The Devonshire Manuscript/Suffryng in sorow in hope to attayn
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Introduction | Contributors | Textual Introduction |
| ←I lowe lovyd and so doithe she | My ferefull hope from me ys fledd→ |
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f. [6v]
1 Suffryng in sorow in hope to attayn
2 fforget thys desyryng in fere & dare not com{_o}playn
3 trew of beleffe in whome ys all my trust
4 do thow apply to ease me off my payn
5 els thus to ser{{s}8}ve & suffer styll I must
6 yt ysworhyHope ys my hold / yet in dyspayre to speke
7 I dryve from tyme to tyme & dothe not Reke
8 how long to lyve thus after loves lust
9 in studye styll of that I dare not breke
10 wherfore to ser{{s}8}ve & suffer styll I must
11 Encrease of care I fynd bothe day & nyght
12 I hate that was sum{_u}tyme all my delyght
13 the cawse theroff ye know I have dyscust
14 & yet to Reffrayn yt passythe my myght
15 wherfore to ser{{s}8}ve & suffer styll I must
16 Love who so lyst at lengthe he shall well say
17 to love & lyve in fere yt ys no play
18 Record that knowythe & yf thys be not Iust
19 that where as love dothe lede there ys no way
20 But ser{{s}8}ve & suffer euer styll he must
f. [7r]
21 Then for to leve with{w+t+} losse of lybertye
22 at last per{p+}chawnce shall be hys remedye
23 & for hys trewthe requit with{w+t+} fals mystrust
24 who wold not rew to se how wrongfullye
25 thus for to ser{{s}8}ve & suffer styll he must
26 Vntrew be trust oftymes hathe me betrayd
27 mysvsyng my hope styll to be delayd
28 fortune allways I have the{{th}+e+} fownd vnIust
29 & so with{w+t+} lyke rewarde now am I payd
30 that ys to ser{{s}8}ve & suffer styll I must
31 Neuer{u'} to cesse nor yet lyke to attayn
32 as long as I in fere dare not complayn
33 trew of beleff hathe allways ben my trust
34 & tyll she knowythye the cawse of all my payn
35 content to ser{{s}8}ve & suffer styll I must
on [] sarwes
ondesyard sarwes
reqwer no hyar
May Mary Shelton
ffynys
Commentary
[edit | edit source]Scholars have attributed two possible authors to the poem "Suffryng in sorow in hope to attayn." In 1922, Eleanor Prescott Hammond attributed the poem to Sir Thomas Wyatt, noting evidence of his "literary 'gallantry.'"[1]. In the same vein, R.A. Rebholz has attributed the poem to Sir Thomas Wyatt and has included it in his edition of Wyatt's works.[2] This poem has also been attributed to Thomas Clere, who was Mary Shelton’s admirer in the 1540s.[3]
The poem appears on the page as an acrostic entered by H2 on 6v and 7r. The first letter of every stanza, taken together, forms the name "SHELTVN."[4] A response appears at the bottom of the page, which Siemens et al. have attributed to Mary Shelton's hand: “ondesyred sarwes / reqwer no hyar / may mary shelton" [undesired service / requires no hire] (7r).[5] While the poem includes all the elements of a standard complaint of a lover to his love, this unsympathetic response, coupled with the marginalia "fforget thys," recognized as Margaret Douglas' hand, indicates an active reading and engagement with the poem. Indeed, Shelton replies to Douglas' response with "yt ys worthy [sic]," thereby arguing in favour of the poem's literary merits.[6] Elizabeth Heale argues that Shelton's original dismissive response could simply be part of "the conventional exchange of courtly verse."[7]
Works Cited
[edit | edit source]- ↑ Eleanor Prescott Hammond, "Poems 'Signed' by Sir Thomas Wyatt," Modern Language Notes 37 (1922): 505.
- ↑ R.A. Rebholz, ed., Sir Thomas Wyatt: The Complete Poems (London: Penguin, 1978), 268.
- ↑ Richard C. Harrier, ed., The Canon of Sir Thomas Wyatt's Poetry (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1975), 45.
- ↑ Paul Remley, "Mary Shelton and Her Tudor Literary Milieu," in Rethinking the Henrician Era: Essays on Early Tudor Texts and Contexts, ed. Peter C. Herman (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1994), 50, 70n45.
