sig: [A1] | |
¶Here begynneth a complaynt of a dolorous Louer, vpon sugred wordes / and fayned countenaunce. | |
¶I say in ryght is reason / in truste is treason. | |
The loue of a woman / doth laste but a season. | |
sig: [A1v] | |
sig: A2 | |
O What dyscomforte / o what dueyll dueyll: =dole, 'grief'; see OED s.v. dole, dool, dule n2 | |
What greuaunce / o what syghes depe | |
Thus from my pleasure / for to recuyll | |
By force of her / from whens my paynes doth crepe | |
5 | To wepynge teres / tourned is my slepe |
O what rage / to loue such a fygure | |
Uoyded of pytie / replyte with rygure. | |
¶O what hope, what solace / of suche seruyce | |
O how am I / with dolour furnysshed | |
10 | O what dyspayre / what sadnes, what dystres |
As one in bytter / tourmentes garnysshed | |
With paynfull thoughtes / thus to be banysshed | |
From her that hath / aboue all creatures | |
My herte, and shall / whyle the worlde endures. | |
15 | ¶Where I haue euer / ben constant and true |
Content and glad / aboue all measure | |
To do that thynge / that myght ensure | |
To her delyght / and dayly pleasure | |
O dolorous tourment / that I endure | |
20 | Thus vnkyndly / to be forsaken |
Wolde god rayther / deth had me taken. | |
¶O what recomforte / shuld I now haue | |
For the langoure / wherin I am wrapped | |
Ha loue vntrue / thou doest me dysceyue | |
25 | By the semblaunce / that I of the receyued |
Helas syth I / no sooner perceyued | |
The sodayne stroke / of thy vnkyndnesse | |
Which deedly dothe / my herte oppresse. | |
sig: [A2v] | |
¶Helas to longe / haue I attended | |
30 | My greuous payne / to deth hath me brought |
And where to loue / I condyscended | |
Repent I can not / though I it dere hath bought | |
My trouth, and fydelyte / is nowe set at nought | |
Helas moche better / had ben for me | |
35 | With bestes to haue lyued / that vnknowen be. |
¶And there to haue eten rootes / and grasse grene | |
And taken my rest / in places dysconserte dysconserte: ='uncomfortable'? 'isolated'? Not recorded in OED, but see consert adj. | |
And neuer with woman / to haue be sene | |
But so to haue lyued / in places deserte | |
40 | Then had I not knowen / the causour of my smerte |
Whiche lytell regardeth / my loue assured | |
But with vnkyndnes / my paynes hath procured. | |
¶Whiche are so greuous / that causeth me dayly | |
To crye and call / for deth moste sodayne | |
45 | Wyllynge for her to dye / more gladly |
Then to haue lyfe / with her dysdayne | |
Nowe out of hope / I do remayne | |
Euer to reioyce / in playe or dysporte | |
But styll to endure / without comforte. | |
50 | ¶So with complayntes / and regretes pyteous |
Uoyded of all ioye / and pleasure dylectable | |
By force wherof / constrayned to do thus | |
My lyfe to lede / with syghes lamentable | |
Thus is my grefe / uncomparable | |
55 | And the remembraunce / of her swete face |
From my iyes / maketh the teres ronne a_pace. | |
sig: A3 | |
¶Thus do I thynke / o what dyspleasure | |
What grefe / what offence, haue I done | |
Helas what thynge / shuld her procure | |
60 | Thus me / for to forsake so soone |
For my true herte / it is small guerdone | |
O then what cause / haue I for to complayne | |
That for loue / suche doloure doth sustayne. | |
¶O what sorowe / what syghes, with lamentacyons | |
65 | What cryes, what wepynges / and what langoure |
What dueyll tourmented / of dyuers facyons | |
What rygoure, what payne / what doloure | |
O false dysdayne / howe myght thou endure | |
Thy-selfe / in suche a place, to present | |
70 | Where-as pytie / shuld haue ben resydent. |
¶Helas my dayes / are shortened by the | |
And by the procurement / of thy rewarde | |
Wherfore I may / lament incessantly | |
My wyttes trobled / my body sore apparde apparde: =appaired | |
75 | The roote of my sorowe / hath no regarde |
To my dyscomforte / and deedly payne | |
Wherfore with wo to lyue / I muste be fayne. | |
¶Helas haue I not / then great wronge | |
Syth my lyfe is abrydged / and made shorte | |
80 | And that for her / my sorowes stronge |
Whiche dayly doth / to me resorte | |
Is causoure / of my dyscomforte | |
Not consyderynge / my mortall payne | |
And greuous sorowes / that I sustayne. | |
sig: [A3v] | |
85 | ¶Causeles exempte / from her fauoure |
Without equyte / reason, or ryght | |
Helas syth Iustyce / hath no powre | |
Trouth and fydelyte / leseth theyr myght | |
Fayned countenaunce / hath blynded my syght | |
90 | Whom I thought faythfull / had ben alwayes |
With cruell dysdayne / my wages payes. | |
Nothynge in erthe / so moche dyd me please | |
As to her laude / or commendacyon | |
Gyuen vnto her / it dyd my herte moche ease | |
95 | And also no trouble / syckenes nor vexacyon |
Thus me to grefe / was none occasyon | |
But her vnkyndnes / whom I supposed | |
Her sugred wordes / had not ben glosed. | |
¶Whiche as me-semed / was able to constrayne | |
100 | The power of dethe / to withdrawe his hande |
But now helas / my hope is all in vayne | |
I haue it loste / that shuld withstande | |
That was my ioye / is nowe my wande | |
My scorge my tourment / and my trauelle | |
105 | Worse to endure / then the paynes of helle. |
¶By force wherof / dymmed is my syght | |
My wyttes rauysshed / my lyfe is wery | |
My herynge stopped / my speche hath no myght | |
Thus is there nothynge / can me mery | |
110 | My dessperat dolour / my body wolde bery |
The longer I lyue / the more is my payne | |
Wherfore to dye / I wolde be glad and fayne. | |
sig: [A4] | |
¶My hole desyre / is to be alone | |
That I may haue her / in remembraunce | |
115 | That is the causoure / of my mone |
The roote and grounde / of all my greuaunce | |
Helas nowe haue I loste / my vtteraunce | |
My tonge is faynt / to crye or call | |
My voyce is feble / with lyfe ryght small. | |
120 | ¶Constraynt of wo / causeth the teres |
From my iyes / plentuously to dystyll | |
Suche habundaunce / of sorowe my herte beres | |
That my tonge can not / vtter th'effecte of my wyll | |
My greuous herte / my body doth fyll | |
125 | Thus dyenge, and not deed / I do endure |
A hertles body / without pleasure. | |
¶Thus adieu, farewell / all ioye and pleasure | |
Adieu all companye / of myrth and dyssporte | |
Adieu all luthynge / with songe or daunce | |
130 | Where in tymes past / I had comforte |
But nowe helas / I muste resorte | |
Unto that doloure / of dolours most dolorous | |
The payne of paynes / then deth more greuous. | |
¶ Finis. |
|
¶Imprynted by me Robert_wyer, dwellynge at the sygne of saynt Iohnn_Euangelyst / in saynt_Martyns parysshe, besyde charyng_crosse, in norwytch rentes. | |
¶ Cum priuilegio regali. | |
sig: [A4v] |