Blossoms On Every Bough

After one of the longest and hardest winters I can remember, spring has finally arrived here in Merrie England. It was lovely to be able to get out in the garden yesterday, feel the sun on my back and begin planting again ready for the summer. The smell of the blossom, the blue sky and the birds singing cheerfully in the trees makes everyone feel so much better.

How it must have felt for our poor medieval ancestors, emerging from their wooden hovels after managing to survive starvation and disease through a British winter is hard for modern man to comprehend. Everyone, from kings to lowly commoners in those days took part in a variety of celebrations of the dawning spring, when the earth threw off the shackles of winter and new life appeared amidst the May blossom. This was joyously reflected in the village summer games up and down the country and influenced many of our surviving Robin Hood ballads. So, along with some pictures I took last spring, I thought I would take another look at those beautiful opening stanzas and try to recapture some of that spirit.

In somer, when the shawes be sheyne,

And leves be large and long,

Hit is full mery in feyre foreste

To here the foulys song.

To se the dere draw to the dale,

And leve the hillies hee,

And shadow hem in the leves grene,

Under the grene wode tre.

Hit befell on Whitsontide,

Erly in a May mornyng,

The sun up feyre can shyne,

And the briddis mery can syng.

(Robin Hood and the Monk)

In schomer, when the leves spryng,

The bloscems on every bowe,

So merey doyt the berdys syng

Yn wodys merey now.

(Robin Hood and the Potter)

When shawes beene sheene and shradds full fayre,

And leeves both large and long,

Itt is merry, walking in the fayre forrest,

To heare the small birds songe.

The woodweele* sang, and wold not cease,

Sitting upon the spraye,

Soe lowed, he wakeneth Robin Hood,

In the greenwood where he lay.

(Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne)

 *Possibly the Golden Oriole noted for its singing voice.