The Devonshire Manuscript/What dethe is worsse then this

f. [74r]

1    What dethe is worsse then this 2    when my delight 3    my wordelye worldly Ioye and blise / 4    is from {_o} my sight 5    both daye and night 6    my lif alas I mis

7    wfor tho I seme alyve 8    my herte is hens 9    thus booteles for to striue 10    out of presens 11    of my defens 12    towardes {es} my dethe I dryve

13    harteles alas what man 14    maye long endure 15    alas how lyve I than 16    sins no recure 17    maye me assure 18    my lif I maye well banne

19    Thus doth my tormen {_e} t gro. 20    yn dedelye drede 21    alas who might lyve so. 22    alyve as ded 23    alif to leade 24    a dedelye liff in woo

fs /

Commentary
Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt, this poem was entered by H8. H4 enters another version of this poem on 39v, "What deth ys worse then thys /". The speaker in this poem laments the fact that he is more dead than alive because his beloved is far from his sight. The speaker plays on the figurative and literal meaning of “harteles” by portraying himself as at once living and dead.

H8 uses large capital letters in order to initiate each stanza and does not put a space between stanzas. He or she also begins the first line of stanzas 2, 3, and 4 slightly left of the following lines.

Texts Collated
LEge45, LDev057

Collation
1     dethe] deth LDev057 LEge45     is] ys LDev057     worsse] worse LDev057 LEge45     this] thys / LDev057 2     delight] delyght // LDev057 3     wordelyeworldly] wordly LDev057 wordlywele my LEge45     Ioye] Ioy LDev057     and] my LDev057 &amp; my LEge45     blise /] blysse / LDev057 blys LEge45 4     is] ys LDev057     sight] syght / LDev057 5     both] boeth LEge45     daye] day LDev057     and] &amp; LEge45     night] nyght / LDev057 nyght LEge45 6     lif] lyff LDev057 liff LEge45     mis] mys / LDev057 mys LEge45 7     for] For LDev057 ffor LEge45     tho] though LEge45     alyve] A lyve / LDev057 8     herte] hert LDev057 LEge45     is] ys LDev057     hens] hens / LDev057 9     booteles] botles LDev057 LEge45     striue] stryve / LDev057 stryve LEge45 10     out] owt LDev057 oute LEge45     of presens] off presens / LDev057 11     of] off LDev057     defens] defens / LDev057 12     towardes] toward LDev057 towerd LEge45     dethe] deth LDev057 LEge45     dryve] dryve / LDev057 13     harteles] Hertles LDev057 LEge45     alas] Alas LDev057     man] man / LDev057 14     maye] may LDev057 LEge45     long] longe LDev057     endure] endure / LDev057 15     alas] Alas LDev057 LEge45     than] than / LDev057 then LEge45 16     sins] syns LDev057 LEge45     recure] recure / LDev057 17     maye] may LDev057 LEge45     assure] Assure / LDev057 18     lif] lyff LDev057 liff LEge45     maye] may LDev057 LEge45     well] wele LDev057     banne] ban / LDev057 ban LEge45 19     Thus] Thys LDev057     doth] doeth LEge45     gro.] groo LDev057 20     yn dedelye] in dedly LDev057 LEge45     drede] dreede LDev057 dred LEge45 21     alas] Alas LDev057     might] myght LDev057 LEge45     so.] so / LDev057 22     alyve] Alyve LDev057     as] As LDev057     ded] deed LDev057 LEge45 23     alif] A lyffe LDev057 alyve LEge45     leade] leed LDev057 lede LEge45 24     a] A LDev057     dedelye] deedly LDev057 dedly LEge45     liff] lyffe LDev057 lyff LEge45     woo] woo / LDev057