The Complete Poems (Penguin Classics) [Paperback]

Thomas Wyatt (Author), R. A. Rebholz (Contributor)

Book Description

Series: Penguin Classics | Publication Date: April 4, 1989

As a diplomat in Renaissance Europe, and a luminary at the court of Henry VII, Sir Thomas Wyatt wrote in an incestuous world where everyone was uneasily subject to the royal whims and rages. Wyatt had himself survived two imprisonments in the Tower as well as a love affair with Anne Boleyn, and his poetry - that of an extraordinarily sophisticated, passionate and vulnerable man - reflects these experiences, making disguised reference to current political events. Above all, though, Wyatt is known for his love poetry, which often dramatizes incidents and remembered conversations with his beloved, with an ear acutely sensitive to patterns of rhythm and colloquial speech. Conveying the actuality of betrayal or absence, and the intense pressure of his longing for a love that could be trusted, these are some of the most haunting poems in the English language.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Epigram: 11
Canzone: 1
Canzone: 3
Sonnet: 16
Sonnet: 17
Sonnet: 19
Sonnet: 2
Sonnet: 21
Sonnet: 29
Sonnet: 24
Epigram: 3
Ballade: 1
Ballade: 10
Ballade: 11
Ballade: 12
Ballade: 13
Ballade: 14
Ballade: 15
Ballade: 16
Ballade: 17
Ballade: 18
Ballade: 19
Ballade: 2
Ballade: 20
Ballade: 21
Ballade: 22
Ballade: 23
Ballade: 24
Ballade: 25
Ballade: 26
Ballade: 27
Ballade: 28
Ballade: 29
Ballade: 3
Ballade: 30
Ballade: 31
Ballade: 32
Ballade: 33
Ballade: 34
Ballade: 35
Ballade: 36
Ballade: 37
Ballade: 38
Ballade: 39
Ballade: 4
Ballade: 40
Ballade: 41
Ballade: 42
Ballade: 5
Ballade: 6
Ballade: 7
Ballade: 8
Ballade: 9
Canzone: 2
Canzone: 3
Canzone: 4
Canzone: 5
Canzone: 6
Canzone: 7
Canzone: 8
The Deserted Lover Consoleth Himself ...
Egerton Manuscript: 102
Egerton Manuscript: 104. Jopas's Song
Epigram: 1
Epigram: 10
Epigram: 10
Epigram: 12
Epigram: 13
Epigram: 14
Epigram: 15
Epigram: 16
Epigram: 17
Epigram: 18. The Enemy Of Life
Epigram: 19
Epigram: 2
Epigram: 20
Epigram: 21
Epigram: 22
Epigram: 23
Epigram: 24
Epigram: 25
Epigram: 26
Epigram: 27. The Fruit
Epigram: 28
Epigram: 29
Epigram: 30
Epigram: 31
Epigram: 32
Epigram: 33
Epigram: 34
Epigram: 35
Epigram: 36
Epigram: 37
Epigram: 38
Epigram: 39
Epigram: 4
Epigram: 40
Epigram: 41
Epigram: 42
Epigram: 43
Epigram: 44
Epigram: 45
Epigram: 46
Epigram: 47
Epigram: 5
Epigram: 6
Epigram: 7
Epigram: 8
Epigram: 9
Penitential Psalm
Penitential Psalm: 102. Domine Exaudi
Penitential Psalm: 130. De Profundis
Penitential Psalm: 143. Domine Exaudi
Penitential Psalm: 32. Neate Quorum Remissa Sunt
Penitential Psalm: 38. Domine Ne In Furore
Penitential Psalm: 51. Miserere Mei, Domine
Penitential Psalm: 6. Domine Ne In Furore
Psalm 37. Noli Emulari
Rondeau: 1
Rondeau: 2
Rondeau: 3
Rondeau: 4
Rondeau: 5
Rondeau: 6
Rondeau: 7
Rondeau: 8
Rondeau: 9
Satire: 1. To John Poynz (poins)
Satire: 2
Satire: 3. To Sir Francis Brian
Song: 1
Song: 10
Song: 100
Song: 101
Song: 102
Song: 103
Song: 104
Song: 105
Song: 106
Song: 107
Song: 108
Song: 109
Song: 11
Song: 110
Song: 111
Song: 112
Song: 113
Song: 114
Song: 12
Song: 13
Song: 14
Song: 15
Song: 16
Song: 17
Song: 18
Song: 19
Song: 2
Song: 20
Song: 21
Song: 22
Song: 23
Song: 24
Song: 25
Song: 26
Song: 27
Song: 28
Song: 29
Song: 3
Song: 30
Song: 31
Song: 32
Song: 33
Song: 34
Song: 35
Song: 36. The Ballad Of Will
Song: 37
Song: 38
Song: 39
Song: 4
Song: 40
Song: 41
Song: 42
Song: 43
Song: 44
Song: 45
Song: 46
Song: 47
Song: 48
Song: 49
Song: 5
Song: 50
Song: 51
Song: 52
Song: 53
Song: 54
Song: 55
Song: 56
Song: 57
Song: 58
Song: 59
Song: 6
Song: 60
Song: 61
Song: 62
Song: 63
Song: 64
Song: 65
Song: 66
Song: 67
Song: 68
Song: 69
Song: 7
Song: 70
Song: 71
Song: 72
Song: 73
Song: 74
Song: 75
Song: 76
Song: 77. The Answer
Song: 78
Song: 79
Song: 8
Song: 80
Song: 81
Song: 82
Song: 83
Song: 84
Song: 85
Song: 86
Song: 87
Song: 88
Song: 89
Song: 9
Song: 90
Song: 91
Song: 92
Song: 93
Song: 94
Song: 95
Song: 96
Song: 97
Song: 98
Song: 99
Sonnet: 1
Sonnet: 11
Sonnet: 12
Sonnet: 13
Sonnet: 14
Sonnet: 15
Sonnet: 18
Sonnet: 20
Sonnet: 22
Sonnet: 23
Sonnet: 25
Sonnet: 26
Sonnet: 27
Sonnet: 28
Sonnet: 30
Sonnet: 31
Sonnet: 32
Sonnet: 33
Sonnet: 34
Sonnet: 35
Sonnet: 36
Sonnet: 37
Sonnet: 39
Sonnet: 40
Sonnet: 41
Sonnet: 42
-- Table of Poems from Poem Finder® --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (April 4, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140422277
• ISBN-13: 978-0140422276
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #578,940 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The first bright light of English Renaissance poetry, June 29, 2000

