Green Groweth the Holly
By Henry Viii, King of England
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, ever hath been,
Unto my lady true.
As the holly groweth green
With ivy all alone
When flowers cannot be seen
And greenwood 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.
About the author
I don’t think I have to tell you anything about King Henry the eighth, one of the most famous figures in history. Although, did you know he wrote poetry?
King Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland, (later the King of Ireland, from 21 April 1509) until his death. Henry was the 2nd monarch of the House of Tudor, succeeding his father, Henry VII. Henry VIII is famous for having been married 6 times. He was perhaps the most powerfully unrestrained of any English monarch. He brought about the English Reformation including the creation of the Church of England as well as the Dissolution of the Monasteries. and the legal union of England and Wales.
Henry VIII was the second son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. His elder brother, Arthur, Prince of Wales (who had first married Catherine of Arragon) died in 1502, leaving Henry as heir to the throne.
As a young man he was admired throughout Europe as the ideal of the handsome Renaissance prince, devoted to sports and the arts. He spoke French, English and Latin, and a little Italian. Henry could read music, played the lute and harpsichord, sang, and wrote songs and poetry. Records indicate that in his personal collection Henry VIII owned 10 trombones, 14 trumpets, 5 bagpipes, 76 recorders and 78 flutes.
He is known to have been an enthusiastic gambler and dice player. In his youth he excelled at sports, especially jousting, archery, hunting, and tennis. A jousting injury later in life mostly put an end to his sporting pursuits and most activity, and helped cause him to gain a lot of weight.