Blow, blow, thou winter wind,
Thou art not so unkind
As man's ingratitude;
Thy tooth is not so keen
Because thou art not seen,
Although thy breath be rude.
Heigh-ho! sing heigh-ho! unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then, heigh-ho! the holly!
This life is most jolly.
Thou art not so unkind
As man's ingratitude;
Thy tooth is not so keen
Because thou art not seen,
Although thy breath be rude.
Heigh-ho! sing heigh-ho! unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then, heigh-ho! the holly!
This life is most jolly.
Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky,
Thou dost not bite so nigh
As benefits forgot:
Though thou the waters warp,
Thy sting is not so sharp
As friend remember'd not.
Heigh-ho! sing heigh-ho! unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then, heigh-ho! the holly!
This life is most jolly.
Thou dost not bite so nigh
As benefits forgot:
Though thou the waters warp,
Thy sting is not so sharp
As friend remember'd not.
Heigh-ho! sing heigh-ho! unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then, heigh-ho! the holly!
This life is most jolly.
~William Shakespeare
I love this piece! I sang it many moons ago--John Rutter is very much a part of my me-as-a-singer development.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my faves! I adore my boy Bryn singing it. :^)
ReplyDeleteI know, it's one of my very favorites, too. When I was an undergraduate, John Rutter was just emerging as a world-recognized composer and I fell in love with the very first piece of his that I ever sang. In fact, my introduction to Rutter was with his "Gloria". I was hooked.
ReplyDeleteGot the trifecta here..music verse and painting.
ReplyDeleteI have seen that Victorian painting in an exhibition a few years ago.Can't remember who painted it. It is very moving.It's about an abandoned wife.Just think you could have wife sales in those days at a country fair!