The Poems of W. D. Now First Collected. with Notes, and a Memoir of His Life, by D. Laing. 2 Vol. (Supplement.).

by William Dunbar

The Poems of W. D. now first collected. With notes, and a memoir of his life, by D. Laing. 2 vol. (Supplement.). British Library, Historical Print EditionsThe British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. It is one of the world's largest research libraries holding over 150 million items in all known languages and books, journals, newspapers, sound recordings, patents, maps, stamps, prints and much more. Its collections include around 14 million books, along with substantial additional collections of manuscripts and historical items dating back as far as 300 BC.The POETRY & DRAMA collection includes books from the British Library digitised by Microsoft. The books reflect the complex and changing role of literature in society, ranging from Bardic poetry to Victorian verse. Containing many classic works from important dramatists and poets, this collection has something for every lover of the stage and verse. ++++The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition ++++ British Library Dunbar, William; Laing, David; 1834, 65. 8 . ORW.1986.a.6767

Genres: Poetry, Literature, Classics, Medieval

424 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1534

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

[Illiterate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dunbar’s diverse poems give a nice sense of medieval life. Hidden gems: Sweet Rose of Virtue, In Secret Place, Into this World may non Assure.

[Jen Well-Steered · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the editors of this collection point out, many scholars publish early modern English poems in the original and seem to assume the present-day reader will just say it out loud and understand it. Which is too bad, because when you translate a lot of poetry from the era, it turns out to be a weird combination of fart jokes and praise for the king. That was the job of a court poet: you had to be entertaining. Sometimes that meant a bawdy tale about 2 portly women getting drunk on the first day of Lent and complaining about abstemiousness. Other days, they wanted a praise song for the queen.

[Jared · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Yit quhone the nycht begynnis to schort,
It dois my spreit sum pairt confort,
Of thocht oppressit with the schowris,
Cum, lustie Symmer with thi flowris,
That I may leif in sum disport."