The Devonshire Manuscript/Beholde love thye powre how she despisith

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←All yn the sight my lif doth hole depende

thou haste no faith of him that eke hath none→

f. [69v]

1    Beholde love thye powre how she despisith
2    my grete greef how little she regardith
3    thy hollye oth where of she takis no cure
4    brokin she hathe / & yet she bidith sure /
   beholde love

5    Right at her ease and littill she dreadithe
6    thou haste weapon vnarmid she syttithe
7    to the distainefull / her lyf she ledeth /
8    to me dispitefull with{w+t+}out cause or me^asure
   beholde love /

9    I am in holde if pitye the me withe moveth
10    go bende thy bowe that stony hartes{es} brekith
11    and with{w+t+} some st^roke reveng the displeasure
12    of the and him that sorrowes doth endure
13    and as his lord the lowlye entreathe /
   beholde&c

fs

Commentary

Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt,^[1] this poem was entered by H8. The poem also appears in Tottel's Miscellany under the title “Request to cupide for reuenge of his vnkind loue” (item 69).^[2] In the lyric, the speaker complains that his beloved is unkind and asks Cupid (love) for revenge against her stony heart. Rebholz notes that Wyatt's most likely based his poem on Petrarch's Rime 121, but he adapted the poem's form to a rondeau (thirteen lines). Alternatively, Wyatt may have gained inspiration from an unknown French rondeau based on Petrarch's poem.^[3] The version in Tottel's Miscellany adapts the poem into a sonnet form by expanding the refrain and omitting the last refrain.

H8 brackets each stanza and places the refrain in the right margin.

Works Cited

Textual Notes

Texts Collated

STC13860_02, LEge04

Collation

1 Beholde Beholde, LEge04 BEhold, STC_13860_02 love] love looue, LEge04 Loue, STC_13860_02 thye] thy LEge04 STC_13860_02 powre] power LEge04 STC_13860_02 she] shee LEge04 despisith] dispiseth: LEge04 despiseth: STC_13860_02
2 my grete greef] My great payne LEge04 My greuous payn STC_13860_02 little] litle LEge04 STC_13860_02 she] shee LEge04 regardith] regardeth. LEge04 regardeth, STC_13860_02
3 thy hollye oth] the holy oth, LEge04 The solemne othe, STC_13860_02 where of] wherof LEge04 STC_13860_02 takis] takes takes LEge04 takes STC_13860_02 cure] cure: LEge04 cure, STC_13860_02
4 brokin] broken LEge04 Broken STC_13860_02 she] shee LEge04 hathe /] hath : LEge04 hath: STC_13860_02 & yet] and yet, LEge04 STC_13860_02 she] shee LEge04 bidith] bideth LEge04 bydeth STC_13860_02 sure /] sure, LEge04 STC_13860_02 beholde love] LEge04 STC_13860_02
5 ease] ease : LEge04 ease, STC_13860_02 and littill she dreadithe] litle shee thee dredeth. LEge04 and litle thee she dredeth. STC_13860_02
6 thou haste weapon] Wepened thou art: LEge04 Weaponed thou art, STC_13860_02 vnarmid she syttithe] and shee vnarmed sitteth: LEge04 and she vnarmed sitteth: STC_13860_02
7 to] Too LEge04 To STC_13860_02 the] thee LEge04 distainefull /] disdaynfull, LEge04 disdainful, STC_13860_02 her lyf] all / her liffe LEge04 all her life STC_13860_02 she] shee LEge04 ledeth /] ledeth: LEge04 leadeth: STC_13860_02
8 to me dispitefull] Too mee spitefull, LEge04 To me spitefull, STC_13860_02 without] withoute LEge04 cause] cause, LEge04 iust cause, STC_13860_02 measure] mesure. LEge04 measure. STC_13860_02 beholde love /] LEge04 STC_13860_02
8.1 ] Beholde, love: looue: LEge04 Behold Loue, how proudly she triumpheth, STC_13860_02
9 am] ame LEge04 holde] holde: LEge04 hold, STC_13860_02 if] but if STC_13860_02 pitye the] pitie thee LEge04 thee pitie STC_13860_02 me withemevvith] meveth LEge04 meueth: STC_13860_02
10 go] goo, LEge04 Go, STC_13860_02 bende] bend LEge04 STC_13860_02 bowe] bowe: LEge04 bow, STC_13860_02 hartes] herte LEge04 brekith] breketh: LEge04 breaketh: STC_13860_02
11 and] And, LEge04 And STC_13860_02 stroke] stroke, LEge04 stroke STC_13860_02 reveng] revenge LEge04 reuenge STC_13860_02 displeasure] great displeasure STC_13860_02
12 of] Of STC_13860_02 the] thee LEge04 thee, STC_13860_02 and him that] & him: that LEge04 and himthat STC_13860_02 sorrowes] sorrowe LEge04 sorow STC_13860_02 doth] doeth LEge04 endure] endure: LEge04 endure, STC_13860_02
13 and] And, LEge04 And STC_13860_02 lord] lorde, / LEge04 Lord STC_13860_02 the] thee LEge04 STC_13860_02 lowlye] lowely, / LEge04 lowly STC_13860_02 entreathe /] here entreath entreateth. LEge04 here entreateth STC_13860_02
13.1 ] Beholde, love. looue. LEge04 STC_13860_02

[1] R.A. Rebholz, ed. Sir Thomas Wyatt: The Complete Poems. London: Penguin, 1978. 71.

[2] Tottel's Miscellany: Songes and Sonettes. Richard Tottel, 1557; rpt. Exeter: Shearsman, 2010. 61.

[3] Rebholz, 337.

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