The Devonshire Manuscript, Lyk as the swanne towardis her dethe

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The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 73r (Image: DMSEG, CC BY-SA 3.0) |

f. [73r]

and thys

1    Lyk as the swanne towardis her dethe
2    doth straine her voyse with{w+t+} dolefull note
3    Right so sing I with{w+t+} waste of brethe
4    I Dye I dye and you regarde yt note /

5    I shall inforce my faynting brethe
6    that all that heris this delye note
7    shall kno that you dothe cause my deth
8    I Dye I dye &c /

9    yor vnkindnes hath swarne my dethe
10    and chaunged hathe my plesaunte note
11    to paynefull sighis that{{th}+t+} stoppis my brethe
12    I dye I dye /

13    consumythe my lif faileth my brethe
14    yor fawte is forger of this note
15    melting in tearis a cruell dethe
16    I Dye

17    {t'}{w+t+} my faith with me after my dethe
18    byrred shalbe / and to this note
19    I do bequeth my verye brethe
20    I dy to crye I dyede & you regarde yt note

fs s

Commentary

Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt,1] this poem was entered by [H8. This poem 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.[2] Douglas's annotation “and thys” appears in the left margin and may refer to the entire page (five lyrics).

H8 only brackets the last stanza. The refrain also becomes more abbreviated over the course of the poem.

Works Cited

• ↑ R.A. Rebholz, ed. Sir Thomas Wyatt: The Complete Poems. London: Penguin, 1978. 134.
• ↑ 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

DBLa10, LEge18

Collation

1 Lyk] Lk DBla10 Lyke LEge18
2 doth] d DBla10 doeth LEge18
3 Right] ryght DBla10 right LEge18
4 Dye] dy DBla10 LEge18
5 inforce] infforce DBla10 enforce LEge18
6 heris] hir DBla10
7 kno] cause>know DBla10 knowe LEge18
8 Dye] dy DBla10 LEge18
9 yor] your DBla10 LEge18
10 chaunged] chaungyd DBla10
11 paynefull] paynful DBla10 paynfull LEge18
12 dye] dy DBla10 LEge18
13 consumythe] Consumyth DBla10 Consumeth LEge18
14 yor] your DBla10 LEge18
15 melting in tearis a cruell dethe] I do bthe my wery brethemelting in tearis a crewell dethe DBla10 melting in LEge18
16 Dye] dy I dy and you regard yt not DBla10 dy I dy LEge18
17 my] My DBla10 LEge18
18 byrred] beryd DBla10 bured LEge18
19 bequeth my] bequeth DBla10
20 I dy] LEge18

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