Although its theme is quite conventional, the poem
is notable for the subtle treatment of the speaker’s posi-
tion, which is expressed in the middle line of the
STANZA: “I may nat com her to” (I cannot come to her).
The lines just above and below, literally surrounding
the middle line, reinforce the speaker’s immobility.
Line 3 refers to his being “sore bounde,” but the reader
does not know whether he is bound by obligation,
physical constraint, or perhaps the command of the
beloved. In line 5, the lover’s heart is described as “in
hold”—that is, imprisoned. This phrase suggests that
his confi nement is at least partially metaphorical: he is
a prisoner of, and for, love.
The lyric is best known for its appearance in GEOF-
FREY CHAUCER’s “The NUN’S PRIEST’S TALE” as the song
that the rooster Chanticleer and his mate Pertelote are
in the habit of singing together at sunrise. There is a
mild irony in this lyric’s serving as the birds’ song, for
the tale relates how Chanticleer is stolen away by the
fox. Chanticleer is the one who must “faren in londe,”
while Pertelote becomes the lover who cannot follow
him.
Because the poem appears in “The Nun’s Priest’s
Tale,” which was written about 1396, it is more than a
century older than the single MANUSCRIPT in which it
appears, a collection of courtly short poems and verse
tales, including two by Chaucer and several by JOHN
LYDGATE, compiled about 1480. The poem is appended
to a longer, similarly themed lyric, which ends “And
for your love, evermore weeping I sing this song.” “My
Lief” can thus be read as a coda (ending) to the longer
poem.
The poem is frequently anthologized, and editors
vary in using the phrase “in a londe,” which appears in
the manuscript, or “in londe,” which scans more
smoothly and appears in most manuscripts of “The
Nun’s Priest’s Tale.” There is a slight difference in
meaning, however. “In a londe” suggests a journey to a
specifi c place, while “in londe” could mean simply “far
away.” “In londe” can also function as meaningless
fi ller to fi nish out a line.
See also MIDDLE ENGLISH LYRICS AND BALLADS.
FURTHER READING
Mooney, Linne R. “ ‘A Woman’s Reply to Her Lover’ and
Four Other New Courtly Love Lyrics in Cambridge,
Trinity College MS R.3.19.” Medium Aevum 67 (1998):
235–256.
Robbins, Rossell Hope. Secular Lyrics of the XIVth and XVth
Centuries. 2nd ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1955.
Susan Yager“MY LUTE AWAKE!” SIR THOMAS WYATT
(1557) This lyric poem by SIR THOMAS WYATT is com-
posed of eight fi ve-line STANZAs. It also features a mod-
ifi ed refrain: The fi nal line of each stanza ends with
“... for I have done,” although the fi rst half of the lines
varies.
The poem opens with an APOSTROPHE to the poet’s
personifi ed lute, calling for it to awake, apparently one
last time, so that he and it can complete their last mutual
task before they die. The subsequent stanzas describe,
through various metaphors, the way the poet has been
repulsed by his lady. The beginning of the fi fth stanza
signals a violent turn in the poem, which until this
point has been bitter but now becomes savage. “Ven-
geance shall fall on thy disdain,” warns the poet (l. 21).
This revenge is warranted not because she has shown
disdain—to some extent that would be expected—but
rather because she “makest but a game on earnest pain”
(l. 22). It is her cruelty that must be punished. His
viciousness continues as he predicts her future: “Per-
chance thee lie withered and old / The winter nights
that are so cold” (ll. 26–27). Because she has been so
extraordinarily heartless, the poet predicts that no one
will ever love her for long, and that she will end her
days alone. When it is too late, “then may chance thee
to repent” (l. 31), but no one will care. The fi nal stanza
witnesses the silencing of both the lute and the poet.
Scholars often note the impassioned and embittered
tone, which is sustained throughout. The sense is
almost one of a CARPE DIEM (seize the day) poem: The
lady is warned that because she failed to accept love,
she will end up cold and alone, regretting her wasted
time. The continual connections between the lady and
the moon, as well as with coldness and stillness,
invokes a sense of barrenness; indeed, if she remains
alone, she will also remain barren. Other scholars have
commented on the musical references in the lyric
(“sing,” “ear,” etc.), which progressively fade, just as
the woman fades. She becomes the lute in still life, like284 “MY LUTE AWAKE!”