My
galley, chargèd with
forgetfulness,
Thorough sharp seas in winter nights doth pass
'Tween rock and rock; and eke mine en'my, alas,
That is my lord,
steereth with cruelness;
And every owre a thought in readiness,
As though
that death were light in such a case.
An endless wind doth tear the
sail apace
Of forced sighs and trusty
fearfulness.
A rain of tears, a cloud of dark disdain,
Hath done the weared cords great hinderance;
Wreathèd with error and eke with ignorance.
The stars be hid that led me to this pain;
Drownèd is Reason that should me comfort,
And I remain despairing of the port.
- Sir Thomas Wyatt the Elder, 1557.
This poem is based on Petrarch's 189th (156th) sonnet:
Passa la nave mia colma d'oblio
Per aspro mare, a mezza notte, il verno
E'nfra Scilla e Cariddi; ed al governo
Siede'l signore, anzi'l nimico mio:
A ciascun remo un penser pronto e rio,
Che la tempesta e'l fin par ch'abbi a'scherno:
La vela rompe un vento, umido, eterno,
Di sospir, di speranze e di desio:
Pioggia li lagrimar, nebbia di sdegni
Bagna e rallenta le già stanche sarte,
Che son d'error con ignoranzia attorto:
Celansi i duo mei dolci usati segni;
Morta fra l'onde è la ragion e l'arte:
Tal ch'i'ncomincio a desperar del porto.