Spring is here!

This year the Spring Equinox for the northern hemisphere falls on the 20th March. The equinox is when day and night are the same lengths. The word equinox meaning ‘equal night’‚ in Latin.

To many cultures, Spring equinox is traditionally celebrated as a time of rebirth with spring holidays and festivals. As we emerge from the colder days of Winter and nature seems to start waking up it always seems a time of joy and hope.

Spring is a season rich in symbolism and physical natural beauty which has made it a popular subject of artists across history. Enjoy this poem by Thomas Nashe and the accompanying paintings on the subject of Spring…

Spring, the sweet spring

by THOMAS NASHE (1567–1601 )

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!

All images in this article and on the Kaleidoscope blog site are available for licensing.  Please contact UIG at info@universalimagesgroup.com

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