På dagens dato i 1536 ble den engelske kongen Henrik 8. enkemann, og det skjedde på hans eget initiativ.
Anne Boleyn ble halshugd i Tower av London 19. mai 1536, og la på det viset grunnlag for en revyvise (tror jeg det er) med tittelen With her head tucked underneath her er arm. Den ble jeg kjent med da Erik Bye fremførte den i radio for mange år siden. Her er den i engelsk utgave, og teksten står nedenfor – til hjelp for de som trenger det.
WITH HER HEAD TUCKED UNDERNEATH HER ARM
(R.P. Weston / Bert Lee)
Stanley Holloway (Monologue)
In the Tower of London large as life,
The Ghost of Anne Boleyn walks they declare.
For Anne Boleyn was once King Henry’s wife,
Until he made the headsman bob her hair!
Ah, yes, he did her wrong, long years ago
And, she comes up at night to tell him soooo!
With her head tucked underneath her arm
She walks the Bloody Tower
With her head tucked underneath her arm
At the midnight hour.
She comes to haunt King Henry,
She means to give him ‘what for’,
Gadzook! She’s going to tell him off
For having split her gore,
And, just in case the headsman
Wants to give her an encore,
She has her head tucked underneath her arm.
With her head tucked underneath her arm
She walks the Bloody Tower
With her had tucked underneath her arm
At the midnight hour.
Along the draughty corridors,
For miles and miles she goes.
She often catches cold, poor thing,
It’s cold there when it blows.
And it’s awfully awkward for the Queen,
To have to blow her nose,
With her head tucked underneath her arm.
Sometimes gay King Henry gives a spread,
For all his pals and gals and ghostly crew.
The headsman carves the joint and cuts the bread
Then in comes Anne Boleyn to ‘queer the do!’
She holds her head up with a wild war whoop!
And Henry cries, «Don’t drop it in the soup!»
With her head tucked underneath her arm
She walks the Bloody Tower
With her head tucked underneath her arm
At the midnight hour.
The sentries think that it’s a football,
That she carries in.
And when they’ve had a few they shout,
‘Is Ars’nal going to win?’
They think it’s Alec James,
Instead of poor old Ann Boleyn,
With her head tucked underneath her arm.
With her head tucked underneath her arm
She walks the Bloody Tower
With her head tucked underneath her arm
At the midnight hour.
One night she caught King Henry
He was in the canteen bar
Said he, «Are you Jane Seymore,
Anne Boleyn or Catherine Parr?»
«How the sweet san fairy ann,
Do I know who you are?»
With your head tucked underneath your arm!
Apropos revy: Einar Schanke ville fylt 96 år i dag. Han ble omtalt i blogginnlegget Nå går det rett på dunken fra februar 2018.