The Devonshire Manuscript, Sins ye delight to kno

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The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 72v (Image: DMSEG, CC BY-SA 3.0) |

f. [72v]

and thys

1    Sins ye delight to kno
2    that my torment and woo
3    shulde sill encrese still
4    with{w+t+}out relesse
5    I shall enforce me so
6    that lyf and all shall goo
7    for to contente yor cruellnes

8    And so this grevous traine
9    that I so long sustayne
10    shall some tyme cease
11    and have redresse
12    and you also remaine
13    full pleased with{w+t+} my paine
14    for to con{_o}tent yor cruelnes

15    Onles that be to light
16    and that ye wolde ye might
17    see the Distresse
18    and hevinesse
19    of on{_o}n I slayne owtright
20    there with{w+t+} to plese yor sight
21    and to contente &c

22    then in yor cruell mode
23    wold god forthewith{w+t+} ye wode1
24    with{w+t+} force expresse
25    my hert oppresse
26    to do yor herte suche good
27    to se bathe in blode
28    for to contente c

29    then coulde ye aske nomore
30    then sholde ye ease my sore
31    and the excesse
32    of my excesse
33    and you shulde euer{u'}more
34    deffamid be therefore
35    for for to repen{_e}t yor cruellnes

fs

Notes & Glosses

1. Note the graphic rhyme of mode / wode (unlike the spelling of wold earlier in line).

Commentary

Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt,1] this poem was entered by [H8. The speaker in this poem laments the Lady's cruelty and her delight in his woe and pain. This poem is 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.[2] Douglas's phrase “and thys” may also relate to this poem, the adjacent one (“Venus thorns that are so sharp and kene”), or both since the annotation is found in the middle of the top margin.

H8 marks the first three stanzas with an initial capital letter.

Works Cited

• ↑ R.A. Rebholz, ed. Sir Thomas Wyatt: The Complete Poems. London: Penguin, 1978. 164-65.
• ↑ Paul Remley. "Mary Shelton and Her Tudor Literary Milieu". Rethinking the Henrician Era: Essays on Early Tudor Texts and Contexts. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1994. 50.

Textual Notes

Texts Collated

LEge35

Collation

1 Sins] Syns LEge35 delight] delite LEge35 kno] knowe LEge35
2 and] & LEge35
3 shulde sillstill] should still LEge35
4 without] withoute LEge35 relesse] relese LEge35
6 lyf and] liff & LEge35
7 contente] content LEge35 yor] your LEge35 cruellnes] cruelnes LEge35
8 traine] trayne LEge35
9 so] to LEge35 sustayne] sustayn LEge35
10 some tyme] sometyme LEge35 cease] cese LEge35
12 remaine] remain LEge35
13 paine] pain LEge35
14 yor] your LEge35
16 wolde] would LEge35 might] myght LEge35
17 see] se LEge35 Distresse] distresse LEge35
18 hevinesse] hevines LEge35
19 onn I stayne] oon slain LEge35 owtright] owte right LEge35
20 there with] therewith LEge35 plese] please LEge35 yor] your LEge35
21 contente] content LEge35 & c] your cruelnes LEge35
22 then] Then LEge35 yor] your LEge35
23 wold] would LEge35 forthewith] fourthwith LEge35 wode] woode LEge35
26 yor] your LEge35 herte] hert LEge35 good] goode LEge35
27 bathe] me bathe LEge35
28 contente] content LEge35 c] your cruelnes LEge35
29 then] Then LEge35 coulde] cowld LEge35 nomore] no more LEge35
30 sholde] should LEge35
32 my] myn LEge35
33 shulde] should LEge35 euermore] evermore LEge35
34 deffamid] defamed LEge35
35 for] LEge35 yor] your LEge35 cruellnes] cruelnes / LEge35

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