William Dunbar - "Back To Dunbar"

"Back To Dunbar"

For the Scottish Literary Renaissance in the mid-twentieth century, Dunbar was a touchstone. Many tried to imitate his style, and "high-brow" subject matter, such as Hugh MacDiarmid and Sydney Goodsir Smith. As MacDiarmid himself said, they had to go "back to Dunbar".

Dunbar is commemorated in Makars' Court, outside The Writers' Museum, Lawnmarket, Edinburgh.


The Poetry of William Dunbar
The Dregy Of Dunbar • The Fenyeit Freir of Tungland • The Flyting of Dunbar and Kennedy • The Twa Cummeris • The Goldyn Targe • He Is Na Dog, He Is a Lam • On His Heid-Ake • Of Ane Blak-Moir • Of James Dog • Lament for the Makars (Timor mortis conturbat me) • Meditatioun In Wyntir • The Petition of The Gray Horse, Auld Dunbar • Remonstrance to the King (Schir, ye have mony servitouris) • The Petition of The Gray Horse, Auld Dunbar • The Thrissil and the Rois • The Tua Mariit Wemen and the Wedo
Scots makars
c. 1370 – c. 1460
  • John Barbour
  • Huchoun
  • James I
  • Sir Gilbert Hay
  • Andrew of Wyntoun
  • Richard Holland
c. 1460 – c. 1560
  • Blind Hary
  • Robert Henryson
  • Walter Kennedy
  • William Dunbar
  • Gavin Douglas
  • David Lyndsay
  • William Stewart
c. 1560 – 17th century
  • Alexander Scott
  • Alexander Montgomerie
  • James VI
  • Castalian Band
  • William Fowler
  • Alexander Hume
  • Robert Sempill
  • Robert Sempill the younger
  • Francis Sempill
18th century – 20th century
  • Allan Ramsay
  • Robert Fergusson
  • Robert Burns
  • Robert Louis Stevenson
  • Alicia Ann Spottiswoode
  • William Soutar
  • Robert Garioch
  • Sydney Goodsir Smith
  • Tom Scott
  • George Campbell Hay
  • Alexander Scott
  • Hamish Henderson
  • William Neill
Official appointment
(from 2004)
  • Edwin Morgan
  • Liz Lochhead

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Famous quotes containing the words back to and/or dunbar:

    “I was ten when they buried you.
    At twenty I tried to die
    And get back, back, back to you.”
    —Sylvia Plath (1932–1963)

    “He for our saik that sufferit to be slane,
    And lyk a lamb in sacrifice wes dicht,
    Is lyk a lyone rissin up agane,
    And as gyane raxit him on hicht;
    Sprungin is Aurora radius and bricht,
    On loft is gone the glorius Appollo,
    The blisfull day depairtit fro the nycht:
    Surrexit Dominus de sepulchro.”
    —William Dunbar (c. 1465–c. 1530)