When Daisies Pied and Violets Blue
by William Shakespeare

When daisies pied and violets blue
And lady-smocks all silver-white
And cuckoo-buds of yellow hue
Do paint the meadows with delight,



The cuckoo then, on every tree,

Mocks married men;

for thus sings he,

Cuckoo;

Cuckoo, cuckoo:

O, word of fear,

Unpleasing to a married ear!






When shepherds pipe on oaten straws,
And merry larks are ploughmen's clocks,
When turtles tread, and rooks, and daws,
And maidens bleach their summer smocks,
The cuckoo then, on every tree,
Mocks married men; for thus sings he,
Cuckoo;
Cuckoo, cuckoo: O, word of fear,
Unpleasing to a married ear!



These lines, along with their companion piece "When Icicles Hang by the Wall" come at the end of Love's Labour's Lost. The pun on "cuckoo" and "cuckold" is a reminder that the words are related, supposedly because of the behavior of the female bird. (Wm Harmon's comments)


This is my first introduction to this early comedy by Shakespeare. I look forward to reading the play which I *won* in a contest over at Buried Treasure. I correctly guessed a line from Taming of the Shrew :)