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Sir Thomas Wyatt
1503-1542

1     Madam, withouten many words
2         Once I am sure ye will or no ...
3     And if ye will, then leave your bourds
4         And use your wit and show it so,
5     And with a beck ye shall me call;
6         And if of one that burneth alway
7     Ye have any pity at all,
8         Answer him fair with & {.} or nay.
9     If it be &, {.} I shall be fain;
10       If it be nay, friends as before;
11   Ye shall another man obtain,
12       And I mine own and yours no more.

1     They flee from me that sometime did me seek
2     With naked foot, stalking in my chamber.
3     I have seen them gentle, tame, and meek,
4     That now are wild and do not remember
5     That sometime they put themself in danger
6     To take bread at my hand; and now they range,
7     Busily seeking with a continual change.

8     Thanked be fortune it hath been otherwise
9     Twenty times better; but once in special,
10   In thin array after a pleasant guise,
11   When her loose gown from her shoulders did fall,
12   And she me caught in her arms long and small;
13   Therewithall sweetly did me kiss
14   And softly said, "dear heart, how like you this?"

15   It was no dream: I lay broad waking.
16   But all is turned thorough my gentleness
17   Into a strange fashion of forsaking;
18   And I have leave to go of her goodness,
19   And she also, to use newfangleness.
20   But since that I so kindly am served
21   I would fain know what she hath deserved.

© 2000 Elena and Yacov Feldman