The Shorter Poems

by Edmund Spenser

  dreryhead, dryrihed sorrow, gloom, affliction

  earne yearn

  earst, erst formerly, recently, not long ago (cf. at earst)

  eath(e) easily

  edifide, edified built, constructed

  eeke increase

  eft moreover, further, afterwards, thereafter

  eftsoones soon after, forthwith

  eke also, too, moreover

  eld(e) age

  els otherwise, in other circumstances, else

  embase humble, bring low, degrade, demean

  embrew, embrue stain (esp. with blood)

  empassion impassion, inflame

  empassionate impassioned

  emperished enfeebled, impaired

  empierce, empierse pierce, penetrate

  engrained dyed (in the grain)

  ensample (vb) exemplify; (n) exemplar, example, instance

  ensew, ensue follow, pursue

  enure accustom

  enured usual, customary

  eyen, eyne eyes

  faine (vb) wish; (adj) willing, eager; (adv) gladly, eagerly

  faine, fayne, feyne feign, pretend, dissemble, delude, imagine

  fained, fayned imagined, imaginary, false, delusive

  faitor, faytour impostor, cheat

  fancies fantasies

  fantasies imaginings, delusions

  fashion shape, mould

  fay(e) faith

  fell cruel, ruthless, fierce

  fellie, felly fiercely, cruelly

  felon, felonous wicked, mischievous

  file defile

  fit seizure, paroxysm

  fon fool

  fonde foolish

  fondly, fonly foolishly

  fondness foolishness

  fone foes

  for thy for this reason, therefore, on this account

  forbeare leave off, discontinue

  forlore, forlorne abandoned, forsaken, deserted, wretched

  fraight, fraught laden, filled

  frame (vb) fashion, compose, construct, tune (of a musical instrument); (n) structure, shape, form

  franke free

  fray frighten, intimidate

  fro from

  frorne frozen

  froward adverse, unfavourable, contrary, refractory

  funeral(l) (n) grave, monument; (adj) dismal, funereal

  gage pledge

  gaie, gay bright, brilliant, ostentatious, sportive, joyful

  gan began

  gang go

  gastlie, ghastlie frightful, horrible

  gate gait, bearing, carriage

  geason uncommon, rare, extraordinary

  gentle well-born, noble, elevated, well-bred, kind

  ghost spirit, apparition

  gin trap, snare (engine)

  ginne, gynne begin

  girland, gyrlond garland

  greevance, grievance distress, injury, disease

  grieslie, griesly (grisly) frightful, horrible, ghastly

  guerdon reward

  han have

  hap fortune, chance

  haplesse unfortunate

  happely by chance, accidentally

  happy fortunate

  hardie, hardy bold, courageous, stout

  hardie hedde, hardyhedde bold presumption, audacity

  hardly with difficulty, scarcely

  hartlesse timid, terrified, disheartened

  haunt(en) frequent, live, dwell

  haveour, haviour bearing, deportment, behaviour

  heast, hest command, bidding, behest

  heavily sadly, with heavy heart

  heaviness(e) despondency, heaviness of heart, weariness

  heavy sad, despondent

  heben ebony

  hem them

  hend seize, grasp, take hold of (pret. hent)

  her their

  hew(e), hue appearance, beauty, sheen

  hight, hote named, called

  hire, hyre payment, recompense

  hoarie, hoary grey

  husband farmer, husbandman

  impatient unbearable, intolerable, lacking patience, unable to endure

  inly inwardly

  jar (iar, iarre) quarrel, dispute, disagreement

  javels (iavels) rascals, rogues

  jolly (iolly) cheerful, sprightly, handsome, fine

  joy (ioy) (vb) enjoy, rejoice

  joyance (ioyance) pleasure, recreation

  ken, kenst know, perceive, recognize

  kind, kynd nature

  kindly(e) (adj) natural, beneficent, according to one’s nature or ‘kind’; (adv) naturally

