The Devonshire Manuscript/Me list no more to sing

f. [74v]

1    Me list no more to sing 2    of love nor of suche thing 3    howe sore that {{th}+t+} yt me wring 4    for what I song or spake 5    men dede my songis mistake /

6    my songes {es} ware to defuse 7    theye made folke to muse 8    therefor me to excuse 9    theye shall be song more plaine 10    nothr of Ioye nor payne /

11    What vailith then to sy skyp 12    at fructe over the lipp 13    w1for frute with {w+t+} outen taste 14    Dothe noght but rott &amp; waste

15    What vailith vndre kaye 16    to kepe treasure alwaye 17    that never shall se daye 18    yf yt be not vsid 19    yt ys but abusid

20    What vaylethe the flowre 21    to stond still and whither. 22    yf no man yt savor 23    yt servis onlye for sight 24    and fadith towardes {es} night

25    Therefore fere not tessaye to essay 26    to gadre ye that ye maye 27    the flower that this daye 28    is fresher then the next 29    marke well I saye this text

30    Let not the frute be lost 31    that is desired moste 32    Delight shall quite the {{th}+e+} coste 33    yf hit be tane in tyme / 34    small labor is to clyme

35    and as for siche treasure 36    that makithe the the Richer 37    and no dele the porer 38    when it is gyven or lente 39    {_e} {es} me thinckes yt ware well spente

40    Yf this be undre miste 41    and not well playnlye wyste 42    vndrestonde me who lyste 43    for I reke not a bene 44    I wott what I doo mean fs

Notes & Glosses
1.   The mark may be scribal and intended to designate the omitted line. The same mark occurs on 74r.

Commentary
Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt, this poem was entered by H8 and elaborates on a carpe diem theme.

H8 uses various modes to mark stanzas, but does so inconsistently. Some stanzas have one or a combination of the following: the first word of the first line is capitalized, the lines following the first line are indented, or a space is left to separate the stanza from the following. Some stanzas have no mark to differentiate them (especially stanzas seven and eight).