The Devonshire Manuscript/The fruite of all the seruise that I serue

f. [72r]

1    The fruite of all the ser {{s}8} uise that I ser {{s}8} ue 2    Dispaire doth repe such haples hap have I 3    but tho he have no powre to make me swarve 4    yet bye the fire for colde I fele I dye / 5    In paradis for hunger {g'} still I sterve 6    and In the flowde / for thurste to deth I drye 7    so tantalus am I and yn worst payne 8    andyd es {es} my helpe / &amp; helples dothe remayne /s amidst

fs

Commentary
Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt, this poem was entered by H8. This poem features an interesting use of Petrarch’s contraries: the speaker feels cold by the fire, hungers in paradise, and thirsts in a flood. Despite the proximity of the adored, the speaker remains despondent.