Winter Poem by William Shakespeare
Winter
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 nipped and ways be foul,
Then nightly sings the staring owl,
Tu-who;
Tu-whit, tu-who: a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.
When all aloud the wind doth 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,
Tu-who;
Tu-whit, tu-who: a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.
Picture of winter is wonderfully depicted in his characteristic style that no one other than Shakespeare can do better!
I believe the people mentioned were actually friends or relatives..the poem portrays a harsh winter..excellent write.. :)
What can one say that hasn't been said already about Shakespeare? He really makes me feel like I'm in the middle of winter. I especially like the line 'And greasy Joan doth keel the pot.'
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This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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12/6/2024 8:42:53 PM # 1.0.0
Oh, and for the people who don't know-'blows his nail' means he's blowing on his fingernails to warm them. Roasted crabs= roasted crab apples, not the seafood. Greasy joan keels the pot= stirs the pot to cool its contents. Also, the 'parson's saw' means the 'preacher's sermon.' It's almost impossible to appreciate this poem if you don't understand these terms. Excellent poem!
btw, 'saw' is pejorative, it compares the sermon to the sound of a saw cutting wood - a repetitive drone.