The Devonshire Manuscript/Ye know my herte my ladye dere

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      The Devonshire Manuscript
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      Who hathe harde of such tyrannye before Sins you will nedes that I shall sing
      The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 73v

       f. [73v] 

      1    Ye know my herte my ladye dere
      2    that sins the{{th}+e+} tyme I was yor thrall
      3    I have bene yors bothe hole and clere
      4    tho my rewarde hathe bene but small
      5    so am I yet and more then all
      6    And ye kno well how I haue ser{{s}8}ued
      7    as yf ye prove it shall apere
      8    howe well / how longe
      9    how faithefulye
      10    and soffred wrong
      11    how patientlye
      12    then sins that I have neuer{u'} swarfde /
      13    let not my paines be ondeser{{s}8}ude

      14    Ye kno also though ye saye naye
      15    that you alone are my desire
      16    and you alone yt is that{{th}+t+} maye
      17    {_i}{_e} asswage my fervent flaming fire
      18    Soccor me then I you require /
      19    Ye kno yt ware a Iust request
      20    sins ye do cause my heat I saye
      21    yf that{{th}+t+} I bourne
      22    that{{th}+t+} ye will warme
      23    and not to tourne
      24    all to my harme
      25    sending soch flame from{_o} frossen brest
      26    againste nature for my vnreste

      27    And I kno well how scornefullye
      28    ye have mistane my true entente
      29    and hidreto how wrongfullye
      30    I have founde cause for to repente /
      31    but if yor herte doth not relente /1
      32    sins I do kno that this ye kno
      33    ye shall fle me all wilfullye
      34    for me and myne
      35    and all I have
      36    ye maye assine
      37    to spill or save
      38    whye are ye then so cruell foo
      39    vnto yor owne that lovis you so.

      fs

      Notes & Glosses

           1. Unlike in stanzas one and two, the scribe does not follow the practice of leaving a space at this point in the stanza.

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      Commentary

      Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt,[1] this poem was entered by H8. This poem might have a connection to Anne Boleyn since line 34, “for me and mine,” was Boleyn’s motto. The poem “Grudge on who liste this ys my lott” (78v) contains an earlier motto of Boleyn’s from her time at the Burgundian court. “Am el mem” (67v) also indicates Anne Boleyn’s association with the manuscript and might suggest allegiances between various members of the manuscript’s coterie and those on the periphery.

      H8 indicates a break between stanzas one and two after line 5 with a flourish, but he or she does not follow this practice in the rest of the poem. The scribe uses thirty-six graphical lines to record thirty-nine poetic lines, writing lines 21-22, 34-35, and 36-37 on one line each.

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      Textual Notes

      Texts Collated

      LEge48

      Collation

      1 Ye know my herte my ladye dere] LEge48
      2 that sins the tyme I was yor thrall] LEge48
      3 I have bene yors bothe hole and clere] LEge48
      4 tho my rewarde hathe bene but small] LEge48
      5 so am I yet and more then all] LEge48
      6 And ye kno well how I haue serued] LEge48
      7 as yf ye prove it shall apere] LEge48
      8 howe well / how longe] LEge48
      9 how faithefulye] LEge48
      10 and soffred wrong] LEge48
      11 how patientlye] LEge48
      12 then sins that I have neuer swarfde /] LEge48
      13 let not my paines be ondeserude] LEge48
      14 Ye kno also though ye saye naye] LEge48
      15 that you alone are my desire] LEge48
      16 and you alone yt is that maye] LEge48
      17 asswage my fervent flaming fire] LEge48
      18 Soccor me then I you require /] LEge48
      19 Ye kno yt ware a Iust request] LEge48
      20 sins ye do cause my heat I saye] LEge48
      21 yf that I bourne] LEge48
      22 that ye will warme] LEge48
      23 and not to tourne] LEge48
      25 soch] suche LEge48 frossen] frosen LEge48
      26 againste] against LEge48 nature] all right LEge48 vnreste] vnrest LEge48
      27 kno] knowe LEge48 scornefullye] frowerdly LEge48
      28 mistane] mystaken LEge48 entente] Intent LEge48
      29 hidreto] hetherto LEge48 wrongfullye] wrongfully LEge48
      30 repente /] repent LEge48
      31 if yor herte doth not relente /] deth shall ryd me redely LEge48
      32 sins I do kno that this ye kno] yf that your hert do not relent LEge48
      33 ye shall fle me all wilfullye] and I knowe well all this ye knowe LEge48
      34 for me] That I LEge48
      36 maye] may LEge48 assure] assigne LEge48
      38 whye] Why LEge48 foo] ffoo LEge48
      39 yor] your LEge48 lovis] loveth LEge48 so.] so LEge48

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      Last modified on 3 July 2012, at 18:27