The Complete Works

Middle English Texts

by William Dunbar, John Conlee (Editor)

Dunbar, a courtier of Scotland's James IV, is considered to be the finest lyric poet between about 1400 and 1557 and a leader amongst the Middle Scots Poets. He is credited with over 80 poems with structures and themes that reflect, depending on the poem, somewhere between medieval and Renaissance fascinations.

Like most gentlemen poets, Dunbar's topics ranged from the devotional to works intended for public events (such as those welcoming Queen Margaret to Scotland) and private pleasure (such as two on James Dog, in which Dunbar asserts "He is na dog, he is a lam"), poetry in the courtly tradition, and a range of comical and satirical poetry. Editor Conlee works with the canonical texts in Middle Scots, with margin glossaries, and provides an extensive list of resources.

Genres: Poetry

488 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

William Dunbar (born 1459 or 1460 - died by 1530) was a Scottish Makar 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.

From 1500, Dunbar was employed at the court of James IV in a role for which he received an annual pension. His duties are not recorded; but it is to this period that the bulk of his poetry can be dated. Several of Dunbar's poems were included in the Chepman and Myllar prints of 1508, the first books to be printed in Scotland.

Reviews

[Garrett Mikulka · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than a poet, but a Makar of many hats, Dunbar wears them all to the utmost and with excellence. His devotional poems are soberingly so, his flytings are absolutely brutal, and even his court poetry finds room for flair. He has an incredible dexterity with form and he’s more comfortable with paradox than with its absence. Perhaps most surprising, his poetry bears witness to times past and those to come, feeling at once entirely medieval and shockingly post-modern. A joy to which I will be returning.