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William Dunbar C William Dunbar c. 1460 - 1520 Contents: Biography.................................................................................................................................................................Page 1 Lament for the Makers (Timor Mortis conturbat me).......................................................Pages 2 - 6 Meditatioun on Wyntir..........................................................................................................................Pages 6 - 9 Dunbar and The Birth of Scottish Publishing.........................................................................Pages 9 - 10 Fight or Flyte ?....................................................................................................................................... Pages 11 - 16 Further Reading / Contacts.......................................................................................................... Pages 17 - 20 Biography: William Dunbar (c. 1460 - 1520) : has left vivid images of Scotland during the reign of James IV, but much of his own life remains obscure. It is certain, however, that Dunbar was a Lowlander, from the Lothian region, and spent many years in Edinburgh. He was well- educated and studied at St Andrews, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in 1477, and masters degree in 1479. it is assumed that he spent the subsequent years travelling abroad, possibly to Denmark, France, and England. Between 1500 and 1513, he received a ‘Pensioun’ or annual salary, from James IV as a member of the royal household and may have fulfi lled clerical functions there. He was ordained in 1504, but occasionally acted as advocate in the law courts. The last mention of him in the court record is in May 1513, the year of the battle of Flodden, in which King James IV died. Dunbar may have survived into the reign of James V, but there is no evidence to back it up. Much of his poetry is addressed to the king and queen of fellow courtiers, from humble fools to powerful offi cials, and there is some festive poetry, written for specifi c occasions, such as royal weddings (The Thissil and the Rose for the marriage of James IV and Margaret Tudor) and tournaments. Much of his poetry, however, is satirical in its analyses of courtly life, and reveals an uneasy atmosphere of envy and distrust. His verse is very brief and compressed, and he himself labelled his writings ‘ballatis’ and defi ned himself as a Makar, a term that lays stress on the poet as a skilled and versatile craftsman. Indeed, he experimented with many genres, elegy, panegyric, love epistle, fable, satire, and dream poetry. He is at his most personal in The Lament for the Makers. The last verse of that poem offers both the reader and himself a glimmer of hope, in what has become a prayer for his immortality. Through this poem, at least, he achieved it. Sen for the ded remeid is none Best is that we for ded dispone Eftir our deid that lif may we 1 Timor mortis conturbat me Copyright © 2003 Scottish Literary Tour Trust. All Rights Reserved. William Dunbar c. 1460 - 1520 The Lament for The Makers: I that in heill wes and gladnes, Heill: health Am trublit now with gret seiknes, And feblit with infermite: Timor mortis conturbat me. Fear of death disturbs me Our plesance heir is all vane glory, Plesance: joy This fals warld is bot transitory, The fl esche is brukle, the Fend is sle: Brukle: fragile; fend: fi end; sle: sly Timor mortis conturbat me. The stait of man dois change and vary, Now sound, now seik, now blith, now sary, Seik: sick Now dansand mery, now like to dee: Dansand: dancing; dee: die Timor mortis conturbat me. No stait in erd heir standis sickir; Erd: Earth; sickir: securely As with the wynd wavis the wickir, Wickir: willow Wavis this warldis vanité: Timor mortis conturbat me. On to the ded gois all estatis, On to the ded: into Death Princis, prelotis, and potestatis, Prelotis: prelates; potestatis: men Baith riche and pur of al degré: of high rank Timor mortis conturbat me. He takis the knychtis in to feild, Field: battle Anarmit under helme and scheild; Anarmit: armed; Victour he is at all mellie: Mellie: fi ghting Timor mortis conturbat me. That strang unmercifull tyrand Tyrand: tyrant Takis, on the moderis breist sowkand, Moderis: mother’s; sowkand: suck- The bab full of benignite: ling; Bab: baby; benignitie: love Timor mortis conturbat me. He takis the campion in the stour, Campion: champion; stour: battle The capitane closit in the tour, Closit: locked The lady in bour full of bewté: Bour: bower(private room) 2 Timor mortis conturbat me. Copyright © 2003 Scottish Literary Tour Trust. All Rights Reserved. William Dunbar c. 1460 - 1520 He sparis no lord for his piscence, Piscence: strength Na clerk for his intelligence; His awfull strak may no man fl e: Strak: blow Timor mortis conturbat me. Art-magicianis, and astrologgis, Rethoris, logicianis, and