William Dunbar Quotes

“My deathe chasis my lyfe so besalie
That wery is my goist to fle so fast.”

William Dunbar

"To a Lady", line 15.

“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.”

William Dunbar

"The Lament for the Makars", line 1.

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

William Dunbar

“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.”

William Dunbar

"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.
Misattributed