The Devonshire Manuscript/Beholde love thye powre how she despisith

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 / &amp; 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 measure 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 stroke reveng the displeasure 12    of the and him that sorrowes doth endure 13    and as his lord the lowlye entreathe / beholde&amp;c

fs

Commentary
Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt, 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). 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. 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.

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