Anne Boleyn in Thomas Wyatt's Poetry

Sir Thomas Wyatt's poetry holds many clues as to what his relationship with Anne Boleyn might've been. This article explores the most interesting and telling references and the ways in which they can be interpreted!

Sir Thomas Wyatt was a sixteenth-century politician and poet with high standing in Henry VIII's court. He is famously rumoured to have had a love affair with the King's second Queen, Anne Boleyn. In his poetry there are references that seem to reflect his feelings for her.

Before I get into it please enjoy this gossip mag cover I made for no real reason:

Word Play and Necklaces:

The poem most widely considered to be about Anne Boleyn is Whoso List to Hunt, I Know Where Is An Hind. In which the speaker of the poem (Wyatt), is heartbroken and angry at a deer (assumed to represent Boleyn), as she is captured by 'Caesar' (Henry VIII). It is said that Wyatt was a suitor of Anne's before the King chose her to be his next Queen.

Whoso list to hunt, I know where is an hind,

But as for me, hélas, I may no more.

The vain travail hath wearied me so sore,

I am of them that farthest cometh behind.

Yet may I by no means my wearied mind

Draw from the deer, but as she fleeth afore

Fainting I follow. I leave off therefore,

Sithens in a net I seek to hold the wind.

Who list her hunt, I put him out of doubt,

As well as I may spend his time in vain.

And graven with diamonds in letters plain

There is written, her fair neck round about:

Noli me tangere, for Caesar's I am,

And wild for to hold, though I seem tame.

Interestingly, Wyatt refers to the hind as 'an hind' in the poem and even the title itself. It is debated whether this irregular grammatic choice is implemented to draw attention to the sound 'Anne' in the poem.

'hélas' is like 'alas' - a French interjection. Some believe this further ties the poem to the French Anne Boleyn.

George Wyatt was the grandson of Thomas Wyatt and the first biographer of Anne Boleyn. According to George, when spending time with the Queen, Thomas Wyatt once playfully snatched a jewel hanging from Anne's pocket and kept it as a keepsake. George alleges the jewel was then worn around Thomas' neck and it was eventually noticed by the King. This is often believed to be one of the reasons Henry VIII charged Anne with multiple adulteries and imprisoned both her and Thomas in the Tower of London. There is a clear reference to a necklace of diamonds in this poem that could be associated with this story.

The necklace serves as a symbol of ownership over the deer (Anne) by Caesar (Henry): 'And graven with diamonds in letters plain There is written, her fair neck round about: Noli me tangere, for Caesar's I am'. (Noli me tangere - Touch me not).

The Tower:

Wyatt was arrested with Anne Boleyn in May 1536. Yet Boleyn was beheaded and Wyatt was saved by his connections. He was released from the Tower of London and his charges were dropped. It is believed by historians that Wyatt had a cell from which he could witness the beheadings. Once released, Wyatt wrote a poem commemorating the people executed whilst he was there. However, only one name is missing... Anne Boleyn.

Continued Anne Erasure!:

Soon after his release from the Tower, Wyatt began a relationship with his former mistress Elizabeth Darrell. It is at this time Wyatt suspiciously chose to change his poem If Waker Care. The original sonnet read 'Her that did set a country in a roar'. It is perhaps his most obvious reference to Anne Boleyn, as she is regarded as the reason Henry VIII divorced Catherine of Aragon and established the Church of England. The line was changed to 'Brunet, that set my wealth in such a roar'. Many reasons for this change have been proposed:

• The most likely theory is that Wyatt didn't want to be accused of a having relationship with the Queen again and so tried to downplay the reference to her. Although the very change itself rouses suspicion.

• It is also possible Wyatt was so broken after Anne's death that it was too painful for him to write about her. The fact she was left out of his execution tribute could support this.

• However, his refusal to write about her could have easily been out of anger. The tone of most of Wyatt's poetry (as is the theme for the typical English Petrarchan poet) directs blame toward the female subject for his pain.

• Another explanation could be that he changed the line to reflect Elizabeth Darrell. Yet it is insinuated by records (and perpetuated in film and television) that Elizabeth had blonde hair. She was apparently not 'Brunet', like Anne Boleyn.

Lost in the Past:

One thing that is generally agreed upon is that Wyatt was deeply infatuated and possibly obsessed with the Queen. Anne Boleyn confidently denied all accusations of affairs and many historians believe the 'witnesses' against her were tortured or bribed into giving false accounts. It is still fascinating to see that between his poetry and Anne's biography, by far the most valuable clues of Wyatt's feelings for the Queen were left in the literature of the past.