William Dunbar

William Dunbar (c. 1460 – c. 1520) was a makar or Scottish Chaucerian poet. He was taken as a model by those writers of the Scottish Renaissance who followed Hugh MacDiarmid's slogan "Dunbar – not Burns!"

Quotes

 * Man, pleis thy makar and be mirry, And sett not by this warld a chirry;

(Man please thy maker and be merry, And set not by this world a cherry). from "Of Covetyce".


 * I that in heill wes and gladness, Am trublit now with gret seiknes, And feblit with infermité; Timor mortis conturbat me. Our plesance heir is all vane glory, This fals warld is bot transitory, The flesche is brukle, the Fend is sle; Timor mortis conturbat me.
 * "The Lament for the Makars", line 1.


 * My deathe chasis my lyfe so besalie That wery is my goist to fle so fast.
 * "To a Lady", line 15.

Misattributed

 * Strong be thy wallis that about the standis; Wise be the people that within the dwellis; Fresh is thy ryver with his lusty strandis; Blith be thy chirches, wele sownyng be thy bellis; Riche be thy merchauntis in substance that excellis Fair be thy wives, right lovesom, white and small; Clere be thy virgyns, lusty under kellis: London, thou art the flour of Cities all.
 * "London, thou art of townes A per se", line 41.
 * John Stow's ascription of this poem to Dunbar, though unchallenged for centuries, is no longer accepted.