| 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] |