Sir Thomas Wyatt

If you are as fond of Wyatt as I am, you will enjoy these links.

• Complete Poems, Taken from the edition by A. K. Foxwell, University of London Press, 1913, and with modern versions and notes appended.
  
• Thomas Wyatt's Poetry Page at The Tudors Wiki (with a few examples set to music) ~
  

Fancy sonnets? Wyatt's translations of Petrarch introduced the sonnet to the English language. His most amazing accomplishment, however, may be fancying Henry's squeeze Anne Boleyn without losing his head.... and Goddess wonkettes will surely recall Robert Graves analysis of Wyatt's "They flee from me" in the White Goddess.

Sir Thomas Wyatt via The Other weBlog, 8/30/09

This update includes a few more poems - in particular some from Sir Thomas Wyatt - since many of the last batch were from the late Tudor period, we'll continue with this timeframe. Wyatt traveled abroad extensively, including a stay in Italy. Wyatt is credited with adapting the Petrarchian Sonnet form to English, using Italian rhyming patterns as his model.


While he wrote a substantial body of work, Wyatt himself never published. His verses were hand copied and passed around among  friends and courtiers in his time. His poems were later issued along with the works of some of his contemporaries as part of Tottel's Miscellany, the first published compendium of English verse. I have recently gone through and updated most of the Wyatt poems now in the collection to match specific versions from known manuscripts - theese are now noted for most of the poems.

Wyatt lived in very turbulent times. Two major influences in his life were his uneasy relationship with King Henry VIII, a very dangerous man, and his long friendship and love, perhaps unrequited, for Anne Boelyn - who is probably the subject of many of his poems. Wyatt was stripped of his wealth and property by the King, who also had him thrown in the Tower of London and very nearly beheaded (Anne and many of their contemporaries were not so lucky) amd sent away on many missions overseas, possibly to keep him away from court.


Boelyn's affair with the King, followed by her marriage, were painful for Wyatt, as shown in his writings, which express affection, sadness, betrayal, and bitterness. Much of his verse is on the changeable nature of love, though many pieces are very specific. Patience, Though I Have Not is from one of his imprisonments by the King, and the famous Whoso List to Hunt is his sad realization that Anne now belongs to the King, and he must stay away. Finally, Ye Olde Mule is a very bitter piece. Perhaps Wyatt would have had less vitriol if he knew how little time Anne had before she was beheaded as yet another victim of Henry's anger, jealousy and desire for succession.

1. Ye Olde Mule
2. Patience, Though I Have Not
3. Is It Possible
4. What Should I Say

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 - Additions

I recently ran across a cache of poems from 2003 that I failed to add to the collection. Not sure what the best poetic form of 'oops' is. I find that when you put things in a special place so that they won't get lost - they always get lost. Here are a few:

1. Sonnet by King James, I - Thanks to Nelson Miller
2. Elegy to the Memory of an Unfortunate Lady by Alexander Pope - Thanks to Bob Blair
3. Green Groweth the Holly by King Henry, VIII - Thanks to Nelson Miller
4. Pastime With Good Company by King Henry, VIII - Thanks to Nelson Miller
5. Though that men do call it dotage by King Henry, VIII - Thanks to Nelson Miller
6. Without Discord by King Henry, VIII - Thanks to Nelson Miller
7. Louisa M. Alcott: In Memoriam by Louise Chandler Moulton
8. To Papa by Louisa May Alcott
9. A Little Grey Curl by Louisa May Alcott
10. A. B. A. by Louisa May Alcott
11. Importune Me No More by Queen Elizabeth I - thanks to Nelson Miller
12. The Doubt of Future Foes by Queen Elizabeth I - thanks to Nelson Miller
13. On Monsieur's Departure, 1582 by Queen Elizabeth I - thanks to Nelson Miller