Page:HintsfromHesiod.pdf/42

 And caring nought for time misspent, or how to make amends. Through all the wintry season they do but shift and shirk The furnishing and furbishing their tools for Summer's work; Thus many a precious moment, many a precious day, For making and for mending is forever thrown away.

Now is the time to make your winter clothes: Coats, caps, and shoes to shield you from the snows, And mud, and pelting rains that often pour Throughout this dismal season by the hour. But be thou frugal: let the loom produce All necessary clothing for thy use. Knock down a beef, and let his hide supply Your home-made shoes; they're good as half you buy. A sheepskin cap is proof against the storm; The wool will keep your hands and trotters warm. Thus snugly furnished, you may always dare To venture forth and meet the morning air; For then most fiercely, when the wind prevails, The biting atmosphere your frame assails. Your creature-comforts also now provide, And see, moreover, you are well supplied; For of all seasons of the changing year, On man and beast this is the most severe; And though the days are short and sleep is longer, Yet cold's a strong provocative of hunger. Being thus attentive to your house and fold, You needs must flourish through the winter's cold. And when again the summer comes around, Your toils shall be with equal harvests crowned.