The Devonshire Manuscript/Lo how I seke & sew to haue

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The Devonshire Manuscript
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←Syns loue ys suche that as ye wott

My loue ys lyke vnto theternall fyre→

f. [52v]

1    Lo how I seke & sew to haue
2    that no man hathe & maye be had
3    there ys more but synk or saue
4    & bryng thys doute to good or bad
5    to lyue in sorows allways sad
6    I lyke not so to lynger{g'} fforthe
7    hap evyll or good I shallbe glad
8    to take that comes as well in worthe

9    Shold I sustayne{n'} thys gret dystres
10    styll wandryng forthe thus to & froo
11    in dredfull hope to hold my pese
12    & fede my sellf with{w+t+} secret woo
13    nay nay cer{c'}tayn I wyll not soo
14    but sure I shall my self aply
15    to put in profe thys doute to knoo
16    & Rydd thys daunger{g'} Redely

17    I shall assay by secret sute
18    to show the mynd of myn entent
19    {es}{p+} & my deportes¹ shall gyue suche frute
20   {es}{w+t+} as with my hart my wordes be ment
21    so by the pro{p2}fe of thys consent
22    send owt of doute I shall be sure
23    for to reIoyce or to Repent
24    in Ioye or payn for to endure

ffinis

Notes & Glosses

1. For the expansion of "por," see Cappelli.^[1]

Commentary

Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt,^[2] this poem was entered by H6 and is unique to the manuscript. The speaker hopes for a quick answer to his doubts about the lady’s regard for him, though it might bring him pain instead of joy.

Works Cited

[1] Adriano Cappelli. Dizionario di abbreviature latine ed italiane. Mailand: Hoepli, 1990. xxx.

[2] R.A. Rebholz, ed. Sir Thomas Wyatt: The Complete Poems. London: Penguin, 1978. 240-41.

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