But of hir song, it was as loude and yerne
As any swalwe sittynge on a berne.
Therto she koude skippe and make game,
As any kyde or calf folwynge his dame.
Hir mouth was sweete as bragot or the meeth,
Or hoord of apples leyd in hey or heeth.
Wynsynge she was, as is a joly colt,
Long as a mast, and upright as a bolt.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Miller’s Tale. Using a succession of similes, the narrator compares Alison’s voice to a swallow’s song, says that she could skip and play like any kid or calf following its mother, has a mouth as sweet as ale or apples, and is skittish as a spirited colt.