How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
When daises pied and violets blue
And lady-smocks all silver-white
And cuckoo-buds of yellow hue
Do paint the meadows with delight, (1-4)
No doubt about it—it's springtime. The flowers are filling the meadows with beautiful colors and shapes and everything is delightful. The poem's first four lines scream springtime and springtime, with all its budding, blooming, and rebirth, is a mighty powerful feminine symbol.
And just to make sure that we get the connection between spring and femininity, Shakespeare includes those "lady-smocks" (that personified flower-name suggestive of women's clothing) to really tie the natural setting and season to the idea of women and femininity. Thanks, Will.
Quote #2
When turtles tread, and rooks, and daws,
And maidens bleach their summer smocks, (12-13)
As we've said about a bazillion times, it's spring. So you can't really blame the birds, they've got to get their feathery freak on (check out the "tread[ing]" discussion in the "Summary" section). But consider this: what do most birds do to attract a mate? Yup, they molt. They get rid of their drab old winter feathers and sport some colorful, "hey take a look at me" plumage. Now, consider what those maidens are doing in the very next line. They're cleaning their summer dresses. They want to look their best since they're in the market for mates as well.
When we look at these two lines together, we get the sense that Shakespeare wanted us to consider the ladies' preening to be a very natural act that goes along with spring. The birds and the ladies are just out there doing what comes naturally, right? Maybe the ladies are just more in touch with nature than the guys?
Quote #3
The cuckoo then, on every tree,
Mocks married men; for thus sings he,
Cuckoo; (14-16)
The ladies mirror spring and everything natural. Femininity is reflected in the flowers' beauty and the flower names. The women in the poem follow the cycles of nature much like the birds. This connection between femininity and springtime becomes even more obvious when we see just how out of touch the guys are. The men in the poem are out there fretting about what might be going on with their wives. The guys aren't in tune with nature. As a result, nature openly and repeatedly "mocks" the men. They can't enjoy spring's beauty, or probably even their wives' beauty, because they are too wrapped up in suspicion and jealousy. Clearly, the speaker thinks the ladies have the better, more natural approach to life.