The Devonshire Manuscript/As power & wytt wyll me Assyst
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f. [20r]
1 3As power & wytt wyll me Assyst
2 my wyll shall wyll evyn as ye lyst
3 For as ye lyst my wyll ys bent
4 in euer{u'}ythyng to be content
5 to ser{{s}8}ve in love tyll lyff be spent
6 and to Reward my love thus ment
evyn as ye lyst
7 To fayn or fable ys not my mynd
8 nor to Refuce suche as I fynd
9 But as a lambe of yumble kynd
10 or byrd in cage to be Assynd
&c
11 When all the flokk ys cum & gone
12 myn eye & hart agreythe in one
13 hathe chosyn yow only Alone
14 To be my Ioy or elles{es} my mone
&c
15 Ioy yf pytty apere in place
16 mone yf dysdayn do shew hys face
17 yet crave I not as in thys case
18 but as ye lede to folow the trace
&c
19 Sum in wordes{es} muche love can fayn
20 {es} {es} {_u} and sum for wordes gyve wordes agayn
21 thus wordes{es} for wordes{es} in wordes{es} Remayn
22 & yet at last wordes{es} do optayn
&c
23 To crave in wordes{es} I wyll exchew
24 & love in dede I wyll ensew
25 yt ys my mynd bothe hole & trew
26 & for my trewthe I pray yow rew
&c
27 Dere hart I bydd yor hart farewell
28 with{w+t+} better hart than tong can tell
29 yet take thys tale as trew as gospell
30 ye may my lyff save or expell
&c
fynys
Commentary
editAttributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt,[1] this poem was entered by H2. In his 1815 edition, George Frederick Nott argues that the poem may be an imitation of a Spanish form called Glosa in which the first couplet introduces the theme of the poem and commented on by the subsequent stanzas.[2] Agnes Foxwell similarly commented that the structure follows a tradition of Middle English poems in which the first couplet or verse acts as the text for the poem.[3] Following Foxwell's argument, Rebholz suggests that the lyric could be a modified carol: "[i]f the poem stems from the carol tradition, it might best be described as in the form of a modified carol, in which a part of the burden is repeated after each stanza (521).[4] These types of carols, as John Stevens notes, are often found in early Tudor song-books.[5]
Works Cited
edit- ↑ R.A. Rebholz, ed., Sir Thomas Wyatt: The Complete Poems (London: Penguin, 1978), 270-71.
- ↑ George Frederick Nott, ed., The Works of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, and Sir Thomas Wyatt the Elder 1815-16, vol. 2 (London: Bensley, 1815).
- ↑ Agnes Kate Foxwell, ed., The Poems of Sir Thomas Wiat (London: University of London Press, 1913).
- ↑ Rebholz, 521.
- ↑ John Stevens, Music and Poetry in the Early Tudor Court (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1961), 351-425.
Textual Notes
editTexts Collated
editCollation
edit1 As power & wytt wyll me Assyst] L18752_01
2 my wyll shall wyll evyn as ye lyst] L18752_01
3 For] evyn L18752_01 ye] you L18752_01
4 in euerythyng] yn every thynge L18752_01
5 serve in love] serue yn loue L18752_01 lyff] lyf L18752_01
6 and] & L18752_01 Reward] reward L18752_01 love thus ment] loue yn contynent L18752_01 evyn as ye lyst] even as you lyst L18752_01
7 To] to L18752_01 fable] fabble L18752_01
8 Refuce] refuse L18752_01 I] y L18752_01
9 But] but L18752_01 as] even as L18752_01 of [sd]y[/sd][add]h[/add]umble kynd] humbull & kynd L18752_01
10 in] yn L18752_01 Assynd] assynd L18752_01 &c] even as you lyst L18752_01
11 When] when L18752_01 flokk] folke L18752_01 cum] com L18752_01 gone] gon L18752_01
12 myn] my L18752_01 eye] Ioye L18752_01 agreythe in] agreeth yn L18752_01
13 hathe] & hath L18752_01 chosyn yow] chosen you L18752_01 Alone] alone L18752_01
14 To] to L18752_01 Ioy] Ioye L18752_01 elles] ells L18752_01 mone] mon L18752_01 &c] even as you lyst L18752_01
15 Ioy yf] yf L18752_01 pytty] pyte L18752_01 apere in] appeyr yn L18752_01 place] hes plas L18752_01
16 mone] or L18752_01 do shew] shew L18752_01 hys face] hes fas L18752_01
17 crave I] craue y L18752_01 not as] nothyng L18752_01 in thys case] yn this cas L18752_01
18 ye] you L18752_01 lede] lyst L18752_01 trace] tras L18752_01 &c] even as you lyst L18752_01
19 Sum in] some yn L18752_01 muche love] mwche loue L18752_01 can] doth L18752_01 fayn] fayne L18752_01
20 and sum] & some L18752_01 gyve] gyue L18752_01 agayn] a gayne L18752_01
21 thus] thys L18752_01 in] yn L18752_01 Remayn] remayn L18752_01
22 do optayn] dow obtayne L18752_01 &c] even as ye lyst L18752_01
23 To] to L18752_01 in] yn L18752_01 I wyll exchew] y woll eschewe L18752_01
24 love in] loue yn L18752_01 I wyll ensew] y woll ensue L18752_01
25 yt ys my mynd bothe hole] wythe the my hole hart faythfull L18752_01
26 for] of L18752_01 trewthe I] trewth y L18752_01 yow] you L18752_01 &c] even as you lyst L18752_01
27 Dere] der L18752_01 I] y L18752_01 bydd] bed L18752_01 yor hart farewell] you now fawrwell L18752_01
28 better hart than] as good hart as L18752_01
29 yet take thys tale as trew as gospell] thys tall take trew as thegospell L18752_01
30 ye may my lyff save or expell] my lyf ye may both saue & spylle L18752_01 &c] even as you lyst L18752_01