As the Holly Groweth Green
King Henry VIII
As the holly groweth green,
And never changeth hue,
So I am, ever hath been
Unto my lady true;
As the holly groweth green
With ivy all alone,
Where floweres can not be seen
And green wood leaves be gone.
Now unto my lady
Promise to her I make,
From all other only
To her I me betake.
Adieu, mine own lady,
Adieu, my special,
Who hath my heart truly,
Be sure, and ever shall!
Why is stanza 3 so badly constructed? Clearly, as the other three stanzas prove, Henry could handle basic song meter. I hate to imagine what might have been distracting him at that moment.
2 comments:
I'm sort of getting the feeling that maybe that aberrant stanza was added afterwards...perforce? lol The other three fit metrically (as you pointed out), and each starts with the letter A...but then, you get the clunker. I am imagining a jealous wife insisting on that stanza as a sort of public apology...
I'd put this in the running for "creepiest poem ever." Ick.
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