William Dunbar: Lament, When He Was Seik

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The Cripples: Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1568 (Musée du Louvre, Paris)

.I that in heill wes and gladnes,

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 stait of man dois change and vary,

Now sound, now seik, now blith, now sary,

Now dansand mery, now like to dee;

...Timor mortis conturbat me.

.No stait in erd heir standis sickir;

As with the wynd wavis the wickir

Wavis this warldis vanité.

...Timor mortis conturbat me.

.On to the ded gois all estatis,

Princis, prelotis, and potestatis,

Baith riche and pur of al degré;

...Timor mortis conturbat me.

.He takis the knychtis in to feild,

Anarmit under helme and scheild;

Victour he is at all mellé;

...Timor mortis conturbat me.

.That strang unmercifull tyrand

Takis on the moderis breist sowkand

The bab full of benignité;

...Timor mortis conturbat me.

.He takis the campion in the stour,

The capitane closit in the tour,

The lady in bour full of bewté;

...Timor mortis conturbat me.

.He sparis no lord for his piscence,

Na clerk for his intelligence;

His awfull strak may no man fle;

...Timor mortis conturbat me.

.Art-magicianis, and astrologgis,

Rethoris, logicianis, and theologgis --

Thame helpis no conclusionis sle;

...Timor mortis conturbat me.

.In medicyne the most practicianis,

Lechis, surrigianis, and phisicianis,

Thame self fra ded may not supplé;

...Timor mortis conturbat me.

.I se that makaris amang the laif

Playis heir ther pageant, syne gois to graif;

Sparit is nocht ther faculté;

...Timor mortis conturbat me.

.He hes done petuously devour,

The noble Chaucer, of makaris flour,

The Monk of Bery, and Gower, all thre;

...Timor mortis conturbat me.

The Triumph of Death: Pieter Bruegel the Elder, c. 1562 (Museo del Prado, Madrid)

The Triumph of Death (detail): Pieter Bruegel the Elder, c. 1562 (Museo del Prado, Madrid)



The Triumph of Death (detail): Pieter Bruegel the Elder, c. 1562 (Museo del Prado, Madrid)



The Triumph of Death (detail): Pieter Bruegel the Elder, c. 1562 (Museo del Prado, Madrid)


The Triumph of Death (detail): Pieter Bruegel the Elder, c. 1562 (Museo del Prado, Madrid)


The Triumph of Death (detail): Pieter Bruegel the Elder, c. 1562 (Museo del Prado, Madrid)


The Triumph of Death (detail): Pieter Bruegel the Elder, c. 1562 (Museo del Prado, Madrid)

heill = health
Timor mortis conturbat me = The fear of death confounds me
bruckle = brittle
sle = sly
sary = sorrowful
like = likely
erd = earth
sickir = secure
wickir = willow branch
the ded = death
potentatis = rulers
in to = in (the)
anarmyt = armed
mellé = combat, skirmish
sowkand = sucking
benignité = graciousness, meekness
campion = champion
stour = battle
closit = enclosed (for defence)
bour = bower
piscence = puissance, power
clerk = scholar
strak = stroke
Thame helpis no conclusionis sle = 'No subtle conclusions can help them'
most = greatest
lechis = physicians
supplé = deliver
laif = rest
pageant = pageant (of life)
syne = then
graif = grave
faculté = profession
of makaris flour = the flower of makers (poets)


William Dunbar (1456?-1513?): from Lament, When He Was Seik, c. 1500