  kon, con learn, know

  lack want, need, fall short of

  languor grief, distress, affliction

  launch (vb) pierce, cut open; (n) piercing, cutting

  lay(e) song, ditty

  laye, lea, lee pastureland, grassland, meadow

  leasing, lesing lie, falsehood

  lere learn

  lewd ignorant, artless, base, wanton

  lewdly ignorantly, stupidly

  liefe dear

  liefest dearest

  lig, ligge(n) lie

  light (adj) wanton, fickle, capricious, facile; (adv) quickly, lightly

  list, lyst desire, wish, choose

  lorne lost, forlorne, left alone, forsaken

  losel(l) scoundrel, good-for-nothing, rogue

  lust wish (list)

  lustihede, lusty head lustfulness, delight

  madding frantic, frenzied

  mard, marred spoiled, torn, damaged

  maske(n) (vb) dance or act in a masque, wear a masque-like disguise; (n) masque, pageant

  mate consort, spouse

  maugre, maulgre despite, in spite of

  mazed amazed, bewildered, dazed

  mazefull bewildering

  meade meadow

  meane lowly, moderate, humble

  meare (vb) mark the boundary or border; (n) boundary

  measure rhythm, metre

  meate food

  medle mingle

  meed(e) reward, payment

  meet(e) suitable, fitting, proper

  mickle, mochell much

  mischance misfortune, calamity

  misdeeme mistake, think evil of

  misgovernaunce mishandling, misuse, mismanagement

  mishap misfortune

  moe more

  molde, moulde soil, clay, earth

  moniment memorial, monument, record

  morion helmet

  mote might, must

  mought may, might (occasionally confused with mote, must)

  nathelesse, naythles, nethelesse nevertheless, notwithstanding

  nathemore never the more, none the more

  ne not, nor

  newfanglenesse modish novelty (esp. sartorial)

  nie near

  nigheth approaches, nears

  nighing approaching

  nill will not

  nis, nys is not

  note know not

  nould would not

  noursling, nursling child, charge, offspring

  noyous noisome, vexatious, annoying

  outrage grievous injury

  outragious violent, frenzied, excessive

  outworne worn out, worn away

  overgo surpass, overcome, outdo

  overgone surpassed

  pain(e) difficulty, affliction, care

  paragone equal, rival, analogy, exemplar, nonpareil

  pass surpass, excel

  passing surpassing, excelling

  paynims pagans

  peare, pere peer, equal, companion, lord

  peerless(e) matchless, unrivalled, without equal

  perdie (French par dieu) surely, truly, indeed

  perforce, perforse of necessity, by force

  pight fixed, planted, placed, pitched

  pine, pyne (vb) languish, waste away, fret; (n) affliction, distress, pain

  pineons, pyneons wings

  plain(e) complain, lament,
bewail

  plaint complaint, lamentation

  pleasaunce pleasure, delight, pleasant aspect or demeanour

  plight state, condition, pledge

  policie intrigue, statecraft

  pray prey

  prayd ravaged, spoiled

  preeve, prove test, make trial of, experience, endure

  preife, prief(e) proof, experience, trial

  previly, privily secretly, stealthily

  price prize, reward, value, worth

  pricke spur

  prime spring

  prive, privie secret, private

  proof(e) test, trial, ordeal

  puissance power

  puissant potent, powerful

  quight, quite utterly, wholly, completely, entirely

  quite, quitt(en) redeem, release, discharge, repay

  race, rase raze, destroy, erase, obliterate

  raced razed, destroyed

  rancke lush, abundant, prolific, fecund

  rare excellent, rarified, fine

  raught reached, proffered

  reade, rede, reede advise, account, declare, interpret, discover, comprehend, predict (of fortune)

