Shakespeare paints a vivid picture of a cold, rough winter day in the countryside. Icicles hang, the shepherd warms his hands with his breath, logs are hauled inside, and even the milk freezes on the way home. The second stanza adds more biting details: the wind howls, coughs interrupt the preacher, birds huddle in the snow, and Marian’s nose is chapped red. All of these discomforts are met with a shrug and a turn toward simple pleasures—a bowl of roasted crabapples hissing in ale, and a pot of stew being skimmed by Joan. Throughout it all, an owl pipes up with its “merry note,” a sound that feels less eerie and more like a cheerful shout against the gloom. The speaker seems amused and affectionate toward this harsh world, finding warmth and good humor in the shared, humble rituals of winter survival.
Spring and Winter ii — Summary
WHEN icicles hang by the wall, And Dick the shepherd blows his nail, And Tom bears logs into the hall, And milk comes frozen home in pail, When blood is nipp'd, and ways be foul, Then nightly sings the staring owl, To-whit! To-who!--a merry note, While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.
When all aloud the wind doe blow, And coughing drowns the parson's saw, And birds sit brooding in the snow, And Marian's nose looks red and raw, When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl, Then nightly sings the staring owl, To-whit! To-who!--a merry note, While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.