A sudden shift in the air sends every creature into a scramble. The cat chases her tail, the dog leaps the hedge and tears at the grass. Pigs snatch mouthfuls of straw. A crow drops onto an elm, croaks, and swoops off. An owl bursts from the barn, wheels in alarm, then hides again. Ducks explode from the muddy pond, circle the village, and splash back down, exhausted. Servant girls grab half-dry laundry from the hedge, laughing as they hurry inside. The speaker watches all this with quiet delight, noticing how each animal and person reacts to the coming weather. The mood is jittery and playful—everyone is briefly stirred up, then the quiet returns as they find shelter. There’s a snug feeling beneath the bustle, a shared instinct to brace for the damp and cold.
Signs of Winter — Summary
The cat runs races with her tail. The dog Leaps oer the orchard hedge and knarls the grass. The swine run round and grunt and play with straw, Snatching out hasty mouthfuls from the stack. Sudden upon the elmtree tops the crow Unceremonious visit pays and croaks, Then swops away. From mossy barn the owl Bobs hasty out--wheels round and, scared as soon, As hastily retires. The ducks grow wild And from the muddy pond fly up and wheel A circle round the village and soon, tired, Plunge in the pond again. The maids in haste Snatch from the orchard hedge the mizzled clothes And laughing hurry in to keep them dry.