Okay, here we go. The poem opens with a set up. "When icicles hang by the wall," and some dude named Dick (who is a shepherd) "blows his nail"… um, something else happens.
Hmm. What happens? We don't know yet, but we'll go ahead and guess that at some point the speaker will tell us. Hopefully.
At least we know that this poem is called "Winter," so it's fitting that the poem opens with some images of winter: hanging icicles and a guy blowing his nail.
Wait, what does he mean Dick shepherd blows his nail? And who is Dick the shepherd anyway?
Well, to blow one's nail means exactly that: to blow on one's nail. It's like blowing on your hands when you're freezing, like this, only blowing on your fingernail instead. Hey, don't ask us. Dick is the one doing it.
And as for our pal? Well, so far it seems that he's nobody in particular. It's just like saying "Jo Schmo" or "John Doe." It's just a generic name for some imaginary shepherd (someone who herds sheep).
After this first, quick look, it looks like the meter of this poem is going to be iambic tetrameter, which means there will be four iambs ("tetra-" means four) instead of five (as in the more common iambic pentameter). What in the Wide World of Sports are we talking about? Don't stress it. Just head over to "Form and Meter" for a longer discussion, but be sure to come right back here.
And if you don't feel like doing that just yet, stick with us as we continue our journey into "Winter.