When Icicles Hang: William Shakespeare

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.

Summary: In this poem, ‘When Icicles Hang,’ the poet William Shakespeare criticizes the winter season. When winter comes it brings several influences. The walls are covered with ice. Dick, the shepherd breathes his fingernails to warm them. Tom carries wood to the fireplace. Milk freezes as soon as it is poured into the pail. The blood of living creatures comes to freeze. The roads are covered by the snow and become muddy. The staring owl sings a happy song at night while Joan, the cook prepares steaming soup to keep the family members warm.

The Tyger: William Blake

Tyger Tyger, burning bright, 

In the forests of the night; 

What immortal hand or eye, 

Could frame thy fearful symmetry? 

In what distant deeps or skies. 

Burnt the fire of thine eyes? 

On what wings dare he aspire? 
What the hand, dare seize the fire? 

And what shoulder, & what art, 

Could twist the sinews of thy heart? 

And when thy heart began to beat, 

What dread hand? & what dread feet? 

What the hammer? what the chain, 

In what furnace was thy brain? 

What the anvil? what dread grasp, 

Dare its deadly terrors clasp! 

When the stars threw down their spears 

And water'd heaven with their tears: 

Did he smile his work to see? 

Did he who made the Lamb make thee? 

Tyger Tyger burning bright, 

In the forests of the night: 

What immortal hand or eye, 

Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

Summary: The poem namely, ‘The Tyger’ is a nice piece of writing by William Blake. Here, the poet describes the power and body structure of the powerful tiger. After the nightfall the tiger looks very dazzling if any sort of light falls on it. The poet also asks many questions to the tiger regarding its Maker. Also the poet asks the tiger whether the Creator of the tiger and that of the lamb is the same. Through this vivid and lively description of the tiger and its power, the poet actually intends to glorify the power of the Almighty Who has created both the powerful and the feeble creatures of the Universe.

Winter Evening: T. S. Eliot

The winter evening settles down

With smell of steaks in passageways.

Six o'clock.

The burnt-out ends of smoky days.

And now a gusty shower wraps

The grimy scraps

Of withered leaves about your feet

Ans newspapers from vacant lots;

The showers beat

On broken blinds and chimney-pots,

And at the corner of the street

A lonely cab-horse steams and stamps.

And then the lightning of the lamps.

Summary: ‘Winter Evening’ written by T. S. Eliot is a nice poem depicting the picture of one winter evening. During a winter evening, the smell of steaks dinner is wafting through the street. The time is six o’clock. The city lost its all energy. Strong, windy raining washed-up the dirty environment and the dying leave. Parking lots are empty, everyone has gone home, and newspapers are left behind. Steady raindrops hitting on the surface of broken blinds and chimney-pots. There is a lonely cab-horse at the corner of the street. It is waiting there to pause our walk through the city. Evening is turning into night. Everyone light their lamps.