“On a tree by a river a little tomtit
Sang "Willow, titwillow, titwillow"
And I said to him, "Dicky-bird, why do you sit
Singing ‘Willow, titwillow, titwillow?'.
"Is it weakness of intellect, birdie?" I cried,
"Or a rather tough worm in your little inside?"
With a shake of his poor little head he replied,
"Oh, Willow, titwillow, titwillow!"”

— W. S. Gilbert

The Suicide's Grave (from The Mikado).
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919)

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W. S. Gilbert67

English librettist of the Gilbert & Sullivan duo 1836–1911

Related quotes

“On a tree by a river a little tomtit
Sang "Willow, titwillow, titwillow"
And I said to him, "Dicky-bird, why do you sit
Singing ‘Willow, titwillow, titwillow?'.
"Is it weakness of intellect, birdie?" I cried,
"Or a rather tough worm in your little inside?"”

W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) English librettist of the Gilbert & Sullivan duo

With a shake of his poor little head he replied,
"Oh, Willow, titwillow, titwillow!"
The Suicide's Grave (from The Mikado).
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919)

“Willows whiten, aspens quiver,
Little breezes dusk and shiver
Through the wave that runs for ever
By the island in the river
Flowing down to Camelot.”

Alfred, Lord Tennyson The Lady of Shalott

Pt. I, st. 2
The Lady of Shalott (1832)

“Willow: Questions. Great.
Tara: W-we can answer questions.
Nigel: Good. I need to know a little bit more about the Slayer, and about the both of you. Your relationship, whatever you can tell me.
Tara: O-o-our relationship?
Willow: We're friends.
Tara: Good friends.
Willow: Girlfriends, actually.
Tara: Yes, we're girlfriends.
Willow: We're in love. W-we're lovers. We're lesbian, gay-type lovers.
Nigel: I meant your relationship with the Slayer.”

Amber Benson (1977) actress from the United States

All the Way [6.6]
Willow & Tara (2000-2002)

“Willow: What did I have for breakfast this morning? Do you remember?
Tara: Huh?
Willow: I-I wanna say bagel, but I think that was yesterday. You had two eggs sunny side up. I remember because they were wiggling at me like little boobs.
Tara: Sassy eggs.”

Amber Benson (1977) actress from the United States

Triangle [5.11]
Willow & Tara (2000-2002)

“Oh, the little birds sang east, and the little birds sang west.”

Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–1861) English poet, author

Toll Slowly; reported in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919).

“Willow: Tell me a story.
Tara: Okay. Once upon a time, there was, um… a kitty. She was very little, and she was all alone, and nobody wanted her.
Willow: This is a very upsetting story.”

Amber Benson (1977) actress from the United States

This Year's Girl [4.15]
Willow & Tara (2000-2002)

“All a green willow, willow,
All a green willow is my garland.”

John Heywood (1497–1580) English writer known for plays, poems and a collection of proverbs

The Green Willow; reported in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919).

“When you paint Spring, do not paint willows, plums, peaches, or apricots, but just paint Spring. To paint willows, plums, peaches, or apricots is to paint willows, plums, peaches, or apricots - it is not yet painting Spring.”

Dogen (1200–1253) Japanese Zen buddhist teacher

“Now I taught the weeping willow how to cry,
And I showed the clouds how to cover up a clear blue sky.
And the tears that I cried for that woman are gonna flood you Big River.
Then I'm gonna sit right here until I die.”

Johnny Cash (1932–2003) American singer-songwriter

Big River
Song lyrics, Johnny Cash Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous (1958)

“They more adeptly bend the willow's branches
who have experience of the willow's roots.”

Rainer Maria Rilke book Sonnets to Orpheus

Sonnet 6 (as translated by Edward Snow)
Sonnets to Orpheus (1922)

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