Love
What vaileth trouth ? or by it to take payn
From The Poems of Sir Thomas Wiat (ed. A. K. Foxwell, 1913)
What vaileth trouth ? or by it to take payn ?
To stryve, by stedfastnes, for to be tayne?
To be juste and true ; and fle from doublenes ?
Sythens all alike, where ruleth craftines,
Rewarded is boeth fals, and plain.
Sonest he spedeth, that moost can fain :
True meaning heart is had in disdayn :
Against deceipte and doublenes
What vaileth trouth?
Deceved is he, by crafty trayn.
That meaneth no gile : and doeth remayn
Within the trapp, withoute redresse :
But, for to love, lo, such a maistres,
Whose crueltie nothing can refrayn,
What vaileth trouth?
Cite this poem
MLA
Wyatt, Thomas. “What vaileth trouth ? or by it to take payn.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/wyatt/6/.
Chicago
Wyatt, Thomas. “What vaileth trouth ? or by it to take payn.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/wyatt/6/.
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