Spring, The Sweet 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,
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,
In every street these tunes our ears do greet:
Cuckoo, jug-jug, pu-we, to witta-woo!
Spring, the sweet spring!
Introduction
"Spring, the Sweet Spring" is a famous lyrical piece originating from Thomas Nashe's comedic Elizabethan play, "Summer's Last Will and Testament".
The poem acts as a pure celebratory declaration of life, renewal, and ecological growth. Written with a rhythmic cadence, it utilizes onomatopoeic birdsongs to match the infectious vitality that the seasonal transition yields within both mankind and animal behavior.
Summary
Nashe builds a vivid structural portrait of pastoral springtime delights. By focusing on blooming plants, pleasant temperatures, young maidens dancing, and gamboling lambs, the poem accentuates themes of pure vitality and environmental freshness.
The ongoing musical punctuation of bird metrics establishes a celebratory tone that sweeps over rustic homes, open farmlands, and urban streets alike, illustrating how spring rejuvenates both the natural environment and human society.
Stanza-by-Stanza Analysis
Stanza 1: The Coronation of 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 poem opens by crowning spring as the 'pleasant king' of the year, establishing its supremacy over the darker seasons. Nashe uses immediate auditory and kinetic imagery: plants burst into bloom, young maidens dance in traditional celebratory circles, and the bitter winter chill vanishes, paving the way for the joyful, chaotic chorus of wild birds.
maids : Unmarried young women (traditional/archaic usage).
doth : Archaic or poetic form of 'does'.
sting : To bite or pierce sharply with cold weather.
Stanza 2: Pastoral Revelry
The palm and may make country houses gay,
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!
Here, the focus shifts to rural domesticity and pastoral life. 'Palm' and 'may' refer to seasonal flora brought indoors to decorate rustic homes. The outdoor pastures wake up as young lambs bounce with pure energy, shepherds play melodies on their pipes continuously, and the ambient environment maintains a perpetual, joyful soundtrack.
gay : Cheerful, festive, colorful, or bright.
frisk : To skip, hop, or leap around playfully.
aye : Ever or always.
lay : A short lyrical poem or song meant to be sung.
Stanza 3: Universal Harmony
The fields breathe sweet, the daisies kiss our feet,
Young lovers meet, old wives a-sunning sit,
In every street these tunes our ears do greet:
Cuckoo, jug-jug, pu-we, to witta-woo!
Spring, the sweet spring!
The finale celebrates complete sensory immersion. The earth itself feels alive as fields exhale a sweet aroma and low-growing daisies brush against feet. Generation gaps close in the warmth: young lovers find romance outdoors while elderly women sit contentedly in the sun. The final bird chorus echoes through city and country streets alike before looping back to the opening declaration.
a-sunning : Sitting outside to bask directly in the warm sunlight.
greet : To welcome or make itself explicitly known to the senses.
Curated Questions & Answers
A Day
Reflect on the movement of structural time, transient lifespans, and natural backdrops within poetry.