Xx. Early Elizabethan Period

_Examples of Reformed Metre from Wyatt, Surrey, and other Poets before Spenser._

(_a_) Wyatt (sonnet)

The long[e] | love that | in my | thought I | harbèr And in | my heart | doth keep | his re|sidence, Into | my face | presseth | with bold | pretence, And there | campèth | display|ing his | bannèr: She that | me learns | to love | and to | suffèr, And wills | that my | trust and | lust[e]s neg|ligence Be rein|ed by rea|son, shame, | and rev|erence, With his | hardì|ness tak|ès dis|pleasùre, Wherewith | love to | the hart[e]s | forest | he fleèth, Leaving | his en|terprise | with pain | and cry, And there | him hi|deth and | not àp|pearèth. | What may | I do? | when my | master | feareth, But in | the field | with him | to live | and die, For good | is thè | life end|ing faith|fully.

(I formerly scanned line 9:

Wherewith | love to |the hart's fo|rest he | fleèth.

But "forèst" is so frequent and makes such a much better rhythm that perhaps it should be preferred. It will, however, emphasise still further the poet's curious uncertainty about the "-_eth_" rhymes--whether he shall arrange them on that syllable only, or take in the penultimate. Besides this point, the student should specially notice the pains taken to get, not merely the feet, but the syllables right at the cost sometimes of pretty strongly "wrenched" accent. On all this see Book II. The final _è_'s are rather a curiosity than important: longè _may_ have been sounded, "lust_e_" and "hart_e_" (so printed in Tottel) improbably.)

(_b_) Wyatt (lyric stanza):

Forget | not yet | the tried | intent Of such | a truth | as I | have meant, My great | travàil, | so glad|ly spent, Forget | not yet!

Forget | not yet | when first | began The wea|ry life | ye know, | since whan The suit, | the ser|vice, none | tell can-- Forget | not yet!

(It will be observed that this rondeau-like motion, with its short lines and frequent repetition, is brought off better than the sonnet, though the French accent sticks in _travàil_.)

(_c_) Surrey (sonnet):

I nev|er saw | my la|dy lay | apart Her cor|net black, | in cold | nor yet | in heat, Sith first | she knew | my grief | was grown | so great; Which o|ther fan|cies dri|veth from | my heart, That to | myself | I do | the thought | reserve, The which | unwares | did wound | my woe|ful breast. But on | her face | mine eyes | mought ne|ver rest Yet, since | she knew | I did | her love, | and serve Her gold|en tress|es clad | alway | with black, Her smil|ing looks | that hid[es] | thus ev|ermore And that | restrains | which I | desire | so sore. So doth | this cor|net gov|ern me, | alack! In sum|mer sun, | in win|ter's breath, | a frost Whereby | the lights | of her | fair looks | I lost.

(Observe how much more surely and lightly the younger poet treads in the uncertain pioneer footsteps of the elder.)

(_d_) Surrey ("poulter's measure"):

Good la|dies, ye | that have || your pleas|ures in | exile, Step in | your foot, | come take | a place | and mourn | with me | a while; And such | as by, | their lords || do set | but lit|tle price, Let them | sit still, | it skills | them not | what chance | come on | the dice. But ye | whom love | hath bound || by or|der of | desire To love | your lords, | whose good | deserts | none oth|er would | require, Come ye | yet once | again || and set |your foot | by mine, Whose wo|ful plight | and sor|rows great | no tongue | can even | define.

(Very little to be said for it, except as a school of regular rhythm. Broken up into "short measure" (6, 6, 8, 6) it has been not ineffective in hymns.)

(_e_) Gascoigne (lyric stanza):

Sing lull|aby, | as wom|en do, Wherewith | they bring | their babes | to rest, And lull|aby | can I | sing too, As wom|anly | as can | the best. With lull|aby | they still | the child; And if | I be | not much | beguiled, Full ma|ny wan|ton babes | have I Which must | be stilled | with lull|aby.

(_f_) Turberville (lyric stanza):

As I | in this | have done | your will, And mind | to do, So I | request | you to | fulfil My fan|cy too, A green | and lov|ing heart | to have, And this | is all | that I | do crave.

(Observe in both of these the absolute syllabic regularity, and _observance_ of foot-rhythm.)