The Devonshire Manuscript/comforte thy self my wofull herte

f. [74r]

1    Confodre com {_o} forte thy self my wofull herte 2    or shortelye on thy self the wreke 3    for lengthe redoblithe dedelye smar {m'} te 4    Why sighys thou {{th}+u+} herte and will not breke

5    To waste in sighis were pitous deth 6    alas I find the faint and weake 7    enforce thye self to loose thye brethe 8    why sighis thou {{th}+u+} herte and will not breke

9    thou knowist right well that {{th}+t+} no redresse 10    is thus to pine and for to speke 11    perdye yt is remediles 12    why sighis thou {{th}+u+} then &amp; will not breke

13    yt ys to late for to refuse 14    the yoke when it is on thy neke 15    to shake yt of waylis not to muse 16    whye sighis thou {{th}+u+} then

17    to sobb &amp; sigh it ware but vaine 18    sins there is none that {{th}+t+} doth it Reke 19    {p2} {{th}+u+} alas thou dost prolong thye paine 20    why sighes {es}

21    Then in her sight to move her herte 22    seke on thy self. thy self to wreke 23    {m'} {{th}+u+} that she maye kno thou suffred smarte 24    sighe there thy laste / &amp; therewith {w+t+} breke/

fs

Commentary
Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt, this poem was entered by H8. The speaker in this poem can find no remedy for his love and wastes away with sighs. Rebholz notes that this poem shares the refrain with "Duress of pains and grievous smart," another poem written by Wyatt and found in Trinity College Dublin MS D.2.7 (Blage MS) and the Folger manuscript; this indicates that "Comforte thy self my wofull herte" may be an earlier version of the poem.

Texts Collated
LEge06

Collation
1     Confodrecomforte] Comfort LEge06     herte] hert LEge06 2     shortelye] shortly LEge06     the]  the LEge06 3     lengthe] length LEge06     redoblithe dedelye] redoubleth dedly LEge06     smarte] smert LEge06 4     Why] why LEge06     sighys] sighes LEge06     herte] hert LEge06     and will] &amp; woult LEge06 5     waste] wast LEge06     sighis] sight LEge06     pitous] pitious LEge06 6     find] fynd LEge06     faint] faynt LEge06     and] &amp; LEge06     weake] weke LEge06 7     thye] thy LEge06     loose] lose LEge06     thye] thy LEge06     brethe] breth LEge06 8     sighis] sighes LEge06     herte] hert LEge06     and will] &amp; woult LEge06 9     thou] Thou LEge06     knowist] knowest LEge06     redresse] redrese LEge06 10     pine] pyne LEge06 11     perdye yt] pardy it LEge06 12     sighis] sighes LEge06     will] woult LEge06 13     yt ys] It is LEge06 14     neke] neck LEge06 15     shake] shak LEge06     yt] it LEge06     waylis] vaileth LEge06 16     whye] why LEge06     sighis] sighes LEge06     thou then] thou then &amp; woult not breke LEge06 17     to] To LEge06     &amp;] and LEge06     ware] were LEge06     vaine] vain LEge06 18     sins] syns LEge06     doth] doeth LEge06     Reke] reke LEge06 19     dost] doyst LEge06     thye] thy LEge06     paine] pain LEge06 20     why sighes] why sighes thou then &amp; woult not breke LEge06 21     herte] hert LEge06 22     self .] self : LEge06 23     maye] may LEge06     kno] knowe LEge06     suffred] sufferdest LEge06     smarte] smert LEge06 24     sighe] sigh LEge06     laste /] last : LEge06     &amp;] and LEge06