proverb · Source-linked selection
If Janiveer calends be summerly gay 'Twill be winterly weather till calends of May.
If Janiveer calends be summerly gay 'Twill be winterly weather till calends of May.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying takes summer-like conditions at the start of January as a sign of wintry conditions lasting into May. It predicts compensation for an unusually mild beginning.
What the words are saying
The opening of one month is assigned power over several later months. Summerly gay and winterly weather give the rule a dramatic reversal. This is the claim expressed by the rhyme, not a verified long-range forecast. A careful reading identifies the contrast without assuming that nature must balance one pleasant spell with a later penalty.
Everyday example
Someone discussing seasonal lore separates the rhyme’s compensating pattern from evidence about the actual coming months.
When to use it
Use it to examine a long-range calendar prediction.
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What it does not mean
A mild beginning does not establish the predicted later conditions here.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 866 · Janiveer
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English