Analysis of I Never Saw Youe, Madam, Laye Aparte



I never saw youe, madam, laye aparte
Your cornet black in colde nor yet in heate
Sythe first ye knew of my desire so greate
which other fances chased cleane from my harte.
Whiles to my self I did the thought reserve
That so unware did wounde my wofull brest
Pytie I saw within your hart dyd rest;
But since ye knew I did youe love and serve
Your golden treese was clad alway in blacke,
Your smilyng lokes were hid thus evermore,
All that withdrawne that I did crave so sore.
So doth this cornet goveme me alacke,
In sommere sonne, in winter breath of frost;
Of your faire eies whereby the light is lost.

Complaint that his ladie after she knew of his loue kept her face alway hidden from him

I neuer sawe my Ladye laye apart
Her cornet blacke, in colde nor yet in heate,
Sith first she knew my griefe was growen so great,
Which other fansies driueth from my hart
That to my selfe I do the thought reserue,
The which vnwares did wounde my wofull brest:
But on her face mine eyes mought neuer rest,
Yet, sins she knew I did her loue and serue
Her golden tresses cladde alway with blacke,
Her smilyng lokes that hid thus euermore,
And that restraines whiche I desire so sore.
So dothe this cornet gouerne me alacke:
In somer, sunne: in winters breath, a frost:
Wherby the light of her faire lokes I lost.   


Scheme AAAABAABCDDCAA X AAAADAADCDDCAA
Poetic Form
Metre 110111011 1011011101 11111101011 110111111 1111110101 11111111 111011111 1111111101 110111101 11101110 111111111 11101111 011010111 1111010111 01111101111110111011 110111101 0011011101 1111111111 11011111 111111011 01111111 1101111101 1111110101 010101111 0111111 0111101011 11101111 0101010101 101101111
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 1,392
Words 252
Sentences 6
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 14, 1, 14
Lines Amount 29
Letters per line (avg) 35
Words per line (avg) 9
Letters per stanza (avg) 342
Words per stanza (avg) 83
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:15 min read
90

Henry Howard

Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, KG, (courtesy title), was an English nobleman, politician and poet. He was one of the founders of English Renaissance poetry and the last known execution by King Henry VIII. He was a first cousin of both Queen Anne Boleyn and Queen Catherine Howard, second and fifth wives of King Henry VIII. His name is usually associated in literature with that of Wyatt, who was the older poet of the two. He was the son of Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey and when his father became Duke of Norfolk (1524) the son adopted the courtesy title of Earl of Surrey. Owing largely to the powerful position of his father, Surrey took a prominent part in the Court life of the time, and served as a soldier both in France and Scotland. He was a man of reckless temper, which involved him in many quarrels, and finally brought upon him the wrath of the aging and embittered Henry VIII. He was arrested, tried for treason and beheaded on Tower Hill. more…

All Henry Howard poems | Henry Howard Books

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