The Devonshire Manuscript/Sins you will nedes that I shall sing

←Ye know my herte my ladye dere

Ons me thought fortune me kiste→

The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 73v

f. [73v]

and thys

1    {{th}+t+}{es} Sins you will nedesthat I shall sing
2    take yt in wo^rth siche as I have
3    plentye of plaint mone & mo^rnin{_i}g
4    yn depe dispaire / & delye payne
5    boteles for boote crying to crave
6    to crave yn vayne /

7    {d,}{w+t+} {m'} {_a} Suche hammers worke within my hede
8    that sounde nought els vnto my eris
9    but faste at borde / & wake abede{d,}
10    suche tune the tem{_e}pre to my song
11    {_a}{y+t+} to waile my wrong that I wante teris
12    to waile my wrong

13    Dethe and dispaire afore my face
14    my dayes dekaes¹ my grefe doth gro
15    the cause thereof is in this place
16    whan crueltye dothe still con{_o}straine
17    for to reioise tho yt be woo.
18    to here me plaine

19    A brokin lute vntunid stringes{es}
20    with{w+t+} such a song maye well bere part
21   {es}{{th}+t+}  that nether pleasith him that singes
22    nor them that{{th}+t+} here / but her alone
23    that with{w+t+} her herte wold straine my herte
24    to here yt grone /

25    Yf it greve you to here this same
26    that you do fele but in my voyse
27    considre then what ples^aunt game
28    I do sustaine in everye parte
29    to cause me sing or to reioise
30    with{w+t+}in my herte /

fs

Notes & Glosses

     1. Such a grammatical error is so unusual that it is likely the scribe erred in pluralizing 'dekaes.'

Commentary

Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt, this poem was entered by H8. This poem is is also one of seventeen entries where Margaret Douglas marks “and thys.” Paul Remley has suggested that these annotations relate to another in-text annotation of hers, “lerne but to syng it” (on "now all of chaunge" (81r)), and may indicate a group of texts to be learned for entertaining. Although Douglas's annotation appears above this poem, it may refer to both lyrics on the page.