  record (vb) recollect, bear in mind, relate, sing; (n) memorial, document

  recure cure, remedy, restore, recover

  reft taken or torn away, carried off

  regard glance, look, aspect

  regardfull noteworthy, worthy of regard

  rehearse recite, recount, perform

  rend tear or break apart

  renne run

  renowmed renowned, celebrated

  rent torn asunder

  requite repay

  rew, rue pity, lament, grieve for

  rewth, ruth pity, compassion, sorrow

  ribaudrie ribaldry

  rife plentiful, abundant

  rifelye abundantly, copiously

  rive, ryve split, break apart

  riven split, sundered

  rude rustic, unskilful

  rudely discourteously, ignorantly, roughly

  rudeness(e) rusticity, lack of (literary) refinement, vulgarity

  ruthfully dolefully, piteously

  .s. namely, E. K.’s abbreviation for the Latin scilicet

  sable black

  sad (adj) serious, sober, solemn, melancholy, wearisome; (adv) mournfully, despondently

  salvage savage, wild, untamed

  salve remedy, cure

  satietie satisfaction, gratification

  sdeign disdain

  sdeignfull, sdeinfull disdainful

  seare, sere withered

  seely, silly innocent, harmless, helpless, simple

  semblant appearance, likeness, resemblance

  shade shadow

  sheene shining, resplendent

  shend disgrace, put to shame

  shield forbid (as in ‘God shield’)

  shrike shriek

  shrill (vb) sound or sing shrilly

  shriving confession

  shrouded concealed

  sich, sike such

  sicker, syker (adj) secure, certain; (adv) truly, certainly, indeed, at any rate

  signe mark, token, emblem

  sith since

  sithence, sithens since, since then

  sits, sittes is fitting, becoming, or proper

  skill (vb) understand, comprehend; (n) art, craft, knowledge, ability

  slake abate, assuage

  slight sleight, trickery, dexterity

  smart pain, suffering, affliction, grief

  solein, sollein sullen, sad, brooding

  somedele somewhat

  somewhile at some time

  soote sweet

  sovenance remembrance

  sperst dispersed

  spill destroy, ruin, ravage, spoil

  spoyle (vb) despoil, plunder, devastate; (n) devastation, destruction, plunder

  sprent sprinkled

  spright, sprite spirit

  stayed steady, fixed, halted, detained

  stead(e), stede place

  sterve starve, die, perish

  stie ascend, mount

  still constantly, perpetually, continuously

  store abundance, plenty, wealth, stock

  stounde, stownd moment of pain or trial, fit, shock, pang, stroke

  stoure, stowre distress, turmoil, (emotional) crisis, fit, onslaught

  straight, strayt, streight (adj) strait, strict, tight, severe; (adv) immediately, straightaway, tightly

  strange foreign, exotic

  surcease desist, forbear, cease

  surquedrie arrogance, presumption, pride

  survew(e) survey, overlook

  swaine, swayne man, boy, rustic, servant, labourer

  swerve stray, deviate

  swink labour, struggle

  teade torch

  teene grief, woe

  temper govern, control, moderate, balance

  thilk, thilke this or that, these or those

  tho, thoe then, those

  thrall (vb) enslave; (n) slave

  threat affliction, misery

  thrill pierce, excite

  throghly, throughly fully, thoroughly, wholly

  timely (adj) seasonable, opportune, welcome, early; (adv) opportunely, quickly

  tine, tyne sorrow, affliction

  tort(e) injury, wrong

  toy(e) trifle, whim, amorous sport

  trace walk, tread, dance

  traine, trayne snare, trap, deceit, sleight

  traveiled, traveled travailed, wearied, troubled, laboured

  travel travail, labour

  treason trickery, treachery

  tride, tried attempted, experienced, ascertained, tested

  tromp, trump trumpet (emblematic of fame)

  trophee spoils, memorials of victory

  trow(e) believe

  trustlesse untrustworthy, treacherous

  tway two

  tyde tied, bound

  tynde set alight, burned (tinded)

  tyne grief, affliction

  tyre attire

  uncase strip, unclothe

  undersong refrain, burden

  uneth, un(n) eath, unnethes scarcely, with difficulty, hardly

  unfold(e) disclose, discover, reveal

  unhappie unfortunate

  unkend, unkent unknown

  unkind(e) unnatural, villainous

  unkindly unnatural

  unmeet unfitting, unsuitable

  unstayed, unstayd uncontrolled, unrestrained, unsupported

  unwares (adj) unaware, unwitting; (adv) unintentionally, without warning, suddenly

