The Devonshire Manuscript/The fruite of all the seruise that I serue

f. [72r]

1    The fruite of all the ser{{s}8}uise that I ser{{s}8} ue
2    Dispaire doth repe such haples hap have I
3    but tho he have no powre to make me swarve
4    yet bye the fire for colde I fele I dye /
5    In paradis for hunger{g'} still I sterve
6    and In the flowde / for thurste to deth I drye
7    so tantalus am I and yn worst payne
8    andyd es{es} my helpe / & helples dothe remayne /s amidst 

fs

Commentary

Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt, this poem was entered by H8. This poem features an interesting use of Petrarch’s contraries: the speaker feels cold by the fire, hungers in paradise, and thirsts in a flood. Despite the proximity of the adored, the speaker remains despondent.