What should I say,

And if ye will, then leave your bourds,And use your wit, and show it so,And with a beck you shall me call,And if of one that burneth alwayYe have any pity at all,Answer him fair with yea or nay.If it be yea, I shall be fain;If it be nay, friends as before;Ye shall another man…

Patience, though I have notThe thing that I require,I must of force, God wot,Forbear my most desire;For no ways can I findTo sail against the wind.Patience, do what they willTo work me woe or spite,I shall content me stillTo think both day and night,To think and hold my peace,Since there is no redress.Patience, withouten blame,For…

And end that I have now begun;For when this song is sung and past,My lute be still, for I have done.As to be heard where ear is none,As lead to grave in marble stone,My song may pierce her heart as soon;Should we then sigh or sing or moan?No, no, my lute, for I have done.The…

For my goodwillTo be undone.And for redressOf all my pain,DisdainfulnessI have again.And for rewardOf all my smart,Lo, thus unheard,I must depart.Wherefore all yeThat after shallBy fortune be,As I am, thrall,Example takeWhat I have won,Thus for her sakeTo be undone.

To save thee from the blameOf all my grief and grame;And wilt thou leave me thus?Say nay, say nay!And wilt thou leave me thus,That hath loved thee so longIn wealth and woe among?And is thy heart so strongAs for to leave me thus?Say nay, say nay!And wilt thou leave me thus,That hath given thee my…

That for because her livelood was but thinWould needs go seek her townish sister’s house.She thought herself endured to much pain:The stormy blasts her cave so sore did souseThat when the furrows swimmed with the rainShe must lie cold and wet in sorry plight,And, worse than that, bare meat there did remainTo comfort her when…

Into my face presseth with bold pretence,And therein campeth, spreading his banner.She that me learneth to love and suffer,And wills that my trust and lust’s negligenceBe reined by reason, shame, and reverence,With his hardiness taketh displeasure.Wherewithal, unto the heart’s forest he fleeth,Leaving his enterprise with pain and cry;And there him hideth, and not appeareth.What may…

So sharp, so sore, and of such rate,Should end so soon and was begun so late?Is it possible?Is it possibleSo cruel intent,So hasty heat and so soon spent,From love to hate, and thence for to relent?Is it possible?Is it possibleThat any may findWithin one heart so diverse mind,To change or turn as weather and wind?Is…

Refuse it not, since it is offer’d,But take it to you gentlely.And though it be a small present,Yet good, consider graciouslyThe thought, the mind, and the intentOf him that loves you faithfully.It were a thing of small effectTo work my woe thus cruelly,For my good will to be abject:Therefore accept it lovingly.Pain or travel, to…

My great travail so gladly spent,Forget not yet.Forget not yet when first beganThe weary life ye know, since whanThe suit, the service, none tell can;Forget not yet.Forget not yet the great assays,The cruel wrong, the scornful ways;The painful patience in denays,Forget not yet.Forget not yet, forget not this,How long ago hath been and isThe mind…

The wearied mind straight from the heart departethFor to rest in his worldly paradiseAnd find the sweet bitter under this guise.What webs he hath wrought well he perceivethWhereby with himself on love he plainethThat spurreth with fire and bridleth with ice.Thus is it in such extremity brought,In frozen thought, now and now it standeth in…

Ye not forsake me that fair might ye befall,But they that sometime liked my company,Like lice away from dead bodies they crawl.Lo, what a proof in light adversity.But ye, my birds, I swear by all your bells,Ye be my friends, and so be but few else.