C D
259“MADAM, WITHOUTEN MANY WORDS”
SIR THOMAS WYATT (1503–1542) The speaker of
this lyric presents his proposition up front and suc-
cinctly: “ ‘I am sure ye will or no” (l. 2), which captures
the essence of romantic relationships. Wyatt is tired of
waiting for the answer—he has “burneth alway” (l. 6).
He requests her “pity,” the typical gift bestowed upon
the COURTLY LOVE lover by his lady. He then immedi-
ately follows this with a reassurance: “If it be yea, I
shall be fain / If it be nay, friends as before” (ll. 9–10).
Even if the relationship is not consummated, the
speaker will not hate his lady; rather, they will remain
friends. Even more importantly, he reassures her that
she will fi nd another man—and that he will move on,
too, and not bother her anymore. Where the assur-
ances of continued friendship may not have motivated
her, the assurances of freedom may have.
This poem suggests that the speaker feels a sense of
urgency that is not particularly shared by the subject
of the poem. In a manner that carries with it a sense of
CARPE DIEM (seize the day), the speaker attempts to
wheedle an immediate answer—a “yea or nay”—from
the lady. This goes directly against the courtly love
tradition, which places the man in a submissive posi-
tion before his lady, allowing her to make all of the
choices on her own schedule. Despite his passionate
burning, Wyatt also assumes a more reasonable and
rational position than many courtly lovers, as demon-
strated by his reassurances.
The source of this poem is Dragonetto Bonifacio’s
Madonna Non So Dir Tante Parole, which Wyatt follows
but, in his typical style, also adapts. It is a 12-line
lyric, broken into three quatrains rhyming abab, cdcd,
efef. The structure of the poem adds to its overall sense
of rationalism: Each quatrain is a self-contained rhym-
ing unit and has two lines that share parallel struc-
tures (“And.. .” at lines 3 & 4, 5 & 6; “If.. .” at lines
9 & 10); each stanza contains a direct address
(“Madam” at line 1, “Ye” at lines 7 & 11); and, each
“yea” is balanced with a “nay,” maintaining the sense
of proportionality.
FURTHER READING
Levine, Robert T. “Madame, Withouten Many Wordes.”
Explicator 38, no. 3 (1980): 46–49.MADRIGAL Madrigals originated in Italy in the
early 14th century as short love poems set to music.
More specifi cally, madrigals are lyrics ranging from
one to four three-line STROPHEs followed by a two-line
REFRAIN (called a ritornello). Sixteenth-century madri-
gals are directly inspired by the early originals, though
they exhibit entirely different music. Sometimes mad-
rigals are referred to as PASTORAL songs, though the
subject matter does not have to refl ect this.
See also CAMPION, THOMAS; CANZONE; DOWLAND, JOHN.
FURTHER READING
Kerman, Joseph. The Elizabethan Madrigal. New York: Amer-
ican Musicological Society, 1962.