[With]-in my trewe careful herte ther is
So moche wo, and [eek] so litel blis, 45
That wo is me that ever I was bore;
For al that thing which I desyre I mis,
And al that ever I wolde nat, I-wis,
That finde I redy to me evermore;
And of al this I not to whom me pleyne. 50
For she that mighte me out of this bringe
Ne reccheth nat whether I wepe or singe;
So litel rewthe hath she upon my peyne.
Allas! whan sleping-time is, than I wake,
Whan I shulde daunce, for fere than I quake; 55
[Yow rekketh never wher I flete or sinke;]
This hevy lyf I lede for your sake,
Thogh ye ther-of in no wyse hede take,
[For on my wo yow deyneth not to thinke.]
My hertes lady, and hool my lyves quene! 60
For trewly dorste I seye, as that I fele,
Me semeth that your swete herte of stele
Is whetted now ageynes me to kene.
My dere herte, and best beloved fo,
Why lyketh yow to do me al this wo, 65
What have I doon that greveth yow, or sayd,
But for I serve and love yow and no mo?
And whylst I live, I wol do ever so;
And therfor, swete, ne beth nat evil apayd.
For so good and so fair as [that] ye be, 70
Hit were [a] right gret wonder but ye hadde
Of alle servants, bothe goode and badde;
And leest worthy of alle hem, I am he.
But never-the-les, my righte lady swete,
Thogh that I be unconning and unmete 75
To serve as I best coude ay your hynesse.
Yit is ther fayner noon, that wolde I hete,
Than I, to do yow ese, or elles bete
What-so I wiste were to [yow distresse].
And hadde I might as good as I have wille, 80
Than shulde ye fele wher it wer so or noon;
For in this worlde living is ther noon
That fayner wolde your hertes wil fulfille.
For bothe I love, and eek dreed yow so sore,
And algates moot, and have doon yow, ful yore, 85
That bet loved is noon, ne never shal;
And yit I wolde beseche yow of no more
But leveth wel, and be nat wrooth ther-fore,
And lat me serve yow forth; lo! this is al.
For I am nat so hardy ne so wood 90
For to desire that ye shulde love me;
For wel I wot, allas! that may nat be;
I am so litel worthy, and ye so good.
For ye be oon the worthiest on-lyve,
And I the most unlykly for to thryve; 95
Yit, for al this, [now] witeth ye right wele,
That ye ne shul me from your service dryve
That I nil ay, with alle my wittes fyve,
Serve yow trewly, what wo so that I fele.
For I am set on yow in swich manere 100
That, thogh ye never wil upon me rewe,
I moste yow love, and ever been as trewe
As any can or may on-lyve [here].
The more that I love yow, goodly free,
The lasse fynde I that ye loven me; 105
Allas! whan shal that harde wit amende?
Wher is now al your wommanly pitee,
Your gentilesse and your debonairtee,
Wil ye no thing ther-of upon me spende?
And so hool, swete, as I am youres al, 110
And so gret wil as I have yow to serve,
Now, certes, and ye lete me thus sterve,
Yit have ye wonne ther-on but a smal.
For, at my knowing, I do no-thing why,
And this I wol beseche yow hertely, 115
That, ther ever ye finde, whyl ye live,
A trewer servant to yow than am I,
Leveth [me] thanne, and sleeth me hardely,
And I my deeth to you wol al forgive.
And if ye finde no trewer [man than me], 120
[Why] will ye suffre than that I thus spille,
And for no maner gilt but my good wille?
As good wer thanne untrewe as trewe to be.
But I, my lyf and deeth, to yow obeye,
And with right buxom herte hoolly I preye, 125
As [is] your moste plesure, so doth by me;
Wel lever is me lyken yow and deye
Than for to any thing or thinke or seye
That mighte yow offende in any tyme.
And therfor, swete, rewe on my peynes smerte, 130
And of your grace granteth me som drope;
For elles may me laste ne blis ne hope,
Ne dwellen in my trouble careful herte.
1. Sh. nightes; _see_ l. 8. 2, 3. hir] Sh. theyre. 7. Ed. (1561) dispaired.
12. Sh. me; Ed. my. 14. _All insert_ now _before_ doth. 15. _It seems
necessary to repeat this line in order to start the series of rimes._ 16.
Sh. This loue that hathe me set; _I omit_ that, _and supply_ eek. 17. _I
supply_ he (i. e. Love).
19. Sh. and yit my; _I omit_ yit, _and supply_ fro. 24. _Supplied to
complete the rime from_ Compl. Mars, 189. 25. _Supplied from_ Compl. Pite,
22, 17. 26. _Supplied from_ Anelida, 307. 31. Sh. is eek. 32. Sh. The wyse
eknytte; Ph. The wise I-knyt (_corrupt?_) 33. Sh. hir she; _I omit_ she.
36. _Corrupt? Perhaps read_ richest creature. 40. Sh. fury. 42. _Read_ of
alle his? 44. Sh. In; _I read_ With-in. 45. _I supply_ eek.
50. _So in_ Anelida, 237. 54. Sh. _ins._ lo _after_ is. 55. Sh. _ins._ lo
_after_ fere. 56, 59. _Both lines are missing; supplied from_ Anelida, 181,
182. 57. Sh. _ins._ lo _after_ lede. 68. Sh. euer do. 70. _I supply_ that.
71. _I supply_ a. 72. Sh. _ins._ of _after_ bothe. 76. Sh. koude best; Ph.
_om._ best. 77. Sh. noon fayner. 78. Sh. youre; _read_ yow. 79. Sh. wist
that were; _om._ that. Sh. your hyenesse (_repeated from_ l. 76;
_wrongly_); _read_ yow distresse.
82. Sh. _ins._ þane _before_ is. 83. Sh. wille; Ph. Ed. wil. 86. Sh.
better. 88. Sh. leuethe; Ph. lovith. 96. _I supply_ now. 98. Sh. ne wil
(_for_ nil). 100. Ed. (1561) _has_ set so hy vpon your whele. 102. Sh. beon
euer. 103. Sh. man can; _I omit_ man. _I supply_ here; _the line is
imperfect_. 104. Sh. But the; _I omit_ But. 113. Ed. _om._ a.
114. Sh. nought; _read_ nothing. 116. Sh. whyles. 118. _I supply_ me. 120.
Sh. no trewer so verrayly; Ed. no trewer verely (_false rime_). 121. _I
supply_ Why. 124-133. _Unique stanza, in_ Ph. _only._ 126. _I supply_ is.
127. Ph. For wele; _omit_ For. 129. Ph. That yow myght offenden. 132. Ph.
no blisse. 133. Ph. dwelle withyn. _Colophon._ Ph. Explicit Pyte: dan
Chaucer Lauteire (?).
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