| Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. 1919. The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900. |
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| William Shakespeare. 1564–1616 |
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126. Spring and Winter
ii |
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| 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, | 5 |
| Then nightly sings the staring owl, | |
| To-whit! | |
| To-who!—a merry note, | |
| While greasy Joan doth keel the pot. | |
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| When all aloud the wind doe blow, | 10 |
| 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, | 15 |
| To-whit! | |
| To-who!—a merry note, | |
| While greasy Joan doth keel the pot. | |
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