The Devonshire Manuscript/comforte thy self my wofull herte

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The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 74r

f. [74r]

1    Confodre^com{_o}forte thy self my wofull herte
2    or sho^rtelye on thy self the wreke
3    for lengthe redoblithe dedelye smar{m'}te
4    Why sighys thou{{th}+u+} herte and will not breke

5    To waste in sighis were pitous deth
6    alas I find the faint and weake
7    enforce thye self to loose thye brethe
8    why sighis thou{{th}+u+} herte and will not breke

9    thou knowist right well that{{th}+t+} no redresse
10    is thus to pine and for to speke
11    perdye yt is remediles
12    why sighis thou{{th}+u+} then & will not breke

13    yt ys to late for to refuse
14    the yoke when it is on thy neke
15    to shake yt of waylis not to muse
16    whye sighis thou{{th}+u+} then

17    to sobb & sigh it ware but vaine
18    sins there is none that{{th}+t+} doth it Reke
19    {p2}{{th}+u+} alas thou dost prolong thye paine
20    why sighes{es}

21    Then in her sight to move her herte
22    seke on thy self . thy self to wreke
23    {m'}{{th}+u+} that she maye kno thou suffred smarte
24    sighe there thy laste / & therewith{w+t+} breke/

fs

Commentary

Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt, this poem was entered by H8. The speaker in this poem can find no remedy for his love and wastes away with sighs. Rebholz notes that this poem shares the refrain with "Duress of pains and grievous smart," another poem written by Wyatt and found in Trinity College Dublin MS D.2.7 (Blage MS) and the Folger manuscript; this indicates that "Comforte thy self my wofull herte" may be an earlier version of the poem.

Textual Notes

Texts Collated

LEge06

Collation

1 Confodrecomforte] Comfort LEge06 herte] hert LEge06
2 shortelye] shortly LEge06 the] the LEge06
3 lengthe] length LEge06 redoblithe dedelye] redoubleth dedly LEge06 smarte] smert LEge06
4 Why] why LEge06 sighys] sighes LEge06 herte] hert LEge06 and will] & woult LEge06
5 waste] wast LEge06 sighis] sight LEge06 pitous] pitious LEge06
6 find] fynd LEge06 faint] faynt LEge06 and] & LEge06 weake] weke LEge06
7 thye] thy LEge06 loose] lose LEge06 thye] thy LEge06 brethe] breth LEge06
8 sighis] sighes LEge06 herte] hert LEge06 and will] & woult LEge06
9 thou] Thou LEge06 knowist] knowest LEge06 redresse] redrese LEge06
10 pine] pyne LEge06
11 perdye yt] pardy it LEge06
12 sighis] sighes LEge06 will] woult LEge06
13 yt ys] It is LEge06
14 neke] neck LEge06
15 shake] shak LEge06 yt] it LEge06 waylis] vaileth LEge06
16 whye] why LEge06 sighis] sighes LEge06 thou then] thou then & woult not breke LEge06
17 to] To LEge06 &] and LEge06 ware] were LEge06 vaine] vain LEge06
18 sins] syns LEge06 doth] doeth LEge06 Reke] reke LEge06
19 dost] doyst LEge06 thye] thy LEge06 paine] pain LEge06
20 why sighes] why sighes thou then & woult not breke LEge06
21 herte] hert LEge06
22 self .] self : LEge06
23 maye] may LEge06 kno] knowe LEge06 suffred] sufferdest LEge06 smarte] smert LEge06
24 sighe] sigh LEge06 laste /] last : LEge06 &] and LEge06