Green Groweth The Holly Poem by Henry VIII, King of England
Green Groweth The Holly
1 Green groweth the holly,
2 So doth the ivy.
3 Though winter blasts blow never so high,
4 Green groweth the holly.
5 As the holly groweth green
6 And never changeth hue,
7 So I am, ever hath been,
8 Unto my lady true.
9 As the holly groweth green
10 With ivy all alone
11 When flowers cannot be seen
12 And greenwood leaves be gone,
13 Now unto my lady
14 Promise to her I make,
15 From all other only
16 To her I me betake.
17 Adieu, mine own lady,
18 Adieu, my special
19 Who hath my heart truly
20 Be sure, and ever shall.
A poem about faithfullness. The Holly and Ivy are ever green no matter how bad the weather in winter and so a comparison is made through the claim that his love will be forever true(come what may) to a certain particular person. A poem expressing profound thought on the lover's state of mind. Quite incredible when thinking of his track-record. Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. Not to mention the numerous mistresses. Nonetheless, a beautiful poem.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/19/2024 1:25:44 AM # 1.0.0.1119
A very beautiful poem and even more so because it is also set to music. It is believed to have been written for the Christmas season during the celebrations at court. Henry, was a man of his time and with all of his misgivings was known to be very sentimental and could be made to weep easily. I enjoy all of his works.