See the Introduction to this presentation of early poems by Edward de Vere. Click here to go to the next poem or the previous poem in the series. All the poems, and a printable pdf version of the entire presentation, may also be accessed from the Introduction. See also Note on Sources, Titles, and Presentation of Parallels, Key to Abbreviations, and Bibliography of Works Cited.
Poem No. 10: “Fain Would I Sing But Fury Makes Me Fret”
1 Fain would I sing but fury makes me fret,
2 And rage hath sworn to seek revenge of wrong;
3 My mazed mind in malice so is set
4 As death shall daunt my deadly dolours long.
5 Patience perforce is such a pinching pain,
6 As die I will or suffer wrong again.
7 I am no sot to suffer such abuse
8 As doth bereave my heart of his delight,
9 Nor will I frame myself to such as use
10 With calm consent to suffer such despite.
11 No quiet sleep shall once possess mine eye,
12 Till wit have wrought his will on injury.
13 My heart shall fail and hand shall lose his force,
14 But some device shall pay despite his due;
15 And fury shall consume my careful corse,
16 Or raze the ground whereon my sorrow grew.
17 Lo, thus in rage of ruthful mind refused,
18 I rest revenged of whom I am abused.
Textual sources: Tanner MS 306 (Bodleian Library, Oxford University). No. 10 dates no later than 1582, when (like Nos. 11 and 12) it was quoted in Brian Melbancke’s Philotimus. See Hannah (144-45); Grosart (421-22); Looney (1921, 24, Miller ed. 1975, 1: 582); May (#10) (1980, 32-33, 73, 75, 118; 1991, 277).
Structure: Three six-line stanzas of iambic pentameter rhyming ABABCC.
Looney’s title: “Revenge of Wrong”
Past commentaries on parallels: Looney (1920, 151-52, 164); Sobran (248-49); Brazil & Flues; Goldstein (2016, 58-60); Eagan-Donovan.
Clarifications of the text:
(1) The archaic word fain means “gladly” (OED 5: 667-68). See also No. 18b.14.
(3) In modern English, mazed has fairly mild connotations of being amazed, dazed, confused, or bewildered, but a meaning it bore into the 16th century included more severe mental derangement—to be crazed or delirious (OED 9: 507-08). See also No. 7.5 (mazed so much his wits).
(4) The word dolours refers to pain (OED 4: 941).
(12) The term wit as used here refers to intelligence or mental sharpness, not humor (OED 20: 432-34).
(15) The word corse means a living body (OED 3: 975). The word careful is used idiomatically here to mean “full of cares or worries,” not “cautious” (OED 2: 896). See also No. 2, lines 2 and 16-18.
Strongest parallels to No. 10:
(6-7) As die I will or suffer wrong again. I am no sot to suffer such abuse
‘what wrongs we suffer’ (2 Hen. VI, 4.1.68); ‘the wrongs I suffer’ (Errors, 3.1.16); ‘Shall tender duty make me suffer wrong?’ (Rich. II, 2.1.164); ‘such suffering souls That welcome wrongs’ (Caes., 2.1.140); ‘he shall not suffer indignity’ (Tem., 3.2.37); ‘[Malvolio:] Why have you suffered me to be imprisoned … And made the most notorious geck and gull …? … [Olivia:] He hath been most notoriously abused’ (Twelfth, 5.1.331, 333, 368).
See also line 10 (suffer such despite).
(9-10) Nor will I frame myself … to suffer such despite
‘she framed thee in high heaven’s despite’ (Venus, 731); ‘And frame my face to all occasions’ (3 Hen. VI, 3.2.185); ‘That she preparedly may frame herself To the way she’s forced to’ (A&C, 5.1.55); ‘Frame yourself to orderly soliciting’ (Cym., 2.3.46); cf. ‘thrown such despite and heavy terms upon her’ (Oth., 4.2.116).
See also lines 6-7 (suffer wrong … abuse).
The idea of framing oneself for a particular social expectation belongs to the dissimulation topos. Again, we see the same idea expressed in what appears to be idiomatic language.
On the leitmotif of dissimulation, a suggestive common interest seen in both samples, see also No. 5 (passim) and Nos. 6.4, 9.2, 12.16, and 18.40.
(12) Till wit have wrought his will
‘What wit sets down is blotted straight with will’ (Lucrece, 1299); ‘he wants wit that wants resolved will To learn his wit’ (Two Gent., 2.6.12-13); ‘a sharp wit matched with too blunt a will, Whose edge hath power to cut, whose will still wills’ (LLL, 2.1.49-50); ‘Wit, an ’t be thy will, put me into good fooling. Those wits that think they have thee do very oft prove fools, and I that am sure I lack thee may pass for a wise man. For what says Quinapalus? Better a witty fool than a foolish wit’ (Twelfth, 1.5.29); ‘your wit will not so soon out as another man’s will’ (Cor., 2.3.25); ‘With witchcraft of his wit, with traitorous gifts—O wicked wit and gifts, that have the power So to seduce!—won to his shameful lust The will of my most seeming-virtuous queen’ (Ham., 1.5.43-46).