- ↑ Ray Siemens, Karen Armstrong, and Barbara Bond, "The Devil is in the Details: An Electronic Edition of the Devonshire MS (British Library Additional MS 17,492), its Encoding and Prototyping," in New Technologies and Renaissance Studies, eds. William R. Bowen and Ray Siemens (Tempe: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2008), 79-80.
- ↑ For a discussion of this reader response, see: Elizabeth Heale, "Women and the Courtly Love Lyric: The Devonshire MS (BL Additional 17492)," Modern Language Review 90.2 (1995): 301-2 and Bradley Irish, "Gender and Politics in the Henrician Court: The Douglas-Howard Lyrics in the Devonshire Manuscript (BL Add 17492),” Renaissance Quarterly 64.1 (2011): 88. Notably, Irish considers Douglas' utterance, here and elsewhere, as her exploration of courtly love themes and misogynist tendencies that litter the discourse (88).
- ↑ Heale, 301.
Textual Notes
[edit | edit source]Texts Collated
[edit | edit source]Collation
[edit | edit source]1 sorow] sorrowe DBla18 attayn] attayne DBla18
2 desyryng] Desyring DBla18 fere &] ffeare I DBla18 dare] dar DBla18 complayn] complayne DBla18
3 trew] trowe DBla18 of] in DBla18 beleffe] belyefe DBla18
4 thow] thou DBla18 apply] aplye DBla18 off] of DBla18 payn] payne DBla18
5 els] for elys DBla18 thus] DBla18 serve] serue DBla18 & suffer] and ssuffyr DBla18
6 Hope] Hoppe DBla18 /] DBla18 to] I DBla18 speke] speake DBla18
7 from] ffrom DBla18 to tyme] DBla18 dothe] do DBla18 Reke] recke DBla18
8 lyve] love DBla18 loves] louys DBla18
9 studye] stody DBla18 dare] dar DBla18 breke] brake DBla18
10 wherfore] wherffore DBla18 serve] serue DBla18 &] and DBla18 suffer] suffyr DBla18
11 Encrease] Increas DBla18 fynd] ffynd DBla18 &] and DBla18
12 hate] hat DBla18 was] DBla18 sumtyme] sometyme DBla18 all] was DBla18 delyght] most delyght DBla18
13 cawse] cause DBla18 theroff] therof DBla18 have] haue DBla18 dyscust] dyscost DBla18
14 &] and DBla18 Reffrayn] reffrayne DBla18
15 wherfore] Wherfor DBla18 serve] serue DBla18 &] and DBla18
16 lengthe] lenthe DBla18 say] saye DBla18
17 &] and DBla18 lyve] leve DBla18 fere] feare DBla18 play] playe DBla18
18 Record] record DBla18 knowythe] knowith DBla18 &] DBla18 thys] this DBla18 not] notyd DBla18
19 where] wher DBla18 way] nay DBla18
20 But] but DBla18 serve] serue DBla18 &] and DBla18 euer styll he] styll allwaye I DBla18
21 for] ffor DBla18 leve] lyve DBla18
22 perchawnce] perchaunce DBla18 shall be] shalbe DBla18 hys] his DBla18
23 & for hys trewthe] and ffor his truthe DBla18 requit] qud DBla18 fals] ffals DBla18 mystrust] mistrust DBla18
24 to] t DBla18 how] when DBla18 wrongfullye] wrongffullye DBla18
25 for] DBla18 serve] serue DBla18 &] and DBla18 he] I DBla18
26 Vntrew be trust] Vntruthe by trust DBla18 oftymes] oft tymes DBla18 betrayd] betrayed DBla18
27 mysvsyng] misvsyng DBla18 hope] hoppe DBla18 delayd] delayed DBla18
28 allways] allway DBla18 have] haue DBla18 vn Iust] vniost DBla18
29 lyke] lyk DBla18 rewarde] reward DBla18 am I] hast thou me DBla18 payd] payed DBla18
30 serve] serue DBla18 suffer] suffyr DBla18
31 Neuer to cesse nor yet lyke to attayn] DBla18
32 as long as I in fere dare not complayn] DBla18
33 trew of beleff hathe allways ben my trust] DBla18
34 & tyll she knowythye the cawse of all my payn] DBla18
35 content to serve & suffer styll I must] DBla18