By 

J. Hale "johnny negotiable" (Juneau, AK USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Poems (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

Wyatt is, quite simply, a brilliant poet, taking the Petrarchan love poem and adapting it to represent life in the promiscuous court of Henry VIII. And "They Flee from Me" is one of the greatest poems in the English language. Rebholz's introduction and notes make this THE edition for serious study of Wyatt's achievement.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the greatest poets in the English language, February 24, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Sir Thomas Wyatt, the Complete Poems (English Poets) (Paperback)

His voice still rings beautiful and true after five hundred years. What he has to say concerns our daily lives in this hard, competitive society as much as the intrigues of the Henrician court.

4.0 out of 5 stars Thomas Wyatt, the Poet, February 4, 2011

By 

Gregory A. Puckett "Greg Puckett" (Oklahoma City, OK USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Complete Poems (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

Let me start out by saying that I am NOT a devotee of poetry in general but I do see the attraction of the sonnet form. Like a good short story much is conveyed in very little. Sir Thomas Wyatt the Elder is my 13G grandfather. My genealogical interests are what caused me to become acquainted with him. He and his father, Sir Henry Wyatt, acted as ambassadors for the Tudors at the great courts of Europe.
The unhappy nature of poet's marriage is evident throughout the body of his work. His wife, Elizabeth Brooke, came from a more socially prominent family. This, she apparently believed, entitled her to do just as she pleased; including freely taking lovers.
The search for true love, and the loneliness of betrayal create an air of melancholy which wafts over the reader and invites him to reflect upon the successes and losses of his own romantic life. As important as the fact that Wyatt introduced the sonnet form into English, this open and personal display of the artists hopes and dreams make him a intimate read.