The Devonshire Manuscript/Alas poore man what hap have I
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f. [15v]
1 3 Alas poore man what hap have I
2 that must fforbere that{{th}+t+} I love best
3 I trow yt be my desteny
4 neuer{u'} to lyve in quiet Rest
5 No wonder ys tho I complayn
6 not with{w+t+}owt cawse ye may be sure
7 I seke ffor that I cannot attayn
8 Whyche ys my mortall dysplesure
9 Alas pore hart as in thys case
10 {es}{w+t+} With pensyff playntes thow art opprest
11 Vnwysse thow were to desyre place
12 Where as another ys possest1
13 Do what I can to ese thy smart
14 thow wylt not let to love her styll
15 hyrs & not myn I se thow Art
16 let her do by the As she wyll
17 A carefull carkace full of payn
18 now hast thow lefft to morne for thee{{th}+e+}
19 the hart ons gone the body ys slayn
20 that euer{u'} I saw her wo ys me
f. [16r]
21 Myn Iye alas was cawse of thys
22 whyche her to se had neuer{u'} hys ffyll
23 to me that syght full bytter ys
24 in Recompence of my good wyll
25 She that I sarve all other above
26 hathe payd my hyre as ye may se
27 I was vnhappy & that I prove
28 to love Above my poore degre
Iohn crow to serve / 'v'2 hondyrd /
Notes & Glosses
[edit | edit source] 1. It is unusual to have each line of the stanza capitalized.
2. The lines represented by single quotes are upper virgules.
Commentary
[edit | edit source]Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt,[1] this poem was entered by H2. "Alas poore man what hap have I" describes the complaint of a poor man who loves above his degree.
The first word of each line is capitalized, which is an unusual embellishment in the manuscript.
Works Cited
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