January (Upon the Ice) / J. Ashby-Sterry

from The Social Zodiac:

January

Upon the Ice, 'tis nice to glide,
A merry maiden by your side!
     The air is keen, the day is fine,
     You think the sport is most divine,
When skimming o'er the frozen tide.

To Miss Chinchilla you confide,
How proud you are to be her guide;
     Then try to cut some quaint design
                Upon the Ice.

With measured motion, rhythmic stride,
You put on speed and put on side:
     You cut the figures Eight and Nine —
     And sometimes on your back recline!
Such falls will sometimes come to pride,
                Upon the Ice.

~~

J. Ashby-Sterry (1836-1917)

from The Lazy Minstrel, 1886

[Poem is in the public domain worldwide]

J. Ashby-Sterry biography