blame not my lute for he must sownde

The Devonshire Manuscript · Wikibooks

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    The Devonshire Manuscript
    Bibliography A-M  |  Bibliography N-Z  |  Encoded Materials

    ←If that I cowlde in versis close my hart ys set nat to remowe→
    Illustration
    The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 64r
    Illustration
    The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 64v

     f. [64r] 

    1    3blame not my lute for he must sownde
    2    of thes or that as liketh me
    3    for lake of wytt the lutte is bownde
    4    To gyve suche tunes as plesithe me
    5    tho my songes be sumewhat strange
    6    & spekes suche wordes as toche thy change
    7    blame not my lutte

    8    my lutte alas doth not ofende
    9    tho that per{p+}forne he must agre
    10    to sownde suche teunes as I entende
    11    to sing to them that herth me
    12    then tho my songes be song somewhat plain
    13    & tochethe some that vse to fayn
    14    blame not my lutte

    15    my lute & strynges{es} may not deny
    16    but as I strike they must obay
    17    breke not them than soo wrongfully
    18    but wryeke thy selff some wyser way
    19    & tho the songes{es} whiche I endight
    20    to qwytt thy change with{w+t+} rightfull spight
    21    blame not my lute W

    f. [64v] 

    22    spyght askyth spight and changing changes{es}
    23    and falsyd faith must indes{es} be knowne
    24    the faute so grett the case so strange
    25    of right it must abrode be blown
    26    then sins that by thyn ovvn desartt
    27    my soinges{es} do tell how trew thou artt
    28    blame not my lute

    29    blame but the selffe that hast mysdown
    30    and well desaruide to haue blame
    31    change thou thy way so evyll begown
    32    & then my lute shall sownde that same
    33    but of tyll then my fyngeres play
    34    by they desartt thesr wontyd way
    35    blame not my lutte

    36    farwell vnknowne for tho thow brake
    37    {w+t+}{es} my stryngees in spight with grett desdayn
    38    yet haue I fownd owtt for thy sake
    39    stringees{es} for to strynge my lute agayne
    40    & yf perchance this folys he syme Rymyne
    41    Do do make the blesthtblushe at any tym
    42    blame natt my lutte

    Commentary

    Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt,[1] this poem was possibly entered by H1.1. Rebholz notes that the poem's meaning depends on the "defiance of expectation"; based on the first three stanzas, the speaker seems likely to take responsibility, but in the fourth and fifth stanzas he instead directs blame to the lady. "Art and the artist," in the words of Rebholz, "must present the truth, and the lady's infidelity is the truth."[2]

    John Hall composed a moralizing parody of this poem, set to music, which also appears in his work The Court of Virtue (c. 1565). In both instances, Hall writes a clerical response to secular love poems (such as those composed by Wyatt) and his title is a deliberate parody of the book The Court of Venus, which was one of the earliest printed texts containing Wyatt's poems. This poem was also sung with a lute: MS 448.16, located at the Folger Library, preserves a lute score. Rebholz states that the composer did not produce the score specifically for Wyatt's poem, but based it from an older Italian musical pattern that was used for adapting poetry to music.[3]

    Works Cited

    1. ↑ R.A. Rebholz, ed. Sir Thomas Wyatt: The Complete Poems. London: Penguin, 1978. 129-30.
    2. ↑ ibid., 407.
    3. ↑ ibid., 407.


    Textual Notes

    Texts Collated

    LSlo3501

    Collation

    1 blame not my lute for he must sownde] blam not my luyt LSlo3501
    2 of thes or that as liketh me] LSlo3501
    3 for lake of wytt the lutte is bownde] LSlo3501
    4 To gyve suche tunes as plesithe me] LSlo3501
    5 tho my songes be sumewhat strange] LSlo3501
    6 & spekes suche wordes as toche thy change] LSlo3501
    7 blame not my lutte ] LSlo3501
    8 my lutte alas doth not ofende] LSlo3501
    9 tho that erforne he must agre ] LSlo3501
    10 to sownde suche tennes as I entende] LSlo3501
    11 to sing to them that herth] LSlo3501
    12 me then tho my songes be song somewhat plain] LSlo3501
    13 & tochethe some that vse to fayn] LSlo3501
    14 blame not my lutte] LSlo3501
    15 my lute & strynges may not deny] LSlo3501
    16 but as I strike they must obay] LSlo3501
    17 breake not them than soo wrongfully] LSlo3501
    18 but wryeke thy selff some wyser way] LSlo3501
    19 & tho the songes whiche I endight] LSlo3501
    20 to qwytt thy change with rightfull spight] LSlo3501
    21 blame not my lute] LSlo3501
    22 spyght askyth spight and changing changes] LSlo3501
    23 and falsyd faith must indes be knowne] LSlo3501
    24 tho fautees so grett the case so strange] LSlo3501
    25 of right it must abrode be blown] LSlo3501
    26 then sins that by thyn ovvn desartt] LSlo3501
    27 my soinges do tell how trew thou artt] LSlo3501
    28 blame not my lute] LSlo3501
    29 blame but the selffe that hast mysdown] LSlo3501
    30 and well desaruide to haue blame] LSlo3501
    31 change thou thy way so evyll begown] LSlo3501
    32 & then my lute shall sownde that same] LSlo3501
    33 but of tyll then my fyngeres play] LSlo3501
    34 by they desartt thesr wontyd way] LSlo3501
    35 blame not my lutte] LSlo3501
    36 farwell vnknowne for tho thow brake] LSlo3501
    37 my stryngees in spight with grett desdayn] LSlo3501
    38 yet haue I fownd owtt for they sake] LSlo3501
    39 stringees for to strynge my lute agayne] LSlo3501
    40 & yf perchance this folys he syme Rymynne] LSlo3501
    41 Do do make the blesthtblushe at any tym] LSlo3501
    42 blame natt my lutte] LSlo3501