Wintry boughs against a wintry sky;
         Yet the sky is partly blue
                 And the clouds are partly bright.
Who can tell but sap is mounting high
                 Out of sight,
Ready to burst through?

Winter is the mother-nurse of Spring,
         Lovely for her daughter's sake.
                 Not unlovely for her own;
For a future buds in everything
                 Grown or blown
Or about to break.