"Green Groweth the Holly"
by King Henry VIII
FROM BL Additional Ms. 31922
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Green groweth the holly, so doth the ivy. Though winter blasts blow never so high, Green groweth the holly. As the holly groweth green And never changeth hue, So I am, and ever hath been, Unto my lady true. Green groweth . . . etc. As the holly groweth green, With ivy all alone, When flowerys cannot be seen And green-wood leaves be gone, ut supra Now unto my lady Promise to her I make: From all other only To her I me betake. ut supra Adieu, mine own lady, Adieu, my specïal, Who hath my heart truly, Be sure, and ever shall. Green groweth the holly, so doth the ivy. Though winter blasts blow never so high, Green groweth the holly. |
Source:
Poetry of the English Renaissance 1509-1660.
J. William Hebel and Hoyt H. Hudson, Eds.
New York: F. S. Crofts & Co., 1941. 9.
http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/greengroweth.htm