theologgis, Thame helpis no conclusionis sle: Sle: cunning Timor mortis conturbat me. In medicyne the most practicianis, Most practicianis: best practicion- Lechis, surrigianis, and phisicianis, ers; Lechis: doctors Thame self fra ded may not supplé: Timor mortis conturbat me. I se that makaris amang the laif Laif: rest of us Playis heir ther pageant, syne gois to graif; Syne: then; graif: greif Sparit is nocht ther faculté: Faculté: profession Timor mortis conturbat me. He hes done petuously devour, Petulously: impudently The noble Chaucer, of makaris fl our, The Monk of Bery, and Gower, all thre: Timor mortis conturbat me. The gude Syr Hew of Eglintoun, And eik Heryot, and Wyntoun, Eik: also He hes tane out of this cuntré: Tane: taken Timor mortis conturbat me. That scorpion fell hes done infek Fell: ruthless; infek: infected Maister Johne Clerk, and Jame Affl ek, Fra balat making and tragidie: Balat: ballad Timor mortis conturbat me. Holland and Barbour he hes berevit; Allace! that he nocht with us levit Levit: left Schir Mungo Lokert of the Lea: Timor mortis conturbat me. Clerk of Tranent eik he has tane, That maid the Anteris of Gawane; Schir Gilbert Hay endit hes he: 3 Timor mortis conturbat me. Copyright © 2003 Scottish Literary Tour Trust. All Rights Reserved. William Dunbar c. 1460 - 1520 He hes Blind Hary and Sandy Traill Slaine with his schour of mortall haill, Quhilk: which Quhilk Patrik Johnestoun myght nocht fl ee: Timor mortis conturbat me. Reft: taken away; endite: writing He hes reft Merseir his endite, Lifl y: vividly That did in luf so lifl y write, So schort, so quyk, of sentence hie: Timor mortis conturbat me. He hes tane Roull of Aberdene, And gentill Roull of Corstorphin; Two bettir fallowis did no man see: Timor mortis conturbat me. In Dumfermelyne he hes done roune With Maister Robert Henrisoun; Enbrast: embraced Schir Johne the Ros enbrast hes he: Timor mortis conturbat me. And he hes now tane, last of aw, Gud gentill Stobo and Quintyne Schaw, Wichtis: beings Of quham all wichtis hes peté: Timor mortis conturbat me. Gud Maister Walter Kennedy Dede: death In poynt of dede lyis veraly, Reuth: pity Gret reuth it wer that so suld be: Timor mortis conturbat me Sen he hes all my brether tane, Lat: let He will nocht lat me lif alane, On forse: inevitably; man: must; On forse I man his nyxt pray be: pray: prey Timor mortis conturbat me. Sen: since; remeid: remeid Sen for the deid remeid is none, Dispone: prepare Best is that we for dede dispone, Eftir our deid that lif may we: Timor mortis conturbat me At its heart this poem is a mournful necronomicon, a litany of the names of the great poets, or Makars, who have passed away. They range from the very dead Chaucer (who died 4 in 1400, roughly 100 years before Dunbar wrote the poem) to the barely living Walter Copyright © 2003 Scottish Literary Tour Trust. All Rights Reserved. William Dunbar c. 1460 - 1520 Kennedy, his rival from The Flyting (as Dunbar writes he is “in poynt of dede”). But the poem is something else besides. More than merely a lament for the Makars, it is a lament for a way of life that was changing beyond all recognition. The coming century would see massive upheaval across the whole of Europe – and it is likely that Dunbar sensed this coming change. The poem is also a meditation on death; it is a dirge on the passing of his own life – and more than that, it is a petition by Dunbar to future readers to keep his name immortal. It has succeeded on all counts. Not only that, it has helped to immortalise a whole host of poets whom we would not otherwise have heard of. The poem begins with the “I” voice of the author: “I that in heill wes and gladnes/ Am trublit now with gret seiknes/ And feblit with infermité”. In the fi rst verse, he establishes the motive from which he is writing, which the fi nal line confi rms. He is ill, possibly dying. The poem is given a sonorous weight with the sustained repetition of the Latin phrase “Timor mortis conturbat me” (fear of death disturbs me). It is like a congregational re- sponse in a mass, which gives the feeling that the whole poem is like a prayer, or requiem. But the “I” voice is soon replaced in the second verse: “Our plesance heir is all vane glory.” Our plesance.plesance. He speaks forfor all of us since,since, after all, wwee all mmustust diedie.. From this moment on, we read the repeated phrase not as William Dunbar’s fears – but as our own. The next few verses describe the various pleasures that human beings enjoy, and the various affl ictions and infi rmities. No matter your status, your wealth, your power; whether you are a soldier armed to the teeth, or a baby at your mother’s breast; whether you are strong, or beautiful, intelligent – death will come for you anyway. Not even our society’s healers, our doctors, surgeons, or physicians, can save themselves. Death is the great level- ler.
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