitantur mores
Life in all her growing powers towards the light is striving:

Hoc quod frigus laeserat, reparant calores
Gone the iron touch of cold, winter time and frost time,

Cernimus hoc fieri, per multos labores
Seedlings, working through the mould, now make up for lost time.

A timely reminder to collect your winter wood in the spring.