The Devonshire Manuscript/Alas poore man what hap have I

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The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 15v

The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 16r

 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

     1. It is unusual to have each line of the stanza capitalized.
     2. The lines represented by single quotes are upper virgules.

Commentary

Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt, 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.