The first line says, "When icicles hang by the wall" which seems kind of odd as a beginning. But, remember we are talking about winter when icicles do hang by the wall. In particular in old homes where there was no insulation in them, every home had icicles hanging on the outside wall. Looked at it that way it makes perfect sense. Each sentence is like that... a description of what someone sees in winter. The next line says, "And Dick the shepherd blows his nail." Now that sounds kind of strange. Is he sitting there blowing on a nail? Well, yes he is, his finger nails because his fingers are cold from winter. Dick is a Shepard and out in the cold all day tending his flock. "And Tom bears logs into the hall" is the next line. Remember the "context" of the poem. The "context" is where and when. Can you remember when Shakespeare was born? Well, they didn't have indoor central heating. Tom is a boy who is bringing in the wood to heat the house or cook the food on the fire. The next line says, And milk comes frozen home in pail." What does that sound like? kind of strange. Again, think of the context. This is a place where someone goes to the barn to milk the cows for milk. They then finish their chores and return home. By the time they get back to the house with the milk it is frozen in the metal pail.