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Home  »  The Oxford Book of English Verse  »  166. Spring

Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. 1919. The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900.

Thomas Nashe. 1567–1601

166. Spring

SPRING, the sweet Spring, is the year’s pleasant king; 
Then blooms each thing, then maids dance in a ring, 
Cold doth not sting, the pretty birds do sing— 
  Cuckoo, jug-jug, pu-we, to-witta-woo! 
 
The palm and may make country houses gay,         5
Lambs frisk and play, the shepherds pipe all day, 
And we hear aye birds tune this merry lay— 
  Cuckoo, jug-jug, pu-we, to-witta-woo! 
 
The fields breathe sweet, the daisies kiss our feet, 
Young lovers meet, old wives a-sunning sit,  10
In every street these tunes our ears do greet— 
  Cuckoo, jug-jug, pu-we, to-witta-woo! 
    Spring, the sweet Spring!