  unweeting unwitting, uncomprehending, unaware

  vassal slave

  vaunt boast, exult

  vaunted celebrated, esteemed

  vauntfull boastful

  vaute, vawte (vb) vault, leap (on a vaulting horse); (n) vault

  vauted vaulted

  visnomie, visnomy physiognomy

  vouchsafe deign, grant

  want (vb) lack, miss; (n) lack, absence

  wanton frolicsome, unruly, skittish, lewd

  warbling melodious, tuneful

  ward (vb) protect, guard, avert; (n) vigilance

  wast (vb) decay, dissolve; (n) devastation

  wasted decayed, exhausted, spent, devastated

  wasteful wasting, desolating, desolate, barren

  wayment (vb) lament; (n) lamentation, complaint

  ween(e), wene think, believe, suppose

  weet(e) know

  weetingly knowingly, skilfully

  welaway, wellaway alas!

  weld wield, govern, manage, brandish

  welked waned, dimmed

  welkin sky, heavens

  well-deemed well-regarded

  wend go, travel, make one’s way

  wex(e), wexen grow, increase, become

  whilome once upon a time, in the past, in former times

  whot(e) hot

  wight creature, being, person

&nbs
p; wishfull desired, longed for

  wist knew

  wit intellect, understanding

  wite(n), wyte(n) blame, impugn, censure

  witless(e) senseless, stupid

  wood(e) mad, frantic, reckless, wild

  wonne, woon (vb) live, dwell; (n) home, dwelling

  wont accustomed (to)

  wonted usual, customary

  wot(e) know

  woxe grew, grown

  woxen grown

  wreake (vb) wreak vengeance upon, avenge; (n) harm, injury, damage

  wreck ruin, overthrow, disaster

  y- archaic prefix denoting past tense

  yclad clothed

  ycond learned

  yead, yede go

  yfere together, in company

  ygirt girdled

  ygoe ago, gone

  ylike like, alike, similar, identical

  ylke the same

  yode went

  younkers youngsters, young men

  ypent penned in, imprisoned

  ytost troubled, harassed

  TEXTUAL APPARATUS

  The text for the present edition has been established by systematically correcting that of Ernest de Sélincourt (Oxford University Press, 1910) against the first and subsequent Elizabethan and Jacobean editions of all of the works included. As a result it differs substantially from that of de Sélincourt in rejecting many of the emendations he adopted. De Sélincourt’s text was used for the convenience of type-setting in view of the poor condition of many of the extant quartos and of their modern facsimiles. It was chosen for its general level of accuracy and its careful preservation of Tudor orthography in respect, for example, of the usage of ‘u’ and ‘v’, and of ‘i’ and ‘j’ although the modern ‘s’ has been substituted for the older form and all contractions have been expanded. This is consistent with the practice adopted by Thomas P. Roche for the Penguin edition of The Faerie Queene (1978). Readings from first editions have been favoured wherever they offer clear and coherent sense, but the erratic nature of the earliest punctuation, particularly in the case of the Amoretti, has often necessitated correction from the folios. The textual apparatus records all variants from the first editions, all substantial variations between corrected and uncorrected sheets of such editions, and all variations from de Sélincourt other than minor variations of orthography or reversals of emendations which lack textual authority. The textual apparatus is therefore intended to be functional rather than exhaustive, and readers are directed to the Variorum Edition (vols. 7 and 8), The Minor Poems, for full textual information. The following abbreviations for the various collected editions are used throughout the textual notes:

  F1

  Works, first folio, 1611

  F2

  Works, second folio, 1617

  F3

  Works, third folio, 1679

  F

  agreement of folio editions

  Hu1

  Hughes edition, 1715

  Hu2

  Hughes edition, 1750