Who is William Dunbar

William Dunbar (born 1459 or 1460 – died by 1530) was a Scottish makar, or a court poet active in the late fifteenth century and the early sixteenth century. He was closely associated with the court of King James IV and produced a large body of work in Scots distinguished by its great variation in themes and literary styles. He was probably a native of East Lothian, as assumed from a satirical reference in The Flyting of Dumbar and Kennedie. His surname is also spelt Dumbar.

Biography

Dunbar first appears in the historical record in 1474 as a new student or determinant of the Faculty of Arts at the University of St Andrews. Since the customary age for entering a Scottish university at this time was fourteen, a birth-date of 1459 or 1460 has been assumed. At St An...
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William Dunbar Poems

  • To A Lady
    Sweet rois of vertew and of gentilness,
    Delytsum lily of everie lustynes,
    Richest in bontie and in bewtie clear,
    And everie vertew that is wenit dear,...
  • On The Nativity Of Christ
    Rorate coeli desuper!
    Hevins, distil your balmy schouris!
    For now is risen the bricht day-ster,
    Fro the rose Mary, flour of flouris:...
  • Lament For The Makers
    I that in heill was and gladnèss
    Am trublit now with great sickness
    And feblit with infirmitie:-
    Timor Mortis conturbat me....
  • In Honour Of The City Of London
    London, thou art of townes A per se.
    Soveraign of cities, seemliest in sight,
    Of high renoun, riches and royaltie;
    Of lordis, barons, and many a goodly knyght;...
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Top 10 most used topics by William Dunbar

Lady 2 Death 2 Rose 2 Strong 2 Wise 1 Doubt 1 High 1 Gold 1 Paradise 1 Velvet 1


William Dunbar Quotes

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Comments about William Dunbar

Rgtrendsetter: as to enable you to apply it with wisdom and skill, and yet without individual acquaintance with men, their haunts and habits, the pursuit of the profession becomes difficult, slow, and expensive. -william dunbar ralphgail teenclashscreening
_aikat: "no state in erd here standis sicker; as with the wynd wavis the wicker so wannis this world's vanitie" "lament for the makers", william dunbar images: stills from video installation "more sweetly play the dance" by william kentridge link:
Dunbar_ps: we have some amazing women at william dunbar p.s. that inspire students, families, each other and me each day! thank you. happy international women’s day to all of our dunbar staff, students and families!
Dunbar_ps: it’s decade day at william dunbar! can you guess our decade?
Iwasid: "this fals warld is bot transitory" knew his twitter, that william dunbar. timor mortis conturbat me.
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Poem of the day

Andrew Lang Poem
Ballade Of The Midnight Forest
 by Andrew Lang

Still sing the mocking fairies, as of old,
Beneath the shade of thorn and holly-tree;
The west wind breathes upon them, pure and cold,
And wolves still dread Diana roaming free
In secret woodland with her company.
'Tis thought the peasants' hovels know her rite
When now the wolds are bathed in silver light,
And first the moonrise breaks the dusky grey,
...

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