Under the greenwood tree

Under the greenwood tree
Who loves to lie with me,
And [turn]1 [his]2 merry note
Unto the sweet bird's throat,
Come hither, come hither, come hither:
Here shall he see
No enemy
But winter and rough weather.

Who doth ambition shun,
And loves to live i' the sun,
Seeking the food he eats,
And pleas'd with what he gets,
Come hither, come hither, come hither:
Here shall he see
No enemy
But winter and rough weather.

If it do come to pass
That any man turn ass,
Leaving his wealth and ease,
A stubborn will to please,
Ducdame, ducdame, ducdame:
Here shall he see
Gross fools as he,
An if he will come to me.
Under the greenwood tree
Who loves to lie with me.

by William Shakespeare (1564-1616) , no title, from As You Like It, Act II, Scene 5

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

by Thomas Augustine Arne (1710-1778) , "Under the greenwood tree", stanza 1.
by Madeleine Dring (1923-1977) , "Under the greenwood tree"
by Ivor Gurney (1890-1937) , "Under the greenwood tree", stanzas 1-2, from Five Elizabethan Songs (The Elizas), no. 3.
by Mervyn, Lord Horder, the Second Baron of Ashford (1910-1998) , "Under the greenwood tree", 1977, from Six Shakespeare Songs, no. ?
by Herbert Norman Howells (1892-1983) , "Under the greenwood tree", op. 43 no. 1 (1928), published 1928 [soprano and orchestra or piano], from In Green Ways, no. 1.
by Erich Korngold (1897-1957) , "Under the greenwood tree", op. 31 no. 2, published 1937 [voice and piano], from Four Shakespeare Songs, no. 2.
by Kenneth Leighton (1929-1988) , "Under the greenwood tree", from 5 Shakespeare Songs, no. 5, available from the Kenneth Leighton Trust, e-mail jo (DOT) leighton (AT) blueyonder (DOT) co (DOT) uk
by Douglas Stuart Moore (1893-1969) , "Under the greenwood tree", 1944, published 1944. [voice and piano]
by Olallo Morales (1874-1957) , "Under the greenwood tree", 1944, published 1944. [voice and piano]
by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (1848-1918) , "Under the greenwood tree", 1903, published 1903, from English Lyrics, set 6 no. 6
by Roger Quilter (1877-1953) , "Under the greenwood tree", op. 23 no. 2, stanzas 1-2.
by Donna Gartman Schultz , "Under the greenwood tree" [chorus], from Two Shakespeare Songs, no. ?
by William Walton (1902-1983) , "Under the greenwood tree", 1936. [voice and piano]

GER German (Julia Hamann)
FIN Finnish (Paavo Cajander)

Text added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

Notes about green, red, and white dots

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