See also No. 6.9 (wit so wise), No. 9.16 (wisest wit), and No. 18.9 (wily wit). As noted above, the term wit as used here generally refers to intelligence or mental sharpness rather than humor, but there are overtones of the humorous meaning in the quotations from Love’s Labour’s Lost and especially from Twelfth Night.
Additional parallels to No. 10:
(1) Fain would I sing but fury makes me fret
‘with the wind in greater fury fret’ (Lucrece, 648); cf. ‘Fain would I woo her, yet I dare not speak’ (1 Hen. VI, 5.3.65).
The phrase fury … fret seems curiously idiomatic. This is another instance of the wide range of emotional expression in both samples.
(2) rage hath sworn to seek revenge of wrong
‘you both have vowed revenge On him’ (3 Hen. VI, 1.1.55); ‘I will revenge his wrong’ (3 Hen. VI, 3.3.197); ‘seek not t’allay My rages and revenges’ (Cor., 5.3.85).
(3) My mazed mind in malice so is set
‘The venomous malice of my swelling heart!’ (Titus, 5.3.13); cf. ‘Nor set down aught in malice’ (Oth., 5.2.343); ‘Who can be wise, amazed, temp’rate and furious’ (Mac., 2.3.104).
See also parallels to line 1 (fury). Looney (1920, 151-52) and Eagan-Donovan suggested a broad thematic linkage between No. 10 and Sonnets 140 and 147 (see also parallels to line 5), e.g.:
‘Past care I am, now reason is past cure, And frantic-mad with evermore unrest; My thoughts and my discourse as madmen’s are’ (Sonnets, 147.9-11).
(4) As death shall daunt my deadly dolours long
‘Think you a little din can daunt mine ears?’ (Shrew, 1.2.196); ‘let not discontent Daunt all your hopes’ (Titus, 1.1.270-71); ‘To think their dolour others have endured’ (Lucrece, 1582); ‘As ending anthem of my endless dolour’ (Two Gent., 3.1.242).
(5) Patience perforce is such a pinching pain
‘Patience perforce with willful choler meeting Makes my flesh tremble’ (R&J, 1.5.89); cf. ‘do not press my tongue-tied patience with too much disdain’ (Sonnets, 140.1-2).
As noted above (see parallels to line 3), Looney and Eagan-Donovan suggested a broad thematic linkage to Sonnets 140 and 147.
May has argued that phrases like patience perforce and pinching pain were “ubiquitous in contemporary verse” (2004, 229; see also Goldstein 2017, 24, quoting May). While this particular parallel may not be very strong in itself, the point is to consider the overall cumulative weight and context of all the parallels. It is a given, as discussed in the Introduction (Evaluating the Poetic Parallels), that some are weaker (or stronger) than others. As Looney noted (1920, 161), these poems contain many “minor points of similarity, which though insignificant in themselves, help to make up that general impression of common authorship which comes only with a close familiarity with [them] as a whole.”
(11) No quiet sleep shall once possess mine eye
‘What a strange drowsiness possesses them!’ (Tem., 2.1.199); ‘Sin of self-love possesseth all mine eye’ (Sonnets, 62.1).
There are two distinct ideas in de Vere’s lyric, that of something possessing the eye and that sleep possesses a person. Both are developed by Shakespeare.
(14) some device
‘plot some device of further misery’ (Titus, 3.1.134); ‘I think by some odd gimmors or device’ (1 Hen. VI, 1.2.41); ‘by some device or other’ (Errors, 1.2.95); ‘entrap thee by some treacherous device’ (As You, 1.1.151); ‘Every day thou daff’st me with some device’ (Oth., 4.2.175).
(14) pay despite his due
‘Pay him the due of honey-tongued Boyet’ (LLL, 5.2.334); ‘More is thy due than more than all can pay’ (Mac., 1.4.21); cf. ‘be spent, And as his due writ in my testament’ (Lucrece, 1183).
(16) raze the ground
‘raze the sanctuary’ (Meas., 2.2.170); ‘Raze out the written troubles of the brain’ (Mac., 5.3.49); ‘To raze one title of your honour out’ (Rich. II, 2.3.76); ‘razed oblivion’ (Sonnets, 122.7).
Once again the Shakespearean equivalents are figurative elaborations of their lyric antecedent in de Vere, illustrating the Bloomian principle that Shakespeare grew by “overhearing himself.” See also No. 5.6-8 (As Hannibal, that saw … defaced down).
(17) in rage of ruthful mind refused
‘in rage With their refusal’ (Cor., 2.3.259); cf. ‘Complots of mischief, treason, villainies Ruthful to hear’ (Titus, 5.1.65-66); ‘ruthful deeds’ (3 Hen. VI, 2.5.95); ‘ruthful work’ (Troil., 5.3.48).
Continue to Poem No. 11, return to Poem No. 9, or return to the Introduction.
[published June 22, 2018, updated 2021]
