Thunder. Thunder in spring Shearing. You may shear your sheep When the elder blossoms peep. Sowing. Nae hurry wi' your corns, Nae hurry wi' your harrows; Snaw lies ahint the dyke, Mair may come and fill the furrows.-Scotland. Sow wheat in dirt and rye in dust. Exactly corresponding with the French, Sème les seigles dans la terre poudreuse, Et les froments dans la terre bourbeuse.-Rhône. Sow thin-shear thin. But the French say, Qui sème dru Récolte menu.-Moselle. Sow beans in the mud And they'll grow like a wood. When the sloe tree is as white as a sheet, When the oak puts on his gosling grey, Cuckoo. When the cuckoo comes to the bare thorn, But when she comes to the full bit, i.e., A late spring is bad for cattle, and an early spring for corn.-RAY. The French say, Si lou coucou vé nud, Belco dé paillo, paou de gru-Dordogne: i.e., If the cuckoo comes when the trees are bare, there will be much straw but little grain. The cuckoo comes in mid March And cucks in mid April : And goes away at Lammas tide, When the corn begins to fill. In April, The cuckoo shows his bill; In May, He sings all day: In June, He alters his tune: In July, He prepares to fly : In August, Go he must. Heywood, in his epigram, "Of Use," 1587, alludes to the Cuckoo's change of note in June, as follows: In Aprill, the Koocoo can sing her song by rote, At first, koo-coo, koo-coo, sing still can she do, In England and Bohemia the 14th of April is called "Cuckoo day," in Germany, the 15th. The Venetians say, Ai oto de April el cuco ha da vegnir : E se nol vien ai oto, di 'che l'è preso o che l'è morto : E se nol vien ai diese, L'è preso per le siese ; El pastor l'ha magnà co la polenta : i.e., The cuckoo ought to come on the 8th of April; if he does not come on the 8th, he has been either caught or is dead: If he does not come on the 10th, he has been caught in the hedge; if he does not come on the 20th, he has been caught in the corn; and if he does not come on the 30th, the shepherd must have eaten him with polenta. Swallow. It is remarkable that most countries have a similar proverb respecting the first appearance of the swallow. We say, One swallow does not make a spring: The Greeks, μία χελιδών ἔαρ ου ποίει : The Romans, Una hirundo non facit ver: The French, Une hirondelle ne fait pas le printemps: The Germans, Eine Schwalbe macht keinen Frühling: The Dutch, Een Swaluw maakt geen zomer: The Swedes, En Svala gör ingen sommar: The Spanish, Una golondrina no hace verano : The Italians, Una rondine non fa primavera. General Proverbs. The spring is not always green. Spring is both father and mother to us, he who does not sow will not reap.-Gallicia. Spring and Summer. Printemps sec-été pluvieuse. Viel Nebel im Frühjahr-viel Regen in Sommer. Spring and Autumn. In spring a tub of rain makes a spoonful of mud: In autumn a spoonful of rain makes a tub of mud.— Bohemia. Spring rain damps-autumn rain soaks.—Russia. If there's spring in winter, and winter in spring, So the French say, Quand en hiver est été, Et en été hivernée, Jamais n'est bon année. SUMMER. Dry. A dry summer never made a dear peck. Wet. Sommerregen, glücklich die Felder die ihn bekom men: i.e., Happy are the fields that receive summer rain. Dry and Wet. When the sand doth feed the clay [Which is in a wet summer] England woe and well a day! But when the clay doth feed the sand [Which is in a dry summer] Then it is well with England: "Because there is more clay than sandy ground in England."-RAY. Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Der Sommer giebt korn; Der Herbst leert sein Horn : Das Winter verzehrt Was die Beiden bescheert. Wer in Heumonat nicht gabelt, Summer and Winter. L'été pluvieux-l'hiver rigoureux. Ombra d'estat-dolur d'envéren. L'été orageux-l'hiver pluvieux. Heisse Sommer und kalte Winter bringen keine böse Zeit. "The time will come," say the Bohemians, "when Winter will ask us, 'What were you doing all the summer?'" Der Sommer ist ein Nährer, Der Winter ein Bezehrer. |