The Devonshire Manuscript/Alas poore man what hap have I
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f. [15v]
1 3 Alas poore man what hap have I
2 that must fforbere that{{th}+t+} I love best
3 I trow yt be my desteny
4 neuer{u'} to lyve in quiet Rest
5 No wonder ys tho I complayn
6 not with{w+t+}owt cawse ye may be sure
7 I seke ffor that I cannot attayn
8 Whyche ys my mortall dysplesure
9 Alas pore hart as in thys case
10 {es}{w+t+} With pensyff playntes thow art opprest
11 Vnwysse thow were to desyre place
12 Where as another ys possest1
13 Do what I can to ese thy smart
14 thow wylt not let to love her styll
15 hyrs & not myn I se thow Art
16 let her do by the As she wyll
17 A carefull carkace full of payn
18 now hast thow lefft to morne for thee{{th}+e+}
19 the hart ons gone the body ys slayn
20 that euer{u'} I saw her wo ys me
f. [16r]
21 Myn Iye alas was cawse of thys
22 whyche her to se had neuer{u'} hys ffyll
23 to me that syght full bytter ys
24 in Recompence of my good wyll
25 She that I sarve all other above
26 hathe payd my hyre as ye may se
27 I was vnhappy & that I prove
28 to love Above my poore degre
Iohn crow to serve / 'v'2 hondyrd /
Notes & Glosses edit
1. It is unusual to have each line of the stanza capitalized.
2. The lines represented by single quotes are upper virgules.
Commentary edit
Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt,[1] this poem was entered by H2. "Alas poore man what hap have I" describes the complaint of a poor man who loves above his degree.
The first word of each line is capitalized, which is an unusual embellishment in the manuscript.