RPO -- Henry Howard, earl of Surrey : The Soote Season, that Bud and Bloom forth Brings

Henry Howard, earl of Surrey (1517?-1547)

The Soote Season, that Bud and Bloom forth Brings

1The soote season, that bud and bloom forth brings,

2With green hath clad the hill and eke the vale;

3The nightingale with feathers new she sings,

4The turtle to her make hath told her tale.

5Summer is come, for every spray now springs,

6The hart hath hung his old head on the pale,

7The buck in brake his winter coat he flings,

8The fishes float with new repaired scale,

9The adder all her slough away she slings,

10The swift swallow pursueth the flyës smale,

11The busy bee her honey now she mings--

12Winter is worn that was the flowers' bale.

13And thus I see, among these pleasant things

14Each care decays, and yet my sorrow springs.

Notes

1] Tottel's title: "Description of Spring, wherin eche thing renewes, saue onelie the louer." Adapted from Petrarch's 310th (269th) sonnet (in some editions the 42nd sonetto in Morte). Surrey's spring is English rather than Italian.
soote: sweet.

2] eke: also.

4] turtle: turtle dove.
make: mate.

10] Cf. Chaucer, Parlement of Foules, 353: "The swallow, murderer of the bees smale."

11] mings: mingles, mixes.

Online text copyright © 2009, Ian Lancashire (the Department of English) and the University of Toronto.
Published by the Web Development Group, Information Technology Services, University of Toronto Libraries.

Original text: Nott, George Fred., ed. The Works of Henry Howard earl of Surrey and of Sir Thomas Wyatt the elder. London: Longman, 1815-16. 2 vols. PR 2370 A1 1815 ROBA.
First publication date: 1557
RPO poem editor: F. D. Hoeniger
RP edition: 3RP 1.13.
Recent editing: 4:2002/5/29

Form: Sonnet
Rhyme: ababababababaa

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