More grass means less forest; more forest less grass. But either-or is a construction more deeply woven into our culture than into nature, where even antagonists depend on one another and the liveliest places are the edges, the in-betweens or both-ands..... Relations are what matter most.

Meaning: Small birds sing as nature stirs their instincts, and people too feel a renewed desire to set out on journeys. The difficult words describe springtime energy, not foolish people or bravery.

Meaning: Unpleasant early weather is linked with a pleasing later display of flowers. The sequence can express hope that present conditions help prepare a later benefit.

Meaning: When April's gentle rain reaches the roots, it ends the dryness left by March. This is a picture of spring returning, rather than a command or a moral rule.

Meaning: The saying treats April and May as decisive months for what the rest of the year will yield. Keys picture their conditions as opening or closing later possibilities.